Geochemical Approach and Industrial Utilization of Some Marble Bodies from Ubo River Area and Environs, Southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

Marble bodies occur in Ubo River Area as lenses of rocks. Seven (07) marble samples were obtained, analyzed and subjected to X-Ray Flourescence (XRF) analysis to determine both the major and trace elemental composition of the samples. The analysis revealed high CaO values (52.23-58.10 wt. %) and moderate values for SiO₂ (7.50-10.43wt. %), fairly low values for Al₂O₃ (2.30 – 4.21 wt. %), Fe₂O₃ (2.62 – 5.15 wt. %), MgO (0.42 – 0.7 wt. %), MnO (0.01 – 0.06 wt. %), K₂O (0.32 – 1.55 wt. %) and Na₂O (0.01 – 0.03 wt. %), respectively. Variation plots involving Na₂O/Al₂O₃ vs K₂O/Al₂O₃ reveal sedimentary progenitors for the rocks. The fairly high SiO₂ and low K₂O content is an indication of the environment of deposition and may have been in a shallow marine environment with fair input of classic sediments into the system. The relatively high CaO content, moderate SiO₂
content and fairly low Al₂O₃ and Fe₂O₃ values indicates a fair degree of purity of the parent rock, hence its suitability as a raw material in the industrial sector.

Keywords: Clastic, Deposition, Environment, Progenitor, Marble, Chemical