About Egyptian Glauconite
Geology, deposits, reserves and the mineralogical and chemical properties that make El-Gedida glauconite a high-purity natural potassium source.
Glauconite deposits in Egypt
Two main studied occurrences: El-Gedida iron mine in Bahariya Oasis and Abu Tartur mine in the Western Desert (about 650 km south-west of Cairo).
glauconite thickness above El-Gedida iron ore
Hamra Formation age
Ore reserves
In Bahariya Oasis the glauconite lies directly above the iron ore, so reserve data and infrastructure are tied to the region’s iron mines.
proven geological iron-ore reserve, El-Gedida mine
design capacity of El-Gedida (output up to ~3 Mt)
in 3 unexploited mines, El-Harra & El-Gorabi
average Fe after homogenization (up to 54.76 % in Soviet studies)
Geology
Ores occur in the Bahariya Formation (Early Cenomanian, Late Cretaceous), a fluvio-marine sequence of sandstone, shale and claystone. They are stratiform deposits of hematite, goethite and limonite; main areas are El-Gedida, El-Harra, El-Gorabi and Gebel Nasser.
Mineralogical & chemical properties
El-Gedida glauconite is a mature, evolved type, rich in potassium and of high purity.
| Oxide % | El-Gedida E | El-Gedida W |
|---|---|---|
| SiO₂ | 52.10 | 50.89 |
| Fe₂O₃ | 22.23 | 22.99 |
| K₂O | 6.75 | 7.30 |
| Al₂O₃ | 5.99 | 5.88 |
| MgO | 3.75 | 4.34 |
| P₂O₅ | 0.14 | 0.07 |
High purity
Pellets 97.81 % (E) and 98.32 % (W); impurities mainly quartz, alunite, halloysite, calcite.
Optimum size
The −250+125 µm fraction is 81.74 % / 73.94 % of the ore and holds the highest K (up to 7.38 % K₂O).
Beneficiation by sieving
Gangue is harder than glauconite and concentrates in fines, so sieving alone is enough.
Surface properties
Surface area 47–62 m²/g, porosity 12–19 %, CEC 5–40 meq/100 g (Abu Tartur).
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