EconorowGeologq

Vol 77, 1982, pp 154-161

Chemical Characteristics and Evolution of the Laterite Profile in

HazaridadarBauxitePlateau,Madhya Pradesh,India
G. G. K. SASTR1 AND C. S. SASTRY

Mining and GeologyDepartment, Bharat Aluminium Company, Ltd., Balco Township,Korba, BilaspurDistrict, Madhya Pradesh,
Pin 495 684, India

Abstract

A chemicalstudyof the laterite profile developedover basaltsin the Hazaridadar plateau

in Madhya Pradesh,India, is presented,basedon data obtainedfrom intensiveexploration.
In ascendingorder the profile consistsof lithomarge(saprolite),laterite, and bauxite with
laterite.
The formationof the profile essentiallyinvolvesdesilicationand hydration.In absolute
termsthere is no major gain or lossin TiO2 and A1203.Judgingfrom the chemicalcharacter
of the different zones,the profilehasbeenevolvedby gradualin situ weatheringof basic
rocks under favorable conditions.
It is postulatedthat the profilehasbeendevelopedin threedistinctstages.First,formation
of lithomarge(by partial desilicationand hydration)hasbeen followednext by the formation
of a laterite horizon with a fixed compositionin terms of AI•O3 + FelOn. Desilicationis more
or lesscompletein this stage.Finally, differential leachingof AI:O• and Fe•O• and the
downward migrationof the latter have resultedin the formationof a zone of bauxitewithin
the laterite at the top and anotherof laterite at the bottom, the latter showingevidenceof
depositionof secondaryF%O•. Zonesfavoring free movementof water in the top levelsof
the lateriteare suggested as favorablehorizonsfor enrichmentin A1203.

Introduction lution of laterite profilesover basicrocks(basalts)in

THE term laterite was first usedby Buchanan(1807)
for an induratedclay from partsof Malabar (now in
the State of Kerala, India), which is soft enoughto
be cut into blocksby an iron instrumentbut which
becomeshard as a brick on exposureto air. Various
typesof Fe-rich and/or Al-rich materialshave since
come to be coveredby this term. An attempt is now
being made to define and classifythem on the basis
of chemistry,mineralogy,and origin, as part of the
InternationalGeologicalCorrelationProgram(IGCP)
Project 129, sponsored by the International Union of
GeologicalSciences and UNESCO.
Laterite usuallyoccursin the form of a layer or
a crustoverpreexistingrocks.A typicallateriteprofile
extendsupward from the pallid zone (saproliteor
lithomarge)intothe laterite(McFarlane,1976,p. 107;
Roy Chowdhuryet al., 1964, p. 55).
Fundamentally,lateriteisformedfrom the residual
concentrationof the lesssolubleconstituents(mainly
Fe and A1)containedin the parent rock. Constituents
from an outsidesourceprobablydo not significantly
contributeto this. While the processis not yet thor-
oughlyunderstood, it isgenerallyagreedthat laterites
are the residualproductsof subaerialweathering,re-
suiting from favorable conditionsof temperature,
rainfall,drainage,topography,etc.The presentpaper
aimsat contributingto the understandingof the evo-
central India.
An intensiveexplorationprogram was completed
by Bharat Aluminium Company, Ltd. (BALCO), in
the Hazaridadar plateau in India (Fig. 1) aimed at
blockingout additional reservesof bauxite to supple-
ment depositsfrom the adjacentRaktidadar plateau
which have been mined for a decade now. Both these
plateauswere initially exploredby the Geological
Surveyof India. Basedon theseinvestigations some
significantobservationson the mode of occurrence,
chemistry,and reservesof bauxite in theseplateaus
have been publishedearlier (Sastri and Bhargava,
1977; Sastri and Sastry, unpub. rept., 1979; Sastri,
unpub. rept., 1979).
The explorationprogram by BALCO in the Ha-
zaridadar plateau consistedof drilling about 1,800
boreholes,sinking126 testpits,and analysisof about
6,200 samples.The chemicaldata collectedin the
courseof this explorationhave been processed to es-
tablish the thickness and chemical character of the
differentlithologicalunitsin the laterite profile.Ad-
ditional data from previouswork of the Geological
Surveyhasalsobeenutilized.Sincethe data usedin
this paper come from a large number of sampling
locationsdistributedover a very large area, the cal-
culationspresentedin the subsequent paragraphsare
more dependablethan thoseobtainedfrom a single
or a limited number of locations.

