EconomicGeolo_gy

Vol. 74, 1979, pp. 232-259

Seehura
Phosphate
Deposits,
TheirStratigraphy,
Origin,
andComposition
T. M. CHENEY, G. H. MCCLELLAN. AND E. S. MONTGOMERY

Abstract

The phosphatedepositsin the western Sechura Desert, Peru, occur as pelletal phos-
phate in marine sedimentsof Miocene age. Most of the pellets are concentratedin beds
1 to 1.5 meters thick that contain about 20 percent PaOa. Interbeddedwith the phos-
phoritesare diatomite beds3 to 20 metersthick, that contain 1 to 7 percent P205. Com-
binations of these beds form three major phosphaticzones which, in ascendingorder, are
about 38 meters thick with 5.2 percent P205, 6 meters thick with 9.0 percent P205, and
2.5 meters thick with 5.2 percent P203. Within these zones are combinationsof beds
that are relatively thick and of higher grade. such as the upper part of the lower zone
which is about 10 meters thick and containsabout 12 percent P205. The composition,
general character, thickness, and P205 content of the individual phosphoriteand
diatomitebedsare highly uniform over large areas. Sandstoneand tuffs form a minor
but characteristicpart of this sequence.
Ore from the individualbedsand zonesis easily upgradedby washingand desliming
becauseof the marked differencesbetween the diatomite particles and the phosphate
pellets in size. shape,and density.
Low-amplitude folds and possiblyminor faults that developedduring depositionplay
an important role in the distribution of bedswithin the phosphaticsequencewhich range
from 135 to 215 meters thick.
The $echura depositsare different from other major marine depositsin that they con-
sist chiefly of phosphateand diatomireand the pelletsare composedof a fluorine-deficient
carbonatehydroxyl apatite of a type not known in other marine deposits. The apatite,
however, is somewhat similar in compositionto that in Holocene diatomaceousooze on
the sea floor off the coasts of Chile and Peru.

Introduction no more than 60 meters in elevation and is divided

ThE Sechura phosphatedeposits occur in marine into a northern and southern part by the $echura
sedimentsof middleMioceneage (MacDonald, 1956) Depressionwhosesidesare marked by steepcliffs 30
and are made up of pelletal phosphateinterbedded to 45 metershigh. The foot of thesecliffs is about on
primarily with diatomite but also with some sand and sea level. The floor of the depressionis flat and
about 22.5 meters below sea level.
tuff beds. They are locatedin the westernhalf of the
$echura Desert along the northern coast of Peru, The phosphatedepositshave been extensivelyex-
800 kilometersnorth of Lima (Fig. 1). The Se- plored by a program of field mapping,drilling, and
chura Desert is an area of about 22,000 square trenching,and the resultsare summarizedin g.eologic
kilometers and is, for the most part, a featureless maps, correlationcharts, and analytical and reserve
plain slopinggently from the foothills of the Andes data. This report presentsresults of the first year
to the Pacific Ocean, abruptly interrupted on the of this work, which was directedby T. M. Cheney,
west by features of the Illescas Peninsula (Fig. 2). who was assistedby E. S. Montgomery, and of
The Illescas Mountains are the westernmost and studiesof phosphate mineralogyby G. H. McClellan
most prominent feature of the peninsula. They and J. R. Lehr. Mr. Hugo B. Ramirez, civil
trend slightly west of north and rise to a height of engineer, surveyed the triangulation network and
determined the elevations and coordinates of all the
480 meters (Fig. 2). Other prominentfeaturesare
control points, drill holes, and trenches shown in
the Virrila Estuary, the Tablazo, and the $echura
Figure 3 and in the other diagrams and maps.
Depression. The Virrila Estuary is a shallowbody In the period September1960 to August 1961, 168
of sea water and brackish water extending inland holes were drilled to obtain a total of 5,125 meters
from Sechura Bay. The Tablazo is a large table- of core, virtually all of which was recovered. Each
land; its north, east, and south sides drop off in lithologic unit of more than 0.3 meter usually was
cliffs, 15 to 75 meters in height. The Tablazo is sampledseparately;thinner units were sampledwith
separatedfrom the IllescasMountains by a low area thicker units, but they were describedseparately.
232
 SECHUR.4 PHOSPHATE DEPOSITS 233

Sechura
PT. Agujo
PT. Negro'
Ille$co$
MTN$.

Fro. 1. Location of Sechura Desert phosphatearea in Peru.

Most sampleintervals were no more than 1.5 meters. from EocenethroughPlioceneand were depositedin
In addition to drill holes, 30 hand trenches and 20 a shallow north-trendingbasin between the Andes
bulldozertrencheswere dug to obtain small samples and the IllescasMountains. They are overlain by
for phosphorusdeterminationand larger samples alluvium and windblown sand of Recent age.
for metallurgicalstudy. Some 3,200 sampleswere The generaldistributionand thicknessof the Mio-
analyzed for phosphorusand a number of samples cene strata that contain the phosphaticbeds are
were analyzedfor sodium,sulfur, calcium,magnes- shownin Figure 4. The depositsdescribedin this
ium, potassium,aluminum, iron, chlorine, fluorine, report are in the upper 135 to 215 metersof the
carbondioxide,organicmatter, and losson ignition. Miocenestrata (Fig. 5). They are overlainuncon-
formablyby Plioc.enestrata and underlainby older
GeologicSetting Miocene strata.
The western Sechura Desert is underlain by a Little deformation has occurred since the deposi-
thick seriesof marine sedimentsthat range in age tion of these strata. The beds dip so gently east-
234 CHENEY, McCLELL.4N, .4ND MONTGOMERY
 NSl

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R E V E N T A Z 0 N I
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E
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TABLAZO
SOUTHERN

E XP LA N ATIO N
Drill Hole Bulldozer Trench
0 1
;' I $ I 4 I II
I I 6Km
R Hand Trench Triangulation Poinl

FIG. 3. Location of drill holes,trenches,and control pointsin western Sechura Desert

phosphatearea, Peru (1961).
 SECHUR.4
ward that they appearto be horizontal. A few faults
are presentin the area of the phosphatedeposits,
but only three have displacements great enoughto
showon the geologicmap (Fig. 6). and only one
has a displacementas large as 30 meters. Two un-
confornfities,one within the Miocene strata and one
beneaththe Pliocene,affect the presentdistribution
of ore zones becauseparts of the strata had been
removed prior to depositionof younger strata. In
some places this condition facilitates recovery of
phosphate,but in others it does not.
All the strata are very soft. They can be cut or
carved easily with a knife, but they are compet.ent
enoughto hold their shape. Many drill holes re-
lnained intact for at least 6 months.
Stratigraphy
Miocene phosphate-bearingstrata
There are phosphate-bearing
marine strata about
200 meters thick in the western Sechura Desert.
These strata consist of a series of interbedded friable
light brown to blackphosphorite,soft white to black
diatomite, and mixtures of the two; a few small beds
of sandstone
and gray tuff occurin smallparts of the
series. For general mapping purposes (Fig. 6)
these strata were divided into four members, which
are from top to bottom:
Barren Diatomite
Upper Diatomire and Phosphorite
Clam Bore Sandstone
Lower Diatomite and Phosphorire
Within thesestrata, three major phosphatezones
have beenidentified: (1) the Diana phosphatezone
in the Lower Diatomite and, Phosphoritemember,
and the (2) Zero and (3) Minerva phosphatezones
in the Upper Diatomite and Phosphoritemember.
The compositestratigraphiccolumn (Fig. 5) shows
the relationshipbetweenthe mappedunits and the
phosphatezones. The figure includesdata on th.e
averagethicknessand gradeof the main stratigraphic
units.
Key beds and correlation
Individual bedsof the Sechuraphosphatedeposits
are laterallycontinuousover largeareasand markedly
regular in P,O content,thickness,and general char-
acter. Entire groups of beds exhibit these char-
acteristics. This scientificallyand economicallyim-
portant continuity and regularity is not unique to
the $echura depositsbut is characteristicof many
marine phosphoritedepositsin other areas of the
world. Becauseof this continuity, correlation of
major stratigraphicunits and individual beds was
simpleand accurateoncethe compositestratigraphic
PHOSPHATE DEPOSITS 237
xx
Sechuro
oMInchole:
135
150
o
135
o Ory Well
__o Thicknessof everburden(Meters)
o Thickness ef Miocene phosphotebeds (Meters)
0 50m
I 3;'0 K N
FIG. 4. Isopach map of Miocene beds, modified after
McDonald (1956), showingthe thicknessof the phosphatic
sequence.
sequence had beenestablished.The sequence in this
area was piecedtogetherby correlatingbedsfrom
one drill hole to anotherand by tracing bedsand
zonesin outcropsover large areas. In severalareas
a drill hole was placeda few feet from the edge of
the cliff so that the core and core logscouldbe com-
pared with the strata exposedin the cliff and other
drill hole logs.
The key bedsusedin the correlationsare the phos-
phorite, sandstone,and tuff beds. The phosphorite
bedsdiffer from oneanotherin phosphatecontent;in
size,shape,and sortingof the grains;and in type and
amountof impurities. The uniqueClam Bore Sand-
stoneis a key bed. The tuff beds are easily recog-
nizable by their distinctive color and composition.
Many of the key bedscan be identifiedsingly in the
core and outcrops,but where this is not possiblea
sequenceof three or more of the beds is sufficientto
establishtheir stratigraphicposition.
The correlationsshownon Figures 7 through 11,
in which each phosphatebed is designatedby num-
ber, do not illustrate all the characteristics used in
the correlation, but the bar graphs of P20, content
238 CHENEY, McCLELL.4N, .4ND MONTGOMERY

