Understanding heavy mineral dynamics using magnetic fingerprinting technique: a case study of North Maharashtra Coast,India

Environmental magnetic and grain size measurements were carried out on sand samples collected from nine sand pits along a 20-km coastal stretch of Arnala Beach, North Maharashtra, India. This study sets out to identify the potential heavy (magnetite) mineral-rich sites in a dynamic coastal system and decipher their enrichment processes. Combination of rock-magnetic and grain size data of the sand pits mirrors the differential heavy mineral fluxes along the coast. Two distinct and well-separated bands of magnetite enrichments were identified. The upper magnetite band (UMB) is more pronounced and shows uniform magnetite enrichment representing the present-day beach erosional state. A well-separated lower magnetite band (LMB) had highest magnetite concentration at Vaitarna River mouth and depicts a strong decrease in magnetite content and clastic (mean) grain size away from the river mouth. This suggests that the NW–SE-directed coast-parallel sediment transport in the past played a major role in the formation of magnetite-rich layers of LMB. A non-enriched zone (NEZ) between UMB and LMB is magnetically weak and showed large variations in clastic grain sizes and possibly represents a period of sediment accretion. A strong correlation between magnetite concentration and magnetic grain size was found for all the sand pit samples, with highest magnetic susceptibility values being dominated by coarser magnetic grains. This relationship needs to be further exploited as a potential fingerprint to identify the heavy mineral lag deposits in coastal environments. Our study explores the potential of using environmental magnetism and sedimentological methods to identify the potential areas enriched in heavy (magnetic) minerals and explains the mechanism of their formation.     

Magnetic mineral transport and sorting in the swash‐zone: northern Lake Erie,Canada

A combined field and laboratory study in northern Lake Erie has provided new insights into the origin and dynamics of heavy mineral placer deposits on beaches consisting primarily of non‐magnetic sediment. Work was conducted on the cross‐shore and longshore transport of heavy magnetic minerals using magnetic susceptibility and fluorescent paints to trace the movement, in the field, of samples of magnetic (magnetite) and non‐magnetic (quartz and calcite) grains, respectively. Laboratory experiments examined how the burial of small, dense magnetic minerals is affected by the grain size of the non‐magnetic host material, and how grain burial affects magnetic susceptibility measurements at the surface. The field experiments demonstrated that the magnetic mineral tracers were buried rapidly beneath coarser, non‐magnetic grains under low to moderate wave conditions, and subsequently were unable to move in the longshore or cross‐shore directions. The laboratory experiments showed that the magnetic susceptibility rapidly decreased with the rate and depth of burial of the magnetic minerals, and that magnetic grain burial was most effective beneath coarser rather than finer non‐magnetic sand and, for the latter sediments, under less rather than more energetic conditions. The results imply that magnetic mineral concentrations develop in this area through magnetic grain burial under fairly mild conditions, and subsequent settling, exposure and concentration in the upper swash zone during more energetic periods, when the non‐magnetic grains are eroded. It is probably during these erosional periods, when the magnetic minerals are exposed in fairly homogeneous deposits, that longshore and cross‐shore transport takes place.     

Heavy Mineral Placer Sand Deposits of Kontiagarh Area,Ganjam District,Orissa, India

The Kontiagarh placer deposit in the Ganjam district, Orissa, India extends in northeast direction having a width of 700–1000 m. A total of 187 samples were collected meterwise from 55 bore holes in a grid pattern from beach, frontal, intermediate and back dunes covering an area of approximately 1 km². Light minerals decrease in size from the beach to the back dunes, whereas the size distribution of heavy minerals in the beach and dunes is more or less uniform. The average heavy mineral content in the beach and dunes vary from 9.38% to 24.20%. The heavy minerals are ilmenite, garnet, sillimanite, rutile, monazite, and zircon with trace amounts of magnetite, hornblende, diopside, sphene, tourmaline, and epidote. Heavy minerals are mostly less than 350 µm in size, with a peak distribution in the range between 180 and 125 µm. Ilmenite shows exsolution intergrowth with hematite. Mineral chemistry of ilmenite, hematite, leucoxene, magnetite, monazite and sillimanite are examined by EPMA. Leucoxene is lower in Fe and higher in Ti, Al, Cr and V than ilmenite. The litho‐units of the Precambrian Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt, comprising primarily khondalite, charnockite, calc‐silicate granulite and gneiss, are the source of heavy minerals for this deposit. The bulk sample has 7.30% ilmenite, 5.24% sillimanite, 9.16% garnet, 0.18% rutile, 0.14% monazite, 0.06% zircon and 0.52% other heavy minerals. The deposit has good potential for economic exploitation of ilmenite, rutile, sillimanite, monazite, zircon and garnet.     

