TITLE:
Petrological and Statistical Studies of the Limbiko Bauxite Deposit, Republic of Guinea
AUTHORS:
Abdoulaye Kadiatou Diallo, Mohamed Samuel Moriah Conte, Oumar Barou Kaba, Aly Soumah, Mohamed Camara
KEYWORDS:
Bauxite, Alteration Crust, Aleuro-Argillite, Dolerite, Gibbsite
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Geosciences,
Vol.14 No.4,
May
4,
2023
ABSTRACT: The increasing
demand for Aluminium pushes the miners to multiply the research in order to
answer this demand. The objective of this work is to characterize the bauxitic
deposit of Limbiko. The methodology consists in collecting samples, and establishing stratigraphic
logs, sections and geological maps. The analyses were carried out in the
laboratory of the Company des Bauxites de Guinea. Statistical methods were used
to process the geochemical data. The study area is characterized by sedimentary
formations of the Devonian, in which the dolerites of the Mesozoic were
injected. It is on these Devonian and Mesozoic formations that the Limbiko
bauxite deposit was developed. The stratigraphic logs show the succession of
formations. The parent rock is surmounted by an alteration crust. The petrographic
study is based on the bauxitic and transitional zones characterized by
ferruginous laterites. Both zones contain some ferriplantite. Mineralogical
analysis shows the presence of gibbsite, goethite, alumogoethite, rutile and
clay minerals. The geochemical study of the major elements shows that the more
the contents of SiO2, Fe2O3 decrease, the more
the content of Al2O3 increases and those of TiO2, Al2O3 increase in the same direction. The PCA confirms the mineralogical results by
classifying the samples into clay, bauxite and ferrite.