Mineralogy of Nodules in the Milyang Pyrophyllite Deposit, Gyeongsangnamdo, South Korea

밀양 납석광상에서 산출되는 단괴의 광물조성

Some nodules occur in the Milyang pyrophyllite deposit which are hydrothermal alteration products by Late Cretaceous andesitic tuff. These nodules are divided into two types on the basis of mineral assemblages; diaspore and pyrophyllite nodules. The diaspore nodules consist mainly of diaspore, kaolinite, pyrophyllite and pyrite with a small amounts of wavellite and tourmaline. They are light purplish grey in color, ellipsoid in shape and range 1 cm to 15 cm in size. A small or large diffuse band exists in some nodules. The platy coarse-grained diaspore is intergrown with the fine-aggregated kaolinite in the central part of the nodule. It appears that the grain size become fine from center to margin. The pyrophyllite nodules, which have the same shape with diaspore nodules, consist dominantly of pyrophyllite accompanied by small amounts of quartz, kaolinite, svanbergite, wavellite, tourmaline and apatite. Chemical compositions of alteration zones and nodules show that the wall rock alteration involved mainly the removal of large quantities of silica and alkalies and small quantities of Ca, Mg and Fe. The sharp increase in the Al content of the nodules is the result of residual concentration of alumina by the leaching of the mobile components. The pyrophyllite nodules were formed in the fluid saturated with quartz as ${\mu}_{HK_{-1}}$ and ${\mu}_{H_{2}O}$ increase. Under this condition, the pyrophyllite-kaolinite-quartz assemblage was stable. Diaspores formed from pyrophyllites in the fluid undersaturated with quartz as ${\mu}_{H_{2}O}$ increases (decreasing temperature). Under this condition, diaspore-pyrophyllite-kaolinite assemblage become stable. The formation temperature of the nodules on the basis of mineral assemblage is estimated as $275{\sim}340^{\circ}C$.