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The XAS analysis of a blue-and-white Ming porcelain's decorations has been used to elucidate the porcelain's production technology. The porcelain exhibits the typical blue decorations with dark spots that are constituted by dendritic aggregates enriched in Mn and Fe. The XAS revealed that during firing Mn2+ and Fe2+ ions diffused into the glaze and started to crystallize at 900 °C as rhodonite and hausmannite-jacobsite intermediate compounds. The study of the Fe XAS pre-edges provided to be a powerful tool to assess the redox record from the porcelain. The natural basalt calibration determined the Fe3+/ƩFe × 100 in the glaze and confirmed the oxidizing conditions during its production. Hence, the obtained XAS helped to elucidate the temperatures at which the wares were produced by identifying the porcelain's pigments and the redox conditions during their production. This novel approach can also be applied on a broad range of modern and archaeological ceramics to elucidate their production technology.

The Hamutenha intrusion (Huíla province, SW Angola) is a 3-km-long elongated magmatic body defined by a set of two intrusive units. The northern unit is formed by alternating bands of dunites and olivine gabbros, while the southern unit is composed of amphibole diorites. The Hamutenha body is hosted by the Paleoproterozoic Epupa Complex in the Angolan Shield, SW margin of the Congo Craton. A mineralogical, petrological and geochemical study of the Hamutenha intrusion has been performed. The constrained compositional features of the parental melt suggest interaction of tholeiitic magmas with a significant enrichment in Fe and Ti. Although disseminated Fe–Ni–Cu-(Co) secondary sulphides are observed, both the crustal contamination parameters and generally low bulk-rock metals contents indicate that these elements were most likely previously extracted from the parental melt. U–Pb zircon dating of amphibole diorite samples from the southern unit yields a date of 1844 ± 14 Ma. These data suggest that the emplacement of these rocks was previous to the KC emplacement and it was probably related to the Paleoproterozoic Epupa Complex magmatism. This work has been supported by the project CGL2009-13758 of the Spanish Government and the projects SGR-444 and SGR-589 of the Catalan Government.

Large kaolin deposits developed by weathering on Precambrian granitic rocks have been discovered in the Caluquembe area, Huila province, Angola. To determine accuracy of analysis and to evaluate the kaolinite grade, a full-profile Rietveld refinement by X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD) and Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) was used. Caluquembe kaolin is composed mainly of kaolinite (44–93 wt.%), quartz (0–23 wt.%), and feldspar (4–14 wt.%). The Aparicio-Galan-Ferrell index (AGFI), calculated by XRPD profile refinement, indicates low- and medium-defect kaolinite. Kaolinite particles show a platy habit and they stack together forming ‘booklets’ or radial aggregates; they also occur as small anhedral particles in a finer-grained mass. Muscovite-kaolinite intergrowths have also been found. Whole-rock chemical analysis included major, trace, and Rare Earth Elements (REE). Chondrite-normalized REE patterns show the same tendency for all samples, with a significant enrichment in Light Rare Earth Elements (LREE). Mineralogical and compositional features of the Caluquembe kaolin indicate that it is a suitable material for the manufacture of structural products, such as bricks, paving stones, and roofing tiles. In addition, the significant REE contents of the Caluquembe kaolin can be considered as a potential future target of mining exploration.

Cobalt demand is increasing due to its key role in the transition to clean energies. Although the main Co ores are the sediment-hosted stratiform copper deposits of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Co is also a by-product of Ni–Co laterite deposits, where Co extraction efficiency depends, among other factors, on the correct identification of Co-bearing minerals. In this paper, we reported a detailed study of the Co mineralisation in the Ni–Co laterite profiles of Loma Caribe (Dominican Republic) and Loma de Hierro (Venezuela). Cobalt is mainly associated with Mn-oxyhydroxide minerals, with a composition between Ni asbolane and lithiophorite, although a Co association with phyllosilicates has also been recorded in a Loma de Hierro deposit. In Loma Caribe, Co-bearing Mn-oxyhydroxide minerals mainly developed colloform aggregates, and globular to spherulitic grains, while in Loma de Hierro, they displayed banded colloform, fibrous or tabular textures. Most of the compositional analyses of Mn-oxyhydroxides yielded 20 and 40 wt.% Mn, with Ni and Co up to 16 and 10 wt.%, respectively. In both profiles, Mn-bearing minerals were mainly found in the transition from the oxide horizon to the saprolite, as observed in other laterite profiles in the world, where the precipitation of Mn-bearing minerals is enhanced because of the pore solution saturation and pH increase., This research was supported by grant PID2019-105625RB-C21 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the Caribbean Lithosphere Reserve Group (http://caribbeanlithos.com/). IDAEA-CSIC is a Severo Ochoa Center of Research Excellence (Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, Project CEX2018-000794-S).