154
 LA TERI TE PROFILE, HAZARIDADAR PLATEA U, INDIA 155

Geology TABLE 1. Subunit Thicknesses

Hazaridadarand the other plateausin the region Zone Descriptionof Average

are underlainby Deccantrap (basalt),cappedby lat- no. lithologicalunit thickness(m)
erite and soil. The laterite can be further divided into
subunits.The rangesof thicknesses
of the subunits VII Top soil 1.5
are: soil, 1 to 5.5 m; laterite, 20 to $0 m; and Deccan VI Pisolitic laterite 2.0
traps (freshand altered), 200 to $00 m. (reworked zone)

Hazaridadarprofile Laterite

The thicknesses of the subunitsdevelopedover ba-

saltsin Hazaridadarare givenin Table 1. The laterite
profile
{V Bauxite
IV
III with
laterite
Laterite
Lithomarge(saprolite)
6.5
11.0
21

II Altered basalt
profile,however,consists of the bauxitewith laterite, I Basalt
laterite,and lithomargezonesonly.
Descriptionof the zones
Zone VII, Top soil: On the Hazaridadarplateau, tains boulders of bauxite intermixed with aluminous
a soillayer, as much as5.5 m in thickness,is present laterite and laterite. It has an uneven roof and floor
at mostplaces.It is gray to earthy greenand black configuration.Bauxiteoccursin this zonein pisolitic
in colorand is loamy and sticky. and massiveformsand is white, light gray, cream,
Zone VI, Pisolitic laterite: This zone consistsof or lightpinkin color.The majormineralsaregibbsitc,
small pisolites,mostlyof ferruginousmaterial,in a boehmite,and goethite,with minor amountsof he-
ferruginousmatrix.It isgenerallycompactand hard. matite, rutile, kaolinitc, and cliachite.
The pisolitesconsistof massive,dense,purple-brown Sincethe run of mine gradeof materialfrom zone
limoniticmaterial,coveredwith a thin sheathof pale V is lower than that currentlyspecified(+49% A1203
yellowishbrown earthy matter. The major minerals and -8.5% SiO2)for the BALCO plant, it cannotbe
are hematite,kaolinitc,goethite,and gibbsitc,with usedasa directplantfeed.Althoughthe pocketyand
minor amounts of anatase. The zone rests on the lat- discontinuous nature of the horizon in this and similar
erite profile with a sharpcontactand has been con- deposits
hasbeenrecognized,
the chemicalgradeof
sideredto beyoungerthanandnotgeneticallyrelated the run of mine ore from it has been consistently
to the profileitself(RoyChowdhuryet al., 1964;Prem overestimatedin theliterature,whichignoresthefact
Swarup,1975).Data presentedlater in thispaperalso that a substantialpart of the material mined hasto
confirm this view. be rejectedbeforematerialof a gradesuitablefor the
Zone V, Bauxite with laterite: This is the zone of plant can be obtained.
economicinterestto the aluminumindustry.It con- Zone IV, Laterite: This is a zone of brown and red
laterite, cavernousin nature and pisoliticin places.
It is generallyfound that the lower horizonsof this
81'•45' • zone are more ferruginousthan the upper ones.The
lateriteishighlyvesicularandvermicular,the vesicles
and vermicularcavitiesbeingmostlyfilled with var-
iegatedferruginousclay. The major mineralsin this
zone are gibbsitc,hematite,goethite,and kaolinitc,
with minor amounts of boehmite and rutfie.
ZoneIII, Lithomarge(saprolite):This isthe lowest

•RAKTi
_•/l22* 45' horizonof the laterite profile, not usuallyexposed
alongthe slopes,beingcoveredby talusand vege-
tation. It is made up of claysof variouscolors.It also
exhibitsbandingin placesdue to alternatelayersof
clay and ferruginousmatter. The claysin this zone
havea very low specificgravity (0.94),a high po-
AMARKANTAK
rosity,and do not showany evidenceof compression.
Mineralogically,kaolinitcandgoethiteare dominant,
with minor amounts of hematite and rutile.
Zone II, Altered basalt: This is a zone of dark
greenishor brownishgray porousmaterial which is
presentin someplacesand is representedby altered
FIG. 1. Location map. bouldersof basaltwith typicalspheroidal
weathering.
156 G. G. K. SASTRI AND C. S. SASTRY

TABLE 2A. AverageChemical Compositionof ZonesV1 to I

Chemical composition

Average SiO2 AI2Os FesO• TiOa L.O.1.

