Inferences on the Geological History Through Soil Minerology, Palakkad Gap Region, South India

Jincy Peedamparammal; Pankajakshan Pangunny; Ramachandran Chandran; Jeena Beena Sajikumar; Sathish Chothodi; Dhanya Vijayan; Richard Scaria

doi:10.69606/geography.v3i03.311

Authors

Jincy Peedamparammal Department of Geography, Government College Chittur, Palakkad, Kerala, India
Pankajakshan Pangunny Department of Geography, Government College Chittur, Palakkad, Kerala, India
Ramachandran Chandran Department of Geology, Periyar University, Salem-11, Tamil Nadu, India
Jeena Beena Sajikumar Department of Geography, Government College Chittur, Palakkad, Kerala, India
Sathish Chothodi Department of General and Applied Geography, Doctor Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya (A Central University) Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, India https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5463-6181
Dhanya Vijayan Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Muncheberg, Germany
Richard Scaria Department of Geography, Government College Chittur, Palakkad, Kerala, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.69606/geography.v3i03.311

Keywords:

soil mineralogy, X-ray diffraction, Palakkad gap

Abstract

This study assess soil mineralogy and prevailing weathering conditions within the Palakkad Gap, 22 surface soil samples (0–25 cm depth) were collected based on geology, geomorphology, lineament patterns, and land use. Samples were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD; model 600) to determine mineralogical composition (Moore & Reynolds, 1997). The diffraction patterns indicated the presence of quartz, feldspar, kaolinite–illite, gibbsite, goethite, mica, chlorite, calcite, and vermiculite. Quartz and feldspar were interpreted as lithogenic minerals derived from the parent rock, whereas kaolinite, gibbsite, and goethite represent pedogenic weathering products formed under variable pH regimes. Thin-section petrography revealed altered feldspar margins and fractures infilled with Fe-oxides, indicating early to moderate stages of chemical weathering. Mineralogical assemblages in the Palakkad Gap reflect the combined effects of lithology, climate, and geomorphic processes on soil and landscape evolution (Ollier & Pain, 1996; Birkeland, 1999).

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