A volcanic dome complex of Miocene age hosts the In-bearing &Aacute, nimas&ndash, Chocaya&ndash, Siete Suyos district in SW Bolivia. Ore mineralization occurs as banded and massive infillings in sub-vertical, NE-SW striking veins. In this article, a detailed petrographic study is combined with in situ mineral geochemistry determinations in ore from the Arturo, Chorro and Diez veins in the Siete Suyos mine, the &Aacute, nimas, Burton, Colorada, and Rosario veins in the &Aacute, nimas mine and the Nueva vein in the Chocaya mine. A three-stage paragenetic sequence is roughly determined for all of them, and includes (1) an early low-sulfidation stage that is dominated by cassiterite, pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite, and high-Fe sphalerite (FeS &gt, 21 mol. %), (2) a second intermediate-sulfidation stage dominated by pyrite + marcasite &plusmn, intermediate product, sphalerite (FeS &lt, 21 mol. %), stannite, and local famatinite, and, (3) a late intermediate-sulfidation stage dominated by galena and Ag-Pb-Sn sulfosalts. Electron-probe microanalyses reveal high indium enrichment in stage-2 sphalerite (up to 9.66 wt.% In) and stannite (up to 4.11 wt.% In), and a moderate enrichment in rare wurtzite (up to 1.61 wt.% In), stage-1 sphalerite (0.35 wt.% In), cassiterite (up to 0.25 wt.% In2O3), and ramdohrite (up to 0.24 wt.% In). Therefore, the main indium mineralization in the district can be associated to the second, intermediate-sulfidation stage, chiefly in those veins in which sphalerite and stannite are more abundant. Atomic concentrations of In and Cu in sphalerite yield a positive correlation at Cu/In = 1 that agrees with a (Cu+ + In3+) 2Zn2+ coupled substitution. The availability of Cu in the mineralizing fluids during the crystallization of sphalerite is, in consequence, essential for the incorporation of indium in its crystal lattice and would control the distribution of indium enrichment at different scales. The highest concentrations of indium in sphalerite, which is found in the Diez vein in the Siete Suyos mine, occur in crustiform bands of sphalerite with local &ldquo, chalcopyrite disease&rdquo, texture, which has not been observed in the other studied veins. In stannite, the atomic concentrations of In are negatively correlated with those of Cu and Sn at Cu + In = 2 and Sn + In = 1. Thus, atomic proportions and correlations suggest the contextualization of the main indium mineralization in the sphalerite&ndash, stannite&ndash, roquesite pseudoternary system.

Chiva is a circular lagoon with a diameter of 900 m, located in the vicinity of the Catanda graben (Angola). This area is largely covered by Quaternary lacustrine sediments, however, a few dykes of carbonatiticcomposition have been found near the SE shore of the lagoon. The intrusion of these carbonatitic dykes has been linked to the occurrence of recent volcanic events in the Chiva area and interpreted as feeding channels of an eruptive centre with maar morphology. The Chiva carbonatitic dykes show a finely porphyritic texture formed by phenocrysts of subhedral calcite (60 %), apatite (30 %) and magnetite (10 %) hosted in a fine calcite-rich ground mass that also contains accessory minerals such as pyrochlore, perovskite and kimzeyite. The mineralogical and compositional features of the Chiva dykes are similar o those described in some of the carbonatitic lavas from the Catanda graben, suggesting that both volcanic events are genetically related. The finding of this new eruptive centre enlarges the carbonatitic domain of Catanda and opens the door to the discovery of new carbonatitic outcrops in this region of Western Angola. En las inmediaciones del graben de Catanda (Angola) se localiza una laguna circular de 900 metros de diámetro conocida como laguna de Chiva. Aunque éste área se encuentra mayoritariamente cubierta por sedimentos lacustres, hay afloramientos de un pequeño grupo de diques de composición carbonatítica en la orilla SE de la laguna. La intrusión de estos diques carbonatíticos se relaciona con el desarrollo de eventos volcánicos en la zona de Chiva y se interpreta como los antiguos canales de alimentación de un centro eruptivo que desarrolló una morfología de maar. Los diques carbonatíticos de Chiva presentan una típica textura porfídica formada por fenocristales subhedrales de calcita (60 %), apatito (30 %) y magnetita (10 %) implantados en una matriz de calcita de grano fino con cantidades accesorias de pirocloro, perovskita y kimzeyita. Las características mineralógicas y composicionales de los diques del maar de Chiva son equivalentes a las descritas en las lavas carbonatíticas del graben de Catanda, lo que sugiere que ambos procesos volcánicos están relacionados genéticamente. El hallazgo de este nuevo centro eruptivo amplía la zona de desarrollo del vulcanismo carbonatítico en Catanda y abre la puerta al posible descubrimiento de nuevos afloramientos carbonatíticos extrusivos en esta zona occidental de Angola.

The pyroclastic carbonatitic rocks from the Catanda volcanic area (Angola) contain annite and phlogopite grains which have been affected to a significant extent by vermiculitization. A mineralogical study of these micas has revealed that the annite was altered to K-vermiculite while vermiculitization of phlogopite generated Ca-vermiculite. Intermediate alteration products such as intergrowths of phlogopite/Ca-vermiculite were also found, but interstratified crystals of phlogopite/ vermiculite, a common intermediate product during vermiculitization processes, are not reported in the Catanda rocks. The two types of vermiculitized micas show ‘accordion’ textures, related to the expansion of vermiculite. To the authors’ knowledge, the present study is the first report of expanded vermiculites described in natural rocks and not generated as a consequence of industrial processing.