GEOCHEMICAL AND MINERALOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SOME MARBLE DEPOSITS AROUND IKPESHI AREA, SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA
Five (05) marble samples from Ikpeshi and environs were analyzed both geochemically and
mineralogically with the aim of characterizing the marble bodies around the study area,
southwestern Nigeria. The samples were subjected to X-Ray Fluorescence and X-Ray
Diffraction analysis. Findings revealed the CaO/MgO ratio of the Ikpeshi marble range
between 2.92 and 106.87 with an average of 39.19. The percentage of calcite is between
37.41 and 97.60 with average values of 79.13wt.%, while dolomite range from 2.40 to 62.59
with average values of 20.87wt.%.Other major oxide such as SiO2, FeO and or Fe2O3,
Na2O, K2O, Al2O3 and MnO2 have values below 2wt.%. Based on the different classification
schemes for marble, Ikpeshi marble consist of pure calcite marble, pure dolomite marble,
pure dolomitic calcite and pure calcitic dolomite. The marble in the study area are classified
as the high calcite group and their industrial use range from the manufacture of Portland
cement to ceramics production