CHARACTERIZATION OF NEOGENE MARLS FROM THE KERT BASIN (N.E. MOROCCO): SUITABILITY FOR THE CERAMIC INDUSTRY H. NASRI A,*, A. AZDIMOUSA A, K. EL HAMMOUTI A, A. EL HADDAR A, M. EL OUAHABI B A Laboratoire des Géosciences Appliquées, Faculté des Sciences, Université Mohammed Premier, Oujda, Morocco B UR Argile, Géochimie et Environnement Sédimentaires (AGEs), Département de Géologie, Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium *corresponding author:
[email protected] ABSTRACT: The North-Eastern region of Morocco is filled with marine marls of Neogene age. The Neogene marls from the lower-Kert area were characterized to evaluate their suitability in the ceramic industry. To meet this objective, two cross-sections involving all the Neogene facies were performed This is a 'preproof' accepted article for Clay Minerals. This version may be subject to change during the production process. DOI: 10.1180/clm.2019.50 on the both banks of the Kert River. Grey and green marls occurring between sandstone and tuffs were characterized by mineralogical (XRD) and physico- chemical analyses (grain-size, Atterberg limits, XRF, and specific surface area). The studied Neogene clays are mainly calcareous silty marls with CaCO3 content ranging from 13 to 20 wt.%. The mineralogical composition showed the occurrence of quartz, calcite, feldspars, dolomite, illite, kaolinite, chlorite, and mixed-layers (10-14 Å). Cristobalite occurred only in the uppermost level of the green marls supplied from volcanic ash during the Messinian. Siderite and rhodochrosite occurred as traces pointing out to reducing or locally oxidizing conditions during sedimentation or shortly thereafter. There, marls have medium to high plasticity that is optimum for extrusion.