Abstract
The present work deals with the geochemical and heavy mineral characteristics studies of sediments of Gosthani river estuary. The aim of study is to determine the provenance, establish the depositional environment and spatial variability of sediment. From the study it is found that the sediment of Gosthani river contains heavy minerals that consist of Rutile, Garnet, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Monazite, Zercon, Pyroxenes, Epidote, Amphiboles and Opaques minerals. The lesser abundant heavy minerals are amphiboles, zircon, monazite, rutile, staurolite, epidote. These heavy minerals indicate that the sediments were essentially derived from metamorphic provenance varying from medium to high grade and partly from crystalline igneous rocks. Well rounded monazites come from Eastern Ghats. This is based on the occurrence of monazite in pegmatite and charnockites of Eastern Ghats. The various characters of rutile and zircon suggest that each of these minerals has a multisource. According to geochemical studies settling of organic matter is highest in areas where deposition of fine grained sediment takes place. The organic carbon is often a good index for deciphering depositional environment.
Highlights
The word “estuary” is derived from the Latin word aestuarium meaning tidal inlet of the sea, which in itself is derived from the term aestus, meaning tide
It is observed that the chief heavy minerals of the Gosthani river sands consist of garnets, sillimanite, opaque minerals, and Pyroxenes
The lesser abundant heavy minerals of desired area are amphiboles, zircon, monazite, rutile, staurolite, epidote. Present of these minerals in sediment of Gosthani River Estuary indicates the possibility of their derivation from such rock
Summary
The word “estuary” is derived from the Latin word aestuarium meaning tidal inlet of the sea, which in itself is derived from the term aestus, meaning tide. The most widely accepted definition is: a semi-enclosed coastal body of water, which has a free connection with the open sea, and within sea water is measurably diluted with freshwater derived from land drainage [1]. A more comprehensive definition of an estuary is a semi-enclosed body of water connected to the sea as far as the tidal limit or the salt intrusion limit and receiving freshwater runoff; the freshwater inflow may not be perennial, the connection to the sea may be closed for part of the year and tidal influence may be negligible [2] This definition includes classical estuaries as well as fjords, lagoons, river mouths, and tidal creeks. The inflows of both sea water and fresh water provide high levels of nutrients in both the water column and sediment, making estuaries among the most productive natural habitats in the world [3]
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