昌黎海岸风成沙丘砂组构特征及其与海滩砂的比较

对昌黎海岸沙丘砂进行薄片统计,重砂矿物分析,电镜扫描,粒度分析及与海滩砂的对比研究发现,沙丘砂在物质组成、颗粒形态、石英砂表面结构特征和粒度特征方面均继承了海滩砂特征,不过,海滩砂中也有沙丘砂的某些特征,反映了两者沉积的混合。这是由于向岸风和离岸风共同作用的结果。     

Links between bulk sediment particle size and magnetic grain‐size: general observations and implications for Chinese loess studies

Using a combination of particle size analysis, magnetic measurements, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy imaging, this study shows that in a wide range of depositional environments, there is a strong link between particle size classes and magnetic response, especially below the upper limit of stable single domain magnetic behaviour. Ferrimagnetic grain assemblages dominated by stable single domain magnetosomes regularly have peak susceptibility and remanence values in coarser grades than do those containing finer‐grained, viscous and superparamagnetic secondary magnetic minerals formed during pedogenesis. This effect is despite the fact that there is a one to two orders of magnitude size difference between the particle size boundaries (at 1 or 2 μm) and key domain state transitions (mostly below 0·05 μm). The implications of these results are explored using samples spanning 22 Myr of loess accumulation on the Chinese Loess Plateau. The results from the loess sections, complemented by data from low‐temperature magnetic experiments, show that there are subtle distinctions in mean ferrimagnetic grain‐size between the Pleistocene and Miocene parts of the record, thus allowing more refined rock magnetic interpretations of the fine‐grained ferrimagnetic mineral assemblages arising from the effects of weathering, pedogenesis and possibly diagenesis in the sections studied.     

Seasonal impact on beach morphology and the status of heavy mineral deposition – central Tamil Nadu coast,India

The aim of the present research was to investigate the seasonal impact on nearshore beach dynamics and the status of heavy mineral distribution along central Tamil Nadu coast, India. Beach profile measurements were made in 10 profiling sites between Thirukadaiyur and Velankanni on monthly and seasonal basis from January 2011 to July 2012. Using beach profile data, variation in beach width, slope and volumetric changes have been calculated. Beach slope and nearshore wave parameters were used to quantify the longshore sediment transport rate. Beaches between Thirukadaiyur and Karaikkal attained predominant transport rate in northern direction whereas, the rest of the beaches are in southern direction. The seasonal action of wind and wave currents create nearshore bar during northeast (NE) monsoon and frequent berms at tidal zone during southwest (SW) monsoon. Surface sediment samples were collected in each location for quantifying the heavy mineral weight percentage during the period of pre- and post-Thane cyclone. Sediments were also studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) to evaluate the changes and occurrence of heavy minerals in beach sands. The XRD results show that sediments in the study area have enriched heavy mineral distribution even after strong cyclonic event. It confirms the redistribution of heavy mineral deposits present in the coast. The results suggested that monsoonal action has influenced the seasonal changes in beach morphology and it does not affect the heavy mineral distribution.     

