The late miocene pelitic siltstone of the ISHIM Formation (southwestern Siberia): mineralogical and geochemical characterization and prospects for further use

РИНЦ WoS Scopus DOI

A.O. Konstantinov P.V. Smirnov O.B. Kuzmina
 I.V. Khazina
 G.A. Batalin B.I. Gareev

: Acta Geodynamica et Geomaterialia

The Miocene Ishim Formation is characterized by a considerable distribution area within the southwestern Siberia. These deposits are highly dispersed and are composed mainly of angular quartz grains of aleuritic and pelitic fractions. The study of the Ishim Formation is of interest both for investigating the origin of the sediments, and for justifying these rocks as a new type of mineral raw material for the local construction materials industry. This paper presents the results of first complex studies of the Ishim Formation deposits from two outcrops Masali and Bigila. The studies included determination of the particle size distribution on the laser particle analyzer, semiquantitative determination of the mineral composition (X-ray diffraction analysis), as well as, determination of contents of sesquioxides (X-ray fluorescence analysis), rare and trace elements (Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry) and measurement of specific surface area. The most representative samples were chosen for petrographic studies. In certain extent these deposits are characterized by quite high degree of homogeneity of the mineral, chemical, and granulometric compositions.