Abstract
Coarse rutile with some grains exceeding 32 mm was recovered from regolith excavated from three pits (ABC) at Ebensuk. The rutile concentration ranges from 2.53 kg/m3 of regolith material in Pit C to 2.83 kg/m3 in Pit B with an average of 2.66 kg/m3. The rutile is black, longitudinally striated, with a metallic to adamantine luster and hard. Results of grain size (Z) analysis show that the rutile crystals range in size from 4mm to Z≥32 mm. The grains are predominantly concentrated in the 16≤Z 96 wt%, and subordinate Fe2O (2.2-3.1 wt%), and minor amounts of Al2O3, SO3, K2O P2O5 and Mn2O3 for all the samples analyzed, and meets international specifications for economic rutile ores. The rutile must have been derived through weathering of the underlying gneisses and their coarse nature is probably indicative of a possible source from granite pegmatite veins occurring in the gneisses outcropping in the study area. Key words: Coarse rutile, geochemistry, high quality, regolith, grain size.
Highlights
Rutile has been known to occur in Cameroon since 1908 and was very actively exploited from 1935 to 1957 in the area around Yaounde
The search led to site with insitu regolith material covering an area of 2000 m2
A total of 8 kg of rutile were recovered from the regolith material; 2.64 kg from Pit A, 2.83 kg from Pit B and 2.53 kg from Pit C
Summary
Rutile has been known to occur in Cameroon since 1908 and was very actively exploited from 1935 to 1957 in the area around Yaounde. All deposits in this area are alluvial and mining has been artisanal (COLONNACIMERA, 1949a, b; Callot, 1950; Chataignon, 1951; Champetier de Ribes, 1956; Champetier de Ribes and Robert, 1956; Laplaine, 1969). With the recent renewed interest in the mining sector in the country, there is active exploration and research in the area around Yaounde with the goal of discovering new deposits that could warrant mechanical mining. Some of this research has been reported by Stendal et al.., (2006), Ngalla (2009), Sumbele (2011) and Ngalla et al (2012).
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