Zone no. Description thickness(m) % % % % %

V1 Pisolitic laterite 2.0 14.78 $1.97 $1.22 4.89 17.15

(reworked zone)
V Bauxite with laterite $.5 4.71 42.04 24.5 7.00 21.6
IV Laterite 6.5 6.00 86.91 $1.6 6.12 19.15

Ili Lithomarge 11.0 26.89 29.09 19.40 5.40 19.72

Weightedaverageof laterite 21.0 16.46 $$.67 24.08 5.89 19.86

profile (zonesIli, IV, and V)
II Altered basalt $2. $4 17.75 21.60 4.00 N.A.
I Basalt 49.51 18.05 14.61 2.84 1.99

N.A. = not available;L.O.1. = losson ignition

This zoneshowsthe beginningsof alterationof basalt TiOz, 24.5 percent FezOs,and 21.6 percent losson
but with no distinct formation of new minerals. ignition.
Zone I, Basalt:This is a zoneof dark gray, fine- The average chemical compositionof the lower
to medium-grainedbasalt, commonly seen on the laterite zone (zone IV) in Hazaridadar has also been
lower slopesof the plateau. calculatedfrom dataobtainedduringour exploration.
The analyticaldata on lithomargeand alteredbasalt
Chemical Character of the Laterite Profile have been taken from Roy Choudhuryet al. (1964)
Composition
and the chemical analysisof the basalt from West
(1958). Completedata on the averagethicknessand
Previously,the gradeof the bauxite-bearingzone, chemical compositionof the zones I to VI and the
as calculatedin depositsof this type from the drill weightedaveragecompositionof zonesIII to V are
cores,hasnot generallyrepresentedthe in situgrade presentedin Table 2A.
of the zonebecauseno weighthasbeengivenfor the
core lost in drilling. This has been correctedin the Chemicalchanges
presentcaseby giving weight to the percentageof The chemical character of the different units of
core recoveryand the analysesof sludgesobtained the laterite profile (Table 2A and B and Fig. 2) in-
in drilling. The averagedrill core grade for this zone dicatesthat the profile has been developedin situ
(zoneV) hasbeencalculatedas47 percentAlzOs,8.78 over Deccantraps(basalt)and that the variationfrom
percent SiOz, 7.5 percent TiO2, 18.6 percent FezOs, the parentrock to the topmostzoneof the profile is
and 213.2percentlosson ignition.The averagegrade gradual.
of the sludgefrom this zone has been calculatedas There is a systematicincreasein AlsOsand TiOz
40 percent AlzOs,5.1 percent SiOz, 6.8 percent TiO2, and an equally systematicdecreasein SiOz upward
27 percent FezOs,and 21 percent losson ignition. from the parent rock. FesOsincreasesgradually ex-
The computedaveragegrade of the zone comesto ceptin the lateritewherethe increaseissharp,a point
42.04 percent AlzOs,4.71 percentSiOz, 7.0 percent that will be touchedupon later.
A studyof the triangulardiagram (Fig. 13)indicates
TABLE2B. Analysesof ZonesV1 to 1, Recalculatedon a that the alteration initially consistedessentiallyof
Water-free Basis(in percent) desilicationfollowed by relative enrichmentin alu-
mina in the succeedingstage. Similar general con-
Zone
clusionshave been drawn by Roy Choudhuryet al.
no. Lithologicalunit SiO• AI•O• Fe20• TiO• (1964) for someof the Amarkantak depositsin Mad-
VI Pisolitic laterite 17.90 $8.84 $7.95 5.33 hya Pradesh.
V Bauxite with laterite 6.02 53.78 $1.$0 8.95 The data presentedin Table 2A alsoindicate that
IV Laterite 7.44 45.78 $9.19 7.59 the lossof silicais gradualup to the top of the lith-
Ili Lithomarge 82.87 86.28 24.17 6.78 omargezone,where there is a sharpbreak with the
11 Altered basalt 42.74 25.45 28.55 5.28
I Basalt 62.27 16.42 18.$7 2.94 lower laterite (zone IV). Between the lower laterite
and bauxite-bearingzones,the silica lossis relatively
 LATERITE PROFILE,HAZARIDADAR
PLATEAU, INDIA 157

