Sains Malaysiana 54(4)(2025): 975-991

http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2025-5404-02

 

Geochemical and Mineralogical Characteristics of Andesitic Derived Laterite from the Serian Volcanic, West Sarawak, Malaysia: Potential for Ion-Adsorption-Type Ree Deposit

(Ciri Geokimia dan Mineralogi Laterit Asalan Andesitik daripada Volkano Serian, Sarawak Barat, Malaysia: Potensi untuk Deposit Ree Jenis Ion Penjerapan)

 

LEDYHERNANDO TANIOU^1,2,*, MOHD BASRIL ISWADI BASORI² & KENZO SANEMATSU³

 

¹Department of Mineral and Geoscience Malaysia (Sarawak), Jalan Wan Abdul Rahman, Kenyalang Park, 93712 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

²Geology Programme, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

³The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Geological Survey of Japan, Tsukuba, Japan

 

Diterima: 20 Jun 2024/ Diserahkan: 23 Disember 2024

 

Abstract

The rare earth elements (REEs) found in the Earth’s crust are highly sophisticated minerals that have a significant application in various high-tech industries such as green technology and defense. Due to the limited study of REE derived from volcanic rocks, the main objectives of this research are focusing to determine the geochemical and mineralogical, as well to examine the potential resources of ion-adsorption type deposits in volcanic rock and their derived laterite profile from the Serian Volcanic, West Sarawak, Malaysia. Two lateritic profiles were examined, and the parent volcanic rock is classified as basaltic trachyandesite in composition with moderate REE content of 209 ppm. In both profiles the abundance of the REE is subjected to the deep weathering through CIA (99-100%) that promote the enrichment of REE to the laterite profile up to 1715.98 ppm. The dominance of kaolinite mineral as an absorbent material, coupled with the absence of RE mineral in the laterite samples, indicates the potential for ion-adsorption clay deposit with high (>75%) extracted REY content, as determined by ion-exchangeable analysis. The chondrite-normalized REE pattern for both profiles were almost flat for parent rock, whereas LREE and HREE were equally abundant in the laterite profile. However, the TREE significantly decrease toward the upper part of each profile. This study also demonstrates that laterites with a high TREE and low Ce anomalies have the highest ion-exchangeable (REY) fraction relative to the parent rock content, suggesting that ion-adsorption deposit in this region have the potential to recover REY in terms of resources quantity.

Keywords: Andesite; ion-adsorption clay; Malaysia; rare earth element

 

Abstrak

Unsur nadir bumi (REE) yang terdapat di kerak bumi adalah merupakan mineral termaju yang signifikan kepada pembangunan industri berteknologi tinggi meliputi teknologi hijau dan pertahanan. Disebabkan kurangnya kajian REE yang berasalan daripada batuan volkanik, objektif utama kajian ini memberi fokus untuk mengkaji cirian mineralogi dan geokimia serta mengenal pasti potensi jenis longgokan lempung jerapan ion dalam batuan volkano dan profil luluhawa laterit daripada Volkano Serian, Wilayah Barat Sarawak, Malaysia. Dua profil laterit telah dikaji dan pengelasan batuan induk volkano menunjukkan batuan berada dalam kumpulan trakit-andesit-basalt dengan kepekatan kandungan REE 209 bpsj. Kandungan REE yang tinggi pada kedua-dua profil luluhawa adalah berkait-rapat dengan kadar luluhawa yang tinggi melalui peratusan CIA (99-100%) yang menyumbang kepada pengayaan REE mencecah 1715.98 bpsj. Kewujudan mineral lempung yang dominan dan bertindak sebagai mineral penjerap dengan tiadanya kehadiran mineral RE yang dikesan dalam sampel laterit mencadangkan kawasan kajian mempunyai potensi kewujudan longgokan lempung jerapan ion dengan kadar pengekstrakan REY yang tinggi (>75%) melalui analisis pertukaran-ion. Corak penormalan-kondrit unsur nadir bumi pada kedua-dua profil juga menunjukkan bentuk yang hampir rata untuk batuan dan keberadaan LREE dan HREE hampir sama banyak pada profil laterit yang dikaji. Walau bagaimanapun, kandungan TREE dilihat berkurangan ke arah bahagian atas untuk kedua-dua profil. Kajian yang dijalankan juga menunjukkan laterit yang mengandungi kandungan TREE yang tinggi dengan nilai anomali Ce yang rendah mempunyai kadar pertukaran ion REY yang tinggi berbanding kandungan yang terdapat dalam batuan induk, mencadangkan longgokan lempung jerapan ion di wilayah ini berpotensi mempunyai sumber REY dari segi kuantiti.

Kata kunci: Andesit; lempung jerapan ion; Malaysia; unsur nadir bumi

 

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*Pengarang untuk surat-menyurat; email: ledyhernando.t@jmg.gov.my