Mineralogical and Geochemical Characteristics of the Sangarédi Bauxite Deposit, Boké Region, Republic of Guinea
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Date
2021-02-14
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Environmental and Earth Sciences Research Journal
Abstract
Sangarédi is one of the few areas in the Republic of Guinea with confirmed bauxite
deposits. Sangarédi deposit, which was formed by deep weathering of sedimentary and
igneous rocks, is located at 11°5'23'' N and 13°46'46'' W in the eastern Bokéregion where
it crops out over an area of about 10 km2In this study, mineralogical and geochemical
studies of the Sangarédi deposit were done by using X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and
Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES) methods. The
mineralogical analyses show that gibbsite and boehmite are the dominant minerals in all
of the bauxites, with average concentrations of 91.85% and 3.3%, respectively. Goethite
is the major iron mineral, with an average concentration of 1.35%. whereas hematite
makes up an average of 0.7%. Diaspore, dawsonite, rutile, and anatase occur in low
abundances (< 1%). Geochemical analyses of the bauxite samples show some significant
differences in Al2O3 (55.63-68.92%), Fe2O3 (1.44-8.89%), SiO2 (0.47-5.68%), and TiO2
(2.48-5.45%). Regardless of their parental rocks, the Sangarédi bauxites have very similar
chemical compositions, with high aluminum, but low silica and iron contents, which
distinguish them from other deposits in Guinea and many other parts of the world.
Description
Keywords
Sangarédi-Guinea, sediment hosted, bauxite, deposit, facies, laterite bauxite, chimogen bauxite, Mallam M. Hallarou, L’Institut Supérieur des Mines et Géologie de Boké, Emerging Center: Mines and Societies, Guinea, Mining, CEMS