GRAPHIC
P205 Lth- BedDescrphon tl'ckness
Ran*n UmtsShown
On
of MoreZones ologyBedNo- Thickness
- P205Contenf
aotorZme
Geologic
Mop

200 ..... .'.'cuno.'.'

..... ':':'&..:':':
211 0-365
:;: Phocene :' :*.Sh.al.e
:' :'.
..... : : :(C) : : :
..... .:::
iEiiiiiiiiiil}
Moor
h,at.sa.d an.or

Unconformlfy
Beds
below dipIosoulheost
-- Beds
above hOrlzonlal Miocene
0-305
Barren
Diatomlie

5
,
0
,
%
P205 15
,
g>o 25
, ,

T ouec..o :--z-
---
150 iiii
::ii;;iiiii
17
i<
2? D,otomlte
12
-9
-Z_-_-71-_--
----
-X:i::::::;:F::: --

::.:::.::::::: ........

I :::::2ABed, T
::::' -s?. / ........

87- --52%Minerva -Oatomta'--'

Ore 23-35 -%" d - .
: Zone ---_Phosphorlte_--
46
---- (UO)-----

:2::':::f,
' :- _-::-- 2

,::;u''e,_sb,
':iiiiii:!;i
.2 ; ,.,o,
-........
':- ,o,,,.e-,,,%l Zo........
IO0 J Clam
Bore
Son(stone
D-z, .i
'\ !_Unconformty
Beds
belowGray
L''_.:
dipeneral
........ 0-21
4_.f.
Bedsabove
d,pIo soufheast Tuff
-I \' -",(

I .'-.'-.-'.'(I) I 3 - 237%

[ -i::
:::!:
(2) I I - 14.17o
) (3) I I - 2.6% Dlono
57- 42%
Zone
I '----'-'-'-'-(5) 09 - 193%

'
I (A)I 3 - I17%

DmomHe

...
...

::

::::::::::::::::
::: :: ::::::-
':::: :: 98-
::::::::::::
:::::: :::ix:i::!::
0 ::.::::i::i!:i:i.i:

METER ',.P2
'5o
Fro. 5. Compositestratigraphicsection,westernSechuraDesert, Peru. All thicknessand
PO valuesare an averagefor eachunit (September 1961).
 SECHURI PHOSPHITE DEPOSITS 239
--.

EXP L A N A T I O N

LooseSand, Alluvium, and Windblown Sand Fault:Uupthtown

side,
D downthrown
side
Coquina,Sand,and Shale
Angulaunconformity
Barren Diatomite Member

Upper
Diatomite
andPhosphorite
Member
Clam
Bore
SandstoneMember
Angularunqonfnfmity
Lower
Diatomite
andPhosphorite
Member
Fro. 6. Geologicmap,westernSechuraDesert,Peru (1961).
240 CHENEY, McCLELLIN, IND MONTGOMERY

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 S'ECHUR.4 PHOSPH.4TE DEPOSITS 241

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242 CHENEY, McCLELLAN, AND MONTGOMERY

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 SECHURA PHOSPHATE DEPOSITS 243

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244 CHENEY, McCLELLAN, AND MONTGOMERY

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 SECHUR.4 PHOSPH,4TE DEPOSITS 245

of the beds, combinedwith such key units as the tuff about 0.3 meter thick in the top of the under-
Clam Bore Sandstoneand thin tuff beds (Figs. 7, 8, lying diatomite.
and 10), illustrate well the continuityof the beds. The lower part of the Diana averagesabout 21
The regularityof the stratigraphicsequence is shown metersthick and 6.4 percentP2Oa. It cropsout in
also by use of only lithologiccharacteristicsfor the much of the southwesternSechura Depressionand
correlationas in Figure 9. The strata encountered undoubtedlytinderliesall the northwesternpart, but
in every drill hole and trench were placedin their it was too deepto penetratewith the availabledrill.
proper stratigraphicpositionsthrough correlations PhosphoritebedsNos. 4 to 7 are in this part of the
like those illustrated. The compositestratigraphic Diana. The No. 4 bed is generally less than 0.3
section of these strata (Fig. 5) is based on these meter thick; Nos. 5 and 6 generallyare a little less
correlations. than 1 meter thick, and all these beds contain about
18 percentP._,Oa.The diatomitebetweenthe phos-
Lower Diatomite and Phosphorire member
phate beds 3 to 6 meters thick contains3.0 to 6.0
The Lower Diatomite and Phosphoritemember percent P2Oa. The No. 7 bed is about 4.3 meters
cropsout in the southwesternpart of the Sechura thick and containstip to 10 percent P203. It con-
Depression,in an area north of the Tablazofault sistsof interbeddedphosphoriteand diatomite,and
and in the cliffs in the southernpart of the Bayovar it includesa gray micaeoustuff bed, about 0.1 to 0.3
area (Fig. 6). This memberhas been drilled ex- meter thick, which is a distinctive marker. The
tensivelyin the western Sechura Depressionand phosphatepellets are more poorly sorted than in
Bayovarareas,and a few holeshavepenetratedit in other beds in the interval. The base of the Diana
the westernpart of the Tablazo. The membercon- generallyis at the baseof the No. 7 bed, but in some
sistsof three units, which are from top to bottom: areas the 1.5 to 1.8 meters of diatomite beneath it

