Abstract
Investors have been avoiding the Okurike Barite due to paucity of information on its economic worth in spite of the high demand for barites by the local industries. This study was embarked upon to determine the spread and industrial quality of the barite deposit in order to bridge the information gap. The Okurike Barite mineralised site was investigated using geophysical Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) and Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) and geological techniques. The geophysical data were acquired along three profiles while the barite samples were analysed using the laboratory techniques in order to determine their elemental compositions and physical characteristics. Results show that the barites occur with gravels, breccias and weathered basement materials within a very limited region. The resistivity values of the barite mineralised region were observed to vary between 731 and ~1500 I©m. The barites are characterised by specific gravity of 4.4, density of 3.64 g/cm3, porosity of 28%, uniaxial compressive strength of 29.4 kN/mm2 and water absorption capacity of 1.5%. The elements Ba and Fe dominate the elemental composition with 77.28 and 19.98% respectively. BaO, Fe2O3 and MnO are preferentially enriched with abundance of 71.28, 21.40 and 6.10% respectively. These results show that the industrial quality of the Okurike Barite is high although its spread is limited.
Highlights
In the Cretaceous Calabar Flank and the adjoining Pre-Cambrian Oban Massif, different economic minerals are deposited at many locations
The results show that the shallow subsurface can be represented by a 3-4-layered structure with low to high resistivity values
The barites are characterised by mean specific gravity values of 4.4, porosity of 28%, Uniaxial Compressive Strength (UCS) of 29.4 kN/mm2, water absorption capacity of 1.5% and density of 3.64 g/cm2
Summary
In the Cretaceous Calabar Flank and the adjoining Pre-Cambrian Oban Massif, different economic minerals are deposited at many locations. Some of these economic mineral deposits, such as limestones, barites, ironstones and granites have been mapped using geological and geophysical techniques in order to assess their economic viability though on unequal scales (Akpan et al, 2011; 2014). Economic minerals whose worth have been established and are presently being mined at commercial scale include limestones and granites in Akamkpa Local Government Areas (LGAs) (Fig. 1A) (Akpeke et al, 2006; Akpan et al, 2011; 2014). Prior to the utilization of barites ores for their various industrial applications, the physical characteristics and chemical compositions of barite ores must compare favourably well with industrial quality standards for such minerals
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