A petrographic, mineralogical, and geochemical characterizations of the lateritic hardpans of Bamendjou in the western r
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A petrographic, mineralogical, and geochemical characterizations of the lateritic hardpans of Bamendjou in the western region of Cameroon Y. Ngueumdjo1 · A. S. L. Wouatong1 · F. Ngapgue2 · V. Y. Katte3 Received: 6 November 2019 / Accepted: 23 June 2020 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract A combined petrographic, mineralogical, and geochemical characterization of the lateritic hardpan deposits of Bamendjou was carried out. The purpose was to better understand the process of laterization in a view to facilitate the broad use of this deposit in building applications. The petrographic analysis reveals the presence of protopisolithic, massive, and nodular facies. On the basis of the results provided by X-ray diffraction (XRD), these facies are composed of such phases as gibbsite, goethite, hematite, anatase, and kaolinite. In addition, boehmite has been found in the massive and protopisolithic facies, whereas gibbsite and magnetite frequently occupy the nodular facies. Whole-rock geochemical data indicates that a alumina represents the most abundant oxide in the protopisolithic and the massive facies (46.78–51.63 wt.% and 42.85–43.45 wt.%, respectively). It is followed by relatively high content of iron 12.93–18.33 wt.% and 23.43–23.78 wt.%, respectively) accompanied by very low contents of silica 1.44–2.75 wt.% and 2.44–3.99 wt.% of SiO2 respectively) and titanium 3.70–47.0 wt.% and 4.00–5.30 wt.%, respectively). Iron is the most abundant chemical element in the nodular facies since it ranges from 49.64 to 58.58 wt.%. The petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical geochemical (especially the high iron content) features suggest that the lateritic duricrust of the Bamendjou area have good potential to be utilized in stonework in buildings (bricks). Keywords Bamendjou · Laterite duricrust · Petrographic · Mineralogical · Geochemical · Massive facies protopisolithic facies · Nodular facies
1 Introduction Lateritic soils occupies one third of the intertropical zones [41] and is developed essentially in dry tropical climates with contrasted seasons [7, 46]. These soils are developed in the tropics through the process of weathering which favors the formation of iron, aluminum, manganese and titanium oxides. Iron and aluminum oxides are prominent components in lateritic soils and with the seasonal fluctuation of the water table, these oxides results in the
formation of lateritic hardpans, which can be observed within the weathering profile. The African continent is typically abundant with lateritic soils and lateritic hardpans and in certain areas these have been exploited for minerals (bauxite, iron, manganese, [25]). Bauxite constitutes the mineral ore most exploited industrially. In Cameroon, many studies were carried out on lateritic hardpans particularly that of Adamaoua [42] and the Bamiléké plateau [19, 27, 40, 47]. On Bamiléké plateau, the essential studies were concentrated on the lateritic crust of Fongo-Tongo
* A. S. L. Wouatong, [email protected] | 1Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Scien
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