AI 2

Fe205

FlC. 3. Changesin AI2Os-Fe•Os-SiO•

contentsduring lateritic
LOI weatheringof basalt.

richmentof Al•.O3from the parent rock to the bauxite

Si02 zone. The specialpositionof Fe•.O3in the profile has
already been mentioned.

Bulk chemical ratios

1'i02
Table $ presentsthe followingsalientpoints:a sub-
stantial reduction in the SiO•./AI•.O8ratio up to the
laterite zonebut only a marginalreductionbetween
the lateriteand the bauxite-bearingzones;a gradual
decreasefrom the parent rock to the bauxitezone in
the Fe•.Os/Al•.O8ratio but with a break in this trend
in the lower laterite zone; a more or less constant
TiO•./Al•.O8ratio from the parent rock to the bauxite
zone; and reversetrends in the TiO2/AI•.O3,TiO•./
Fe•.O•,Fe•.O•/AI20•, SiO2/AI•.O•,and SiO•./Fe•.O3ra-
tios in the pisolitic laterite zone compared to those
in the lower zones.

Chemical Characters of Zones IV and V

FIG. 2. Variation of chemicalconstituentsin the profile.
low. The TiO•.contentshowsa gradualincreasefrom
the parentrockto the lateriteand bauxitezones(IV
and V), the relativeenrichmentcomingto about$00
percent (Valeton, 1972). There is a progressive
en-
Relationshipof other constituentsto Al•.O8
A studyof the chemicalcharactersof the zonesIV
and V is presented in some detail. The relative
changesin variousconstituents
within thesezonesare
shownin Figure 4, basedon a study of more than
2,500 samples.With an increasein A1•.O8,the silica

TABLE 8. Bulk Chemical Ratios in Different Zones of the Profile

Zoneno. Lithologicalunit TiO2/AI•Os TiO2/Fe2Os Fe2Os/AI•Os SiO2/AI•Oa SiO2/Fe•Oa

V! Pisolitic laterite 0.187 0.141 0.977 0.461 0.472

V Bauxite with laterite 0.166 0.286 0.580 0.110 0.190
!V Laterite 0.166 0.190 0.860 0.160 0.190
II! Lithomarge 0.200 0.278 0.670 0.910 1.860
I! Altered basalt 0.220 0.185 1.220 1.820 1.500
I Basalt 0.180 0.160 1.120 8.790 8.890
158 G. G. K. SASTRI AND C. S. SASTRY

3,6. AI 203 Vs. Fe20$ AI 203 Vs. LOI

24-
2(•
12
xx

4.

36- AI 203 Vs. SiO2 At 203 Vs. TiO2

32.

28-

24-

20.

16'
12- '",,,,,

0
$0 3,4 :58 42 46 50 54 58 62 $0 $4 $8 42 46 50 54 58 62

AI 205 PERCENTAGE AI 205 PERCENTAGE

FIG. 4. Relationshipof chemical constituentsto AlzOain zonesIV and V.

contenttendsto fall steeplyup to a point around 40
to 41 percentAlzOsand the curve levelsoff beyond
this point. The TiOz showsa marginal changeup to
41 percentAlzOsand practicallyno changebeyond.
FezOsshowsa systematicand sympatheticdecrease
with increasein A12Os.The AlzOsvs.losson ignition
relationshipneedsa specialcomment,particularlyin
view of the attemptsmade to utilize the losson ig-
nition valuesfor readingout AlzOsvaluesgraphically
asdoneby Roy Choudhuryet al. (1964) and assug-
gestedby Schellmann(1977). There is a very wide
rangein the valuesof losson ignition for any given
value of AlzOs,as seen from the graph. A definite
relationshipis possibleonly in caseswhere the alu-
minum-bearingmineral is establishedas gibbsitcor
boehmiteor a combinationof thesein a fixed pro-
portion and where the iron oxide is in the form of
hematite only. If a variable part of the iron oxide
existsin the form of goethite,as in the presentcase,
no correlationis possible.
Table 4 showsthat the AlzOs+ Fe2Oacontenttends
to be more or lessuniform (65-67%) irrespectiveof
the AlzOs content in these zones.This implies that
the formation of a zone of this chemical character is
a distinct step in the lateritization of the basalts.
Within the zone once formed, the enrichment of alu-

