Mineralogical and geochemical trends in lateritic weathering profiles on basement rocks in Awa-Oru Ijebu and its environ, southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

Three soil profiles on the basement rocks in Awa-Oru-Ijebu Igbo area of  southwestern Nigeria were investigated for the formation secondary minerals and the comparison of the mineralogical and geochemical patterns in the weathering profiles overlying the  rocks during the humid tropical weathering. X-ray data showed that the primary mineral constituents of the rocks such as feldspar, biotite,  hornblende have altered to kaolinite and hematite. In soil horizon, kaolinite and quartz are the dominant minerals. The concentration of hematite in the laterite indicated that most of the iron oxides generated in the soil horizon have been leached into the underlying laterite layer. Kaolinite is the dominant mineral in the clayey horizon and its presence suggests that some of the iron bearing  ferromagnesian minerals have altered into the kaolinite. Geochemical data further revealed significant enrichment of Al₂O₃ and Fe₂O₃ in the laterite profile compared with the parent rock, while, CaO, Na₂O, K₂O, P₂O₅ and MnO show strong depletion up the profiles. The removal of mobile elements by meteoric water and subsequent concentration of stable weathering  products results in lateritization. The absence of bauxite minerals like gibbsite and diaspora in the profiles shows that the trend of weathering is towards iron enrichment (ferralitization) and not aluminum accumulation (bauxitization). The CIA values of the lateritic layers shows that the weathering process is matured and has reached advanced stage.

Keywords: Basement rocks, weathering, lateritization, kaolinite, Hematite.