Geological and geostatistical characteristics of the Taguee bauxite deposits, Jajarm area, NE Iran

The Jajarm bauxite deposit is located in 15 km northeast of jajarm area, North Khorasan Province. The bauxite deposits have been developed as a stratiform horizon along the boundary between the Elika and Shemshak formations. The Taguee Area, located after Golbini and Zoo areas, is continuation of west to east trend of bauxite orebody and seen as a narrow strip with a more than one km width and 7 km in length. Results of chemical analysis and geostatistical data processing showed that during weathering processes, deferrugenization and desilisification mechanisms played crucial roles in mobility of iron oxides and hydroxides and silica oxides. Factors such as pH and Eh of groundwater as well as geomorphology of the area also play important roles in mobility of oxides and hydroxides to the eastern parts. Different drainage conditions and leaching of some elements from the upper parts and redeposition in lower parts of the orebody led to form four distinct layers from top to the bottom including: upper kaolinite bauxite, hard bauxite, clayey soft bauxite and lower kaolinite bauxite.