辽东湾西岸典型岬湾海滩表层沉积物粒度分布特征及水动力条件浅析

海滩形态、沉积物组分和粒度参数能反映海滩沉积环境。自2010年7月到2011年12月在辽东湾西岸葫芦岛市龙湾滨海沙滩和兴城第一海水浴场沙滩进行冬夏重复海滩剖面测量和表层沉积物粒度分析,结果表明:①两海滩以85黄海高程-0.6 m和-4.7 m为界划分为海滩、水下岸坡和陆架平原三个地貌单元。②龙湾沙滩海滩形态较稳定,兴城一浴海滩和水下岸坡淤积,均与海滩养护相关。③根据沉积物组分和粒径参数的差异,两海滩可横向划分为I、II、III、IV四个沉积区。各沉积区内中值粒径并没有出现横向递减的趋势,分选系数、偏态和峰态变化复杂。各沉积区间水力条件截然不同。④与兴城一浴相比,龙湾沙滩I沉积区沉积物颗粒较细、分选较好,水下岸坡存在综合动力条件弱的沉积区段,陆架平原缺少潮流作用强烈的区段。     

Coarse‐sand beach ridges at Cowley Beach,north‐eastern Australia: Their formative processes and potential as records of tropical cyclone history

Storm surges generated by tropical cyclones have been considered a primary process for building coarse‐sand beach ridges along the north‐eastern Queensland coast, Australia. This interpretation has led to the development of palaeotempestology based on the beach ridges. To better identify the sedimentary processes responsible for these ridges, a high‐resolution chronostratigraphic analysis of a series of ridges was carried out at Cowley Beach, Queensland, a meso‐tidal beach system with a >3 m tide range. Optically stimulated luminescence ages indicate that 10 ridges accreted seaward over the last 2500 to 2700 years. The ridge crests sit +3·5 to 5·1 m above Australian Height Datum (ca mean sea‐level). A ground‐penetrating radar profile shows two distinct radar facies, both of which are dissected by truncation surfaces. Hummocky structures in the upper facies indicate that the nucleus of the beach ridge forms as a berm at +2·5 m Australian Height Datum, equivalent to the fair‐weather swash limit during high tide. The lower facies comprises a sequence of seaward‐dipping reflections. Beach progradation thus occurs via fair‐weather‐wave accretion of sand, with erosion by storm waves resulting in a sporadic sedimentary record. The ridge deposits above the fair‐weather swash limit are primarily composed of coarse and medium sands with pumice gravels and are largely emplaced during surge events. Inundation of the ridges is more likely to occur in relation to a cyclone passing during high tide. The ridges may also include an aeolian component as cyclonic winds can transport beach sand inland, especially during low tide, and some layers above +2·5 m Australian Height Datum are finer than aeolian ripples found on the backshore. Coarse‐sand ridges at Cowley Beach are thus products of fair‐weather swash and cyclone inundation modulated by tides. Knowledge of this composite depositional process can better inform the development of robust palaeoenvironmental reconstructions from the ridges.     

机械研磨作用对磁铁矿低温氧化及磁化率的影响

磁铁矿是岩石、土壤和沉积物中少量而又普遍存在的副矿物,是环境磁记录的主要载体.磁铁矿在表生地质过程中受到机械、生物和化学风化作用使其结构、粒径、氧化程度、磁学性质发生一系列变化,这些变化对环境磁学以及表生地质过程的研究具有重要意义.从矿物学角度研究了磁铁矿粒径、相转变、氧化程度和磁化率随着研磨时间的变化规律.结果表明,平均粒径为4 μm的磁铁矿在研磨1 h后粒径变化趋于稳定,但随着研磨时间的增加,磁化率逐步降低而氧化率逐渐增加.通过对研磨后样品进行XRD分析表明,随着研磨时间的增加,磁铁矿衍射峰强度明显减弱,衍射峰宽化,赤铁矿的衍射峰强度逐渐增强.由此可见,原生磁铁矿(对沉积物而言属于碎屑磁铁矿)低温氧化产物是赤铁矿而不是磁赤铁矿.在表生地质演化过程中颗粒的机械碰撞不仅使磁铁矿颗粒变细,而且可能影响到磁铁矿常温氧化、磁学性质和晶体结构.     

Grain‐size distributions on high‐energy sandy beaches and their relation to wave dissipation

Grain size and sorting represent two key parameters when characterizing sediments or modelling beach morphology and sediment transport. Traditionally, an average value for grain size or sorting is often assumed for the entire area, determined from only a few sediment samples, ignoring any spatial (or temporal) variability in sediment characteristics. This contribution uses a data set of physical surface sediment samples from 53 beach locations around the south‐west peninsula of the United Kingdom, in addition to bi‐monthly, high spatial resolution (mean 240 samples) digital grain‐size surveys from a high‐energy, oceanic, sandy beach (Perranporth, North Cornwall). Systematic spatial variations in grain size and sorting were consistently observed in the seaward direction across the intertidal zone of sandy beaches, with grain‐sizes coarsening and sorting improving by up to 51·7% and 64·3%, respectively. This variability was deterministically related to the time‐averaged, antecedent‐adjusted energy dissipated by breaking waves, with the observed maximum grain‐size and sorting values correlating with the location of peak wave energy dissipation (r² = 0·998, P < 0·01).     

