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Volume-5, Issue-4, August-2015
International Journal of Engineering and Management Research
Page Number: 420-424

Spatio-Temporal Variations of Heavy Minerals in Kotilpadu Beach,

Southern Tamilnadu Coast, India
Jose Ravindra Raj.B1, Rajamanickam.M2, Sivakumar.K3, Geethapriya.S4, Ishwarya.R.V5
Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Prist University, Trichy-Thanjavur Highway, Vallam, Thanjavur,
INDIA
3,4
Post Graduate Student, Department of Civil Engineering, Prist University, Trichy-Thanjavur Highway, Vallam, Thanjavur,
INDIA
5
Assistant professor,Misrimal Navajee Munoth Jain Engineering College, Thoraipakkam, Chennai, INDIA
1,2

ABSTRACT
The heavy mineral study has been carriedout along the
coast of Kotilpadu,The beach sand minerals are collected and
laboratory analysis carried out. The major heavy minerals are
garnet,ilmennite,rutile,zircon and sillimanite.The statistical
analysis of indugual mineral concentration was accessed using
Statistica software.From the study of heavy mineral assemblages
it is accomplished this region, the non-opage concentration
ranges from 7.02 to 22.45 % where as opaque concentration
ranges from 37.5 to 56.84 %. the high tide samples were found to
be low TiO 2 and FeO contents when compared to the low tide
samples. During low tide the panning and gravity separation
action prompts a high heavy mineral indicative elements during
low tide time.

Keywords----Zircon

Sand, Minerals, Garnet, Ilmennite, Rutile,

I. INTRODUCTION
Coasts are dynamic in nature; it has been varying due to
the action of waves,winds,currents,tides,storms etc.
usually,geomorphology of a beach is based on wave
direction,climate,storm tide and sediment characteristics.Sea
level rise is also an major factor that controls beach
morphology change.The largest changes evident in a typical
sea level record are those due to tides.They further suggested
that beach morphological change is a response of the interface
of wave height and tidal range.This statement shows that the
tidal pressure is a proactive process whose significance is to
expose and subsidence of beach profile during a tidal
cycle.Vertical deposition of sedimentation is control by size

420

and slope of morphodynamic beach state beach grain , wave

period, breaking wave height,However, wave condition is the
major factor that controls beach morphological change and
beach erosion and accretion.Most of times,beach erosion takes
place under energetic wave condition and beach accretion and
bar formation takes place under calmer wave condition.
The bedrock of sandy beaches is highly unbalanced since
sand is constantly transported to the beach during accretion
periods, and detached from the beach during erosion
events.The movements of the sand alter the sediment grain
size and the beach profile and therefore its [1]. The process of
accretion is normally associated with a reduction in mean
particle size and with a flattening of the beach slope, whereas
erosion produces the reverse [2]. Therefore, the temporal
variability of the slope and mean grain size of a given beach
could be used as an index of the magnitude of its erosion
accretion dynamics Heavy minerals are economically
important, which are commonly deposited along the beach, if
breaking wave height, period, beach grain size and slope of
morphodynamic beach state are favorable. Rich concentrations
of placer minerals that has high specific gravity resistant
minerals occur at south west coast of India. Best known
deposits are known as Black sands. The sands are rich in
Ilmenite,monazite, rutile ,zircon, garnet etc. Heavy mineral
deposits formed in modern beach environment or are older
raised beach deposits formed during Pleistocene. They serve
as source for many metals and nonmetals. By studying the
beach
micromorphological
change
and
surfzone
dynamics[3],we can understand about the accumulation of
heavy minerals.Kottilpadu is one of the important place where
heavy mineral deposition is taking place.As already mining
activities are actively going on near this area, it is necessary to
understand the heavy mineral accumulation in this

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ISSN (ONLINE): 2250-0758, ISSN (PRINT): 2394-6962

area.Hence,a study is required to demarcate beach morphology

and heavy mineral allocation in this area.So, the present study
is carried out with following objectives.

II.

OBJECTIVES

The main objectives of research are

1.To study study spatial and temporal variations of heavy
minerals
2.To study heavymineral concentration and coastal dynamics
3.To understand the indugual heavy mineral concentration
statistics using statistical package

III.

STUDY AREA

Beaches are generally comprises of sand all along with

heavy and light minerals.Heavy mineral concentrations are
generally identified as black sands or beach placer
mineral.Heavy mineral fractions comprises of different
mineral categories; in which grain express its own
history[4][5].They are usually capable of withstanding the
many rigorous phases of attrition associated with transport
from source to sink.These beach placers predominantly of
ilmenite,garnet, magnetite, Zircon, rutile, monazite etc. The
coastal ecosystem of Tirunelveli district comprises 68 Km in
length and covered with 42 coastal fishing villages.The
coastal geomorphology of Kanyakumari District is generally
composed
of
beach
ridges,Marine
terraces,salt
pan,estuarine,calcarious rocky shores, sand dunes,swampy
nature in the estuarine regions etc.The 68 km long coast has a
heavy concentration to the tune of 1, 18,387-fisher folks,
which constitute about 26 percent of the total fishermen of
Tamil Nadu state In the Kanyakumari regions,charnockite
group
of
rocks
are
well
exposed
around
Padmanabhapuram,Aromboli, South Kulasekaram, Thuckalay
and Rajakkamangalam areas. This group is generally, consists
of pyroxene granulite and leptynites.They are distributed as
thin bands and lenses.

