Quality characteristics of Ilmenit minerals in the south central of Vietnam by SEM and QEMSCAN analysis

Abstract

Placer deposit along the South Central Coast of Viet Nam is formed by the enrichment of heavy minerals through a combination of transportation, weathering, erosion and deposition processes. Ilmenite placer forms continuously along the South Central Coast from local origin when the shoreline is far from the modern shoreline formed during the marine transgression process from the late Plestocene to Holocene. The morphological and localization characteristics of Ilmenite have been clarified on the distribution trend with SEM method combined with QEMSCAN. Meticulous research on Ilmenite's grain structure and chemical composition in the study area has shown a tendency to significantly enrich the quality of Ti placer according to the upward trend in the north-south direction. In the south, the Ilmenite placer has smaller particle size but better selective roundness and better quality than in the northern part of the study area. The enrichment of TiO2 content with increasing trend from North to South was observed due to the strong weathering process associated with ancient coastline which is very far away from current shoreline so heavy minerals are accumulates locally and light minerals are carried away. The southern region of the South Central Coast region is home to the highest gap between the ancient shoreline and the current coastline. This study has shown the trend of the quality distribution of Ilmenite as well as of other heavy minerals as the basis for future mineral exploration planning.