Fibrous Minerals and Naturally Occurring Asbestos (NOA) in the Metacarbonate Hosted Fe Oxide-Cu-Au-Co Mineralized Rocks from the Guelb Moghrein Mine, Akjoujt, Mauritania: Implications for In Situ Hazard Assessment and Mitigation Protocols
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The awareness of the potential risks associated with the environmental exposition of asbestos is on the rise and has facilitated a novel interest in the in situ identification and hazards of fibrous minerals. The mineralised metacarbonate rocks of Guelb Moghrein deposit have not been studied based on the aim of identifying and characterising the fibrous minerals occurrences. Thus, the aim of the study was to collect samples from different lithotypes having contained visually identifiable fibrous minerals and examine the geological-structural features pertaining to their mode of occurrence and formation. The mineral fibre components of the rock samples demonstrated fibrous and asbestiform mineralisation occurs via several modes including fracture fill, slip-fibre recrystallisation and replacement. The geological diversity of fibrous amphibole mineralisation is shown in this study and points to the chemistry of the rocks in this area as well as open space being the major factors controlling the presence of NOA in this deposit. The analytical variability of NOA due to different fibrous mineral intergrowths is investigated in this work by determining the bulk mineralogical and geochemical properties of the fibrous mineral content of sample 1. The confirmation and identification of the asbestiform features exhibited by siderite, anthophyllite and talc in the mineralised metacarbonate of the Guelb Moghrein deposit underlines the necessity for further mineralogical research to enhance our understanding fibrous minerals and how we assess their potential hazards to health.
Source: Minerals
DOI: 10.3390/min15090991
Institution: University of the Witwatersrand
Language: English
Subfield: Geochemistry and Petrology
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,896
OpenAlex ID: W4414329245