Gray Tuff
containssignificantphosphate.
Diana Ore Zone Resultsof preliminarytestsindicatethat ore from
Tuffaceous Diatomire the lowerpart of the Diana canbe upgradedby wash-
ing and cycloningto about 27 percent P20. with
Tuffaceous Diatomire: The Tuffaceous Diatomite recoveryof more than 65 percentof the PeOn.
is the lowermost tinit drilled in the western Sechura The tipperpart of the Diana baseof No. 3 bed to
Desert. The maximun thickness measured in drill top of phosphatic
diatomiteaboveNo. 1 bed (Fig. 5)
holes was about 48 meters, but its entire thickness is higher in grade than the lower part. The upper
was not drilled. The tinit consistsmostly of fora- part averages 17.7 meters thick and 9.0 percent
miniferal diatomite containing less than 2 percent P2Oa and is richer and thicker in the northeastern-
P2Oa and characteristicallycontainsmany thin beds mostpart of the area drilled. The phosphoritebeds
of mica tuff. Three phosphoritebeds have been are extremelywell sort,edand fine grained (Fig. 12)
recognized--& 8A, and 9 (Fig. 5). and contain few impurities other than diatomire.
Diana Ore Zone: The Diana Ore Zone is the The thickest and richest tinit in the area is from the
richestand thickestof the three major ore zonesin top of No. 1 bed to the baseof No. 3 bed--about
the western Sechura Desert. It underlies nmch of
10.0 metersthick with 11.6 percent P20. Results
the area and crops out in the western part of the of preliminary tests indicate that the ore from this
Sechura Depressionand in the Bayovar area. It is tinit can be upgradedby washingand cycloningto
35 to 40 m,etersthick and contains 7 to 8 percent more than 30 percent P20 with recovery of about
P,_,O. Most of the phosphate is concentratedin 75 percent of the P2Oa.
sevenbeds, which have been designatedfrom top to The contactbetweenthe Diana and the overlying
bottom as Nos. 1 to 7 (Fig. 5). The phosphorite Gray Tuff unit is gradational over about 3 meters;
bedsgenerallyare separatedby diatomit. e that con- phosphaticdiatomite beds become tuffaceous 6 to
tainsas muchas 6.5 percentP20.. mostlyas pelletal 7.5 meters above the No. 1 bed, and grade into the
phosphate. overlying Gray Tuff, which containspractically no
Diana Ore Zone--western Sechura Depression: phosphate.
The Diana Ore Zone tinderlies all but the extreme Diana. Ore Zone--Bayovar area: In the Bayovar
southwestern part of the westernSechuraDepression area (Fig. 3), the Diana Ore Zone consistsof three
and cropsout in much of the area. Sectionsof the main tinits: an tipper ore, a middle barren unit, and a
Diana and typical correlationswithin the zone drill lowerore. The upperore is stratigraphically equiva-
holes are shown in Figures 7, 8, and 9. In this lent to the tipper part of the Diana Ore Zone in the
area, the Diana can be dividedinto txvoparts. The SechuraDepr.ession.It is composedof phosphorite
contact between them is at the base of No. 3 bed beds Nos. 1, 2, and 3 (Fig. 11) with intervening
(Fig. 5), which is markedby a persistentgray mica phosphaticdiatomite beds. The barren unit cor-
246 CHENEY, McCLELLAN, AND MONTGOMERY

20
f\

:[.."
...
\\ '.,',,"--'-,,
" x ',Diana
Ore Zone
SechuroDr$$ion

I.' '". ,

"'
'"'
I [/...... "'V..
tt
'," Diana
- Bayovar
I0-

// ] X". ",,,X

5 Zro
d//" '' -"
/ .
/'"
.'

I I <i:' i-' .t.--..... 1

24 28 32 35 42 48 60 65 80 I00 170 200 aS0 270 325

TYLER MESH SIZE

40--

35--

30-

20

t5

6,7

/ : / ./ ', ', ''' ....

I0 EXPLANATION / I/ / /X %I
,,, ..... ,,;,, ,,,, / [..':/ F t ', "-..
4 / / X ', "..N
/ ...-', / / x , "-.N
5 /..-',' . / / S '..
/..")' / X ', '"..
/..., - -- ,, .... ,,

42 48 60 65 80 I 115 150 170 200 250 Z70

TYLER MESH SIZE

Fro. 12. Graph showing size and distribution o washed pellets.

respondsto the interval betweenthe baseof the No. phosphate pellets. The lower ore unit of the Diana
3 bed and bedsslightlybelow the No. 5 bed in the zone generallyis equivalentto the SechuraDepres-
barren be- sionfrom the intervalslightlybelowthe No. 5 bedto
area of the depression. It is consider.ed
causephosphoritebedsNos. 4 and 5 are very thin or the base of the No. 7 bed.
absent,and the interveningdiatomitecontainsfewer The Diana Ore Zone is presentin all drill holes
 SECHURA PHOSPH.4TE DEPOSITS 247

exceptB-21 and B-8, whereit hadbeenerodedprior the Tablazo the uppermostpart is a limestoneco-
to depositionof the Clam Bore Sandstone.In the quina. It cropsout in (Fig. 6) nmch of the western
Bayovararea the lower ore unit constitut.es
the bulk SechuraDepression,along the western edge of the
of the ore, becausephosphoritebedsNos. 1, 2, and 3 Tablazo, north of the Tablazo fault, in th,ecliffs west
are thin or absent,having been erodedfrom much and southof the Bayovararea,and in the cliffsalong
of the area, either beforedepositionof the Clam Bore the northsideof the Tablazofrom the Bayovararea
Sandstoneor more recently. in theestuary.Where thememberis toothin to map,
Th,e lower ore unit of the Diana Ore Zone in the it is includedin the baseof the Upper Diatomireand
Bayovar area averages 10 meters thick and 7.3 the Phosphorire melnber. The ClamBore waspene-
percent P2Oa. It is marked at the top by the bed tratedin drill holeSS-12 in the Estuaryarea and in
designatedNo. 5A. which lies below the No. 5 bed. InOStof the drill holesin the northwestern part of the
The base of the unit is at th.e base of the No. 7 bed. depression.Its thicknessis shownon the isopach
The No. 6 bed is present in nearly every drill hole ma1) (Fig. 14). It generallyis lessthan 0.3 meter in
but generallyis lessthan 0.3 meter thick and it ap- the southwestern part of the depression,
but it thick-
parently is representedby a mica tuff bed in part of ens gradually northward to its maximum measured
the area. The No. 7 bed characteristicallycontains thickness
of 23 metersin the Bayovarareaneardrill
a gray mica tuff bed like that in the Sechura De- hole B-1. \Vhere the sandstone is less than 1.5
pression. This mica tuff bed is not present in all Ineter thick it usuallyfills smallchannelsand swales
drill holes but where absent usually is represented 0.3 to 0.6 meterdeepin the underlyingbeds.
by a thin diatomirebed. The Clam Bore Sandstone is one of the most
The middle unit of the Diana zone is mostlydiato- easilyrecognizedunits in the stratigraphicsection.
mire; it ranges from 5 to 12 meters thick and con- It is characteristically
composedof fine- to medium-
tains less than 3 percent P.,Oa. Th,e No. 4 bed is grainedquartz sand,whichcontainsmoldsof pelecy-
presentonly in drill holesB-4 and B-23. The No. 5 pods,gastropods,and pelecypodand worm borings.
bedis distributedirregularlyand is thin; its position It containsslnall amountsof phosphatepelletsand
usually is marked by a slight concentrationof phos- nodulesand a few pebblesof quartzand metamorphic
phate pellets. On the other hand, in drill hole B-6 rocks. In general,it is finer grainedwherelessthan
it is well developed,and the column here is similar 0.3 to 0.6 meter thick and coarser grained where
to that in the westernSechuraDepression. thicker. \Vhere thickest on the northern and west-
The upper ore unit of the Diana zone has been ern edgesof the Tablazo,it characteristically
contains
erodedfrom all 1)utthe extrem.esouth-centralpart of a lower, predolninantlysandstone unit and an upper
the area. Its maximum thickness,in the vicinity unit of coquina.
of drill hole B-19, is about 15 meters. Its average
thickness,however. is about 6 meters, and it contains Upper Diatomire and Phosphoritemember
7 to 15 percentP2Oa.
Gray Tuff: Overlying the Diana Ore Zone in the The Upper Diatomire and Phosphoritemember
western Sechura Depressionand in a small part of crops out in the cliffsaroundthe SechuraDepression
and in the cliffs between the Tablazo and the Virrila
the Bayovar area is a soft gray diatomaceoustuff.
It cropsout in the westerndepressionin the vicinity Estuary. Its distributionin the depressionand in
of drill holesQ-98A, Q-2A, and Q-105A and in the the cliffsalongthe Tablazois shownon the g.eologic
Bayovar area. in the vicinity of drill hole B-4 (Fig. inap (Fig. 6). It also underlies the Tablazo area.
3). The contactwith the underlyingDiana is grada- The melnber consistsof four units, which are from
tional. top to 1)ottom(Fig. 5):
The original thicknessof the Gray Tuff is not QuechuaDiatomire
known becauseit was eroded prior to depositionof Minerva Ore Zone
the Clam Bore Sandstone. Its presentthicknessis Inca Diatomire
shownin Figure 13. It attains a nmximum thickness Zero Ore Zone
of about 21 meters, in the northwesternpart of the
western depression; it thins westward, southward, Zero Ore Zone: The Zero Ore Zone underlies
and eastward. It is absent in the entire southwest-
much of the western Sechura Depressionand the
ern part of th,edepressionand in the westernpart of
Tablazo. It cropsout in the westerndepression,on
the Bayovar area. the western edge of the Tablazo, and in the cliffs
along the northern edg.
e of the Tablazo betweenthe
Clam Bore Sandstone member
Virrila Estuary and the Bayovararea. It is known
The Clam Bor.eSandstoneunconformablyov.erlies to underlie the Reventazonarea (Fig. 3).
the Lower Diatomite and Phosphoritemember.It is The Zero Ore Zone is composedmostly of the
predominantlyquartz sand but on the north side of Zero phosphorire bed and ov.erlying diatomitethat
248 CHENEY, McCLELLAN, AND MONTGO2[ERY

/ ,-'

' % I 0 I 2 5 4Km$
-.. i i
i i i i

!430,000m.
N N .
%

o ,.5 't
.?/'
', ! ':i' .' .. .