Distribution of heavy minerals in Nizampatnam-Lankavanidibba coastal sands,Andhra Pradesh,East Coast of India

Heavy mineral analysis was carried out for the beach and fore dune sediments along 60 transects of Nizampatnam-Lankavanidibba coastal area. The heavy mineral assemblage in this area with decreasing abundance of opaques (Ilmenite + magnetite, 47.67%), pyriboles (20.35%), garnets (3.66%), epidote (3.23%) and with less than 3.0% concentration of sillimanite, zircon, staurolite, kyanite, apatite, spinel, monazite, biotite, topaz, leucoxene and chlorite. The heavy mineral concentrations are high in the finer fractions i.e., +120 and +230 (ASTM) than the coarse fraction (+60) of sand. In the seven sectors, heavy mineral assemblage is same but their concentrations are different. The sectors nearer to the river mouth contain high concentration of high specific gravity heavy minerals (ilmenite and magnetite) than sectors away from the river mouth. The redistribution of heavy minerals is controlled by creek dynamics, longshore currents, size and specific gravity of the heavy minerals.     

Rock Magnetism Study on Loess-Paleosol Sequence at Huixinggou Section of Sanmenxia Basin

Rock magnetism is the foundation of paleomagnetism and environmental magnetism study, and is effective in identifying the components, grain size and content of magnetic minerals in rocks and sediments. A systematic rock magnetism investigation has been conducted on the Huixinggou loess-paleosol sequence at Shuigou-Huixinggou Paleolithic site of Sanmenxia Basin in the southeastern Loess Plateau. Results show that the magnetic assemblage of the section is dominated by magnetite and maghemite, as well as hematite, exhibiting the average grain size of magnetic minerals is attributed to Pseudo-Single Domain (PSD). The variation curves of magnetic parameters are consistent and well comparable to marine oxygen isotope curves, with low values corresponding to the loess deposition during glacial periods, and high values corresponding to the paleosol development during interglacial periods, jointly demonstrating the glacial-interglacial cyclicities of magnetic mineral types, composition, and grain size of Chinese loess-paleosol sequences under the influence of alternating strengthening and weakening of Eastern Asian paleomonsoon over the Quaternary period. Comprehensive analysis reveals that the relative content of high-coercivity antiferromagnetic minerals is higher in loess than in paleosol, whilst the absolute content of high-coercivity antiferromagnetic minerals in paleosol is generally higher than that in loess accompanying increasing intensity of pedogenesis. The mass-specific magnetic susceptibility (χ) shows distinctly positive correlations with anhysteretic susceptibility (χ_ARM), Saturation Isothermal Remanent Magnetization (SIRM) and magnetic grain size dependent parameters (χ_ARM/SIRM and χ_ARM/χ), indicating that the pedogenic producing Single Domain (SD) and small PSD ferrimagnetic particles contribute significantly to the magnetic susceptibility enhancement.     

北京市昌平区钻孔岩芯的磁化率与粒度组份变化的相关性研究

以昌平区钻孔岩芯为例,分析沉积物粒级组分与磁化率大小变化的相关性。从厚约150 m的剖面选取590多个样品,分别测试从0.5~500 μm各个粒度区间颗粒的百分含量和磁化率。通过计算它们之间的相关关系,认为湖相沉积物磁化率的变化与0.5~30 μm间细粒物质的含量,特别是与0.5~10 μm区间悬浮物质的含量反相关,而与65~500 μm间较粗粒物质的含量正相关。这种相关性与黄土沉积刚好相反,反映了二者之间磁化率不同的变化机制, 蕴涵着一定的古气候信息。     

