Spatial distribution and mineralogical compositional of clays in Ozuabam Area, southeast Nigeria

Abstract

Clay materials are often imported for the manufacturing of ceramic, pottery, drugs and paints. This has subjected our currency to pressure. Consequently result in a high cost of production. The objective of this study is to determine the mineralogical composition of Ozuabam clays for suitability of the manufacturing of the above mentioned items in Nigeria. Clay sediments collected were subjected to X-ray diffraction for identification of the mineralogical composition. The results revealed that Amuvi1 (AMV1), Amuvi2 (AMV2), Obotme1 (OBO1), Obotme2 (OBO2), Okobo (OKO), Nkana1 (NKA1), Nkana2 (NKA2), Nkana3 (NKA3) and Amakaofia (AMA) were quartz, calcite, dolomite, illite and montmorillonite whereas quartz, calcite dolomite, kaolinite, illite and montmorillonite were recorded at OBO2 and NKA3. On the obtainable result NKA3 and OBO2 contains the clay material suitable for the manufacturing of the products mentioned above. Clay mineralogical and environmental studies at the study area proved that crafter and other manufacturers can depend on Ozuabam clay better than importing it from abroad.

Keywords: Ozuabam, Clay deposits, X-Ray diffraction, Maastrichtian sediments, Afikpo Basin.