Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
8909215 Marine and Petroleum Geology 2018 102 Pages PDF
Abstract
The two end-member detrital compositions, plutoniclastic and volcaniclastic, are mixed in the macro-tidal estuaries. Mixing of sediment takes place where fluvial currents and tidal flows interact and the proportion of mixing varies systematically from outer to central to inner estuary. A high degree of mixing of felsic sediments with Deccan basalt derived sediments takes place in the outer estuary resulting in felsic:mafic ratios of ∼40:60. Sediments in the central estuaries (∼65:35) and in the fluvial-dominated inner estuaries (∼90:10) are characterised by moderate to minor degrees of mixing. The mixing in estuaries is systematic and is reflected in both the mineralogy and geochemistry of the sediments. Provenances of ancient estuarine successions should therefore be interpreted with great care incorporating awareness of the mixing processes which influence sediment compositions to different degrees in estuaries, especially those characterised by strong tidal currents.
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Physical Sciences and Engineering Earth and Planetary Sciences Economic Geology
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