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Technical feasibility of heavy minerals in Southwestern and Northwestern onshore and offshore regions of Sri Lanka

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dc.contributor.advisor Ratnayake, NP
dc.contributor.advisor Weerawarnakula, S
dc.contributor.advisor Jinadasa, SUP
dc.contributor.author Kananathan, A
dc.date.accessioned 2018
dc.date.available 2018
dc.date.issued 2018
dc.identifier.citation Kananathan, A. (2018). Technical feasibility of heavy minerals in Southwestern and Northwestern onshore and offshore regions of Sri Lanka [Master’s theses, University of Moratuwa]. Institutional Repository University of Moratuwa. http://dl.lib.mrt.ac.lk/handle/123/16049
dc.identifier.uri http://dl.lib.mrt.ac.lk/handle/123/16049
dc.description.abstract Beach sediments in Sri Lanka consist of industrial grade heavy mineral occurrences. Most of the previous studies have targeted to identify mineral compositions rather than the provenance of these beach sediments. In this study, the offshore and onshore sediments were collected for identifying heavy minerals compositions. In addition, the long-term coastal morphodynamic changes were analyzed in the coastline of Sri Lanka, with the monsoonal changes. These coastal morphodynamic changes were used to identify the coastal sediment accretion and depositional trends, and its relationship to the heavy mineral provenance. Results suggest the concentration of detrital Ilmenite, Zircon, Garnet, Monazite and Rutile in onshore and offshore sediments in varying concentrations. The heavy mineral potential of the northeastern coast was high (average about 45-50% in the Verugal and 70-85% in the Pulmoddai deposits and 3.5-5.0% in the offshore samples from Nilaveli to Kokkilai (in w/w)), compared to the southwestern sediments (average about 10% in onshore and 2% in offshore Gin River mouth). Therefore, no high economic-grade heavy mineral placers have been discovered by offshore investigations. However, it may be possible to occur concentrated heavy minerals in paleo-river channels that were developed due to glacioeustatic sea-level changes. Observed high concentrated heavy minerals in beach and low concentrated offshore sediments suggest the panning system in the surf zone to form enriched placer deposits. The monsoon-derived longshore currents suggest that the sources of heavy minerals in the Pulmoddai and Verugal deposits may have probably influenced by clastic sediment supply in eastern India and Sri Lanka (the Mahaweli River), respectively. Heavy minerals in the western coast can probably derive from Precambrian metamorphic rocks and supplied to coast through river systems in Sri Lanka. The results obtained are well satisfying for the exploitation of the Verugal deposit and the mine plan was described with the considerations of analytical outcomes. en_US
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.subject EARTH RESOURCES ENGINEERING-Dissertations en_US
dc.subject HEAVY MINERALS en_US
dc.subject MINERALS-Sedimentation en_US
dc.subject MINES AND MINING en_US
dc.subject MINERAL DEPOSIT-Verugal en_US
dc.subject MINERAL ECONOMICS en_US
dc.title Technical feasibility of heavy minerals in Southwestern and Northwestern onshore and offshore regions of Sri Lanka en_US
dc.type Thesis-Full-text en_US
dc.identifier.faculty Engineering en_US
dc.identifier.degree Master of Philosophy en_US
dc.identifier.department Department of Earth Resources Engineering en_US
dc.date.accept 2018
dc.identifier.accno TH3841 en_US


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