Environmental significance in recent sediments along Bay of Bengal and Palk Strait, East Coast of India: A geochemical approach

Abstract

The surface sediment samples were analyzed for grain size carbonates (CaCO3) and organic carbon (OC) to obtain a preliminary view of its environmental conditions near Point Calimere along the southeast coast of Vedaranyam, India. The total concentrations of major elements namely, Si, Al, Fe, Ca, Mg, Na, K and P in the surface sediments of Vedaranyam coast are estimated. The element/Al ratios also are computed. The geochemical analysis for trace elements like Mn, Cr, Cu, Ni, Co, Pb, and Zn has been carried out for the surface sediments. Normalization with Al values has been done for all the trace elements and enrichment factors have been calculated. The studies indicate geogenic origin for most of the elements.