Journal of Geological Society of India (Online archive from Vol 1 to Vol 78)

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Gold in the Beach Placer Sands of Chavakkad-Ponnani, Kerala Coast, India


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1 Mineral Processing Division, National Metallurgical Laboratory (CSIR), Jamshedpur – 831 007, India
     

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Although sporadic mining of placer gold from river beds is not uncommon in India, there is no documented literature on the occurrence of gold in the beach placer sand deposits of the country. While characterizing the heavy minerals of the Chavakkad-Ponnani (CP) beach placer sands along the North Kerala coast, the association of gold with the pyriboles in these sands has been observed. A native gold grain of about 25 μm was seen to occur as an inclusion within an amphibole of hornblendic composition. The pyriboles of the CP deposit are angular to sub-angular indicating a nearby provenance that may be in the upstream reaches of the Ponnani River in the districts of Malappuram and Palakkad or further north in the auriferous tracts of the Wynad-Nilambur or Attapadi regions. It is argued that the occurrence of native gold in CP deposit is not a freak occurrence and that it warrants thorough investigation of all the pyribole-ilmenite-rich placers to examine the possible presence of gold and its abundance in the beach placers of northern Kerala coast.

Keywords

Beach Sands, Placer Deposits, Gold, Kerala.
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  • KRISHNAN, S., VISWANATHAN, G. and BALACHANDRAN, K. (2001) Heavy mineral sand deposits of Kerala. Exploration and Research for Atomic Minerals, v.13, pp.111-146.

  • NAKAGAWA, M., SANTOSH, M., NAMBIAR, C.G. and MATSUBARA, C. (2005) Morphology and chemistry of placer gold from Attappadi Valley, southern India. Gondwana Res., v.8, pp.213-222.

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  • Gold in the Beach Placer Sands of Chavakkad-Ponnani, Kerala Coast, India

Abstract Views: 186  |  PDF Views: 0

Authors

Bibhuranjan Nayak
Mineral Processing Division, National Metallurgical Laboratory (CSIR), Jamshedpur – 831 007, India

Abstract


Although sporadic mining of placer gold from river beds is not uncommon in India, there is no documented literature on the occurrence of gold in the beach placer sand deposits of the country. While characterizing the heavy minerals of the Chavakkad-Ponnani (CP) beach placer sands along the North Kerala coast, the association of gold with the pyriboles in these sands has been observed. A native gold grain of about 25 μm was seen to occur as an inclusion within an amphibole of hornblendic composition. The pyriboles of the CP deposit are angular to sub-angular indicating a nearby provenance that may be in the upstream reaches of the Ponnani River in the districts of Malappuram and Palakkad or further north in the auriferous tracts of the Wynad-Nilambur or Attapadi regions. It is argued that the occurrence of native gold in CP deposit is not a freak occurrence and that it warrants thorough investigation of all the pyribole-ilmenite-rich placers to examine the possible presence of gold and its abundance in the beach placers of northern Kerala coast.

Keywords


Beach Sands, Placer Deposits, Gold, Kerala.

References