T^BLE 4. Bulk Chemical Ratios of Different Constituents in Zones IV and V

AlzOarange Below$4% $4-$8% $8-40% 40-42% 42-44% 44-46% 46-48% 48-50% 50-52% 52-54% 54-56% Above56%
Mean $0% $6% 89% 41% 45% 45% 47% 49% 51% 55% 55% 57%

TiOz/AlzOa 0.15 0 17 0.17 0,17 0.165 0.164 0.164 0.16 0.157 0.153 0.151 0,150
TiOffFe•O3 0.14 0 22 0.25 0 28 0.$1 0.$6 0.45 0.49 0.62 0.75 0.99 1.85
Fe2Oa/AI•Oa 1.12 0.85 0.72 0 62 0.53 0.46 0.38 0.32 0.25 0.20 0.15 0.11
SiOn/AlcOa 0.42 0.19 0.14 0.11 0.09 0.08 0.07 0.06 0.05 0.04 0.04 0.03
Cumulative AI2Oa
+ FezOa% 63,7 66.7 67.1 66.6 65.9 65 5 65.0 64.4 63.85 63.75 63.4 68.4
 LATERITE PROFILE, HAZARIDADARPLATEAU,INDIA 159

mina appearsto be only relative,with a simultaneous duce the laterite profile,one facesthe questionof a
impoverishment of Fe203.The gradualdecreasein possible reductionin the volumeof the originalma-
the ratio of Fe203/AIaOs with increase in alumina terial. The presentstudyhasnot revealedany field
alsosupports thisconclusion. Thisisfurthersupported evidence for such a reduction in volume in the trans-
by the TiOa/Fe2Osratio, which showsa systematic formation of the basaltthrough successive stagesto
increase,particularlywhen the TiOa percentageis the laterite or laterite with bauxite. The existence of
likely to have remainedconstantin the system.The a lot of pore spaceand the absenceof any collapse
constantTiOa/AI2Osratio seemsto indicatea parallel structures or evidence for the consolidation in the
trend of increasingTi and A1 values. weatheredprofileare clear indicationsof the isovol-
umetricnature of this change.This view is further
Quantitative Changesin the Formation of the supported by the loweringof the densityfrom 2.91
Laterite Profile
in basaltto 1.66 in the laterite profile. Similar iso-
From the evidence available, the laterite profile volumetricchangeshave also been describedfrom
appearsto havebeenderivedfrom the in situweath- elsewhere,e.g., from Gujarat, India (Valeton, 1972,
eringof basalts.Variousmethodshave beenproposed p. 114), and from IslandLos (Bonifas,1959, quoted
to explain the chemical changesinvolved in such in Valeton, 1972, p. 69).
weatheringprocesses (Reiehe, 1948). In the absence Calculationspresentedin Table 5 involve the fol-
of definite evidence,suchstudiesare facilitated by lowingsteps(Krauskopf,1967):
the assumptionthat one of the constituentsremains
1. ColumnsI and II give the quantitiesby weight
constant,in absoluteterms, in this process.This as-
percentof the differentconstituentsin 100 g of basalt
sumption,however,shouldtake into accountthe be-
havior of the various constituents in the known con-
and laterite profile.
2. Assuming AI•O• to be constant, (a) during
ditionsof weathering.
weatheringof 100 g of basalt,the AI•O• apparently
For instance,Krauskopf(1967, p. 105) assumes that
increasesfrom 18.05 to 88.67 percent,hencethe con-
AI20• is constantin the transformation.He argues version factor used in the calculation of the amounts
"theguess seemsreasonable onthegroundsthatAI•O3 of other constituentsworks out at 18.05/88.67 or
in analyses of weatheredmaterialgenerallyshowsthe 0.887;and (b) columnA showsthe calculatedweight
greatestapparent increaseand that of all common
rock constituents, AI is least abundant in surface
in gramsof eachconstituentcontainedin $8.70 g of
lateriteprofilederivedfrom 100 g of basalt,column
waters. In as much as aluminum is not completely
B showsthe loss(-) or gain (+) of each constituent
absentfrom streamand groundwaters,however,the in gramsin the conversion, and columnC showsthe
assumptioncannot be strictly accurate."
Another oxide that has been considered as a con- lossor gain as a percentageof the originalamount.
$. AssumingTiO2 to be constant,columnsA•, B•,
stantis TiO2, which is,however,presentin very small
and C• presentcalculationssimilar to columnsA, B,
quantities.MeFarlane (1976) mentionsa number of
and C, respectively.The conversion factorin thiscase
easesfrom the literature where TiO• was utilized as
works out to 2.84/5.89 or 0.897.
suchan index oxide and was consideredquite satis-
factory. Commentingon the geochemicalbehaviorof ti-
In trying to understandthe chemicalchangesin- tanium, Goldschmidt(1958) saysthat in the forma-
volvedin the processof weatheringof basaltsto pro- tion of bauxites and laterites, titanium seemsto be

