Navegando por Assunto "Mineral pesado"

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Acesso aberto (Open Access)
Heavy mineral as a tool to refine the stratigraphy of kaolin deposits in the Rio Capim Area, Northern Brazil
(2007-09) GÓES, Ana Maria; ROSSETTI, Dilce de Fátima; MENDES, Anderson Conceição
Studies of heavy minerals in kaolin deposits from the Ipixuna Formation in the Rio Capim area (Northern Brazil) showed a mature to super mature assemblage dominated by zircon and tourmaline, and subordinately rutile, kyanite and staurolite. These minerals do not change much throughout the whole section; however, each kaolin unit displays a particular signature, defined by differences in the proportions of the whole assemblage of heavy minerals, as well as of their textural characteristics. This work revealed that the lower and upper kaolin units can be definitely considered as distinct depositional sequences. A higher proportion of opaque minerals and higher zircon values characterize the lower unit. The higher volumes of anhedric, rounded to sub-rounded grains of zircon and tourmaline in the upper unit suggests that this includes grains that were undergone to a higher degree of reworking. The increased volume of unaltered staurolite and kyanite in the upper unit leads to conclude that, even considering sediment reworking, a distinct source must be invoked. The results also show that the characteristics of the heavy mineral assemblage from the intermediate unit are comparable with those from the upper unit, which suggests they might record a same stratigraphic sequence.
Acesso aberto (Open Access)
Proveniência de arenitos albianos (Grupo Itapecuru), borda leste da bacia de São Luís-Grajaú, Maranhão, usando análise de minerais pesados e química mineral
(2009-04) MENDES, Anderson Conceição; TRUCKENBRODT, Werner Hermann Walter
Albian deposits from the São Luis-Grajaú Basin, formerly recognized only in the subsurface, have been recently found along the Itapecuru river, eastern part of this basin. These deposits consist of red, gray to greenish mudstones, cross-bedded and massive sandstone and subordinately limestones, interpreted as deposits of a to ENE/E and ESE prograding delta connected to a restricted platform. In order to understand the provenance of Albian sandstones, 18 samples were collected for heavy mineral analysis (fraction 0,062-0,125 mm) using a conventional petrographic microscope and scanning electron microscope. The sandstones have been classified as moderately to well sorted, dolomite-cemented quartz-arenites whose heavy-mineral suite consists of zircon (4-70%), garnet (12-74%), tourmaline (3-20%), staurolite (1-9%), rutile (1-8%) and baryte (0-55%), while kyanite, anatase (authigenic), calcic-amphibole, andalusite, sillimanite, spinel and ilmenite occur more rarely. The majority of the grains is angular irregular, but well rounded grains, particularly tourmaline and zircon, are also present. Surface textures include conchoidal fractures, percussion marks in V and diminute pits, the latter in rounded tourmaline and zircon grains, while corrosion features are mainly present in baryte (rhombic cavities), kyanite, staurolite (surface mammillae) and garnet (well-formed etch-facets). Zircon grains, with oscillatory zoning textures, U/Th ratio ≥ 0,5 and mean Zr/Hf ratio of 29, are mainly derived from granites and probably migmatites. Plots on Zr/Hf-Y and Hf-Y-Nb diagrams show that this mineral can be related to at least two different sources. The tourmaline types, determined as dravite and schorl, indicate provenance mainly from aluminous and/or Al-poor metapelites and metapsammites with smaller contribution from granitic and meta-ultramafic rocks. Garnet is rich in almandine and has relatively low spessartine, grossular and pyrope contents whose potential source rocks are low- to medium-grade metamorphic rocks and granites. Based on their heavy-mineral suite and the progradation of the delta system to ENE/E and ESE, the most likely source areas of the studied Albian sandstones are the São Luís Craton, the Neoproterozoic Araguaia and Gurupi belts as well as the Paleozoic Parnaíba Basin, the latter supplying sediments of rounded grains.