Geological Characteristics and Ore Controlling Factors of the Bauxite Deposits in Darling Range, Western Australia
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    Abstract:

    China is short of bauxite resources, but demands more. Australia, however, is rich in bauxite resources, and is one of the major countries of China’s imports of bauxite. The Darling Range is one of the main bauxite concentration areas in Australia, and understanding the characteristics of bauxite in this area will help our Chinese mining companies to do the mineral exploration in this or other similar regions. Located in the Yilgarn Craton, western Australia, Darling Range is famous for lateritic bauxite deposit characterized by low ore grade, high content of iron and silica, low content of soluble silica harmful to smelting bauxite, and huge resources potential. The thickness of bauxite hosting in laterite is controlled by late erosion. Laterite profile is composed of overburden, duricrust, friable fragmental unit and basal clay from top to bottom. Overburden is mainly gravel, while the economic bauxite mainly occurs in friable fragmental unit and duricrust. The basal clay at the bottom stops bauxite downward migration. The ore minerals in bauxite are predominantly composed of gibbsite, with minor boehmite, and are derived from weathering and leaching of the feldspar in granite or basic rock (such as diabase or greenstone). According to the type of bedrock, Darling Range bauxite can be divided into granite bauxite and magnesium iron bauxite, exemplified by Jarrahdale bauxite deposit and Mount Saddleback bauxite deposit, respectively. The ore forming process of the bauxite in Darling Range was mainly controlled by climate, parent rocks, drainage, topography, and vegetation. Climate affects mainly through the temperature and precipitation. The physicochemical property and mineralogy of the parent rocks control the bauxite formation, while the temperature and precipitation affects the laterization, and the topography and drainage influences the bauxite weathering speed. The effect of vegetation can not only ensure the soil permeability required for weathering and leaching, but also reduce the rate of external factors on soil erosion. Under the comprehensive effect of various factors, the laterite bauxite deposit was formed through the long time evolution.

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SUN Pengfei, JIANG Sihong, XUE Chunji, BAI Daming, HAN Ning.2016. Geological Characteristics and Ore Controlling Factors of the Bauxite Deposits in Darling Range, Western Australia[J]. Geological Review,62(1):171-186.

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History
  • Received:December 24,2015
  • Revised:November 24,2015
  • Adopted:
  • Online: January 19,2016
  • Published: