Fabric Code: tpr194

Arawe placer

Moderately to well sorted, fine- to medium-grained, subrounded placer beach sands rich in opaque iron oxide grains of high specific gravity and containing minor admixtures of calcareous reef detritus. The ratio of orthopyroxene to clinopyroxene is lower than Garua or Boduna. Clinopyroxene dominant, but minor orthopyroxene.

Fabric Class:

Opaque Pyroxenic: Dominated by opaque inclusions, with pyroxenes.

Andesitic Arc: Dominated by andesite and basalt lithic fragments, with microlitic, felsitic and vitric textures, and the andesite minerals (plagioclase, clinopyroxene and sometimes hornblende).

Sites:

Mineral and Rock Abundances

None (0) Minor (1) Few (2) Common (3) Frequent (4) Major (5) Very Dominant (6)
0% 0-5% 5-15% 15-30 % 30-50% 50-70% 70-100%

Name Cal. QuartzFeldspar Pyroxene Amphibole Opaques OlivineBiotite Muscovite Epidote Garnet/ SpinelIg./Met. Rocks Sed. Rocks Grog Lithics/ Region
Max 2 1 1 4 0 6 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 vitric, microlitic
Min 0 0 1 2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Bismarck

Representative slides:

Slide Site Possible OriginCal. QuartzFeldspar Pyroxene Amphibole Opaques OlivineBiotite Muscovite Epidote Garnet/ Spinel Ig./Met. Rocks Sed. Rocks Grog Lithics
WD_41_11 Apalo (Kumbun) New Britain 1 0 1 4 0 5 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 vitric, microlitic
WD_41_13 Apalo (Kumbun) New Britain 2 0 0 3 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 vitric, microlitic

WD_41_11

Apalo_Arare66_1 Apalo_Arare66_1
Sherd 66-1 from Apalo (Kumbun). Slide WD_41_11 from Dickinson Collection, Bishop Museum. x4 Magnification PPL (left) XPL (right). Scale bar: 0.5mm. High resolution image (user: Guest pwd: Guest) or full slide in VIMIPO. Imaged by K. Hardy and M. Leclerc, ANU.

Moderately to well sorted, fine- to medium-grained, subrounded placer beach sands rich in opaque iron oxide grains of high specific gravity and containing minor admixtures of calcareous reef detritus. Has orthopyroxene in addition to clinopyroxene.


WD_41_13

Apalo_Arare66_3 Apalo_Arare66_3
Sherd 66-3 from Apalo (Kumbun). Slide WD_41_13 from Dickinson Collection, Bishop Museum. x4 Magnification PPL (left) XPL (right). Scale bar: 0.5mm. High resolution image in VIMIPO (user: Guest pwd: Guest). Imaged by K. Hardy and M. Leclerc, ANU.

Moderately to well sorted, fine- to medium-grained, subrounded placer beach sands rich in opaque iron oxide grains of high specific gravity and containing minor admixtures of calcareous reef detritus. Has orthopyroxene in addition to clinopyroxene.


References:

149 New Britain, PNG, 1997 (Dickinson, W.)

174 Adwe, Arawe, New Britain, PNG, 1998 (Dickinson, W.)