421

The Kottipadu Beach is a gently sloping, dissipative

beach with a nearshore bar system and a prominent berm at
the backshore.(Fig.1.)During high wave e conditions, the berm
is eroded and the sediment migrates offshore to be stored in a
nearshore bar. It is suggested by Aagaard et al. (2005) that the
magnitude of shoreline erosion during a sequence of high
wave energy condition is dependent upon the slope of the
beach-face.During the study period of 28 days the observation
of two storm events at could be noted during which berm was
found to be eroded significantly during the beginning of the
first storm, and that erosion was greater on sections of the
beach where the slope was steeper.Therefore it is suggested
that gently sloping, dissipative inter-tidal zones like the ones
studied here the beach is relatively stable under high energy
conditions.

IV.

METHDOLOGY

The collected samples were washed with fresh water,

dried and sieved on sieve shaker for 15 minutes. Sieve data
were subject to textural analysis by using a computer
programme size which calculates moment measures of
sedimentological parameters.[6][7][8].The sieved fractions
from +120 to+230 ASTM sieve set were taken for heavy
mineral separation. Heavy minerals were separated using
analytical grade bromoform (sp.g:2.8) using normal laboratory
procedures as prescribed by Carter. Separated heavies were
examined under binocular micros cope with cross nicols and
percentage of each of the heavy mineral was
calculated[9].Before examining under micros cope the
powdered samples were subjected to XRD analysis in order to
get a broad idea such as, what are the heavy minerals to look
for.

V.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Heavy minerals in the study area are fine grained. Heavy

mineral percentage on beach face at different tidal conditions
shown in the table.1.From beginning to 30/11/05 shows that
heavy mineral percentage low at the time of high tide and
more heavies at the time of low tide condition. But from
1/12/05 to 15/12/05 ie one spring tide to next spring tide
heavies are high at the time of high tide condition .From 19th
onwards again heavies low at the time of high tide and high at
the time of low tide conditions.In point counting Opaques are
high in both high and low tide samples in point counting.In all
samples more than 40% constitute opaques,next comes
sillimanite <25% ,others constitute rest of the percentage.High
percentage of opaques obtained at the low tide
condition.(>50%)

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Samples were subjected to magnetic separation primarily

before conducting XRD analysis.Peak positions shown by
Diffractogram is Illmenite (FeTiO 3 ),pyrope and pseudorutile
(Fe2Ti3O9)inmagnetic,sillimanite(AlFeO 2 .SiO 5 ),zircon(ZrSi
O 4 ) and rutile(TiO 2 ) in magnetic (Table.2 and Fig.3).This was
done in order to get an over all frame of the heavy mineral
constituents in the samples[11].This exercise had helped in
deciding what are the dominant minerals to be looked in to in
binocular[12] .

422

It is believed that during the high tide conditions the bulk

of the sediment been scooped toward high water
line.Therefore the admixtures of all the constituents will be
there in the sediment load. During the low tide condition,the
water starts recede and so a kind of panning and gravity
separation is happening in the beach face[13][14].This
phenomenon is reflected as high heavy percentage during the
low tide condition, as seen in the photo.4.1.Total heavy
mineral content that has obtained by gravity separation shown
in table.1.majority samples showing high percentage of heavy
minerals at high tide and low percentage at low tide.Two
samples showing variation from others due to hydrodynamic
conditions prevail in that time. Opaques are high in both high
and low tide samples in point counting. In all samples more
than 40% constitute opaques ,next comes sillimanite <25%
,others constitute rest of the percentage.High percentage of
opaques obtained at the low tide condition.

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Samples were subjected to magnetic separation primarily
before conducting XRD analysis in the figure.5.2.Peak
positions shown by Diffractogram is llmenite(FeTiO 3 ),pyrope
and pseudorutile (Fe 2 Ti 3 O 9 )inmagnetic, Sillimanite
zircon(ZrSiO 4 )and
rutile(TiO 2 )
in
(AlFeO 2 .SiO 5 ),
magnetic.(Fig.4)This was done in order to get an over all
frame of the heavy mineral constituents in the samples.This
exercise had helped in deciding what are the dominant
minerals to be looked in to in binocular.(Fig.5 and 6) It is
believed that during the high tide conditions the bulk of the
sediment been scooped to ward high water line.[15]. Therefore
the admixtures of all the constituents will be there in the
sediment load.During the low tide condition, the water starts
recede and so a kind of panning and gravity separation is
happening in the beach face. This phenomenon is reflected as
high heavy percentage during the low tide condition, as seen
in the photo:

VI. CONCLUSION AND

RECOMMENDATION

Fig.4.Magnetite and non-magnetite distribution

Fig.5.Matrix plot of heavy minerals

From the analysis of grain size data it is entrenched

that characteristic environment of deposition of wave
influenced in the kotilpadu beach.From the study of heavy
mineral assemblages it is accomplished this region, the nonopage concentration ranges from 7.02 to 22.45 % where as
opaque concentration ranges from 37.5 to 56.84 %. X-ray
florescence analytical result also reflects the what was inferred
from XRD and point counting data. As discussed earlier, the
high tide samples were found to be low TiO2 and FeO
contents when compared to the low tide samples. During low
tide the panning and gravity separation action prompts a high
heavy mineral indicative elements during low tide time.This
zone allots the presence of high concentration of heavy
minerals due to western ward direction currents. Many of the
lamellae are found to be of very fine in nature and hence
magnetities may be attributed to have been derived from
igneous suite of rocks.

REFERENCES

Fig.6.3D surface plot for heavy mineral concentration

concentration

423

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