The continental shelf from C. Frasca to C. Caccia (Central-Western Sardinia). Geological setting and mineralogical, sedimentological, chemical study of the sands.

The work concerns the study of the sands sampled on the continental shelf from Capo Frasca to Capo Caccia (Central-Western Sardinia) by several methodologies. Mineral composition, petrographic features, mineral chemistry and sedimentological features were pointed out in this work. In particular: - sedimentological parameters show that sands have different sedimentological features from zone to zone on the shelf. Cluster analysis shows the presence of homogeneous data groups; - densimetric analysis shows that the light fraction prevails on the heavy; - sands show high carbonate content, generally bioclastic; Fe and Ti occur in relatively high contents; the sediments show scarce mineral maturity due to the presence of high content of total feldspar; - EPMA analysis allow to determine that light fraction mainly consists of K-feldspar, plagioclases (andesina, labradorite); the transparent heavy fraction consists of pyroxenes, apatite, epidotes and anphiboles; the opaque of ilmenite, titanomagnetite, rutile, and jacobsite.