Provenance discrimination studies on sediments of the SW kachchh coast, Western India: Insights from heavy mineral and mineral magnetic analysis

Abstract

Studies of the SW Kachchh coast, along the western coast of India, including granulometry, heavy mineral content, and mineral magnetic properties for sediment characterization, were undertaken to fingerprint probable source attributes. Heavy mineral analysis showed that the westernmost location received its dominant contribution from Indus-derived sediments (61%), whereas in the easternmost locations, the hinterland/Kachchh mainland–derived sediments dominated, with 79% of the total heavy mineral concentration. Mineral magnetic properties also showed that sediments derived from the fluvial system of the Kachchh mainland were rich in low-coercivity magnetic minerals with distinct multidomain (MD) grain size and were dominantly ferrimagnetic mineral assemblages (S-ratio = 0.92–1.0), whereas at the western end, the concentration of magnetic minerals was low, with a dominant stable single domain (SSD) size range and antiferromagnetic minerals dominating the magnetic mineral assemblages (S-ratio = 0.57–0.9). The granulometry, heavy mineral content, and mineral magnetic properties characterize different segments and multiple end members contributing to the coastal setup of the Gulf of Kachchh, India.