MRP Reviewer (COLLECTED)

METALLICS

IRON ·        A lustrous, ductile, malleable, silver-gray metal. ·        4th most common element in the earth’s crust. ·        2nd most abundant metallic element. PRINCIPAL IRON MINERALS: Hematite( Varieties: Red Ochre – Red Earthy luster, Specularite- Metallic luster) Magnetite ( Lodestone), Limonite, Goethite, Siderite.	Philippine iron deposits are classified into:
	A) SKARN		Limestone or calcareous sediments are intruded by a younger intermediate to acidic pluton MOST IMPORTANT IRON DEPOSITS IN THE PHILIPPINES
	B) MAGNETITE SAND		Deposit type consists of magnetite concentrations in beach and alluvial sand.  Batas Pambansa Blg. 265 – “ An Act Prohibiting the Extraction of Gravel and Sand from Beaches and Providing Penalties Thereof” which was approved on Nov. 13, 1982.
	C) LATERITE		The deposits are of two types: nickeliferous and aluminous. ultramafic rocks (e.g., dunite and peridotite) are nickeliferous as these rocks contain significant amounts of nickel that develop into silicate nickel ore (garnierite) mafic rocks (e.g., gabbro and basalt) are high in alumina (Al2O3) bauxite or bauxitic clay forms.
	d) sedimentary		Sedimentary iron deposits are in the form of layers of hematite and/or magnetite interbedded with sediments.
	e) bog		Occur in small low-grade deposits with much manganese, phosphorus, water, clay, and other impurities.
	f) spring		Originated as spring emanations in Quaternary volcanic terranes.
		LOCATION		OPERATOR	HOST ROCK	AGE
SKARN
a. Larap Iron-Copper-Molybdenum  skarn deposit		Larap, Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte			The oldest rock suite and host to iron-base metal mineralization consists of the metamorphosed interbedded  marls,  calcareous shales, arkoses,  graywackes, sandstones and conglomerates of the Early Miocene age Universal Formation or Tumbaga Formation intruded by swarms of granodioritic to monzonitic dikes related to a diorite (Tamisan Diorite)stock sw of the ore body.	Late Miocene age
b. Sta.Ines iron-skarn deposit		Santa Ines, Antipolo, Rizal		Santa Ines Iron and Steel Corporation	Santa Ines Diorite intruded limestone and clastic rocks	Late Eocece to Middle Miocene
c. Lamin iron-skarn deposit		Lammin, Carasi, Ilocos Norte		Ilocandia Iron and Smelting Incorporated	Diorite and quartz diorite stocks	Oligocene age
MAGNETITE SAND
Sta. Cruz  and Agoo magnetite sand deposits		Sta. Cruz to Tagudin, Ilocos Sur and Agoo, La Union			The beach sand is fine to medium-grained. Magnetite occurs either as grains disseminated with other alluvial minerals in the sand or within distinct layers that are subcentimeter to 2 cm thick. These coastal areas are underlain by clastic sedimentary rocks of Upper Miocene – Pleistocene age. Magnetite comes from the erosion of older rock units in the Central Cordillera. Primary mineral: Titanomagnetite	Younger than Upper Miocene – Pleistocene age.
LATERITE IRON DEPOSITS
Laterite iron deposits of the Surigao Mineral Reservations		The reservation comprises the central eastern portion of Surigao peninsula (Parcel I) in northeastern Mindanao; southern Dinagat, Nonoc, Hinatuan and Masepelid islands and lesser isles (Parcel II); northern Dinagat island (Parcel III); and Siargao and Bucas Grande islands (Parcel IV)			The laterite iron deposits are residual products of chemical weathering of serpentinized ultramafic rocks. Limonite is the chief constituent of the laterite iron ore while hematite and magnetite occurs in subordinate amounts.	Pleistocene
SEDIMENTARY BEDDED IRON DEPOSIT
Camalaniugan Sedimentary bedded iron deposit		Geographical name: Bgy. .Camalaniugan, Aparri, Cagayan (10 km south of Aparri Poblacion, Cagayan)   Central geographic coordinates: 18°18’N, 121°37’E			The deposit formed within a structural basin that probably ponded into a lake. Iron supplied into this basin originated from the chemical weathering of surrounding rocks, which shows evidence of pyritization probably brought about by dioritic intrusions. Principal Ore: Hematite and Limonite
SEDIMENTARY BOG IRON DEPOSIT
Taan sedimentary bog iron deposit		Geographical description: The deposit lies at the southern sector of Nueva Vizcaya near the provincial boundary of Quezon and Nueva Ecija. It is within the interior highland of the Sierra Madre mountains.   Central geographic coordinates: 15°38’N, 121°19’E			The upper section of the Pliocene Ilagan Sandstone hosts the iron deposit. Overlying this unit in probable unconformity is a flat-lying, poorly consolidated conglomerate, probably equivalent to the Pleistocene Alat Conglomerate Principal Ore: Hematite and Magnetite

