Variation on the coastal deposit in Nusa Tenggara Islands based on the mineralogy and petrographic analysis

Abstract

Abstract Sand as part of sedimentary material can be consisted of single mineral fragments, rock fragments, or even biogenic materials. Nusa Tenggara is an archipelago that was formed due to the meeting of the Indian Ocean Plate and the Eurasian Plate which supported by other geological processes. The stratigraphy of these islands is dominated by carbonate rocks, volcanic rocks, coastal deposits and alluvium. Due to the variation of the rock composition, there is a large possibility that mineralogy sediment material found in the coastal area will be different from one place to other. This study aims to analyse variations on coastal deposits in a number of specific locations in the Nusa Tenggara Islands. This study was carried out by mineralogical and petrographic analysis of sand samples from six coastal areas in Nusa Tenggara Islands. The mineral composition of coastal sand was identified using hand loupe to give general understanding. After that, the petrographic analyses were implemented to give detailed mineralogical analyses of each sand. Mineralogical studies are specialized in study of the physical structure and chemical composition of each mineral, while petrographic studies can support the details of every physical information obtained through macroscopic observations. Data are retrieved by taking sand samples directly in the research field in a certain amount. This sample is separated then for macroscopic analysis while the other parts are made in a thin section. The thin section will be used for petrographic analysis under a polarization microscope. The analysis result shows that there are variations in coastal sediment components and it most likely does to different rock found around such area.