/' , - .. .o' /'

. % .6.7+ / / EXPLANATION
' ' ' ' DRILL
HOLE

. X COP SHOWS
{ IUR

CONTOUR LINE,

FIG. 13. Isopach map of Gray Tuff.

 SECHURI PHOSPHITE DEPOSITS 249
I

/ e , , , ,
1'4ON

__l____. o- ,'
_- .?. v?

/ . . 1'2+

,I.2 ' '

: / / - '-. .
/ ' EXPLANATION

o. * o.I CONTOUR
<'0.1.2 CLAM
ON
THICKNESS
BORE
OF
(DASHED
WHERE
INFERRED) METERS.

N DRILL
HOLE
WHERE
CLAM
"0. 0.1 <I 0 BOREPENETRATED-
/ . o.
L <O.i + INDICATES
ALL
BOR OFCLAM
NOT DRILLED

415,N
.. .... 0.1 X !OUTCROP(FIGURE
INCATES
HIKN I
' :LIFF OUTLINE. E

Fro. 14. Isopachmap of Clam Bore Sandstone.

250 CHENEY, McCLELL.4N, .4ND MONTGOMERY

containspelletal phosphate. It averages6.3 meters identified tentatively as whale bones. Some of the
thick and 9 percent P20. phosphorite bedsare composed partiallyof phosphate
The Zero bed is one of the more poorly sorted, nodules.
slightly coarser grained phosphoritebeds in the The average thicknessand grade of units within
stratigraphicsection (Fig. 12) and containsmore the Minerva are shownin Figure 5. In the south-
sandgrains than the other phosphatebeds. Results western part of the Tablazo area, south of the Tab-
of preliminary tests suggestthat it can be upgraded lazo fault, the Minerva contains two phosphorite
by washingand cycloningto 24 to 25 percentPeOa. units. The overall coinpositionand characterof the
The overlying phosphaticdiatomite containsphos- Minerva Ore Zone is remarkably constant over a
phate pell.etsthat are finer grained than thosein the very large area, but it is relatively more variable
Zero bed. than any of the other ore units. The phosphorite
The contact of the Zero Ore Zone with the under- beds thin, and the diatomite beds thicken, from west
lying Clam Bore Sandstonegenerallyis gradational, to east. In th.e western parts of the Tablazo this
but at a few of the westernmost and northernmost zone is thin and high grade, as at HT-9 to Q-73A,
drill hol.esin the .SechuraDepressionand in the whereit is 6.7 metersthick and contains10.3 percent
Estuary area, a thin diatomire unit is present be- P2Oa. Eastward it thickensmarkedly: eastof HT-
tween the Clam Bore and the Zero bed. In some 13 to Q-89A it is more than 26 meters thick and
placesthis unit containsmore than 4 percent P2Oa. contains5 to 6 percent P20.. Whereas the total
Lateral changesin the Z.eroOre Zone can be noted alnount of phosphat.ehas doubledbetweenthese two
in Figures 7 to 9. In the westernand southwestern sections,the thicknesshas quadrupled. Most of the
parts of the Sechura Depression,the zone is com- increase in thickness reflects an increase in the con-
posedof two distinct units, the Zero bed and over- tent of diatomite.
lying phosphaticdiatomite Q-40A (Fig. 7) and The phosphoritepelletsin the Minerva Ore Zone
HT-10 to Q-95A (Fig. 10). Eastward the zone are 1notepoorly sortedthan thosein the Diana but
thickensand the phosphateis more evenlydistributed show al)out the same sorting as those in the Zero
in the column. Comparisonof sectionsalong the Ore Zone (Fig. 12). The Minerva zone contains
north side of the Tablazo with thosealong the south lesssandand silt-sizedimpuritiesthan the Zero Ore
side also shows a slight northeastwarddecreasein Zone and slightlymore than the Diana zone. Results
P20 values. of preliminary metallurgical tests on samplesfrom
Inca Diatomire: The Inca Diatomite is 3 to 17 HT-7 through HT-15 in the southwesternTablazo
meters thick and contains about 1.0 percent P205 area indicated that ore from the Minerva zone can be
although some beds contain as much as 2.8 percent tipgraded by washing and cycloningto at least 26
P2Oa. It is composedalmost entirely of diatoms percentP.Oawith recoveryof at least60 percentof
and apparentlycontainsno quartz silt or other im- the P,zOa.
purities except the phosphate,which is mostly fish Quechza Diatomire: The Quechua Diatomite
scales. The Inca crops out in the northwestern part rangesin thicknessfrom 0 to 14 meters. It is thick-
of the SechuraDepressionin the area from a line est in the northeasternpart of the SechuraDepres-
betweendrill holesQ-46A and Q-50A northward to sion,but its thicknessis somewhatirregular, perhaps
the cliffs along the Tablazo. It is present also in becauseit interfingerswith and gradesinto the over-
the cliffs on the westernedge of the Tablazo, on the lying Barren Diatomitemember. The Quechuais
northernedgeof the Tablazofrom triangulationpoint composedmostly of diatomsand is relatively pure,
Temo to the Virrila Estuary (Figs. 3 and 4), and on but it containsone or two thin phosphoritebeds. In
th.e western and southwesternedgesof the Sechura the depression, one thin phosphoritebed which is
Depression. The Inca is thickestand purest in the ratherhigh grade (HT-16 to HT-17, Fig. 10) con-
westernpart of the area (HT-9 to Q-73A, Fig. 10). tains many bonesand teeth and large amountsof
It thins northeastward,probablyby an increasein quartz. It probablycorrelateswith a similarbone-
phosphatecontentin both the lower and upper parts. bearingbed that croppedout in the extreme south-
Minerva Ore Zone: The Minerva Ore Zone under- eastern corner of the Sechura Depression.
lies the Tablazo north and south of the Sechura De- Barren Diatomire Member: The Barren Diatomite
pression. It is exposedin the cliffs all around the memberis the uppermostMioceneunit in the west-
depression and in the cliffsbetweenthe Tablazoand ern Sechura Desert. It ranges from absenceto an
the Estuary. It also has been penetratedby drill estimated40 meters thick, having been erodedprior
holesin the Reventazonarea (Fig. 3). to the deposition
of the overlyingPliocenesediments;
The Minerva Ore Zone characteristically contains it thickenstoward the .east(Fig. 6). The member
an abundanceof bones,fish scales,and fish teeth, and is presentin the cliffs around the easternpart of
certainbedscontainmanyvery largebonesthat were the depression
and along the easternpart of the
 SECHUR.4 PHOSPHATE DEPOSITS 251

