Abstract
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.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alam, N.M., Chowdury, M.I., Kamal, M., Ghose, S., Islam, N.M., Mustafa, M.N., Miah, M.M.H. and Ansary, M.M. (1999) The 226Ra, 232Th and 40K activities in beach sand minerals and beach soils of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh; Jour. Environmental Radioactivity, v.46, pp.243–250.
Alencar, A.S. and Freitas, A.C. (2005) Reference levels of natural radioactivity for the beach sands in a Brazilian southeastern coastal region. Radiation Measurements, v.40, pp.76–83.
Bhattacharya, S. and Sengupta, R. (1994) Surface microtextures of heavy minerals from the Bay of Bengal off Gopalpur, Orissa. Jour. Geol. Soc. India, v.44, pp.175–184.
Freitas, A.C. and Alencar, A.S. (2004) Gamma dose rates and distribution of natural radionuclides in sand beaches-Ilha Grande, Southeastern Brazil. Jour. Environmental Radioactivity, v.75, pp.211–223.
Hutchison, C.S. (1974). Laboratory handbook of Petrographic techniques. John Wiley & Sons, New York, 119p.
JCPDS-ICDD (1999) http://www.msm.cam.ac.uk/xray
Kamineni, D.C. and Rao, A.T. (1988) Sapphirine granulites from Kakanuru area, Eastern Ghats, India. American Mineralogist, v.73, pp.692–700.
Kamineni, D.C., Rao, A.T. and Bonardi, M. (1991) The geochemistry of monazite types from the Eastern Ghats Granulite Terrain, India. Mineral. Petrol., v.45, pp.119–130.
Kannan, V., Rajan, M.P., Iyengar, M.A.R. and Ramesh, R. (2002) Distribution of natural and anthropogenic radionuclides in soil and beach sand samples of Kalpakkam (India) using hyper pure germanium (HPGe) gamma ray spectrometry. Applied Radiation and Isotopes, v.57, pp.109–119.
Mahadevan, C. and Rao, N.B. (1950) Blacksand concentrates of the Vizagapatnam coast. Curr. Sci., v.19, pp.48–49.
Mallik, T.K. (1974) Heavy mineral placers in the beaches and offshore areas — their nature, origin, economic potential and exploration. Indian Minerals, v.28, pp.39–46.
Mallik, T.K., Vasudevan, V., Verghese, P.A. and Machado, T. (1987) The black sand placer deposits of Kerala beach, southwest India. Marine Geol., v.77, pp.129–150.
Mohanty, A.K., Sengupta, D., Das, S.K., Saha, S.K. and Van, K.V. (2004a) Natural radioactivity and radiation exposure in the high background area at Chhatrapur beach placer deposit of Orissa, India. Jour. Environmental Radioactivity, v.75, pp.15–33.
Mohanty, A.K., Sengupta, D., Das, S.K., Vijayan, V. and Saha, S.K. (2004b) Natural radioactivity in the newly discovered high background radiation area on the eastern coast of Orissa, India. Radiation Measurements, v.38, pp.153–165.
Mohanty, A.K., Das, S.K., Van, K.V., Sengupta, D. and Saha, S.K. (2003a) Radiogenic heavy minerals in Chhatrapur beach placer deposit of Orissa, southeastern coast of India. Jour. Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, v.258, pp.383–389.
Mohanty, A.K., Das, S.K., Vijayan, V., Sengupta, D. and Saha, S.K. (2003b) Geochemical studies of monazite sands of Chhatrapur beach placer deposit of Orissa, India by PIXE and EDXRF method. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Res., v.B211, pp.145–154.
Mohanty, A.K., Vijayan, V., Sengupta, D., Das, S.K. and Saha, S.K. (2003c) Geochemical characteristics of Ilmenite sands of Chhatrapur beach placer deposit of Orissa, India: A PIXE study. Internat. Jour. PIXE, v.13, pp.121–131.
Nanda, J.K. and Pati, U.C. (1989) Field relations and petrochemistry of the granulites and associated rocks in the Ganjam-Koraput sector of the Eastern Ghat Belt. Indian Minerals, v.43, pp.247–264.
Park, A.F. and Dash, B. (1984) Charnockite and related neosome development in the Eastern Ghats, Orissa, India, Petrographic Evidence. Trans. Royal Soc. Edinburgh, Earth Science, v.75, pp.341–352.
Pascoe, E.H. (1950) A Manual of the Geology of India and Burma; Government of India Press, Calcutta, v.1, 483p.
Radhakrishna, A.P., Somasekarapa, H.M., Narayana, Y. and Siddappa, K. (1993) A new natural background radiation area on the southwest coast of India. Health Physics, v.65, pp.390–395.
Ramakrishnan, M., Nanda, J.K. and Augustine, P.F. (1998) Geological evolution of the Proterozoic Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt. Geol. Surv. India, Spec. Publ., No.44, pp.1–21.
Ramasamy, V., Dheenathayalu, M., Ravisankar, R. and Ponnusamy, V. (2004) Natural radioactivity measurements in beach-rock samples of southeast coast of Tamil Nadu, India. Radiation Protection dosimetry, v.111, pp.229–235.
Rao, C. B. (1957) Beach erosion and concentration of heavy mineral sands; Jour. Sedimentary Res., v.27(2), pp.143–147.
Rao, R.G., Sahoo, P. and Panda, N.K. (2001) Heavy mineral sand deposit of Orissa. Exploration and Research for Atomic Minerals, v.13, pp.23–52.
Siddiquie, H.N., Rajmanickam, G.V. and Almeida, F. (1979) Offshore ilmenite placers of Ratnagiri, Konkana coast, Maharashtra, India. Marine Minerals, v.2, pp.91–117.
Simmat, R. and Raith, M.M. (2008) U-Th-Pb monazite geochronometry of the Eastern Ghats Belt, India: Timing and spatial disposition of poly-metamorphism. Precambrian Res., v.162, pp.16–39.
Tipper, G. H. (1914) The monazite sands of Travancore. Rec. Geol. Surv. India, v.44, pp.186–196.
van Duong, P., Tschurlovits, M., Buchtela, K. and Dien, P.Q. (1996) Enrichment of radioactive materials in sand deposits of Vietnam as a result of mineral processing. Environmental International, v.22, pp.S271.
Vassas, C., Pourcelot, L., Vella, C., Carpena, J., Pupin, J.P., Bouisset, P. and Guillot, L. (2006) Mechanisms of enrichment of natural radioactivity along the beaches of the Camargue, France. Jour. Environmental Radioactivity, v.91, pp.146–159.
Viswanathan, P. (1949) Titanium in Travancore. Science and Culture, v.14, pp.457–460.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sulekha Rao, N., Misra, S. Sources of monazite sand in southern Orissa beach placer, eastern India. J Geol Soc India 74, 357–362 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-009-0140-7
Received:
Revised:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-009-0140-7