TABLE5. CalculatedGainsand Losses

duringthe Weatheringof Basaltto Laterite Profile

A12Oaas constant TiO2 as constant

Oxide
% I II A B C Al B• Cl

AlzOa 18.05 88.67 18.05 0.00 0.00 18.87 +0.82 +2.45

SiO• 49.51 16.46 6.87 -48.14 -87.18 6.58 -42.98 -86.81
Fe•Oa 14.61 24.03 9.30 -5.31 -34.34 9.54 -5.07 -34.70
TiO• 2.84 5.89 2.27 -0.07 -2.99 2.84 0.00 0.00
H•O 1.99 19.86 7.68 +5.69 +285.9 7.88 +5.89 +295.9
P•O•
MgO
CaO 19.02 0.09 0.08 - 18.99 - 99.84 0.04 - 18.98 - 99.79
NazO
K•O
100.52 100.00 88.70 -61.82 89.70 -60.82
160 G. G. K. SASTRI AND C. S. SASTRY

as concentratedasaluminum, sothat the bauxitesand ite in the shapeof bouldersin the laterite zone. This
laterites often contain the same ratio of titanium and stage,which appearsto be selective,is restrictedto
aluminum as do their parent rocks.In view of this, lateritezones,primarilyat thetoplevelswhichpossess
usingeither of them as the constantshouldnot in- somespecialfeatures,such as better permeability,
troduce a maior inaccuracyin the matter of esti- that facilitate lateral circulation of water (Allen,
matingthe losses or gainsof variousconstituents
from 1965). This could have occurreddue to the presence
the parent rock to the laterite profile. of cracks,open spaces,and clinker zonesin the top
Irrespectiveof whether A12Osor TiO2 is assumed layersof the basalt,as suggested
by Allen and Sher-
to be constant(Table 5), the weatheringprocessin- man (1965) in the case of Hawaiian bauxites.Such
volvesthe lossof about 87 percent SiOn,$4 to $5 fragmentary,clinkery horizonsat the top of several
percentFe•Os,and the entirequantityof P•Os,MgO, flows of Deccan Basaltsalong the Western Ghats
CaO, Na•O, and K20 as well asthe addition of about have been describedby Y. Sahasrabudhe and S. S.
286 to 296 percentwater. The gain in AlcOain terms Deshmukh (unpub. rept., 1979), who attribute the
of percentageis marginalwhen it is not assumedas leachingand removalof iron and silica,with the con-
constant; the same is the case with TiO•. It is also sequentenrichment of alumina in thesezones,to the
interestingthat, in either case,the total lossin weight free permeationand circulationof groundwater at
of the oxidesduring weatheringcomesto about 60 shallowdepths.
percent. As a resultof this migration,someof the Fe•O•
Discussion
removedfrom the top of the profilegetsredeposited
in the lower partsof the profilenear the water table,
Basedon the above studies,the following three- assuggested by the increasein l•e•Oscontentin that
stagehypothesisfor the bauxitizationof the parent zone (Table 4) and the presenceof pisolites.Thus,
rock (basalt)is presented. the originallaterite zone is split into two zones,each
Stage 1 involvesthe lossof a considerablepart of with distinct characteristics. Harden and Bateson
the silica presentin the basalt and the removal of (1963) suggestthat the developmentof ferruginous
nearlyall the CaO, MgO, Na•O, K•O, and P205.Con- nodules in the British Guiana bauxites is the result of
siderablewater is alsoaddedduringthisstage(Table suchdownwardmigrationof iron and its enrichment
