Journal of Geological Society of India (Online archive from Vol 1 to Vol 78)

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Sources of Monazite Sand in Southern Orissa Beach Placer, Eastern India


Affiliations
1 Department of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur - 721 302, India
2 School of Geological Sciences, University of Kwazulu-Natal, Durban 4000, South Africa
     

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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 sillimanitegarnet- 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.

Keywords

Gopalpur-Chhatrapur-Rushikulya Beach Placer, Monazite, Rushikulya River, Isodynamic Separation, XRD Analysis, Eastern Ghat Mobile Belt, Orissa.
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  • Sources of Monazite Sand in Southern Orissa Beach Placer, Eastern India

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Authors

N. Sulekha Rao
Department of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur - 721 302, India
Saumitra Misra
School of Geological Sciences, University of Kwazulu-Natal, Durban 4000, South Africa

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 sillimanitegarnet- 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.

Keywords


Gopalpur-Chhatrapur-Rushikulya Beach Placer, Monazite, Rushikulya River, Isodynamic Separation, XRD Analysis, Eastern Ghat Mobile Belt, Orissa.

References