Abstract
The petrography and geochemistry of Orin-Ekiti Basement rocks were evaluated to determine their mineralogical and chemical composition, assessed their petrogenesis and susceptibility to the formation of bauxitic clay. Ten representative rock samples were selected for thin section petrography and bulk rock geochemical analysis using Petrographic microscope and XRF, Rh Tube, 3k Watt respectively. Field observations revealed charnockites as the dominant rock in the study area with other lithotypes including granite, granite gneiss and banded gneiss. Optical examinations indicated the dominance of quartz in all the rocks suggesting the rocks are product of acidic magma. The order of oxides concentration (wt%) is SiO2>Al2O3>Fe2O3>CaO>K2O>MgO>Na2O>TiO2>P2O5. Based on silica content only, the rocks in this study are classified as felsic (granite, granite gneiss and banded gneiss) with SiO2>65% and ultramafic (charnockites) with SiO2<45%. Charnockites with low SiO2, high Al2O3 and TiO2 compared to other rocks in the study area is considered more favourable to form bauxite. The rocks in the study area are classified into calcic-alkali and calcic groups with igneous protolith.
Highlights
Ekiti State is naturally endowed with numerous natural resources and potentially rich in rocks and mineral deposits including granite, kaolin, columbite, charnockite, iron-ore, barite, aquamarine, gemstone and bauxite to mention a few (Kashim, 2011; Malomo, 2011)
Other lithotypes encountered during field operations were banded gneiss, granite gneiss and granite
Quartz was the dominant mineral in the rocks of the study area (Table 1) indicating that the rocks were product of acidic magma crystallization (Ayodele and Ajayi, 2016)
Summary
Ekiti State is naturally endowed with numerous natural resources and potentially rich in rocks and mineral deposits including granite, kaolin, columbite, charnockite, iron-ore, barite, aquamarine, gemstone and bauxite to mention a few (Kashim, 2011; Malomo, 2011). Bauxite and laterite may result from the weathering of any one of many types of rocks or their weathered derivatives. Rocks of originally high or moderately high alumina content and with a relatively large percentage of soluble constituents lend themselves more readily to lateritization and bauxite formation (Taylor and Eggleton, 2012). The composition of ground water, topographic relief and climatic conditions such as temperature and rainfall, influence lateritization and bauxite formation to an important extent (Harder, 1949; Gu et al, 2013)
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