Subaerial leaching process of sedimentary bauxite and the discussion on classifications of bauxite deposits
Du Yuan-Sheng1,2, Yu Wen-Chao1,2
1 State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology,School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences(Wuhan),Wuhan 430074,China; 2 Innovation Center of Ore Resources Exploration Technology in the Region of Bedrock,Ministry of Natural Resources of People's Republic of China,Guiyang 550081,China
Abstract：Bauxite is the ultimate fine-grained products of chemical weathering,and thus it is closely linked with the intense chemical weathering. Based on variations of parent rock and weathering processes,the weathering products can be subdivided into laterite and terra rossa,of which the former is formed by weathering of aluminosilicates and the latter is produced by the weathering of carbonates. During the intense chemical weathering,minerals in original subaerial sediments(parent rocks)would suffer a series of processes(dissolution,hydrolyzation,hydration,carbonation,and oxidation)and be destroyed or transformed,leading to formation of new minerals. In the favorable environment,continuously intense chemical weathering would cause the loss of most mobile elements(e.g., K,Na,Ca,Mg,Si)and the enrichment of Al,resulting in the formation of bauxite. Although sedimentary bauxites are closely linked with the weathering curst,they show obvious differences in formation processes. Sedimentary bauxites are composed of intense chemical weathering products that are transported from outside of the basin and re-deposited in the basin,while most weathering crusts are transformed from saprolite and/or deluvium in-situ,and they can only form low-grade bauxites. Sedimentary environments also differ in bauxite ore layers and bauxitic claystone layers. Bauxite ore layers are formed in the subaerial environment and controlled by the leaching process of groundwater in the vadose zone. Based on the analysis of bauxitization,this study proposes to use multiple parameters,such as provenance,sedimentation and mineralization,to build the new classification of Chinese bauxite deposits. In this classification,lateritic and karstic types of bauxite deposits are autochthonous or parautochthonous saprolite and/or deluvium,while sedimentary type is dominated by heterochthonous provenance.
Du Yuan-Sheng,Yu Wen-Chao. Subaerial leaching process of sedimentary bauxite and the discussion on classifications of bauxite deposits[J]. JOPC, 2020, 22(5): 812-826.
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