Abstract:
Beachrock is coastal sediment that has been
cemented primarily by calcium carbonate within the intertidal
zone in tropical and subtropical regions. Considering that
beachrock has the potential to inhibit coastal erosion, we
performed laboratory tests to understand the formation
mechanism of beachrocks in southern coastal regions of Sri
Lanka. The mineralogical composition of beachrock samples
were identified by FT-IR spectroscopic technique. The
constituents of minerals present in the beachrocks were further
confirmed by XRD analysis. Elemental concentrations of
beachrock samples have been examined using WD-XRF
spectrometry. The formative environment (sea water) was
analyzed using EDTA titration, AAS, UV/Vis spectroscopy and
Iron Chromatography. The results reveal the presence of
minerals aragonite, calcite, orthoclase, quartz, albite, kaolinite
and lime in the beachrocks. According to the results, there is a
high probability to precipitate CaCO3 from the sea water in
southern coastal regions indicating a positive formative
environment for beachrocks. Hence, by appropriate regulation
of the conditions could foster the development of manmade
beachrocks to control the coastal erosion.
