Holocene sedimentation and heavy mineral accumulation, Minninup shoreline, Geographe Bay

Summary

The Minninup Shoreline is a Holocene barrier system on the modern coastline between Bunbury and Busselton in Western Australia.

Barrier sediments consist of the Safety Bay Sand (7 units) overlying the estuarine Leschenault Formation.

Economic accumulations of heavy minerals occur in dune, fossil and modern beach, and nearshore sediments.

The refracted, shoaling, swell wave regime, microtidal conditions, onshore winds, and nearshore topography, all affect sedimentation and heavy mineral concentration.

Keywords: heavy mineral, shorelines, sedimentology, barrier stratigraphy, segregation, coastal dynamics