Law of Distribution of Quantities of Shells on Togolese Littoral

Abstract

This study aims at analyzing the repartition of the quantities of shells of sand sediments of Togolese littoral, and at determining the law underlying their longitudinal and transversal distributions. Samples (210), collected all along Togolese littoral starting from Togo-Ghana border up to Togo-Benin border, are subject to the test of sieving. Each refusal on sieve is tested against construction of shells by hydrochloric acid. The determination of the quantity of shells according to their size and to longitudinal and transversal distributions on the littoral is completed. As a conclusion, the quantity of shells in the sediments is getting lower and lower starting from the aerial mid-beach (14.2%) to the mid-foreshore (11.80%), and getting higher and higher from the mid-foreshore (11.80%) to the low-foreshore (13.32%). It is getting lower and lower according to the direction of sediments’ transportations. This quantity of shells is high (40.87%) in the fine-grained sands (&#216 &#216 > 2 mm) and low (>24.26%) in the average-grained sands (0.125 mm ≤ &#216 ≤ 2 mm). The average quantity of shells of 12.67% is lower than the recommended maximum quantity (30%) for the sands used for concrete. Thus, for the concrete works, the littoral sands might be seen as useful since they are granulating for concrete.