CHENNAI: Researchers from Institute for Ocean Management (IOM) in Anna University have unearthed the presence of radioactive and rare earth phosphate mineral xenotime on the red dunes of Muttom coast in Kanyakumari district. The red dunes consist of 2 per cent of xenotime (YPO4) mineral. The mineral contains rare elements like ytterbium, erbium and also metal elements such as thorium and uranium as secondary components.
“For the first time, we have identified the mineral in that area. But for mining, we have to do further studies in the area and identify the thickness to know the extent of xenotime deposit on the red dune sands,” said Professor S.Srinivasalu, director, Institute for Ocean Management, Anna University. The researchers also have identified the xenotime in Sagar Islands in West Bengal.
To map and record the natural minerals in the entire coastal line, National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) under Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change is sponsoring the “Coastal Mineral Resource Mapping” project. Institute for Ocean Management in Anna University is currently mapping the coastal minerals with the help of Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research.
During their study researchers from IOM have unearthed the presence of mineral in Muttom and Sagar Islands. “So far, we have prepared the coastal mineral resource map for around 2,000 KM stretch in Gujarat, West Bengal, Odisha states,” S.Srinivasalu said.
The total coastline of the mainland and islands is around 7,500 km. The sands of coastal India are rich in several heavy minerals such as garnet, ilmenite, rutile, monazite, sillimanite among others. Monazite contains thorium, a nuclear fuel. Though mineral studies have been conducted in many pockets India doesn’t have mineral resource data for the entire coast. Now, under this project, they are creating baseline data for the entire coast.
“The mapping for Tamil Nadu coast has already begun. We expect to finish Tamil Nadu and the remaining part in Gujarat within 6 months,” he said. This map will be helpful in taking policy decisions for both the central and state governments. “It can be useful to safeguard the environment and also will help to protect the minerals on the coastal areas,” he added. The Anna University research team plans to study the coast of Andaman and Nicobar Islands after completing the mainland coastal studies.
In future, they also plan to study the minerals under the shallow waters near the coast. “Nobody knows our mineral content in the offshore area. Geological Survey of India and other bodies have done mineral studies in the inland and deep sea. But no study has been carried out in the near coast area where the depth is less than 10 metres. We plan to do this study in our next phase,” Professor Srinivasalu said.
