Vanadium in the Titaniferous Magnetites of Quebec

CIM Bulletin, 1972

The results of a chemical and mineralogical study of eighteen opaque-oxide occurrences are discussed and the detailed chemical, metallurgical and mining feasibility study of a vanadium-rich magnetite deposit is summarized. A plot of the mol-percentages in the system Fe0- Fe20 3-Ti02 indicates that the deposits fall into two distinct groups: some contain hematite with ilmenite, and some others have magnetite with ilmenite (titaniferous magnetites). The plot also suggests that the two types of deposits were crystallized from liquids of different compositions. Each group has its distinct structural features. Vanadium is present in all of the studied specimens, however concentrations of economic importance have so far been found only in the titaniferous magnetite deposits. The vanadium content of the oxide concentrations of the Dore Lake Complex is the largest among the studied occurrences. Analyses of the concentrates of the drill-core sections show a compositional variation across the orebody; a continuous increase in the tenor of Ti02 and a decrease in the vanadium content upward in the layered sequence is found. Concentration tests on several tons of samples indicate that about 80 per cent of the vanadium is recovered in the magnetite concentrate.

Keywords: Anorthosite, Concentrate, Concentrates, Deposits, gabbro-X Samples, hematite, ilmenite, Magnetite-ilmenite Labradorite, Pyroxene Anorthosite, Magnetite, Oxide, Quebec, Titaniferous magnetite, Vanadium