Geochemical Characteristics of Clay Deposits, Bussaya Area, Southern Iraq

Abstract

This study concerned with the geochemical characteristics of clay deposits belong to Nfayil beds (Middle Miocene) in Al Muthana Governorate southern Iraq, as a new resource of clay raw material. Twenty three samples of clay deposits were analyzed by using X-Ray Fluorescence technique (XRF) for the major oxides; (SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, MgO, CaO, Na2O, K2O, TiO2, and L.O.I), and trace elements; (V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Sr, Pb, Ga, Rb, Ba, and Zr). The chemical results demonstrated due to the relation between Sr and Cu, that the depositional environment predominated by hot and arid paleoclimate conditions, while from the relation between Al2O3 with (Al2O3, CaO, Na2O, and K2O) reveals a low to relatively moderate chemical weathering. Whereas the ratio of Ni/Co reveals that the deposition was within hypoxic environment, while due to the ratio of Al2O3 / TiO2 in which advocated by Ti- Zr relation which demonstrates that the intermediate igneous rocks as a provenance of the studied clays.