estuary. In outcropit usuallyis stain.eda yellowish also is evidentin surfaceoutcrops. In mostof the
to reddishorange. Although the compositionof this northwestern part of the depression,
the Clam Bore
unit is not well known, mica flakes are a characteris- restson Gray Tuff, asobserved
in outcrops
neardrill
tic component,and the stain in the outcropssuggests holesQ-105A and Q-1.08Aand as evidentfrom drill
the presenceof other minor impurities. holes (Figs. 3 and 9). Southwestward,in the
Pliocene coquina,sand, and shale
vicinity of drill hole Q-2A, the Clam Bore restson
theupperpartof theDianaOre Zone.In thevicinity
Pliocenestrata consistingof an interbeddedseries of drill holeQ-36A, it restson phosphatic
(pelletal)
of coquina,sand, and shale unconformablyoverlie diatomit.e that overlies the No. 7 bed. Still farther
the phosphate-bearing
strata in part of the western southwestward,it rests on the Lower Diatomire and
Sechura Desert. Their distribution is shown on the
Phosphorite
member. On the westernedgeof the
geologicmap in Figure 6. These strata are bestex- Tablazoin the vicinityof drill holesQ-82A and
posed in the cliffs around the Sechura Depression Q-87A, most of the Diana Ore Zone has been re-
and on the edgesof the Tablazo. moved by erosionprior to depositionof the Clam
Recent loosesand, alluvium, and windblown sand Bore;in the vicinityof drill holesQ-85A andQ-96A,
the Diana Ore Zone is absent. In much of the
Recent loose sand, alluvium, and windblown sand Bayovararea the Diana Ore Zone is absent,as at
are presentover much of the area. Where they are drill holesB-18antiB-21,because
of pre-ClamBore
estimatedto be more than 1.0 meter thick they are erosion. Hence, in the extreme western and south-
shown in Figure 6. Most of these sedimentsare western parts of the Sechura Desert the unconform-
windblown sand in the form of dunes or thin sheets ity marks the limit of the area of economicinterest.
of loosesand. Most of the unit QS on the geologic After deposition
of the Clam Bore Sandstone,
the
map is windblown sand. strataevidently
werenotdeformed
againsignificantly
Structure until after depositionof the Upper Diatomiteand
Phosphorite
member.Theywerethenslightlytilted
The structureof Miocen.eand youngerstrata in to the southeast(Fig. 16). They strike about
the SechuraDesert is very simpl.e. Slight tilting, N15E and dip 6 to 8 metersper kilometerto the
minor folding, and minor faulting constitutethe ex- southeast.They werealsocompressed slightlyso
tent of deformation. These strata were deformed in
that severalminorasymmetrical
eastward-trending
at 1.east
three differentperiods: one during the Mio- foldswereformedthatplungeslightlyto the.east.
cene,one prior to depositionof Pliocenesediments, It is possiblethat during the first two periodsof
and one after the Pliocene.
deformationthere was minor faultingbecausesome
After deposition of the Lower Diatomite and of the foldsshownin Figures 15 and 16 couldhave
Phosphoritemember, the beds were tilted to the restiltedpartly from faulting. One in particularthat
northeast and their general strike is now about may be a fault is shownas a sharpflexureon Figure
N10W. They dip northeast 11 to 14 meters per 15 near grid line 1,420,000N.
kilometer (Fig. 15). They also were slightly com- During or after the eastwardtilting of the Mio-
pressedand gently fold.ed. Axes of almost all the cene beds they were uplifted and .eroded,so that
folds plunge gently northeastward. The amplitude Pliocenebeds were depositedon the truncatedsur-
of thesefolds is very small and practicallyunrecog- face. The Pliocene beds are horizontal insofar as
nizable in the field. can be determined.
After and perhaps during this deformation,the The latestdeformation knownto haveaffectedany
Lower Diatomire and Phosphorite member and of the stratais definitelypost-Pliocene
and may be
Gray Tuff were partly erodedfrom the westernpart Recent. Evidence of this deformation are the faults
of the area. The Clam Bore Sandstone was then
shownin Figure 6 that cut the Pliocenebeds. Other
depositedon these truncated beds as shown on th.e evidencefor post-Pliocene
deformationis the pres-
geologicmap of bedsas they probablyappearedprior ence of at least one major fault along the east side
to depositionof the Clam Bore Sandstone(Fig. 15). of the Illescas Mountains, where older alluvial fan
The unconformitybeneaththe Clam Bor.eSand- material has been dropped against metamorphic
stonehad a markedeffecton the presentdistribution rocks.
of the Diana Ore Zone. In general,the Clam Bore
was depositedon the essentiallyplanesurfaceeroded Petrography
on gently northeastdipping beds,so that it rests on Diatomite
progr.essively
older bedstoward the southwest.
The unconformitybeneaththe Clam Bore not only The diatomite is marine in origin and consistsof
is demonstratedby correlation of drill hol.edata but indistinctpelletsthat are aggregatesof diatomparti-
252 CHENEY, McCLELLAN,AND MONTGOMERY

::i!
!!ii!ix 'x'/!T!'!'
!'!!'!
!7x'x7x7:
:!i!ii:!
..... : , .'..".."..".. ' '. ". :-?)
...,
!ii;;t
...................................................................
!!?:3 o .... : .'[: 5 ': ."..' '..' '.-' '..' '.-;-?'.."
.........
?:::"i/:::iili:'::"::"::"::':;:::"
'
':'" ': :t:i!::ii::!i:?"-
.o

1'4:5 ..

..

'.::2' E X P L A N A T I ON
o.

MAP UNITS PRE-CLAM BORE SANDSTONE

GRAY TUFF
:{::i UPPER
PART
- DIANA
ORE
ZONE
::i!!!: : OWER
.......
PART
- D,A.A
ORE
ZO.E
::::::::. TUFFACEOUS
DIATOM
ITE
.o,O,,
1'430,C)00
I STRUCTURE CONTOUR ON t6 BED
UNCERTAIN

2 :3 4 Kms

I '425,000 N

1'420,000N
-- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
-,::,-- .. ,::, ,::,-- ::
' '.-;.:;5;
f V.'-':h-
.-..'""

1'415,000N ...

Fro. 15. Structure contours on No. 6B, C, D and geologic map prior to depositionof Clam Bore Sandstone.

cles. These particlesare of many shapesand appear is lessthan 2 percent,and the foram shellsprobably
to be rather poorly sorted; they range in sze from supplylessthan 1 percentCaCOa. The foram shells
about0.074 mm (200 m,esh)to 3 or 4 microns.The are very fragile and disintegrateon the slightest
diatomparticlesare composedof opalinesilica,prob- washing.
ably SiO-nHO. The chiefimpuritiesin the diato- The diatomite is soft and its pellets disintegrate
mire are phosphaticfish scales, siliceoussponge at the slightest touch. The diatomite beds are gen-
spiculesand skeletons,and calcareousforam shells. erally massive, but some contain .extremely thin
As much as 5 percent of spicul.eshas been observed (most lessthan 2 mm thick) stringersof phosphate
in a diatomire,the P.O,contentof diatomiresusually parallel to bedding, particularly a few feet below
 SECHUR.4PHOSPH.4TEDEPOSITS 253

the main phosphorite can be depending

beds. Cross-bedding on its locationwith respectto the water
seen within some of these stringers. table or to its water content. \Ve have tended to
The colorof the diatomiterangesfrom pure white class the darker beds as foraminiferal diatomires and
throughbrownto darkolivegreen. The variationin the white beds as diatomite,mainly becausewe can
color reflects differences in the interstitial mat.erial, see the forams in the darker beds, but they are
becausewasheddiatomparticlesare white and sub- difficultto seein the lighter coloredbedswithouta
translucentto transparent. The color apparently microscope.
reflectsthe stat.eof oxidationof the organicmaterial. Becausethe diatomitebedsare composed
of micro-
and the samebed may be white. black, or brown, scopicirregular particlesand becausethey ar.enot

E X PLA NATION
CONTOUR INTERVAL:
5 rn IWESTERN DEPRESSION)
IOta (BAYOVAR, TABLAZO AND
ESTUARY AREAS )
/ / ,-,'"--"'-CLIFF OUTLINE
1'435,000 N,
DRILL HOLE

X OUTCROP
/ /
/ i
J
/ /
/

/ /

1"430,000N I

1'425,000N

/
/

\\ \
t: x\ \\
1'420,000N

,, /1//,,,//'
/

D'. ?:
. /t
'. / I / .
' ' / / t / /

:.o
1'415,000; - '
O.

Ftc. 16. Structure contours on Clam Bore Sandstone.

