Heavy Mineral Analysis and Characterization of Ilmenites from the Beach Sands of Central West Coast of India

ABSTRACT Studies on heavy minerals from the estuarine beaches of Kali and Gangavali River, Central West Coast of India were conducted to understand the abundance of heavy minerals and their characterization. Higher concentrations of heavy minerals were found during monsoon followed by pre- and post-monsoon seasons. Within the sub-environments of the studied beaches, the backshore has a higher abundance compared to berm zone. The estuarine beaches of the Gangavali River show higher heavy mineral concentrations compared to the Kali estuarine beaches. Quantitative heavy mineral studies indicated that ilmenite is the dominant mineral present in the study area and shows a large spatio-temporal variability in their concentration. Ilmenites are highly altered and show three stages of alterations viz., pseudoilmenite, pseudorutile and leucoxene which indicates a progressive alteration process in the natural sedimentary environment that is attributed to the leaching of iron along with other oxides from the ilmenite lattice. The ilmenite abundance in the beach sands and their characteristics suggest a promising source for industrial minerals and have the potential for future exploitation.