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Mineralogical characteristics of the sediments of a Himalayan river: Yamuna River — a tributary of the Ganges

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Environmental Geology

Abstract

Almost the entire suspended load of Yamuna River is transported during the monsoon period; quartz and illite are the dominant minerals of these suspended sediments. Basin lithology, tributary contributions, and sediment grain size seem to control mineral distribution in the sediments. Trace metal concentrations of Yamuna core sediments reflect their mineralogical composition. Illite is the chief clay mineral of the Himalayan river sediments. The mineralogical characteristics of the Himalayan river sediments differ significantly from the Peninsular Indian rivers, which chiefly carry montmorillonite.

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Jha, P.K., Vaithiyanathan, P. & Subramanian, V. Mineralogical characteristics of the sediments of a Himalayan river: Yamuna River — a tributary of the Ganges. Geo 22, 13–20 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00775279

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