254 CHENEY, McCLELLAN, AND MONTGOMERY

highly compacted,the porosity is extremely high, phosphatebeds but is very indistinct. The upper
about 90 percent. Becauseof its high porositythe contact of the phosphorite bed with diatomite is
apparent specificgravity of the pure diatomire is always planar and very sharp, but the lower contact
low, about0.5. Its permeability,however,is low. with diatomitebedsis nearly always irregular and
gradational. The upper part of the diatomit.ebeds
Sandstoneand tuff containsmany irregular pocketsand stringersof
The major sandstoneand tuff beds are the Clam phosphate,and the lower part of the phosphorite
Bore Sandstoneand the Gray Tuff. Minor bedsof beds contains irregular masses and disseminated
Gray Tuff are presentin the Diana Ore Zone and the diatomite.
Tuffaceous Diatomite. The phosphorite bedshavea high degreeof sorting
The sandstoneis of marine origin and consists (Fig. 12) and so shouldbe highlyporous,but much
mostly of fine to mediumquartz grains, but it con- of the pore space is filled with diatomite and fine
tains also scatteredphosphatepellets,grains of f.eld- silt-sized particles.
spar and black metamorphicrocks,a few pebblesof The apatite pelletsare mostly structureless. They
quartz and metamorphic rock, and marine fossils. usuallycontainlessthan 1 to 2 percentof impurities
These extraneous materials ar.e distributed homo- --fragments of diatoms, sponge spicules,volcanic
geneouslythroughout the sandstoneand there is glass, very fine quartz grains, organic matter, and
little evidenceof stratification. The sandstonegen- mica. The apatite pellets in the Zero bed contain
erally is friable,but in localar.easit is hard, especially more impurities than those in the other main phos-
where it is dry. The color rangesfrom light brown phorite beds. A few of the pelletsfrom the Zero
to a characteristicyellowishorange. bed have large coresof quartz or feldspar.
The tuff is also of marine origin and is soft and Most apatite pellets are subellipticalto ovoid in
friableand disintegrates readilyin water. It consists shape,but rod-shapedand irregularly knobbypellets
mostlyof fine to coarsesilt and very fine sand-size are not uncommon. The finer pellets are more
grainsof volcanicglass,feldspar,quartz,anddiatoms. regular in shape,the larger pellets more irregular.
The modal grain size is probablyslightly lessthan The larger pelletsusuallyhave a pitted surfaceand
0.62 min. The nilnor constituents in this tuff are the smaller pellets a smooth,shiny surface. Many
mica, amphiboles,sponge spicules,forams, foram of the larger pellets and nodulesprobably are ag-
tests,and heavyminerals. glomeratesof fine pellets.
The tuff is generallymassiv.ebeddedand gray to The pellets range in color from white to dark
light grayishgreen. The tuff bedsin the Diana Ore brownishblack, and pelletsfrom diff.erent parts of
Zone and the Tuffaceous Diatomire are a distinctive the same bed may be of different colors. For ex-
light gray in colorwhetheraboveor belowthe wat.er ample,pelletsfrom the No. 1 bed are white at one
table. The Gray Tuff is generallylight to medium end of an outcrop,reddish brown about 100 meters
grayish green where dry and dark grayish green away, and nearly black at 500 meters, where the
where wet. bed is below the surface. Hence, color is of no value
in correlation or recognitionof different beds. In
Phosphate general, however, most of the phosphoritebeds are
The phosphateis marine in origin and consists usually light brown or darker, and the differencein
mostlyof pelletsof phosphorite,a fluorhydroxycar- color probablyreflectsthe state of oxidationof the
bonateapatite. Impurities in the phosphorites are, organicmatter present.
in decreasingord.erof abundance,fragmentsof dia- The specificgravity of the individual phosphate
toms; volcanicglass;solublesodium,potassium,and pelletsrangesfrom 2.8 to 2.93; the averageis about
magnesiumsalts:quartz; feldspar;spongespicules; 2.9. The specificgravity of a relatively pure bed,
gypsum;mica: and organicmatter. suchas the No. 1 phosphoritebed,whichcontains28
Althoughthe individualpelletsare hard, the phos- percentP.oO,is about 1.65. The specificgravity of
phorites are friable and all the subsurfacephos- washedore that contains 31 percent P20. is about
phoritesdisintegratein water. The phosphoritesin 1.7.
some small areas are cemented, but this is a rare In the $echura depositsthe apatite is pr.esent
surfaceor very near surfacephenomenon. Gypsum, mostly as discrete pellets. Other forms present in
a secondarymineral,occursmainlyas fracturefillings nilnor amountsare nodules (elliptical and irregular
near the surfac.eand compriseslessthan 2 percentof masseslarger than 2 mm); oolites(similar to pell.ets
the bedspenetratedby drill holes. but with internal concentric structure); fish teeth,
The phosphoritebeds are generally massiveand scales. and bones; and casts and internal molds of
show no apparent evidenceof planar stratification. foraminifera. The pellets range in size from less
Cross-beddingis commonin the lower part of the than 0.43 mm to 2 mm, but 95 perc.entare between
 SECHUR.4 PHOSPH.4TE DEPOSITS 255

0.06 mm (270 mesh) and 0.6 mm (35 mesh) (Fig. TABLE 1. Substitutions in the Apatite Structure
12), and the modal grain size is between0.175 mm
Fluorapatite
(80 mesh) and 0.12 1rim (150 mesh). More than Cao(PO4) 6F
75 percentof the apatite pelletsare larger than 200 Constituent ion Substituting ion
lnesh,but there are significantdifferencesin the size
Ca +2 Na% Sr+2, Mn% K +, U +4
of the pelletsin differentbedsof the deposit. The Mg% RE +,+a
pelletsin the phosphoritebeds are usually slightly (lanthonons and yttrium)
coarserand better sortedthan thosein the phosphatic p+ C+4, S+6, Si+4, As+d, V+*
diatomitebeds. The pelletsin the phosphoritebeds Cr+6, A1+a
from the Zero and Minerva Ore Zones, which are F- OH-I, CI-
above the Claln Bore Sandston.e,are coarser and O- F-, OH-
more poorly sortedthan thosein the bedsbelow the Francolite
Clam Bore Sandstone. The pellets in the upper Ca0__bNaMgb(PO4)6_x(COa)xF0.x(F, OH)
part of the Diana Ore Zone ar.e coarser and better
sortedthan thosein the lower part of the Diana.
chemicalanalysis,X-ray powder diffraction,optical
Mineralogy and Chemical Composition microscopy,and infrared analysis,and a rapid, pre-
of Phosphates liminary characterizationsuitablefor broadclassifica-
The phosphatesof the Sechuradepositsare apa- tion of phosphoritescan be made by thesetechniques
tites, complexcalciulnphosphates that are the major (McClellan and Gremillion, 1976).
commercial sourc. e of phosphatesand are known Chemical characterization
collectivelyas phosphaterock. They have only one
propertyin coralnon--thestructuralarrangementof Most of the more than 25 minor elements that have
the ions--and their compositionsdiffer consider- beenreportedto occurin fluorapatites(Table 1) are
ably from that of fiuorapatite,Ca0(PO4)oF`*,which present in insignificant amounts, and the apatites
has long been consideredthe phosphaticcomponent describedin the literature are usually igneous or
of phosphate rock. Differencesin chemicalcomposi- metamorphic. It hasbeenshown(Lehr et al., 1967;
tion, however, are reflected in differences in be- McClellan and Lehr, 1969), however, that the
haviorof commercialphosphate concentrates in their apatites in sedimentary phosphaterocks are ade-
conversion to fertilizer materials. The differences quately describedby their CaO, Na20, MgO, P20,
in the severaltypesof apatitesreflectthe historyof F, and CO., contents. Their compositions are repre-
their formation in igneous,metamorphic,and sedi- sented adequately by the series with end-member
mentary environments. empiricalformulasof:
The chemicalcompositions of sedimentaryapatites fluorapatite,Ca. (Po) oF=,and
range widely; significantamountsof magnesiumand francolite,Cao_q,NaM gb(PO) O-x(COa) xF0.4xF.
sodiummay be substitutedfor calcium,and as much
as 25 percentof the phosphorusmay be r.eplacedby The electrostaticimbalanceresultingfrom the sub-
a joint substitutionof carbonate and fluorine, and stitution of CO/-`* for PO;- is only partially cor-
these apatites are known as francolites, a distinct rected by additionof F4, and a coupledmonovalent
cation substitutionfor calciumis required to main-
mineralsclass(McClellan and Lehr, 1969). Impor-
tant sedimentaryphosphoritedepositsare found in tain electrostaticneutrality. In sedimentaryapatites
North Africa (Senegal, Togo, Morocco, Algeria, the cationthat mostoften replacescalciumis sodium,
Tunisia), and Near East (Jordan, Israel, Egypt), bers Na+L The compositions of the theoreticalend mem-
are shown in Table 2.
Asia (India, China, Russia, Vietnam), Australia,
North America (United States,Mexico), and South TABLE 2. Theoretical Composition of Fluorapatite
and Francolite
America (Colombia,Peru, Brazil).
Characterization methods Fluorapatite Francolites
Constituent (%) (x = 0) x/(6 -- x) ' 0.30t
Sinceapatitesare the most importantcommercial
source of phosphate,the charact. erization methods CaO 55.6 55.1
PaO. 42.2 34.0
describedhere are discussedonly with respect to CO2 0 6.3
apatites. The methodshavebeenappliedto apatites F 3.77 5.04
NaO 0 1.4
from most of the phosphatedepositsin the world,
MgO 0 0.7
and some representativeresults have been selected
to provide a basis for explaining the properties of Maximum degreeof substitutionpredictedfor francolite-
the Sechura apatite. The examinationsincluded type apatites.
256 CHENEY, McCELL.4N, .4ND MONTGOMERY

