Structural and lithological model of the Glukhivetsky deposit of eluvial kaolins
Authors: Kroshko Yulia , Kovalchuk Myron 
Published: September 2024

Introduction. The relevance of this publication is associated with the problem of foundation and developing a raw material base of kaoline raw material in accordance with the demand of the national industry.

The purpose of the publication is the development of a digital structural-lithological model of the Glukhovetsky deposit, which displays the causal relationship between the geological structure of the crystalline foundation, the zoning and the material composition of the cortex of the crystalline foundation breeds, the thickness and relief of the surface and the sole of the illegal of the kaolins, the indicator of the underlying of the kaolins, the content of the oxids in them by oxides iron and titanium.

Materials and Metodology. The algorithm for building structural and lithological models of kaolin deposits was developed by the authors of the article and tested on a number of deposits of the Ukrainian Shield and made public in scientific publications and at scientific conferences of various levels. Production reports, scientific publications and dissertation studies were the basis for the research of the Hlukhivetsky deposit. Based on the coordinates, description, test results of 691 wells, chemical analysis of kaolins and determination of their whiteness, a target electronic database was created, which became factual material for cartographic constructions. Maps are built in a software environment Golden Software Strater, Golden Software Surfer software. Correlation between certain parameters were investigated in Microsoft Excell.

Main Results. The spatial variability of the relief of the surface and bottom of the deposit of eluvial kaolins and its thickness was studied. It has been found that the kaolin deposit has a complex morphology, which are expressed in significant fluctuations of the absolute marks of its surface and bottom and are caused by the geological and tectonic features of the territory and the erosion of the section. The petrographic and mineral composition of the rocks of the crystalline foundation determined the lateral and vertical variability of the whiteness index, the content of iron and titanium oxides in kaolins, and the lateral and vertical variability of their quality. It was established that the spatial distribution of the whiteness index varies widely (68.1-92.24 %) and is determined by the increased content of Fe2O3 and TiO2, or one of the specified oxides. Sometimes, in the presence of an above-average content of one of the oxides, the whiteness of kaolins is significant. The conducted studies reveal cause-and-effect relationships between the geological and tectonic structure of the deposit, the zoning and material composition of the weathering crust, the relief of the top and bottom of kaolins, their thickness and quality parameters.

Conclusions. The structural-lithological model shows cause-and-effect relationships between the geological and tectonic structure of the deposit, the zoning and material composition of the weathering crust, and the quality parameters of kaolins. The created structural-lithological model is an instrument of information support for further development of the field, as well as the basis for assessing the conditions of education, occurring and quality of raw materials of kaolins of this genetic type.