Geochemistry of elements in core sediments near point claimere, the Southeast Coast of India

Abstract

The core sediment samples were analysed for grain size, carbonates (CaCO(3)), organic carbon (OC) to obtain a preliminary view of its environmental conditions near Point Calimere along the southeast coast of Vedaranyam, India. The high concentration of sand in the core is attributed to the tidal influence at the Akkarapallivasal river mouth. The sea water which enters the river suspends the flocculated sediments at the mouth and transports the fine floccules to the water column. The tidal currents also play a major role in removing the fine particles from the river mouth. The value of OC does not show any significant variation towards depth. The concentration of various major elements in the core can be summarized as Si > Al > Ca > Na > K > Fe > P > Mg and the trace elements exhibit the following order for the core samples as Mn > Zn >Cu > Pb > Ni > Cr > Co. The studies indicate lithogenic origin for most of the elements. Major and trace elements of the core sediments were estimated and normalized.