罗布泊自生胶黄铁矿对磁性参数χARM/SIRM指示意义的影响

沉积物中磁性矿物的颗粒大小具有重要环境指示意义,是环境磁学研究的重要内容。磁性参数非磁滞剩磁磁化率/饱和等温剩磁（χ_ARM/SIRM）常被用于指示磁性颗粒大小,当沉积物磁性特征为较粗的多畴（MD）颗粒主导时表现为低值,而为较细的单畴（SD）颗粒主导时表现为高值。本研究对罗布泊盐湖LB剖面的沉积物进行了系统环境磁学测试,结果发现剖面中含有5个χ_ARM/SIRM值低于上覆层和下伏层的层位,指示其磁性颗粒较粗。但磁滞参数和扫描电镜结果显示这5个层位磁性颗粒明显细于上覆层和下伏层沉积物,显示χ_ARM/SIRM在这5个层位的指示意义失真。矿物鉴定结果显示这5个层位的主导磁性矿物为早期成岩成因的SD胶黄铁矿,赋存形态主要为颗粒团聚体、单颗粒或颗粒团聚体附着于硅酸盐矿物表面以及分布于薄片状硅酸盐内,这种赋存形态导致其具有较强的磁相互作用,并限制了χ_ARM的增加,最终造成χ_ARM/SIRM下降,指示意义失真。本研究显示当沉积物中存在胶黄铁矿等自生矿物时,利用比值参数χ_ARM/SIRM判断磁性矿物颗粒特征需谨慎。     

Magnetic properties related to hydrothermal alteration processes at the Escondida porphyry copper deposit,northern Chile

Fluid–rock interaction related to the circulation of hydrothermal fluids can strongly modify the physicochemical properties of wall rocks in porphyry Cu deposits. These processes can also produce compositional and textural changes in ferromagnetic minerals, which can be quantified using magnetic methods. In the Escondida porphyry Cu deposit of northern Chile, each hydrothermally altered lithology is characterized by a discrete assemblage of Fe–Ti oxide minerals. These minerals have distinctive bulk magnetic susceptibility (K _bulk), temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility, and magnetic hysteresis parameters. Selectively altered rocks (i.e., potassic and chloritic alteration types) exhibit the highest K _bulk values (>3.93?×?10^?3 SI units), and their hysteresis parameters indicate multidomain magnetic mineral behavior. This suggests that these rocks are composed of the coarsest magnetic grain sizes within the deposit. Optical analyses and susceptibility–temperature curves confirm that the magnetic signals in selectively altered rocks are mainly carried by secondary magnetite. In contrast, pervasively altered rocks (i.e., quartz-sericite and argillic alteration types) exhibit low K _bulk values (<1.93?×?10^?4 SI units) and contain smaller pseudo-single domain magnetic grain assemblages. This is consistent with the destruction and/or reduction in size of magnetite under acidic conditions. The results therefore demonstrate a genetic relationship between the hydrothermal alteration processes, Fe–Ti oxide minerals, and magnetic properties of the wall rock in the Escondida deposit. These magnetic methods can be considered a sensitive and efficient petrophysical tool for the identification and semi-quantification of alteration assemblages, and facilitating the recognition and mapping of discrete hydrothermal zones during exploration and operation of porphyry Cu deposits.     

Sources of monazite sand in southern Orissa beach placer,eastern India

This paper intends to explore whether there is an important source for monazite beach placer of the Gopalpur-Chhatrapur-Rushikulya coast, Orissa, in the adjacent Eastern Ghat Mobile Belt (EGMB). Petrographic and mineralogical studies were conducted on all the rock types constituting the EGMB exposed over a stretch extended up to ∼20 km landward from the estuary of the River Rushikulya that is believed to transport the major bulk of sand to the Gopalpur-Chhatrapur-Rushikulya beach. Heavy mineral population was concentrated using bromoform and percentages of each heavy mineral constituting the population were estimated for all the potential source rock types. Isodynamic separation and XRD techniques were deployed for precision identification of every heavy mineral present. The study identified the granitoid (or migmatite) basement rock as by far the major contributor of monazite to the Chhatrapur beach sand. The study also reveals that charnockite is an important contributor of orthopyroxene as well as garnet, although the sillimanite-garnet-quartz schist (khondalites) is also an important source for the latter. On the other hand, garnet-quartz schist and garnet-biotite-quartz schist may also contribute substantial quantity of pyroxene and garnet. The high grade metasedimentary rocks, in general, could be the major sources for rutile, while ilmenite, magnetite and zircon in the beach sand have their sources perhaps in all the varieties of rocks constituting the EGMB.     

