GEOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF MARBLE

ABSTRACT

Five (05) marble samples were obtained from Ikpeshi area and Environs, southwestern Nigeria. The samples were subjected to XRF analysis to determine the major and minor elemental composition of the marble. The results obtained show the predominance of CaO (48.72wt.% to 90.40wt.%) and minor occurrences of Na2O (11.30wt.% to 45.97wt.%), SiO2 (2.98wt.% to 18.49wt.%) Al2O3 (1.92wt.% to 3.62wt.%) and MgO (0.83wt.% to 2.65wt.%). The high CaO content reflects its calcitic nature. MgO with an average of (1.47wt.%) reflects a low amount of magnesian carbonates. The relatively high SiO2 with an average of 8.20wt.% caused the marbles to be classified as siliceous marbles. The predominance of CaO make them suitable for the production of Portland cement, and other carbonate-based chemicals.