Facies and Depositional Environment of the Phosphate Deposits at El-Rashda, El-Mawhoob Area, Dakhla Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt.

Abstract

This work which is based on the field and laboratory investigations represents to throw light on the geological, mineralogical, geochemical and environmental deposition of the phosphorite deposits at El-Rashda, El-Mawhoob area, Dakhla, Western Desert, Egypt.fifty stratigraphic sections, 19 borholes representing the study area, are measured, sampled and studied.The laboratory work comprises 69 samples for studying physical properties, 11 samples for XRD analyses, 27 thin sections and 133 samples for chemical analyses using XRF method to detect the major oxides, as well as trace element.The studies revealed that flour apatite, carbonate flourapatite, carbonatehydroxylapat, flourellestadite, ankerite, dolomite, are the main constituents of the studied phosphorite deposits. While the associated minerals are, halite, quartz, anhydrite, montmorillonite, calcite. (table