Textural Studies of the Surficial Sediments of Muvattupuzha River and Central Vembanad Estuary, Kerala

The Muvattupuzha river and the Central Vembanad estuary have been studied mainly for grain size spectrum and textural parameters such as phi mean, standard deviation, skewness and kurtosis. In general, the grain size spectrum shows a marked gradation downstream. The observed variation is in consonance with the energy conditions controlled by the profile of the river as wellas the natural and man-made obstacles encountered in the river channel. In the estuary, the textural pattern is highly complicated owing to the fluctuation in the physico-chemical conditions prevailing in the system. Further, seasonal maintenance dredging activities by the Port authorities also have a considerable bearing on the sediment dispersal pattern of the estuary. The CM model worked out for the fluvial system perfectly agrees with the transportational and depositional regimes of the river and the estuary.