2A). The resultantporousproductis representedby in a lower horizon near the water table. Wolfenden
lithomarge.Stagei is precededby the alterationof (1961)alsopostulated a similarprocess leadingto the
basalt,representedby spheroidallyweatheredboul- enrichment of A120• in the bauxite formationsin Sar-
ders.The maior mineralogicaltransformationin this awak, the Fe2Oahaving been removed in colloidal
stageistheformationof kaolinitefromthepreexisting solutionand precipitated.It is alsopossiblethat dif-
feldspars--the ferromagnesianminerals simulta- ferentialleachingandmigrationof A1andFe, leading
neouslygiving rise to goethiteand hematite. to both bauxitizationand lateritization,are separate
Stage 2 may be termed lateritizationand results processes. Norton (1973) mentionsthat such differ-
essentiallyin the formation of a laterite horizon in ential leachingis favored by different Eh and pH
the upper levelsof the weatheringprofile, in which conditions,the leachingof iron requiringlow Eh and
the total percentageof AI•O• + Fe•O• becomescon- low pH levelsand that of alumina high Eh and low
stant (Table 4). The lossof silica is more or lesscom- to intermediatepH levels.Grubb (1979) seesthis as
pletein thisstage,any subsequent lossbeingmarginal the case with Amazon bauxites.
in nature.The porosityof the rockbodyalsoincreases. Stage3 eventswouldexplainthe erraticoccurrence
The main mineralogicaltransformationis the alter- of bauxitebouldersin the top levelsof the profile.
ationof a large part of the kaoliniteinto gibbsiteand Bauxitizationmay alsobe a continuingprocesseven
boehmite(minor),resultingin the lossof considerable now and may extenddownwardwith the passage of
silicaand consequentincreasein AlcOa. time, dependingprimarily on favorableEh and pH
A study of the available data from some of the conditionsand structureswhich provide for better
other plateausin the Amarkantak area also seemsto permeability and circulationof waters.
confirm the developmentof this stageas an inter- For some places in Sarawak, Wolfenden (1961),
mediate one between desilication and bauxitization. however,suggests that lateritizationfollowsdirectly
Stage 3 may be called bauxitizationand consists from the alteration of basic volcanic rocks, without
essentiallyof a redistributionof the AltOs and Fe20• an intermediatestageof formationof lithomarge.He
in the lateriteformedin stage2, resultingin an upper basesthis on the existenceof boulders,commonlyin
zone rich in AI•O• and a lower zone of laterite further the bauxite horizon, which have cores of fresh rock
enriched in Fe•Oa due to its downward migration. with a skinof bauxite,the transitiontakingplaceeven
Goldich (1948) has found such redistributionof ele- in 1 to 2 mm. In the absence of similar evidence from
ments in the weatheringlaterite inevitable. This is the plateaulateritesunder studyand from the data
interestingbecauseit resultsin the formationof bauxo presentedabove,the formationof lithomargeistaken
 LA TERITE PROFILE, HAZARIDADARPLATEAU, INDIA 161