'['ABLE3. Some Typical Phosphate Rock Compositions in whicha and b are the subscripts
for Na and Mg,
respectively,
and appearin the subscriptfor Ca in
Composition (%) the formula of the francolite.
Source CaO MgO Na20 P205 CO2 F Compositions
of typicalcommercial
phosphate
rock
concentratesamong those from which these relation-
Western U.S. 55.6 0.13 0.26 40.1 1.59 4.09
Tennessee 55.5 0.24 0.47 38.7 2.71 4.31 ships were derived are listed in Table 3. These
Sechura, Peru 51.8 0.29 1.20 32.2 5.68 3.30 compositionsare arrangedin approximateorder of
Florida 55.5 0.36 0.72 37.1 3.95 4.56
Morocco 55.4 0.43 0.85 36.3 4.53 4.68
carbonatesubstitution,but they do not coverthe en-
North Carolina 55.3 0.52 1.04 35.3 5.36 4.85 tire range of possiblecoinpositionsindicated in
Tunisia 55.2 0.60 1.20 34.7 5.70 4.93 Table 2.

Effect of apatite compositionon rock composition

The compositions of thesesubstitutedapatitescan The composition of the apatite in a phosphorite
be estimatedwith a degreeof certainty suitablefor det.erminedhy this procedureis a useful index to
routine analytical evaluation of phosphateconc.en- the propertiesof thephosphate ore.This is illustrated
tratesusingthe inethoddescribedby McClellandand by comparingthe theoreticalapatitecompositions of
Gremillion (1976) and the followingempiricalequa- a representativeseriesof phosphaterocksin Table 4.
tions. This comparison, whichis basedsolelyon the cal-
culatedapatite compositionand the P20 contentof
aob.,= 9.369 -- 0.185(X/(6 -- X)) (1)
the phosphate rock,showsthat the amountof gangue
in which is not relateddirectlyto the P,,Oacontentof the rock.
Further use can be made of the weight distribution
crystallographic a-axis dimensionas data if the contentsof other importantconstituents
determined by X-ray diffraction of the rock are included. With this additional in-
(a observed)
formation,the distributionof key impuritiesbetween
subscriptfor COa in the formula for
francolite
the apatite and gangue-mineral fractions can be
determined.
x/(6 -- x) = mole ratio CO;t: PO4 in the
This treatment of the data is illustrat.ed in Table 5
francolite
with a Sechura phosphaterock. The theoretical
or apatite compositionwas calculatedfrom equations
(1), (3), and (4), and an overall value of a: 9.339
i = 1.633 - 0.1264(x/(6 -- x)) (2)
angstroms. The calculation of the calcium and car-
in which honatecontentsof the apatite permits calculationof
the distribution of these constituents between the
i -- average index of refraction of the phosphorire
apatite and the gypsumand calcitein the ore.
From the value of x/(6 --x) determined from It is apparentthat knowledgeof the composition
either equation (1) or equation (2), of the apatite providesa meansfor comparingim-
a = 1.327(x/(6 - x)) (3) TABLE 5. Modal Analysis of Chemical Constituents in a
Sechura Phosphate Rock Sample
b = 0.515(x/(6 - x)) (4)
Apatite Gangue
Apatite Phosphate fraction fraction
TABLE 4. Mineral Compositions of Selected
Phosphate Rocks (Theor.) rock (87%) (13%)

CaO 55.27 51.8 47.9 3.9

Weight (%) P=Oa 37.18 32.2 32.2 --
F 4.53 3.3 3.9 __a
Gangue COs 3.84 5.7 3.3 2.4
Source Apatite minerals Na=O 0.70 1.2 0.60 0.6
MgO 0.35 0.29 0.30 --
Western U.S. 79.8 20.2 AlcOa 0.21 0.21
Tennessee 82.7 17.3 Fe=Oa 0.07 0.07
Sechura, Peru 86.4 13.6 SiO= 4.10 4.10
Florida 86.3 13.7 Sulfate-S 1.31 1.31
Morocco 88.2 11.8
North Carolina 90.7 9.3
Tunisia 92.2 7.8 t Estimated amounts, derived from the P=Oa ratio
(32.2/37.2).
= Includes all nonphosphatediluents such as calcite (5%),
Calculated assumingall samplescontain 32 percent P=Os. gypsum (2%), quartz and silica (4%), and traces of iron-
= Weight percent apatite = actual P=Os/theoretical P.Oa aluminum oxides and halite.
(100% apatite). a See discussion of fluorine content in text.
 SECttUR.q PttOSPH.qTE DEPOSITS 257

TABLE 6. Chemical Compositionof SelectedPhosphateRocks

Constituent (%)

Deposit source CaO P20:, F CO. R._,Oa Na20 MgO SiO2 CaO/POa F/P.,Oa

Central Florida 48.9 33.4 3.9 3.0 2.12 0.53 0.29 4.5 1.464 0.117
North Carolina 48.5 30.2 3.7 5.5 1.14 0.83 0.54 2.1 1.606 0.122
Morocco 51.6 32.1 4.1 5.3 0.55 0.79 0.43 1.4 1.607 0.128
Gafsa, Tunisia 48.3 28.8 3.4 6.3 1.22 1.30 0.59 1.8 1.677 0.118
Taiba, Senegal 51.2 37.4 4.0 1.7 2.06 0.20 0.06 2.9 1.369 0.107
Togo 52.3 36.6 4.0 1.8 1.78 0.27 0.11 1.8 1.429 0.109
Kola, Russia 52.0 38.2 3.1 0.2 3.14 0.50 0.06 2.0 1.361 0.081
Sechura, Peru 46.5 30.2 2.9 4.4 1.65 1.85 0.50 3.2 1.539 0.096
Sechura, Peru 46.8 32.1 2.9 4.5 2.19 2.10 0.55 1.9 1.458 0.090
Sechura, Peru 51.8 32.2 3.3 5.7 0.28 1.20 0.29 4.1 1.609 0.102
Sechnra, Peru 46.7 31.8 3.1 4.6 1.29 2.23 0.58 2.0 1.468 0.097
Fluorapatite 55.6 42.2 3.8 ..... 1.317 0.089

Theoretical for Cao(PO4)6F2.

t)ortant econ.omicdifferencesamong phosphateores. 3'echurasedimentaryapatite

The presenceof free carbonates,chlorides,and other Good statistical correlations have been established
gangtiemineralsis an important guide to the mineral betweenthe crystalchemicalcompositions of franco-
processingengineer, who has to upgrade the ore, lite-type apatites and their unit-cell parametersand
and to the mineral consumer,who will convert it to
index of refraction(Figs. 17 and 18). Through use
the final product. In addition, the compositionof of the methodsdescribedby McClellan and Lehr
the apatitesmay be usefulin studyingthe originsof (1969) and routine petrographicmethods, these
phosphorites and interpretingtheir geologichistory. properties of the apatites in several sedimentary
phosphaterocks were determinedand are compared
Comparison of phosphaterocks in Table 7.

