Revista de Gestão Costeira Integrada
Volume 17, Issue 2, December 2017, Pages 139-149

DOI: 10.5894/rgci-n99
*Submission: 09 MAR 2017; Peer review: 07 JUN 2017; Revised: 27 JAN 2018; Accepted: 28 JAN 2018; Available on-line: 11 ABR 2018

Textural and compositional variations in beach sands along south Alagoas coast, Brazil

Variação textural e composicional em areias de praias do litoral sul de Alagoas, Brasil

Laysa Raisa Souza Vieira¹, Cynthia Lara Castro Manso¹

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1 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geociências e Análise de Bacias - Universidade Federal de Sergipe;
Email: laysavieira.geo@gmail.com, cynthialaramanso@gmail.com

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ABSTRACT
Coastal and shallow marine sediments are usually of heterogeneous nature, composed of variable mixtures of siliciclastic and bioclastic particles. The comprehension of sedimentation dynamics in these environments is rendered problematic by their variable compositional and physical properties. Surface samples collected in the beach face from eighteen stations in southern Alagoas were analyzed. Grain size parameters were determined through the SYSGRAN package and 300 grains were identified for each grain size class coarser than 0.125 mm. Grain size distribution ranged from very fine sand to medium sand with dominance of the former, mostly classified as moderately sorted. Beach sediments are essentially siliciclastic and quartz is the major component. Pontal do Peba beach concentrates the highest content of bioclastic grains and northwards from it bioclastic grains content gradually diminishes. The main bioclastic grains are mollusc shells, red algae, and Halimeda fragments. Echinoderm spines and fragments, bryozoans and foraminifera tests also contribute significantly to beach deposit. Grain size and sorting patterns shows a correspondence with coastal plain width and the proximity of carbonate grains source. The sediment distribution pattern suggests that in addition to the grains originated from the hinterland, the continental shelf constitutes an important sediment source for the beaches.

Keywords: Beach sands, Sediment composition, Bioclastic grains.

RESUMO
Os sedimentos costeiros e marinhos rasos são geralmente de natureza heterogênea, compostos por misturas variáveis de partículas siliciclásticas e bioclásticas. A diversidade composicional torna complexa a compreensão da dinâmica de sedimentação nesses ambientes. Amostras superficiais coletadas na face de praia de dezoito estações do sul de Alagoas foram analisadas. Os parâmetros granulométricos do sedimento foram determinados por meio do Sistema de Análises Granulométricas (SYSGRAN) e 300 grãos de cada fração acima de 0.125mm foram identificados. A granulometria dos sedimentos variou de areia muito fina a areia média, com predomínio de areias muito finas, e são em sua maioria moderadamente selecionadas. As praias do sul de Alagoas são essencialmente siliciclásticas e o quartzo constitui o componente principal. A praia do Pontal do Peba concentra o maior conteúdo de grãos bioclásticos e a norte desta a proporção de bioclastos gradualmente diminui. Os principais componentes biogênicos são as conchas de moluscos e fragmentos de algas vermelhas e Halimeda. A granulometria e grau de seleção dos sedimentos mostram correlação com a variação da largura da planície costeira e com a proximidade de fontes de grãos carbonáticos. O padrão de distribuição do sedimento sugere que, além dos grãos oriundos do interior do continente, a plataforma continental constitui uma importante fonte de sedimentos para as praias.

Palavras-chave: Areia de praia, Composição do sedimento, Grãos bioclásticos.

 

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