Resource Assessment and Possible Industrial Applications of Bauxite Occurrences in Parts of the Mambila Plateau, NE Nigeria



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Submitted Jan 17, 2022
Published Mar 10, 2022
10.24018/ejgeo.2022.3.2.244

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Bauxites are normally formed from underlying aluminosilicate rocks as a result of tropical weathering. In our previous 2 papers, we presented the Geology, possible host, mineralogy, and geochemistry of the bauxites of Mambila Plateau, NE Nigeria. The bauxite was formed from residual chemical weathering of trachyte and occurs as a blanket cover over saprolite. XRD results showed gibbsite as the major mineral with small amounts of hematite, kaolinite, and quartz. Geochemistry of the bauxite ore is characterized by enriched Al2O3 (39.50-78.20.0%), erratic amounts of SiO2 (2.89-5.13%) and Fe2O3 (5.98-21.96%). In this study, the resources of Mambilla Bauxite Deposits (Block I and Block II) have been estimated to be 7,529,312.5 metric tons using block method of vertical geological cross-section bearing in mind that the Mambilla Bauxite Deposits have been explored by pitting on a regular grid pattern of 100 m×100 m. The bauxite deposit in Block II has met the requirement for metallurgical grade bauxite as standard specification (IS: 5953-1985, Reaffirmed [1]). While, Block I deposit has not met such specifications. Sustained investment in bauxite exploration is required to upgrade the ore reserves for sustainable development of a mining enterprise.

Keywords: bauxite, gibbsite, Mambilla Plateau, metallurgical grade, metric tons, mining enterprise, resources, trachyte

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