POLYCHRONIC-POLYGENIC PARAGENETIC-SPATIAL TITANIUM ORE SYSTEM OF THE SEDIMENTARY COVER OF THE SOUTH-WESTERN PART OF THE KORSUN-NOVOMYRHOROD PLUTON

Abstract

Information is provided on the titanium-zirconium ore content of the weathered crust and continental and coastal Mesozoic- Cenozoic deposits within the Byrzulivska, Valuivska, Likarivska, Andriivska, Novomyrgorodska, Vytiazivska areas, which are located in the southwestern part of the Korsun-Novomyrhorod pluton within the Novomyrgorod massif. On the basis of the coordinates, description and results of testing wells for the specified areas, a target database was created on the basis of which cartographic constructions were made. The results of studies of the spatial distribution of the thickness of the weathering crust, sands and redeposited kaolins of the Lower Cretaceous within the Byrzulivska, Valuivska, Likarivska, Andriivska areas are presented; sands and redeposited kaolins of the lower-middle Eocene within the boundaries of the Novomyrhorodska area; Quaternary sands within the Vytiazivska area. It was found that the lateral distribution of the thickness of the weathering crust is due to the relief of the surface of the crystalline rocks of the foundation and the partial erosion of the eluvium during the geological development of the territory. Instead, the uneven distribution of the thickness of Mesozoic-Cenozoic sediments is caused by the amount of terrigenous material entering the sedimentation basin, facies conditions of formation, and erosion and redeposition of sediments to higher stratigraphic levels. The lateral distribution of the average content of ilmenite, rutile, and zircon and the correlations between these minerals in the weathering crust, redeposited kaolins, and sands of the specified areas were studied. It was found that the ore bearing of the weathered crust and the Mesozoic-Cenozoic continental and coastal marine sediments is paragenetically and spatially related to each other and is determined by the ore bearing of the crystalline rocks of the foundation. The average content of ilmenite, rutile and zircon in the weathering crust is determined by their average content in the parent rocks of the crystalline basement, in the continental and coastal formations of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic — by the content of minerals in the weathering crust and intermediate reservoirs (for deposits that do not lie on the weathering crust), facial conditions of formation. As a rule, aureoles of increased mineral content do not coincide spatially, and correlations between their average content are mostly very weak or absent. The obtained results confirm and complement the results of previous studies on ore bearing capacity and prospects for increasing the mineral-raw material base of critical raw materials within the Novomyrhorod massif. Research results can serve as an information base for forecasting, prospecting and mining operations within the investigated areas.