Major and trace elements geochemistry of Ziarat laterite deposits, Ziarat District, western Pakistan. Implications for source rock materials and ore genesis

Khan, Muhammad Ayoub, Kerr, Andrew C. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5569-4730, Abdullah, Kakar, Hikmat Ullah, Tariq, Muhammad and Naeem, Abdul 2025. Major and trace elements geochemistry of Ziarat laterite deposits, Ziarat District, western Pakistan. Implications for source rock materials and ore genesis. Carbonates and Evaporites 40 (1) , 24. 10.1007/s13146-025-01063-7 Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

Lateritization processes are common in hot and humid tropical regions and modify the mineralogical composition of parent rocks through chemical weathering. The formation of laterite leads to iron and aluminum rich materials. The Ziarat laterite deposits stretch several kilometers along an unconformity between the Parh limestone and Dungun formation in the Ziarat district of western Pakistan. The deposits are up to 16 m thick and are composed of abundant hematite, kaolinite, and goethite with minor ilmenite and muscovite and less common carbonate and quartz. Fe2O3:Al2O3 and SiO2:Fe2O3 ratios and triangular variation diagrams confirm that the laterite at Ziarat is a ferruginous type of deposit. Enrichment of Fe2O3 and Al2O3 as compared with other major oxides reveals the leaching of these oxides and indicates a slight to extensive degree of lateritization. Further, CIA values and the A-CN-K ternary plots demonstrate moderate to strong weathering intensity in these lateritic deposits. Additionally, most of the trace elements correlate positively with Fe, which indicates that hematite and goethite are the major controlling phases for trace element distribution. The negative correlation of Li with Fe and Al shows its depletion and high mobility during weathering of the parent rocks. Major oxide concentrations, the ratio of Al2O3/TiO2 and Cr-Ni systematics indicates a mafic protolith for these laterite deposits. It is concluded that the Ziarat laterite deposits were derived from the weathering of adjacent basaltic mafic rocks of the Bibai formation with little contribution from the underlying carbonate rocks.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Earth and Environmental Sciences
Publisher:	Springer
ISSN:	0891-2556
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	21 March 2025
Date of Acceptance:	10 February 2025
Last Modified:	24 Mar 2025 14:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/177044

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