Occurrence of alteration processes in olivine-gabbros from Moa (Holguín): the example of the regolith in the “Centeno” area
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Abstract
Results are presented regarding the progress of the weathering process that took place in the gabbro regolith from the "Centeno" sector in Moa (Holguín province), based on calculations of the mafic-ultramafic indices (UMIA) and lateritization (LLI), which allowed its classification as maximum intensity (grade VI). On the other hand, in the interval between 2.00 and 11.50 m depth, the different mineralogical neoformations that were identified in said regolith, through the use of instrumental techniques of chemical and mineralogical analysis available in the country, indicated the presence of kaolinitic clay minerals with a disordered structure at significant contents (61 - 64% m/m), a fact that made it possible to propose the subsequent use of the regolith as a source of Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCM) for the production of Low Carbon Cement LC3. Another important result of the investigation was the identification of three metasomatic alteration products in the olivine gabbro of the sector in the deeper zones (13.50 - 16.70 m) of the regolith; bowlingite, iddingsite and rodingite, reported for the first time in the cumulative gabbro complex of the "Sagua - Moa - Baracoa" massif, the trioctahedral smectitic clay iron saponite, whose TG-D1TG thermograms resulted in terms of the magnitude of their respective endoeffects, similar to those of a locality in Hungary.
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