The behavior of heavy minerals in lithostream

Abstract

Abstract This study is concerned with the eolian deposits on the Baikal shore. It has been established that (1) the eolian sands are distinctly divided into two sequences: Khuzhir (Late Pleistocene) and Peschanka (Holocene); (2) the ilmenite enrichment of the sands is due to the removal of sand grains (containing mainly light minerals) by strong winds up the shore, first, from a dewatered beach zone, and then, from zones of psammitic-material transition. This leads to the concentration of ilmenite and other heavy minerals, first, within the beach zone, and then, within the zones of prevailing eolian-sand transition. The accumulation-transition zones are most enriched in heavy minerals, including ilmenite; (3) the ilmenite content in the study Ti-ore placer deposit shows a high correlation (R = 0.89) with the total content of heavy minerals.