MINERALOGY, GEOCHEMISTRY AND POTENTIAL USES OF CLAY IN PANDOGARI AREA, NORTH-CENTRAL, NIGERIA

Abstract

The basement rock of Pandogari lies within the BirninGwari – Zungeru area in the NW block of the Nigeria Basement Complex that form part of southern sector of the Pan-Africa mobile belt of West Africa. The study area lies between between latitude 10° 21ʹ 00ʺ to 10° 25ʹ 00ʺ N and longitude 6° 23ʹ 00ʺ to 6° 30ʹ 00ʺ Eof Tegina Sheet 142NE. This study is aimed at evaluating the mineralogical and chemical characteristics of clay minerals occurrence in Pandogari area and its economic benefits through geological mapping and geochemical study. Thirteen (13) Clay samples and seven (7) rocks were obtained from exposure along roads using hammer and hand trowel. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) techniques and petrographic studies were carried out. The X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis results unveiled mineralogical composition of the clay samples to be quartz, muscovite, kaolinite, illite, chlorite and mortimorinolite while X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analysis revealed major oxides of SiO2 (53.10 - 93.60%), MgO (0.02 - 0.10%), Fe2O3 (1.24 – 10.02%), CaO (0.05 – 0.81%), Al2O3 (2.00 - 20.00%). Geological field work results revealed rocks comprising mica schist and phyllite that were intruded by typical Pan-Africa granitic rocks, poor exposure of mica schist and phyllite shows variation in degree of weathering ranging from intermediate to strong weathering and the depositional environment shows that Pandogari clay belongs to Non-marine source. The schist which are (metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks) and the Older Granites (Pan African Granitoids), older granite intruded the schist forming batholitic ridges and batholite. The mineralogical composition of quartz, muscovite and abundance of major and trace elements in the clay shows evidence of felsic protolith as the source rocks, intensive weathering and alteration of the feldspars in-situ. Also the low/high concentration of some minerals and elements in the clay samples in the study area suggest it could be used for ceramic and refractory brick, also the clay require beneficiation to meet specific industrial applications. Clay as an industrial mineral will improve the economy of the nation if attention is given to the mineral.