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A New Kaolin Deposit in Western Africa: Mineralogical and Compositional Features of Kaolinite from Caluquembe (Angola)

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Clays and Clay Minerals

Abstract

Large kaolin deposits developed by weathering on Precambrian granitic rocks have been discovered in the Caluquembe area, Huíla province, Angola. To determine accuracy of analysis and to evaluate the kaolinite grade, a full-profile Rietveld refinement by X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD) and Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) was used. Caluquembe kaolin is composed mainly of kaolinite (44–93 wt.%), quartz (0–23 wt.%), and feldspar (4–14 wt.%). The Aparicio-Galán-Ferrell index (AGFI), calculated by XRPD profile refinement, indicates low- and medium-defect kaolinite. Kaolinite particles show a platy habit and they stack together forming ‘booklets’ or radial aggregates; they also occur as small anhedral particles in a finer-grained mass. Muscovite-kaolinite intergrowths have also been found. Whole-rock chemical analysis included major, trace, and Rare Earth Elements (REE). Chondrite-normalized REE patterns show the same tendency for all samples, with a significant enrichment in Light Rare Earth Elements (LREE). Mineralogical and compositional features of the Caluquembe kaolin indicate that it is a suitable material for the manufacture of structural products, such as bricks, paving stones, and roofing tiles. In addition, the significant REE contents of the Caluquembe kaolin can be considered as a potential future target of mining exploration.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the CGL2012-36263, CGL2006-12973 and CGL2009-13758 projects of the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación of the Spanish Government, the AGAUR 2014SGR01661 project of the Generalitat de Catalunya and by a FI grant to J. Xu (coded FI_B 00904) sponsored by the Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca of the Departament d’Economia i Coneixement of the Generalitat de Catalunya. The authors acknowledge the Scientific and Technical Centers of the University of Barcelona (CCiTUB) for their support in carrying out experimental analyses. Anonymous reviewers and the editorial staff, are thanked for helpful comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departament de Mineralogia, Petrologia i Geologia Aplicada, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Esperança Tauler, Jingyao Xu, Marc Campeny, Sandra Amores, Joan Carles Melgarejo & Salvador Martinez

  2. Departament de Mineralogia, Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Marc Campeny

  3. Departamento de Geologia, Universidade Agostinho Neto, Luanda, Angola

    Antonio O. Gonçalves

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  1. Esperança Tauler
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  2. Jingyao Xu
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Correspondence to Jingyao Xu.

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Tauler, E., Xu, J., Campeny, M. et al. A New Kaolin Deposit in Western Africa: Mineralogical and Compositional Features of Kaolinite from Caluquembe (Angola). Clays Clay Miner. 67, 228–243 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42860-019-00021-4

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