Caracterização mineralógica da fração argila extraída da mina Sagrado Coração de Jesus, no município de Itabaiana, Sergipe

Abstract

The clays of central region of Itabaiana’s Dome is the aim of this work. The rock that occur are from Gnaiss - Migmatitic Complex, is predominantly composed of orthogneisses from granitic to granodioritic composition, with interphases of amphibolites and gabbros. This geological diversity raises interest for the evaluation of the economic potential of the region. The ore extracted in the study area is used for the purposes of the red ceramics industry, being exploited by the company Sagrado Coração de Jesus since the year 2008. This study aims to characterize the minerals in the clay fraction present in the material extracted from Sagrado Coração de Jesus Ltda. X-Ray Diffraction technique. The mineralogy identified for the samples in the clay fraction is composed of ilite, kaolinite, chlorite, quartz and kfeldspar. This implies that in suitable proportions these components form a deposit relevant to the intended purpose. The data obtained in this study, correlated with content described in the literature for the same region, bring new interpretations regarding the mineralogical composition of the clay fraction for the studied area. The mineralogical interpretations presented in this study will subsidize the activities of the local productive arrangement of the red ceramics.