Schlich Mineralogical Analysis for Research of Modern Bottom Sediments

Abstract

Gold and other heavy minerals often form scaly, leafy, needle-like or split crystals, dendrites of complex shape, individuals and aggregates with a large number of internal cavities. Significant mobility of these particles in water and air streams causes their separation from the psammitic component of sediment and deposition together with clay minerals. During preparatory stages for mineralogical analysis, such crystals of heavy minerals fall into slime part. According to classical algorithm of schlich mineralogical analysis slime part is thrown away. So it leads to losses of rich minerals and an incorrect analysis. The main purpose of the article is to present the new algorithm for the preparation of the bottom sediments samples for the mineralogical analysis and to demonstrate practical benefits of it. Authors propose the meliorated methods of mineralogical analysis considering comprehensive study of test material. The real natural composition of ore minerals in the sediments consists of adding the data "heavy concentrate-1" and "heavy concentrate-2". This provides an increase in industrial value of minerals by 10-30%, compared with the methods of prospecting that operate today. Such detailed analysis showed that modern bottom sediments include both natural components and man-made materials (plastic, polyethylene, synthetic fibers and fabrics, fuel, various types of petroleum products, metallurgical and household waste). Mineralogical analysis can be used as an ecological method for assessing the environmental pollution and reviewing the types of pollutants. The estimation of mineral reserves according to new methodology opens opportunities for profitable field development of poor polymetallic deposits. The study of bottom sediments by such a method indicates the need to clean hydrogeoecosystems and stimulates the development of new recycling methods in the economy and the waste-free production, for example, cleaning beaches from heavy metals and waste, complex sludge processing after dredging works in riverbeds, berths and port waters.