Mineralogical and Geochemical Features of Oolitic Ironstones from the Sinara–Techa Deposit, Kurgan District, Russia

Abstract

The paper discusses the mineralogical and geochemical features of oolitic ironstones from the Sinara–Techa deposit, Transural region, Kurgan district. The ore unit is localized in the lower part of a thick Mesozoic–Cenozoic sequence of sedimentary rocks that fill the West Siberian Basin beneath calcareous clay and overlying beds enriched in glauconite and clinoptilolite. The ironstone consists of goethite ooids in smectite–opal cement. Accessory minerals are pyrite, galena, sphalerite, and monazite. The texture and structure make it possible to suggest the formation of sediments enriched in iron as a result of colloid coagulation. The most probable source of iron is related to inland drift. Deposition of iron took place in the estuaries of subtropical rivers due to mixing of colloidal solution of river water with seawater electrolyte. The chemical features of rocks are controlled by the composition of the adsorbed iron oxi/hydroxide complex.