Abstract
The major, trace and rare earth elements geochemistry and clay mineral compositions in the river bed sediments from lower reaches of Godavari river suggest that they are derived from weathering of felsic rocks. Trace and rare earth elemental compositions indicate evidence of sedimentary sorting during transportation and deposition. Lower concentrations of transition elements, such as V, Ni and Cr imply enrichment of felsic minerals in these bed sediments. The REE pattern in lower Godavari sediments is influenced by the degree of source rock weathering. The light rare earth elements (LREE) content are indicating greater fractionation compared to the heavy rare earth elements (HREE). A striking relationship is observed between TiO2 and gZREE content suggesting a strong control by LREE-enriched titaniferous minerals on REE chemistry. Shale-normalized REE pattern demonstrate a positive Eu anomaly, suggesting weathering of feldspar and their secondary products, which are enriched in Eu. Chondrite-normalised REE pattern is characteristic of felsic volcanic, granites and gnessic source rocks. Trace elemental compositions in sediments located near urban areas suggest influence of anthropogenic activity. Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA) is high (avg. 65.76), suggesting a moderate chemical weathering environment. X-ray diffraction analysis of clay fraction shows predominance of clay minerals that are formed because of the chemical weathering of felsic rocks.
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Vuba, S., Farnaaz, S., Sagar, N. et al. Geochemical and mineralogical characteristics of recent clastic sediments from lower Godavari river: Implications of source rock weathering. J Geol Soc India 82, 217–226 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-013-0144-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-013-0144-1