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Geochemical Characteristics Of Laterites: The Ailibaltalu Deposit, Iran, Ali Abedini, Ali Asghar Calagari, Khadijeh Mikaeili

Bulletin of the Mineral Research and Exploration

Alibaltalu laterite deposit is located ~20 km northeast of Shahindezh, south of West-Azarbaidjan
province (NW of Iran). This deposit is developed as stratiform lenses along the boundary of
Elika dolomites (Triassic) and Shemshak sandstones (Jurassic). The distribution fashion of
minerals such as boehmite, diaspore, kaolinite, muscovite-illite, rutile, anatase, hematite and
goethite in this deposit was accompanied by the development of four types of ore facies: (1)
ferrite; (2) laterite; (3) bauxitic kaolinite; and (4) kaolinitic bauxite. Petrographically, the ores
show conglomeratic, rounded-granular, veinlet, colloform, pelitomorphic, pseudo-porphyritic,
nodular, and spongy textures. Comparison of distribution pattern of elements along a selective
profile …