Abstract
Some Mediterranean bauxite deposits in karst, considered to be allochthonous originating from neighboring silicate rocks, reveal the following common features of fluvial transport and sedimentation: (1) The SiO2 content increases in the direction of the transport; (2) the trace elements indicate the area of origin; (3) the bauxite was deposited in depressions of a slightly karstified coastal plain in a lagoonal or estuarine environment; (4) the karst relief became accentuated after the bauxite was covered by sediments; and (5) the depth of the karstic depressions was controlled by the former groundwater level. Therefore, the thickness of the orebodies increases with the distance from the former shoreline. These factors have an implication on the strategy of exploration. The following examples are taken from central Greece and Montenegro and comparisons are made with the bauxite districts of France, Italy, and Jamaica.
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Petrascheck, W.E. The genesis of allochthonous karst-type bauxite deposits of Southern Europe. Mineral. Deposita 24, 77–81 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00206306
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00206306