Quartz Surface Microtextural Studies of Netravathi Estuary Sediments, Karnataka, India

Abstract

The Netravathi estuary sediments of Dakshina Kannada district, west cost of India is addressed for its transportation history and source rock. The quartz grains have distinct surface microtextures of mechanical, chemical and morphological features. The mechanical features like conchoidal fractures with arcuate steps indicate that the sand grains were derived from crystalline rocks. The abundance of angular grains supports that the grains were transported from a long distance by fluvial process. The silica globule, overgrowth and precipitation marks on the quartz surface results by its geological and geomorphological settings.