The compositions of a number of phosphaterocks The unit-cell data indicate that the Sechura apa-
are listedin Table 6; only the significantconstituents tites have compositionssimilar to thoseof the moder-
are included. The Sechura samplestaken during ately high carbonate-substituted apatites character-
explorationare primarily from the upper phosphatic istic of the Florida and Morocco deposits. The
horizons. refractive index data indicate, however, that the
The data show that all sedimentaryphosphate Sechuraapatiteshave the highestlevelsof carbonate
rockshavehigherCaO/PuOaratiosthan that in pure substitution, such as that in North Carolina and
fluorapatite. This is because,as shownby the model Tunisia rocks. Apatiteswith thesepropertiesshould
in Table 2, the CaO in francolite-typeapatitesre- have F/P20. ratiosbetween0.118 and 0.128 instead
mains nearly constant while the P2Oa varies with
substitution of carbonate and fluorine which raises I I I 1

the CaO/P2Oa ratio from 1.317 in fluorapatiteto

1.620 in a highly substitutedfrancolite. Similarly,
the F/P20. ratio risesfrom 0.089 in fluorapatiteto 'smrk
X8 :.s-o.s4x
0.148 in a highly substitutedfrancolite.
The CaO/P2Oa ratios in Table 6 are difficult to
interpret becauseof the isomorphoussubstitutionsin
francolite-typeapatitesand the frequentpresenceof g o o
calcite and dolomite as accessoryminerals. The
F/P20. ratio is more reliable as an indication of the

compositionof the apatite becausethe amounts of ,.s,- o o
fluorine-bearingaccessorymineralsare insignificant
in many sedimentaryphosphaterocks. On the basis
,.so I m N
of the F/P2Oa ratio, the apatitein Sechuraphosphate 0.0 0. 0.2 0.
rock shouldhave propertiessomewhatbetweenthose MOLE RATIOCOs: PO4
of the Taiba, Senegal,sedimentaryapatitesand the Fro. ]7. Relation between refractive index and
igneousKola apatites. francolite composition.
258 CHENEY, McCELL.4N, .4ND MONTGOMERV

I I I stitution found in the Sechuraapatit.e may indicate a

9.37
8
--
r --0.941 _ unique processof depositionof the phosphate. Bur-
s = 0.0255
nett (1977) has shownrecentlythat authigenicapa-

,0
0 Y=9.369-0.1851X tites with low F/P205 ratios are associatedwith
Holocene diatomaceousoozesalong the sea floor off
the coasts of Chile and Peru. The silica in these

9.36
--Oco
0
9.35
- depositsacts as a nucleationsite for precipitationof
phosphate. It is probablethat the fluorineassociated
with the phosphateforms complexeswith available
_ O _ silica, calcium, aluminuln, and iron, and the solu-
bility of these complexesis very pH dependentso
that the fluorine might precipitateunder conditions

--O(O
--
9.34
in which the phosphateis still soluble. This would
lower the fluorine content of the pore water below
that required for the stoichiometryof the apatites
and so make the apatites deficient in fluorine.
oo
9.33
- I I
9.3z
0.0 O. I 0.

MOLE RTIO CO$:PO

4
I
0.3
-
0.4
The $echura apatitesthus may have resultedfrom
a unique seriesof eventsin which authigenicphos-
phate, which has tlndergonelittle if any postdeposi-
tional alteration, is preservedin the presenceof its
Fro. 18. Relation between unit-cell a parameter
diatomaceoussource bed. Examinations by one
and francolite composition. author (G.H.M.) of hundredsof other sedimentary
apatitesfrom many locationsaround the world have
of the observed0.090 to 0.102. This would indicate revealed no other phosphatewith the unique char-
acteristicsof the $echura apatite. Other siliceous
that the Sechuraapatiteis a fluorhydroxycarbonate phosphorites from Colombia,Upper Volta, Australia,
apatitewith an approximate empiricalformulaof Pakistan, and the United States are the expected
francolite-typeapatites. The unusualpropertiesof
Ca96Nao2aMgoo9(PO4)..,', (COa)o.s8 the Peruvian phosphoriteshould encourageothers
Fa.79(OH)o.56.
interested in the origin of phosphoritesto use de-
tailed mineralogical studies to interpret the geo-
In a typicalfrancolite-type
apatit.
e, all the hy- chemical evolution of these minerals.
droxylswouldbe replaced by fluorine. Infrared
absorptionspectraof $echuraapatites,however,con-
firm the presenceof hydroxylsby th.eweak O-H Summary and Conclusions
absorption bandsat 2.8 and 15 micronson hand-
pickedphosphate pellets.Chemical measurementsof The Sechurasedimentaryphosphatedepositsare
reactivitybasedon solubilityin diluteacidssupport of Mioceneage and are the world's largestknown
data in showingthat $echura reservesin which the two principal componentsare
the crystallographic
apatitesare highlycarbonate substitut.ed. phosphateand diatonfite.
The low fluorinecontentand high carbonatesub- The low fluorine contentand high carbonatecon-
tents of the $echura apatite are unique and un-
matched by anyof hundreds of samplesof sedimen-
T^m.E 7. Crystallographic
Data on SomeSelectedApatites
tary apatitesfrom manyworldwidelocations that
Unit-cell Mean refractive rangein agefrom Proterozoicthroughthe Tertiary.
Source a, angstrom index, The $echuraapatite is most similar to the low-
fluorineapatiteassociated
with the Holocenediato-
Central Florida 9.336 1.613 maceousooze on the sea floor off the coastsof Chile
North Florida 9.334 1.607
Morocco 9.341 1.618 and Peru as recentlydescribedby Burnett (1977).
Gafsa,Tunisia 9.326 1.602 More data are neededthan presentedhere to ex-
Taiba, Senegal 9.352 1.62l
Togo 9.351 1.619 plainall thedetails
of theoriginof theapatite,
but
Kola 9.365 1.630 the followingconclusionshavebeenreached.
North Carolina 9.322 1.602
Sechura 9.336 1.601 1. The phosphate pelletsin the phosphorite
beds
Sechura 9.340 1.604 weresubjected to the movement of currentsafter
their formation;this removedsmallergrainedma-
Theseratiosrepresentthe maximumand minimumvalues
measuredon eightdifferentsamples
of Sechurarock. terial from the areaof deposition.The actionof
 SECHURt PHOSPHATE DEPOSITS 259

currentsis demonstratedby (a) the differencesin T. M. C.

sortingof the phosphoritepelletsin the individual Ro DOCEGEOLOGIA E MINERAqXO(DOCEGEO)
GRuPo CVRD
beds;a higherdegreeof sortingis accompanied by a
higher P2Oncontent,i.e., more pelletsand lessfine- G. H.RIO DEJANEIRO,BRAZIL
McC.
grained interpelletdilutants, (b) tangentialcontacts INTERNATIONAL FERTILIZER DEVELOPMENT CENTER
of pellets,(c) erosionalbasalcontactsof phosphor- P.O. Box 2040
ites with diatomites,and (d) localcross-bedding. MUSCLESHOALS,ALABAMA35660
2. The diatomitesand phosphaticdiatomiteswere E. S. M.
formedin areassubjectedto much lesscurrent move- DUVAL CORPORATION
mentas evidencedby smallergrain size,poorersort- 4715 EAST FORT LOWELL

ing of containedpellets,and planar basalcontactsof TUCSON. ARIZONa 85712

diatomitewith phosphorite.
3. Tectonismwas taking placeto a significantde-
gree in the area as evidencedby the folding and
erosion before depositionof the Clam Bore Sand-
stone and the presenceof tuffs which indicate vul-
canism in nearby areas.
Acknowledgments
Many peoplecontributeddirectlyto the success of
the initial exploration. Chief amongthesewere the
late George L. Nicol, Edward $. Montgomery, Dr.
Alberto Benevides,Dr. CharlesF. Park, Jorge Vera
Tudela, Joe Huseby, Kathleen Montgomery, and
Hugo Ramirez B. Many others gave advice and
suggestions that contributedindirectly to the results
presentedherein, suchas Richard P. Sheldon,V. E.
McKelvey, and David $. Robertson.
We are particularly indebtedto Dr. Donald Ever-
hart for his insistenceand persistence in convincing
us that the data and resultspresentedherein would
be of value 15 years after completionof the senior
author's work in Sechura.
October 6, 1978
REFERENCES
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