ILMENITE-BEARING CAPACITY OF PRODUCTIVE SEDIMENTS AND QUALITY PARAMETERS OF ILMENITE OF THE TROSTYANYTSKY TITANIUM ORE DEPOSIT

Abstract

The article presents brief information on the geological structure of the Trostyanytsky ilmenite deposit, which is located in the northern part of the Volodarsk-Volyn massif of rocks of the main composition of the Korosten pluton. Within the deposit, ilmenite deposits are localized in the weathered crust of the basement crystalline rocks and in the products of its erosion and redeposition – unbroken Middle Jurassic – Lower Cretaceous continental fluvial (deluvial-alluvial) sediments, which are represented by kaolin sands and redeposited kaolins. Deluvial-alluvial sediments with erosion overlie the weathering crust of the bedrock and fill the buried valley–like depression between the Irsha and Trostianytsia rivers. The weathering crust served as a dam and intermediate reservoir for deluvial-alluvial deposits and alluvial minerals, including ilmenite. Based on the coordinates of the boreholes, their descriptions, and testing results, we created cartographic constructions that were used to study the lateral distribution of the thickness of the weathering crust and deluvial-alluvial deposits of the Middle Jurassic – Lower Cretaceous and the lateral distribution of the average ilmenite content in these sedimentary formations. Information on the morphology, granulometry, and chemical composition of ilmenite from eluvium and deluvial-alluvial sediments is presented. Based on the results of chemical analysis of ilmenite, the lateral distribution of ilmenite with different contents of titanium, iron, phosphorus, vanadium, and chromium oxides in weathering crust, sandy and clayey lithofacies of the Middle Jurassic – Lower Cretaceous is investigated. The lateral distribution of ilmenite with different FeO/Fe2O3 ratios in eluvium, redeposited kaolins, and sands of the Middle Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous was studied. The direction and strength of correlations between these oxides in ilmenite from weathering crust, sandy and clay lithofacies of the Middle Jurassic – Lower Cretaceous were studied. The vertical distribution of ilmenite with different contents of TiO2, Fe2O3, and FeO in the vertical section of the boreholes was studied. The obtained results allow us to specify the areas of maximum and minimum thickness of productive formations; areas of increased and decreased average ilmenite content within the deposit; spatial distribution of ilmenite with certain quality parameters in eluvium and deluvial-alluvial deposits of the Middle Jurassic – Lower Cretaceous; to find out the correlations between the content of various oxides in ilmenite.