FORMATION OF ZEOLITE DEPOSITS OF GAZAKH DEPRESSION (LESSER CAUCASUS)

Abstract

The paper deals with regularities of formation and location of zeolite-containing deposits of the Gazakh trough of the Lesser Caucasus. The Aydag deposit is located in the Tauz district of Azerbaijan, 7 km away from the Tauz city. The Aydag deposit productive stratum of natural zeolitized ash tuffs in combination with the same characteristics of the enclosing rocks can be classified as a complex deposit with a relatively non-uniform composition and structure of the productive stratum. The mineral and chemical compositions of zeolite-bearing rocks of the Aydag deposit have been thoroughly studied. Special feature of this deposit is the high content of clinoptilolite. According to X-ray diffractometry and mineralogical analysis of average samples, its content is around 70-80%. The porosity of this rock is around 15-20%, or even more, and does not depend on the stratigraphic level. It was found that the high-silica zeolitites of the Upper Cretaceous strata of the Lok-Karabagh zone belong to the hydrothermal-epigenetic type, which formed after the uplift of the enclosing strata, and generally the resource material for the formation of zeolites used to be volcanic glass of acidic, medium, rarely basic composition, contained in tuffs.

Keywords

• цеолитсодержащие отложения
• клиноптилолит
• бентонит
• гидротермаль-но-эпигенетический тип
• Газахский прогиб
• Малый Кавказ
• Айдагское месторождение