Mineralogy of Doussiegoussou Marble (North-West) of Tchibanga and its Use in Housing in Gabon

Jean-Eudes Boulingui

Abstract: The Doussiegoussou marble is located in the heart of the Neoproterozoic terrains in the Nyanga Province in southwestern Gabon and east of the Atlantic Gulf of Guinea. The macroscopic study of the marble outcrops represented by three samples BTM1, BTM2 and BTM3 revealed a coloration varying from dark grey, passing from white to light grey, thus making it possible to designate three materials. The three samples of marble in the context of uses in the habitat were subject to a treatment aimed at the manufacture of floor covering tiles. Also in order to know the mineralogical phases present in the three mineral materials, X-ray diffraction analyzes were carried out on the three samples. The characteristic mineral phase of the three marble rocks is calcite identified at the main peak at 3.03 ?. Other minerals with low intensities of the main peaks are present in the three rock samples, namely quartz at 3.34 ?, illite at 9.97 ? in the BTM3 material than in the BTM1 and BTM2. Doussiegoussou marble can be mined industrially and used in construction, for the manufacture of earthenware, tiles or even decoration.

Keywords: Marble, Doussiegoussou, Mineralogy, Habitat, Decoration