Hydrothermal and Metasomatic Kaolin Resource Estimation in the Quang Ninh area, Northeastern Vietnam

Abstract

In northeastern Vietnam, hydrothermal‐metasomatic kaolinite-pyrophyllite from the secondary quartzite origin has been found in many places, including Pin Ho, Ban Ngai, Khe Khoai, Pec Sec Leng, Tan Mai ore occurrences, etc. They are exploited together with pyrophyllite, alunite, and high‐alumina quartzite as a byproduct. There were 810 chemical and mineral samples in the Quang Ninh area collected to investigate hydrothermal‐metasomatic kaolin resources. The ore minerals consist of kaolin-group minerals (kaolinite, dickite), pyrophyllite, quartz with minor sericite, alunite, diaspora, etc. They were identified by X-ray diffraction, and microscope and scanning electron microscope coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analyses. Chemical analyses of major oxides were carried out on clays and parent rock samples by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The similarity-analogy in ore geology and mineral resource estimation based on statistical methods are employed to estimate hydrothermal‐metasomatic kaolin resources from the Quang Ninh area in northeastern Vietnam. The mineral resource estimation based on statistical methods shows 2.21 million tons of kaolin obtained by the content of aluminum oxide over 28% of the Pec Sec Leng mine, accounting for 14.3% in total. The similarity-analogy in ore geology indicates 158.16 million tons of kaolinite-pyrophyllite ores, of which, 22.0 million tons are kaolin. These methods display that the Quang Ninh area contains mainly pyrophyllite rather than kaolin resources. Our study suggests that the Quang Ninh area can be considered as a potential pyrophyllite resource in northeastern Vietnam for future exploration. Furthermore, the one resource estimation based on similarity-analogy in ore geology method shows an overview of the prospect on kaolinite-pyrophyllite resources in the Quang Ninh area, northeastern Vietnam.