A Geochemical Approach and Industrial Utilization of Some Marble Bodies from Ubo River Area and Environs, Southwestern Nigeria

Marble bodies occur in Ubo River Area as lenses of rocks. Seven (07) marble samples were obtained, analyzed and subjected to X-Ray Flourescence (XRF) analysis to determine both the major and trace elemental composition of the samples. The analysis revealed high CaO values (52.23-58.10 wt. %) and moderate values for SiO2 (7.50-10.43wt. %), fairly low values for Al_2O_3 (2.30 – 4.21 wt. %), Fe_2O_3 (2.62 – 5.15 wt. %), MgO (0.42 – 0.7 wt. %), MnO (0.01 – 0.06 wt. %), K_2O (0.32 – 1.55 wt. %) and Na_2O (0.01 – 0.03 wt. %), respectively. Variation plots involving Na_2O/Al_2O_3 vs K_2O/Al_2O_3 reveal sedimentary progenitors for the rocks. The fairly high SiO_2 and low K_2O content is an indication of the environment of deposition and may have been in a shallow marine environment with fair input of classic sediments into the system. The relatively high CaO content, moderate SiO_2 content and fairly low Al_2O_3 and Fe_2O_3 values indicates a fair degree of purity of the parent rock, hence its suitability as a raw material in the industrial sector.