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Diit Quaternary Stream Sediments, Southern Coast of the Red Sea, Egypt: Potential Source of Ilmenite, Magnetite, Zircon, and Other Economic Heavy Minerals

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Abstract

The Quaternary stream sediments of the Diit area, southern Red Sea coast, Egypt, were mineralogically studied for their content of economic heavy minerals. The study area covered approximately 450 km2 and included three main parts: Wadi and Delta Diit, as well as Diit lens. The mineralogical investigation revealed that these sediments contain considerable amounts of placer ilmenite, magnetite, zircon, sphene, apatite, garnet, and rutile. Also present, in minor or trace amounts, are uranothorite, monazite, xenotime, fergusonite, khatyrkite, and gold. The magnetic fractionation tests, supplemented with the XRD and SEM mineral analyses, indicated the presence of Fe-oxide minerals as wuestite, hematite, and maghemite accompanied with magnetite as products for hand magnet separation. Ilmenite separation was carried out using a high intensity magnetic separator at a current of 1 A, while the paramagnetic minerals (e.g., garnet, pyroxene, amphibole, epidote, monazite, xenotime, and fergusonite) were separated as magnetic fraction at a current of 3 A. The non-magnetic minerals (e.g., zircon, apatite and rutile, uranophane, uranothorite, gold, and khatyrkite) were obtained at 3 A current. On a mineralogical and geochemical basis, the present work suggests that Diit stream sediments should be considered as a potential source for Ti, Fe, Zr, Zn, and Cu after the physical upgrading processes for concentrating the minerals carrying the aforementioned economic elements.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nuclear Materials Authority, P. O. Box 530, Maadi, Cairo, Egypt

    Mona M. Fawzy, Ibrahim M. Gaafar, A. M. El Shafey & Mohamed Diab

  2. Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Fayoum University, Fayoum, Egypt

    Mohamed S. Abu El Ghar & Ahmed W. Hussein

Authors
  1. Mona M. Fawzy
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  2. Mohamed S. Abu El Ghar
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  3. Ibrahim M. Gaafar
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  4. A. M. El Shafey
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  5. Mohamed Diab
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  6. Ahmed W. Hussein
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Correspondence to Mona M. Fawzy.

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Fawzy, M.M., Abu El Ghar, M.S., Gaafar, I.M. et al. Diit Quaternary Stream Sediments, Southern Coast of the Red Sea, Egypt: Potential Source of Ilmenite, Magnetite, Zircon, and Other Economic Heavy Minerals. Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration 39, 655–667 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42461-022-00543-x

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