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A New Kaolin Deposit in Western Africa: Mineralogical and Compositional Features of Kaolinite from Caluquembe (Angola)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2024

Esperança Tauler ,
Jingyao Xu ,
Marc Campeny ,
Sandra Amores ,
Joan Carles Melgarejo ,
Salvador Martinez  and
Antonio O. Gonçalves
Esperança Tauler
Affiliation:
Departament de Mineralogia, Petrologia i Geologia Aplicada, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Jingyao Xu*
Affiliation:
Departament de Mineralogia, Petrologia i Geologia Aplicada, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Marc Campeny
Affiliation:
Departament de Mineralogia, Petrologia i Geologia Aplicada, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain Departament de Mineralogia, Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Sandra Amores
Affiliation:
Departament de Mineralogia, Petrologia i Geologia Aplicada, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Joan Carles Melgarejo
Affiliation:
Departament de Mineralogia, Petrologia i Geologia Aplicada, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Salvador Martinez
Affiliation:
Departament de Mineralogia, Petrologia i Geologia Aplicada, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Antonio O. Gonçalves
Affiliation:
Departamento de Geologia, Universidade Agostinho Neto, Luanda, Angola
*
*E-mail address of corresponding author: jingyao.xu@hotmail.com
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Abstract

Large kaolin deposits developed by weathering on Precambrian granitic rocks have been discovered in the Caluquembe area, Huíla province, Angola. To determine accuracy of analysis and to evaluate the kaolinite grade, a full-profile Rietveld refinement by X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD) and Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) was used. Caluquembe kaolin is composed mainly of kaolinite (44–93 wt.%), quartz (0–23 wt.%), and feldspar (4–14 wt.%). The Aparicio-Galán-Ferrell index (AGFI), calculated by XRPD profile refinement, indicates low- and medium-defect kaolinite. Kaolinite particles show a platy habit and they stack together forming ‘booklets’ or radial aggregates; they also occur as small anhedral particles in a finer-grained mass. Muscovite-kaolinite intergrowths have also been found. Whole-rock chemical analysis included major, trace, and Rare Earth Elements (REE). Chondrite-normalized REE patterns show the same tendency for all samples, with a significant enrichment in Light Rare Earth Elements (LREE). Mineralogical and compositional features of the Caluquembe kaolin indicate that it is a suitable material for the manufacture of structural products, such as bricks, paving stones, and roofing tiles. In addition, the significant REE contents of the Caluquembe kaolin can be considered as a potential future target of mining exploration.

Keywords

AGFIAngolaCaluquembeKaoliniteREE
Type
Original Paper
Information
Clays and Clay Minerals , Volume 67 , Issue 3 , June 2019 , pp. 228 - 243
Copyright
Copyright © Clay Minerals Society 2019

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