Mineral magnetic characteristics of the late Quaternary coastal red sands of Bheemuni, East Coast (India)

Abstract The voluminous red sand deposits of Bheemuni in the east coast of India provide record of coastal land-sea interaction during the late Quaternary climatic and eustatic oscillations. Limited information on the origin and depositional environments of these red sands and their chronology is available. We studied two inland to coast cross profiles from Bheemuni red sand deposits using mineral magnetism, color characteristics and Citrate-bicarbonate-dithionite (CBD) extractable pedogenic iron oxides over 23 horizons along with optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) chronology at 6 horizons. The oldest exposed bed had an optical age of ~ 48.9 ± 1.7 ka. Differential ages between the two parallel sections (SOS = ~ 48.9 ± 1.7 to 12.1 ± 0.3 ka and IMD = ~ 29.3 ± 3.5 ka) suggest laterally shifting fluvial sedimentation. Both the profiles show significant amount of antiferromagnetic oxide (hematite) along with ferrimagnetic (magnetite/maghemite) mineral composition. The granulometric (/domain-) sensitive parameters (χ FD , χ ARM , SIRM/χ LF and χ ARM /χ LF ) indicate variable concentration of superparamagnetic (SP) and single domain (SD) particles between the two profiles. The higher frequency dependent and pedogenic magnetic susceptibilities (χ FD and χ pedo ) in the younger (IMD) profile suggest enhanced pedogenesis under a warm-wet climate post ~ 29.3 ka and also during Holocene. A combination of hard isothermal remanent magnetization (HIRM) and redness rating (RR) index indicates distinct but variable concentration of a) crystalline and b) poorly crystalline (pigmentary) hematites in both the profiles. We consider that the former (#a) is derived from hinterland red soils and possibly due to post-depositional diagenesis, and the latter (#b) precipitated from the dissolved iron under fluvial regime imparting the unique red coloration to Bheemuni sands. Partial to complete alteration of ferromagnesian minerals due to pedogenesis in hinterlands under warm-wet climate was therefore the principal source of reddening of the Bheemuni sands.

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