ABSTRACT
GEOCHEMICAL AND MINERALOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF MARBLE AND ITS ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE FROM IGUE AREA SOUTHERN NIGERIA
Journal: Earth Sciences Pakistan (ESP)
Author: Odokuma-Alonge, Ovie, Kosonyeme, Chukwuamaka Daniella and Aladin Anthony EseThis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
Doi: 10.26480/esp.02.2024.61.71
The study area is located at Owan East Local Government of Edo state (Figure 1.1). Igue is located in the South Western part of Igarra (it runs between latitudes 7̊ 12′ 40″N to 7̊ 13′ 22″N and longitudes 6̊ 5′ 21″E to 6̊ 5′ 38.5″ on Auchi Sheet 266. A total of five (5) marble samples from Igue and environs in Southern Nigeria were obtained with the aim of qualifying the marble using XRF as well as XRD techniques and determining its economic importance. The major element composition of the marble deposit shows it has a mean chemical composition of CaO (91.14 wt. %), MgO (0.64 wt. %), SiO2 (4.17 wt. %), K2O (0.16 wt. %), Al2O3 (2.57 wt. %) and Fe2O3 (0.40 wt. %), respectively. The modal composition of the marble is, Calcite (65.1 %), Quartz (14.74 %), Orthoclase (7.66 %), Lime (6.5 %) and Illite (5.96 %). The results of the analysis revealed that the Igue marble is highly calcitic in composition. The ternary plot tends towards CaO and CaCO3 which confirms the former. Subject to beneficiation, Igue marble can be used for cement production. The marble can also be used for sculpture, tiles, chips and decorative purposes.
| Pages | 61-71 |
| Year | 2024 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Volume | 8 |
