Beach sand minerals
Also called: Heavy mineral sands · Topic: Mineral Resources of India: Distribution and Conservation · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Beach sand minerals are heavy minerals that waves have collected along the coast. Waves wash away the lighter sand and leave the heavier grains behind. These minerals include ilmenite and rutile (sources of titanium), zircon, garnet, sillimanite and monazite. Monazite is the main source of thorium and rare earths, which feed India's three-stage nuclear programme. Since 2019, mining monazite-bearing sands has been reserved for government bodies, mainly IREL.
Example
The Chavara coast between Kollam and Alappuzha in Kerala is rich in beach sand minerals. Other deposits lie at Manavalakurichi in Tamil Nadu, at Chhatrapur in Odisha and along the Andhra Pradesh coast.
Don't confuse with
- Placer deposits: this is the wider group of heavy minerals collected by water in river sands or on beaches, which also includes gold and tin. Beach sand minerals are one coastal type of placer.
- Monazite and uranium: monazite gives thorium, not uranium.