Resilicification at the top of the foreland bauxite in Surinam and Guyana

Abstract

In the Northern foreland of Guyana-shield bauxites rest on basement or on Tertiary sediments. They are of Eocene age and represent very porous gibbsite rocks, which are free of quartz and feldspar and which contain only traces of kaolinite. They are covered by Tertiary sediments. The overburden in Guyana consist of the white sands of the Montgomery-Formation and in Surinam of Feldspar bearing sands of the Cosewyne Formation. A late diagenite to epigenetic resilicification which progressed from the bauxite surface into the substratus can be observed at several places in Guyana and Surinam. This resilicification has already been described by Aleva (1965) and by van der Marel (1960 in Montagne 1964). Time and mechanism of this resilification process is of interest. The Eocene foreland bauxite of Surinam and Guyana has been kaolinitizised along joints and fissures upon supply of silicic acid derived from weathering of the sedimentary overburden. At the same time detrial grains of quartz and feldspar have been flushed in from above. The resilicification is thus younger than the sediments on top.