X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis Applied to Geochemistry of Quartz in Argentina

PÉREZ R. D.; RUBIO M.; BONALUMI A.; SFRAGULLA J.; LÓPEZ A.; GUERESCHI A.; VÁSQUEZ C.; GOZALVEZ M.; LUCHESSI M.; BADINI R.; CUFFINI S.; SPHAN G.; INGA M.; GERMANIER A.; SERVANT R.

X-RAY SPECTROMETRY

Jhon Wiley & Sons Limited.

Lugar: Chichester (England); Año: 2005 vol. 34 p. 59 - 63

0049-8246

 The growing demand for high-purity quartz in the international market led to the systematic investigation of the geochemical quality of this mineral in deposits of the province of Córdoba (Argentina). This study was the first done over the central geographic zone of Argentina, being a contribution to the scarce information on the geochemical of quartz in our country. A total of 525 multielemental chemical analyses were performed with XRF spectrometry in less than three month. As a result of this study, 36 sites over 141 sampled deposits were identified as desirable quality. XRF analysis for these sites were controlled by atomic absorption. Low Z oxides considered critical impurities for quartz were determined by AA spectrometry, only in these selected sites, because high XRF detection limits. The analytical results allowed to classifying the quality of quartz according to its environment and geological genesis. It could be determined that better purity quartz corresponds to veins far away from the Achala and Alpa Corral batoliths and occur in metamorphic rocks, followed by pegmatitic quartz from inside the batoliths and lastly by quartz of well-known hydrothermal origin.