Abstract Mai-Kuhli lateritic iron deposit is located near Shiraro town in Tigray region of northern Ethiopia. The deposit is developed at the interface between the Neoproterozic low-grade metamorphic rocks and Paleo-Mesozoic sedimentary succession. This paper characterizes the deposit based on geological, mineralogical and geochemical data. The mineralogical data was generated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and petrographic methods while geochemical data was generated using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS) and Inductively Coupled Plasma - Atomic Emission Spectrometer (ICP-AES). The deposit is mostly developed on pseudo pisolitic and mixed nodular sub horizons associated with ferruginous sandstone and mudstone. In this deposit, hematite and goethite are the dominant iron ore minerals while clay and quartz dominate the impurities. Goethite is converted to hematite following sequences from limonite →goethite→ hematite. All results indicate that in-situ weathering followed by leaching played a major role in the formation of Mai-Kuhli lateritic iron deposit. The Chemical Index of Weathering (97.96–99.97%) and Chemical Index of Alteration (76.66–99.80%) show that the host rock has experienced strong weathering and alteration under hot and humid climatic condition of subtropical-tropical zone. Relatively higher values of the immobile elements Fe, Al, Ti, Zr, Cr, V and Hf suggest their enrichment during lateritization. The parent rock composition, absorption and adsorption processes, iron concentration variation in weathering profile and degree of leaching of minerals have played a major role in the distribution of trace and REEs in the weathering profile of the deposit.

中文翻译：

---

埃塞俄比亚北部提格雷西部Mai-Kuhli地区红土铁矿床成因及特征

摘要 Mai-Kuhli红土铁矿床位于埃塞俄比亚北部提格雷地区Shiraro镇附近。矿床发育于新元古代低品位变质岩与古中生代沉积层序交界处。本文根据地质、矿物和地球化学数据对矿床进行了表征。矿物学数据是使用 X 射线衍射 (XRD) 和岩相学方法生成的，而地球化学数据是使用电感耦合等离子体质谱仪 (ICP-MS) 和电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱仪 (ICP-AES) 生成的。矿床主要发育在与铁质砂岩和泥岩相关的假硅质和混合结节状亚层上。在该矿床中，赤铁矿和针铁矿是主要的铁矿石矿物，而粘土和石英则是主要的杂质。针铁矿按照褐铁矿→针铁矿→赤铁矿的顺序转化为赤铁矿。所有结果表明，原位风化和浸出在迈库利红土铁矿床的形成中起主要作用。化学风化指数（97.96-99.97%）和化学蚀变指数（76.66-99.80%）表明，主岩在亚热带-热带湿热气候条件下经历了强烈的风化和蚀变。相对较高的固定元素 Fe、Al、Ti、Zr、Cr、V 和 Hf 值表明它们在红土化过程中富集。母岩成分、吸收和吸附过程、风化剖面中铁浓度的变化和矿物的浸出程度对矿床风化剖面中痕量和稀土元素的分布起到了主要作用。