REFERENCES
asa distinctfirststepin the formationof lateritefrom
the basicparent rock. Allen, V. T., 1963, Permeabilityand lateral circulationin bauxite
genesis[abs.]:Geol. Soc.America Spec. Paper 73, p. 103.
Conclusions Allen, V. T., and Sherman, G. D., 1965, Genesisof Hawaiian baux-
ite: ECON. GEOL., v. 60, p. 89-99.
The laterite profile developedover basalt in the Buchanan,F., 1807,A journeyfrom Madrasthroughthe countries
Hazaridadarplateau, India, consists of three zones, of Mysore, Kanara and Malabar: London, East India Co., v. 2,
lithomarge,laterite,and bauxitewith laterite,in as- p. 436-461 (quoted in McFarlane, 1976).
Goldich,S.S., 1948,Origin and developmentof aluminouslaterite
cendingorder. There appearsto be no appreciable and bauxite [abs.]:Geol. Soc.America Bull., v. 59, p. 1826.
lossor gain,in absoluteterms,of AleOsand TiOe in Goldschmidt,V. M., 1958, Geochemistry:London, Oxford, Clar-
the evolution of the profile, which involvesthe ad- endon Press,730 p.
dition of water and the lossof the major part of silica, Grubb, P. L. C., 1979, Genesisof bauxitedepositsin lower Amazon
basinand Guinascoastalplain: ECON.GEOL.,v. 74, p. 735-750.
a part of FeeOs,and the entireamountof PeOs,MgO,
Harden, G., and Bateson,J. H., 1963, A geochemicalapproachto
CaO, NaeO, and KeO presentin the parent rock. the problem of bauxite genesisin the British Guiana: ECON.
The bauxitizationof the basaltis postulatedto have GEOL., v. 58, p. 1801-1808.
taken placein threedistinctstages.The firstis essen- Krauskopf,K. B., 1967, Introductionto geochemistry:New York,
tially oneof desilication,characterizedby the lossof McGraw Hill, 721 p.
MeFarlane,M. J., 1976,Lateriteand landscape:London,Academic
a considerablepart of SiOe.CaO, MgO, PeO$,NaeO, Press,151 p.
and KeOare alsoremovedin thisstage.The resulting Norton, S. A., 197g, Laterite and bauxite formation: ECON. GEOL.,
formationis lithomarge.The secondstage,oneof la- v. 68, p. g5g-g61.
teritization, results in the formation of a laterite ho- PremSwarup,197g,Mineralogyandoriginof the Rajahuanbauxite
rizon in the top portionsof the profile which is char- deposits,Uttar Pradesh,India: Geol. Soe.India Jour., v. 14, p.
169-177.
acterizedby a moreor lessfixedcomposition, in terms Reiche, Parry, 1943, Graphic representationof chemical weath-
of FeeOs+ AleOs.In the third stageof bauxitization, ering:Jour.Sed. Petrology,v. 13, p. 58-68.
a redistribution of AleOs and FeeOs in the laterite Roy Chowdhury, M. K., Venkatesh,V., and Paul, D. K., 1964,
formed in the earlier stageresultsin a top horizon Laterite and bauxite of Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh,India:
enriched in AleOs(bauxite) and a lower horizon rich Internat. Geol. Cong., 22nd, New Delhi, 1964, v. 14, Laterite,
p. 45-63.
in FeeOs(laterite). Stage$ may be further enriched Sastri,G. G. K., and Bhargava,P.M., 1977, Somepracticalaspects
in FeeOs due to differential leaching, downward of explorationfor bauxite:Indian Mining Eng. Jour.,v. 16, no.
migration,and secondarydeposition.This sequence 10, p. 15-19.
of eventsexplainsthe erratic occurrenceof bauxite Schellmann, W., 1977, The formation of lateritic silicate bauxites
in the top levelsof the profile. and criteria for the explorationand assessment
of deposits:Nat.
Resources Devel., Hannover, Inst. ftir Wissenschaftliche
Acknowledgments Zusammenarbeit,v. 5, p. 119-134.
Valeton, Ida, 1972, Bauxites--Developmentsin soil science:Am-
The authorsare gratefulto the managementof the sterdam, Elsevier, 226 p.
BharatAluminium Company,Ltd., for permissionto West, W. D., 1958, The petrographyand petrogenesis of forty-
publishthis paper. The views expressedabove are, eightflowsof Deccantrap penetratedby boringin westernIndia:
however,thoseof the authorsand not of the company. Natl. Inst. Sci. India Trans., v. 4, p. 1-56.
Wolfenden, E. B., 1961, Bauxite in Sarawak.'ECON. GEOL., v. 56,
February 27, December 4, 1981 p. 972-981.