泥河湾盆地基于粒度气候指标的轨道调谐时间标尺

泥河湾盆地东部出露一套厚近百米的以湖相为主的地层.我们测量了洞沟剖面的粒度和磁化率.通过磁化率记录的对比, 我们可以将前人确定的古地磁界线转移到我们的深度坐标上来, 并建立了初步的时间标尺.样品中粒径在20~50μm之间的颗粒含量时间序列可以与ETP曲线对比, 即低含量对应高ETP值.这样的对比意味着在北半球夏季太阳辐射量相对增加的时期, 进入泥河湾盆地沉积物中的风尘物质减少了.这与已知的北方风尘的演化历史是吻合的, 所以我们认为粒度(20~50μm) 含量是泥河湾盆地沉积物中比较可靠的古气候变化的替代性指标.对于沉积速率相对高的时段, 即 > 780ka的地层, 我们尝试用轨道调谐的方法建立了高分辨率的时间标尺.新的粒度(20~50μm) 含量时间序列滤波获得的20ka和41ka的周期成分与岁差及地轴倾斜度的理论值可以重合.这显示洞沟剖面的粒度(20~50μm) 含量记录可以作为轨道调谐的气候曲线.      

广西涠洲岛全新世上升海滩沉积及其成岩作用

涠洲岛是广西北部湾中的一个火山岛,该岛由第四纪喜山期的喷出岩,主要是玄武岩和火山碎屑岩、凝灰质砂岩等所构成。岛的北部、西部和东部沿岸多处发育有珊瑚岸礁,它们是向海岸地带供应大量各种生物骨壳碎屑的物源区。在海滩地带相应地发育了以生物砂、砾屑为主的海滩沉积。所观察的岛北部和西部的全新世海滩沉积(与海南岛类似的沉积岩层比较,推断可能属全新世)由于海平面下降而处于     

新疆伊犁黄土磁化率增强机制差异性分析

本文对处于西风区的新疆伊犁昭苏黄土剖面进行了磁化率和粒度分析,初步探讨了伊犁黄土磁化率增强机制的差异性。研究表明,伊犁黄土虽然粘土含量较黄土高原黄土高,但细粒组分对磁化率的贡献非常有限,粗颗粒组分对磁化率贡献较大,说明磁性载体主要存于粗颗粒组分中。同时研究发现地形、沉积环境、源区矿物组分和气候等多种因素对磁化率产生不同程度的影响。伊犁黄土磁化率成因机制既具有阿拉斯加风速论模式的特点又叠加了黄土高原成壤作用的模式,即使在同一剖面的不同时段两种模式对磁化率增强的贡献也不同,伊犁黄土磁化率增强机制存在着时空差异性。     

Description of littoral,alongshore sediment movement from empirical eigen‐function analysis

Measurements of 18 closely spaced beach profiles spanning Warilla Beach, N.S.W., over a 5‐year period have been examined for alongshore exchanges in beachface configuration. Horizontal slices of beach corresponding with berm, upper swash, upper and lower intertidal zones were examined by empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis. The first four EOF's for each of the four slices contain over 90% of the total variance for each slice. In each instance the first eigen‐function mode represents the onshore‐offshore component of beach response, and accounts for 50 to 60% of the variance. Subsequent modes describe alongshore exchange of sediment associated with large, standing, cellular water circulations of the embayment. Sediment shunts along each horizontal slice are determined by identification of nodal points in the eigen‐functions. These represent pivotal points through which sediment is transferred. The patterns of exchange vary considerably from slice to slice, reflecting change in the dominant beach processes from swash processes in the top of the beach to wave, tidal and current processes on the lower beach slope. Despite their disparity, similar periodicities are determined for the sediment exchanges in each slice. The amplitude spectra of the time series associated with each eigen‐function indicate that the exchanges take place at 24, 12 and 6 monthly periods.