Use of magnetic susceptibility for identification of mangrove deposits in vibrcores from deltaic environments

Abstract

The most commonly used technique for retrieving sediments from modern mangroves is through the use of vibracoring equipment. The retrieved cores are small in diameter; hence conventional methods of fewer analyses are limited by sample availability. Due to the suitability of mangrove sediments for palaeomonsoon reconstruction, it becomes necessary to discriminate mangrove sediments from others. This is achieved by examining the magnetic susceptibility, χ of the cores, which show characteristically low, and invariant χ values. This criterion reliably discriminates mangrove sediments in the east coast deltaic environments of the Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery deltas highlighting the role of χ as a rapid tracer to distinguish between depositional and nondepositional environments.