Geological and mineralogical characteristics of corundum-bearing rocks in the Khitostrov occurrence (Northern Karelia)

Abstract

The geological and mineralogical features of the formation of Paleoproterozoic corundum-bearing rocks of the Khitostrov deposit are considered. The formation history of the corundum-bearing rocks is divided into periods and the characteristics of the Karelian-Kola sapphire-rubiferous province are highlighted. The specific features of the genesis of corundum-bearing complexes in the volcanic part of the Fennoscandinavian Shield are marked. Corundum formation in xenoliths of the alkaline complex of the Khibiny massif is typical of the Kola Peninsula. In Karelia, corundum-bearing rocks are formed within the boundaries of the Belomorian Mobile Belt and two types are distinguished – corundum-bearing rocks in aluminous plagiogneisses (first type) and corundum-bearing rocks in metabasites (second type). All corundums of the Belomorian Mobile Belt were formed due to metasomatic processes during the Svecofennian period of activation. Based on the geology and mineralogical and technological features of a known occurrence, the Khitostrov corundum occurrence is comprehensively evaluated as the main representative of the Karelian-Kola sapphire-rubiferous province. The methods for corundum-bearing rock stripping are considered and the efficiency of optical separation of Khitostrov’s corundum ores is assessed. The results of this study supplement the database on this unique geological object and provide a background for the assessment of the corundum area of the Belomorian Mobile Belt.