Dear Mr. Ahmad,

you are right. The density or specific gravity of minerals plays an important role among the heavy minerals which have a density greater than 2.7 gr/cm3. The transport distance and deposition of placer minerals is demonstrated by the hydraulic and entrainment equivalence of heavy minerals relative to quartz (Reid and Frostick 1985). Settling behaviour and saltation transport are not only a function of grain size but also of the specific gravity. The hydraulic laws can be applied to placer deposits or stream sediments from the proximal placers, e.g., eluvial / residual placers down to the beach or coastal placers. In combination with the morphology of grains (sphericity), particle size and density alluvial and fluvial transport processes may be distinguished from each others.

Best regards

H.G.Dill

Dear H.G.Dill

Thanks for a golden comment. May I ask for some papers or a chapter from a book that are most relevant to the question asked?

With best regards

IJAZ

Dear Mr. Ahmad,

I collected some papers of mine which you can download from the Rgate Server:

DILL, H.G. (2007) Grain morphology of heavy minerals from marine and continental placer deposits,  with special reference to Fe -Ti oxides.- Sedimentary Geology, 198: 1-27.

DILL, H.G. and LUDWIG, R.-R. (2008) Geomorphological-sedimentological studies of  landform types and modern placer deposits in the savanna (Southern Malawi).- Ore Geology Review , 33: 411-434.

DILL, H.G., TECHMER, A., WEBER, B. and FUESSL, M.  (2008) Mineralogical and chemical distribution patterns of  placers  and ferricretes in Quaternary sediments in SE Germany: The impact of nature and man on the unroofing of pegmatites.- Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 96: 1-24.

DILL, H.G., KLOSA, D. and  STEYER, G. (2009) The „ Donauplatin “: Source rock analysis and origin  of a distal fluvial Au-PGE (gold-platinum-group-element) placer in Central Europe.- Mineralogy and Petrology, 96: 141-161.

DILL, H.G., STEYER, G.and WEBER, B. (2010) Morphological studies of PGM grains in alluvial-fluvial placer  deposits from the Bayerischer Wald, SE Germany: Hollingworthite and ferroan platinum.- Neues Jahrbuch für Mineralogie Abhandlungen, 187: 101-110.

DILL, H.G., WEBER, B. and  KLOSA, D.  (2012) Crystal morphology  and mineral chemistry  of  monazite–zircon mineral assemblages in continental placer deposits (SE Germany): Ore guide and provenance marker.- Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 112: 322-346.

I wish you much success during your investigations.

H.G.Dill

Dear Sir 

Thanks a lot.

With best regards

Heavy minerals are the minerals having greater specific gravity than that of Bromoform, i.e.,=2.89 specific gravity.

If you observe any clastic rock such as sandstone/ conglomerate, the size variation between the framework clasts and the heavy minerals is clearly visible which is due to their density variation. The high concentration of heavies in a sediment mainly composed of ZTR, i.e., zircon, tourmaline and rutile imply that these rocks have resulted from re-worked sediments that have undergone more than one cycle of sedimentation. ZTR index is commonly high in beach or littoral zone depositional environments due to the long transport distances from the source and the high energy of the environment.

Dear Ijaz,

Your question on the specific gravity or density of  minerals being  Indicator of environment of deposition suggests the framework elements and the matrix of the sediments. The answer is yes. But concerning the cement, that depends on other attributes  such as the chemical and biological environments.

Regards.

Obianuju P. Umeji