r :::(, , 5 -11 , Bauxite Reserves and · 'otential Aluminum I Resources of the World J GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULliETIN 1228 - I ;· Bauxite Reserves and Potential Aluminum Resources of the World By SAM H. PATTERSON GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1228 A compilation of the geologic and geo­ graphic occurrence of world reserves and potential resources of bauxite, and of potential sources of aluminum in rocks and minerals other than bauxite UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1967 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY William T. Pecora, Director Library of Congress catalog-card No. OS 67-156 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printinll Office Washington, D.C. 20402 CONTENTS Page Abstract---------------------------------------------------------- 1 Introduction------------------------------------------------------ 3 Definitions____________________________________________________ 3 Physical properties of bauxite___________________________________ 4 Uses and specifications_ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 5 Byproduc~--------------------------------------------------- 7 United States and world production______________________________ 8 United States sources of bauxite_________________________________ 10 Prospecting and appraisal of bauxite deposits_____________________ 12 Acknowledgmen~- ___________________ -----_________ ---__ __ __ __ 14 Geology of bauxite __________________ ----______________ -----________ 15 Types of deposits _________________________________________ - ___ - 15 Geographic distribution________________________________________ 20 ~ineralogY--------------------------------------------------- 20 ~ineral impurities ____________________________ ----________ ----- 22 Origin-------------------------------------------------------- 23 World reserves and potential resources_______________________________ 27 North America__ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 32 United States_-------________ ---- __________ ------- __ ----- ___ -- 32 Arkansas district _________________________________________ - 33 Southeastern United States ____________________ -----________ 33 Reserves------------------------------------------------- 37 Potential bauxite resources_________________________________ 37 ~exico_______________________________________________________ 40 Central America___________________________________________________ 41 Costa Rica___________________________________________________ 41 Ilonduras----------------------------------------------------- 41 Panama______________________________________________________ 41 Caribbean Islands_ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 41 Dominican Republic and IlaitL ___ __ __ __ _ _ _ ___ __ __ _ _ _ __ __ ___ __ _ _ 42 Jamaica------------------------------------------------------ 43 PuertoRico___________________________________________________ 45 SouthAmerica____________________________________________________ 45 Argentina____________________________________________________ 47 Brazil________________________________________________________ 48 British Guiana_ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 52 French Guiana------------------------------------------------ 55 Surinam______________________________________________________ 56 Venezuela____________________________________________________ 58 Other South American countries_________________________________ 59 Europe___________________________________________________________ 60 Austria_______________________________________________________ 61 Czechoslovakia________________________________________________ 61 France_______________________________________________________ 61 Greece------------------------------------------------------- 63 III IV CONTENTS Page Europe-Continued IIungary_____________________________________________________ 64 Italy_________________________________________________________ 66 ~orway______________________________________________________ 67 Poland_______________________________________________________ 67 Rumanm_____________________________________________________ 67 Spain________________________________________________________ 68 U.S.S.R., including Soviet Asm__________________________________ 68 United Kingdom _________________________________________ ----- 73 VVest Germany________________________________________________ 74 :fugoslavm___________________________________________________ 75 Other European countries______________________________________ 76 Africa____________________________________________________________ 76 Angola_______________________________________________________ 77 Cameroon____________________________________________________ 77 Chad________________________________________________________ 78 Congo (Leopoldville) ________________________________ - _- _------- 78 Ghana_______________________________________________________ 79 Guinea_______________________________________________________ 81 Ivory Coast___________________________________________________ 85 Malagasy Republic (Madagascar) ______________ ---_--- _--------- 85 Mali_________________________________________________________ 86 Morocco______________________________________________________ 86 Mozambique__________________________________________________ 86 ~yasaland (now Malawi) ________________________ -_-_-_--------- 87 Portuguese Guinea_____________________________________________ 87 Sfurra Leone__________________________________________________ 88 SouthernRhodesm_____________________________________________ 89 Tanzania_____________________________________________________ 89 Other Mrican countries _____________________________ -_- _____ -_- 89 Asm (excluding U.S.S.R.) ___________________________ ----_----------- 90 China (mainland) _________________________________ -_-_---_-_-_- 91 China (Formosa) __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 94 India________________________________________________________ 94 Indonesia_____________________________________________________ 100 Iran_________________________________________________________ 102 Malaysm_____________________________________________________ 103 ~ orth Viet ~am_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 104 Pak~tan_____________________________________________________ 105 Philippines___________________________________________________ 106 Turkey_______________________________________________________ 106 Other Asian countries ___________________ -_-_------------------- 108 Australia and Pacific Islands _______________________ - _- __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 109 Admiralty Islands ______________________ -_-_------------------- 109 Australm_____________________________________________________ 109 VV estern Australm ________________________ - _- __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 110 ~ orthern Territory__ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 110 Queensland_______________________________________________ Ill ~ewSouth VVales_________________________________________ 114 Victorm__________________________________________________ 114 Tasmanm_________________________________________________ 115 Bauxite resources in Australia_______________________________ 115 CONTENTS v Page Australia and Pacific Islands-Continued Fijii~ands___________________________________________________ 116. ~ew Zealand__________________________________________________ 116 Palaulslands_________________________________________________ 116 Otherislands__________________________________________________ 117 A:luminum sources in rock and minerals other than bauxite_ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 118 Aluminous shales______________________________________________ 123 Aluminum phosphate deposits___________________________________ 124 lJnitedStates_____________________________________________ 124 Other countries____________________________________________ 125 Alunite_______________________________________________________ 126 lJnitedStates_____________________________________________ 126 Australia_________________________________________________ 128 China (mainland)_____ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 128 Japan____________________________________________________ 128 lJ.S.S.R__________________________________________________ 128 Other countries____________________________________________ 128 lDawsonite____________________________________________________ 129 High-alumina clay______________________ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 129 lJ nited States_____________________________________________ 129 Clay formed by hydrothermal processes _________ -_____ -__ 131 Aluminous underclay of Pennsylvanian age_ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 131 Very high alumina and high-grade kaolin underclay____ 131 Moderate- and low-grade underclay _________ -________ 134 High-alumina clay of Cretaceous age_____________________ 134 High-alumina clay of Tertiary age_______________________ 137 Other countries ___________________________________ -________ 145 lgneousrocks_________________________________________________ 145 lJnitedStates_____________________________________________ 145 Canada__________________________________________________ 147 Italy_____________________________________________________ 147