Mineralogical and Chemical Characteristics of Phosphates from the Djebel Onk Deposits (Tebessa, Algeria)

Abstract

Algeria has important phosphate reserves (2 billion tons) located in the east of the country at Djebel Onk. This mining district is located in the northwestern part of the Algerian Sahara near the Algerian-Tunisian border. The granulo-chemical and XRD analytical results confirm the phosphate depletion of Bled El Hadba layer and their enrichment in carbonate and dolomite, in comparison with the layer of Kef Essennoun. Phosphorite particles are heterogeneously grained. Although the two deposits are relatively close to each other, they show different mineralogical and chemical characteristics, which may cause the use of different mining exploitation methods.