A Sedimentological Analysis of the Tafagamanu Beach Sands of Savai’i

Abstract

The results of sedimentological analyses of the Tafagamanu Beach Sands, on the island of Savai’i in Samoa are presented here. This poster explores the origins of these sands through the use of sedimentary petrologic and oceanographic analyses. The Tafagamanu Beach Sands are suspected to originate as lagoonal fill of mid-Holocene age which was subsequently remobilized. Preliminary analysis shows the sands are characterized as loose grains with an abundance of coral/shell fragments and coarse clastic materials. The relative abundance of coral fragments versus clastic inputs, and attempts to identify the source areas of the Tafagamanu Beach Sands will be discussed.