Original scientific paper
SEDIMENTARY LOW-MANGANESE HEMATITE DEPOSITS OF THE BUKOVICA AREA IN THE NORTHWESTERN MT. PETROVA GORA, CENTRAL CROATIA
Milivoj Čop
Ivan Jurković
Dragutin Slovenec
Abstract
Middle-Permian Gröden deposits crop out on the surface of 0.8 km in the Bukovica area and on the surface of 0.8 km2 in the Mt. Loskun-jska gora in the NW part of the Petrova gora Mountain. One half of the Bukovica Gröden deposits contains in its lowest parts 1 to 5 m (in average 2.5 m) thick hematite bed cutted in blocks by NE-SW stretch¬ing vertical, normal and reverse faults. The hematite bed is unconfor-mably underlain by Lower Permian quartz-wackes (subgraywackes) intercalated with shales intercalations. Ore deposit is explored by 308 boreholes (10509 m) and by numerous adits, inclines and crosscuts on the underground surface of 0.4 km2 . From 1936 to 1941 and from 1953 to 1969 has been exploited 183000 t of ore with (in wt %): 34.0 Si02, 2.9 Al2O3; 59.0 Fe203; 0.15 MnO; 0.7 CaO; 0.4 MgO; 0.1 P, 0.37 S; 1.25 l.o. ign. Proven remaining ore reserves are 250.000 t. Paragenesis is investigated by microscopy of thin and polished sections, XRD, DTA, AAS analyses and by sedimentological analyses. Paragenesis major minerals are of hematite and quartz, with subordinate stable litho-clasts, muscovite (sericite) and scarce kaolinite, calcite, dolomite, and barite. Accessories are zircon, rutile, tourmaline, amphibole, garnet, apatite. Epigenetic veinlets and small nests are built up of quartz or calcite as the main neominerals associated with siderite, barite, kaolinite, pyrite, gypsum. Iron from the Bukovica hematite ore origi¬nated by land weathering during hot climate and transported by rivers and underground waters deposited in river beds, in flood plains and in shallow sea. Precipitation of the Bukovica iron ores took place after the Saalic orogenetic phase. At Hrastno (SE Slovenia) and at Rude nearby Samobor (Croatia), similar hematite deposits were found.
Keywords
Middle-Permian low-manganese hematite deposits; geotectonic setting; XRD, AAS, DTA analyses; morphology; paragenesis; genesis; Bukovica; Croatia
Hrčak ID:
13459
URI
Publication date:
4.12.1998.
Visits: 2.398 *