Abstract:
Mineralogical analysis through physical concentration and
microscopic studies of beach sand is one of the most accurate methods in the
determination of percentages of constituent heavy minerals of beach sand.
However, in this study a magnetic survey method was tested as a field method to
separate magnetic minerals from non-magnetic minerals in beach sand. The main
objective of this study is to find out a relationship between magnetic survey data
and heavy mineral composition data of beach sand. Beaches at Panadura and
Beruwala were selected for the magnetic surveys, owing to their dominance of
heavy mineral bearing beach sand. Samples were also taken adequately and
systematically from each beach, and were analysed at the mineral laboratory. The
iso-dynamic magnetic separator was used to separate the magnetic heavy minerals.
ArcGIS software and geo-statistical and normal statistical analyses were used to
build the relationship between magnetometer survey data and mineral composition
data. analysis was not observed a significant relationship between magnetic survey data
and mineral composition data. However, According to the geographically weighted regression (GWR)
Citation:
Angammana, U.H.B.I.U., Gunasingha, U.L.D.D.M., Gunawardana, R.A., Srilal, K.G.C., Ranaweera, K.V.D.N.P., Abeysinghe, A.M.K.B., Weerawarnakula, S., & Premasiri, H.M.R. (2015). Characterization of beach sand deposits with heavy minerals using geo-physical techniques. In P.V.A. Hemalal (Ed.), Proceedings of the 9th Annual ERE Research Conference on Earth Resources Management (pp. 33-38). Department of Earth Resources Engineering, University of Moratuwa.
