Geochemistry of a sedimentary lateritic kaolin deposit in Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Brazil.

Abstract

The present study deals with the mineralogy and geochemistry of the clayey facies of the Água Limpa kaolin deposit, situated in the Moeda Syncline, Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Kaolinite, quartz, oxides and iron hydroxides (hematite and goethite) represent the mineral assembly of the five facies of the deposit. White mica, rutile, anatase and gibbsite are heterogeneously distributed along the profile. Despite the variable behavior of the chemical elements along the profile, the geochemical patterns for major and rare earth elements enable to define the filiations generated by the laterization process that affected the sediments.