Reworked manganese ore bodies in Bonai-Keonjhar belt, Singhbhum Craton, India: Petrology and genetic study

Abstract

The genetic evolution of three types of reworked manganese ore bodies namely: Detrital, Concretionary (Mangcrete) and Wad in the Precambrian Iron Ore Group occurring in Bonai-Keonjahr belt, Singhbhum Craton, India are reported. All the reworked Mn-ore bodies are developed in a restricted area and have a limited resource. Mangcrete and wad are commonly exposed at the surface and extend to a maximum depth of 10 m while detrital ores are observed below 10-20 m from the surface. Detrital ore bodies occur as large boulders and are buried under a thick zone of laterite. Mangcrete is concretionary in nature; oolitic, spherulitic and nodular in shape. Broken fragmented of ooloids and pisoloids, often observed in mangcrete, are indications of reworking. Wad exposures are noticed above low to medium-grade bedded manganese ore bodies. Among three reworked ore types, the detrital is of low to medium-grade having Mn:Fe ratio > 5, while wad and mangcrete are of sub-grade (Mn:Fe similar to 1) and off-grade type (Mn:Fe < 1) respectively. Detrital ore bodies are of allochthonous nature and developed through several stages such as fragmentation of preexisting ore, leaching and cementation followed by transportation and deep burial. Mangcrete represent chemogenic precipitates at several stages of contemporary Mn-Fe-Al rich fluid under supergene environment. Wad is of bio-chemogenic origin and developed in a swampy region under marine environment due to slow chemical precipitation of Mn-Fe enriched fluid, in several stages nucleating quartz/hematite/cryptomelane detritals. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.