Nickel ·        A silvery white, magnetic metallic element used chiefly in making alloys. ·        A common by-product of nickel laterite deposits is cobalt. ·        22nd in natural abundance among elements in crustal rock. Pricnipal Ore: Garnierite, Millerite, Niccolite, Pentlandite, Pyrrhotite		CLASSIFICATION OFDEPOSIT
		NICKEL LATERITE		derived from the weathering of underlying ultramafic rocks found along the ophiolite belts of the country form the bulk of nickel deposits. Localities: Surigao, Palawan and Samar
		NICKEL SULFIDES Magmatic Nickel Sulfide Deposit Hydrothermal Nickel Sulfide deposit		Magmatic nickel sulfide is closely associated with chromitites and platinum group elements (PGE). Localities: Acoje, Sta. Cruz, Zambales occurs in narrow silicified zones in serpentinite rock and in rocks immediately adjacent to it. Known deposits are believed to be epithermal (i.e., formed at shallow depths). Localities: Leyte and Ilocos Norte
Nickel laterite
	LOCATION		OPERATOR		HOST ROCK	AGE
Rio Tub nickel laterite deposit	Barangay Rio Tuba, Bataraza, Palawan		Rio Tuba  Nickel Corporation (RTNMC)		Ultramafic Member  of thePalawan Ophiolite, consisting of the Mt.  Beaufort ultramafics and the Espina Formation The in-situ weathering of the Mt. Beaufort ultramafics resulted in the concentration and enrichment of nickel and cobalt in the preserved laterite (soil) profile.	Late Cretaceous
Hinatuan Island nickel laterite deposit	Geographical name: Tagaba-an, Nonoc Island, Surigao del Norte		Hinatuan Mining Corporation		ultramafic rock consists predominantly of harzburgite
Nonoc Island nickel laterite deposit	Nonoc Island, Surigao del Norte		Philnico Mining and Industrial Corporation		Nickeliferous laterites are developed on the ultramafic rocks. Limonite Type
Adlay-Cadianao- Tandawa (ACT) Project	Carrascal, Surigao del Sur		QNI Ltd.		The nickel laterites are developed on the ultramafic rocks bordering the eastern portions of Surigao del Norte The main nickel ore is limonite and garnierite
MAGMATIC NICKEL
Acoje magmatic nickel sulfide deposit	Sitio Pasicar, Sta. Cruz, Zambales		Acoje Mining Corp.		The nickel sulfide lenses are hosted primarily by the black dunite facies. Nickel sulfide mineralization is dominated by pentlandite although some occurrence of heazlewoodite and godlevskite were also noted.
EPITHERMAL NICKEL
Jaro deposit	Minulho, Jaro Leyte				Nickel sulfides occur along silicified shear zones in the serpentinite as individual grains and as colloform bands The mineralization is being linked with Pliocene-Pleistocene volcanism.	Pliocene-Pleistocene volcanism

Limonite zone. The limonite zone, as the term implies, is composed predominantly of iron clay minerals. It is usually capped by reddish-brown soil with low nickel content.  Most often, this capping, termed as overburden in mining parlance, is low in nickel but rich in iron as manifested by the presence of iron pisolites or hard caps. As this material progresses downward, the color usually turns into various shades of yellow and brown (Zone 2, the accumulation zone). It is still rich in iron but the nickel values are now relatively higher than the upper portion. The limonite zone exhibits plasticity and highly porous. Slightly weathered boulders of the bedrock most often appear in the lower portion of the limonite zone.

Saprolite zone. The contact between the limonite and the saprolite (Zone 4) may be gradational or sharp. Depending on the intensity of weathering and laterite development, the saprolite may have variable thickness even in one confined area. This thickness range from less than a meter to more than 8 meters. The saprolite is colored with various shades of green mixed with hues of yellow and brown. It turns into various shades of blue, gray to black as it approaches the bedrock. The iron content becomes sharply and significantly less than in the limonite zone while the magnesium content progressively becomes richer at depth. The higher ore grade is believed to be due to the downward migration of nickel which eventually settles along the numerous cracks in the saprolite. The ubiquitous green coatings along fractures are often due to garnierite, a high grade

Chromium 21st in natural abundance among the elements in crustal rocks.			CLASSIFICATION OF PRIMARY PODIFORM (Orthomagmatic) CHROMITE DEPOSIT chrome to iron ratio (Cr:Fe) metallurgical (2.4-3.2:1) refractory (1.8-2.3:1)
PRIMARY PODIFORM (Orthomagmatic) CHROMITE DEPOSITS The chromite deposits generally occur within the ultramafic portions of ophiolite complexes. Peridotite rocks that host the mineralization are harzburgite, dunite, and cumulate ultramafic-mafic layers
			OPHIOLITE BELTS (Alpine- Type) 1) Zambales Ophiolite 2) Casiguran Ophiolite 3) Angat Ophiolite 4) Eastern Bicol-Eastern Mindanao Ophiolite 5) Western Bicol-Eastern Leyte Ophiolite 6) Central Mindanao Ophiolite 7) Antique Ophiolite 8) Zamboanga-Sulu Ophiolite 9) Palawan Ophiolite. A complete ophiolite consists of a continuous sequence from top to bottom of metamorphic peridotite, cumulate peridotite, pyroxenite, dunite, chert, spilite, and conformable pelagic sediments that are collectively thought to represent oceanic crust and upper mantle material.
RESIDUAL AND TRANSPORTED CHROMITE DEPOSITS The chromite deposits in laterite and alluvial/beach placer sands are associated with ultramafic exposures.
	LOCATION	OPERATOR		GEOLOGY	AGE
Acoje orthomagmatic podiform chromite deposit	Pascal, Sta. Cruz, Zambales;	Acoje Mining Corp.		Metallurgical chromite mineralization at Acoje generally occurs as pods, and lenses within the dunite horizon and the basal cumulate mafic sequence.
Coto orthomagmatic podiform chromite deposit	Baloganan, Masinloc, Zambales	Consolidated Mines, Inc. and operated by Benguet Corporation		The deposit occurs within the Coto Block of the Zambales Ophiolite Complex.
Krominco orthomagmatic stratiform deposits	Dinagat Is., Surigao del Norte	Krominco, Incorporated		The chromitite bodies appear as pseudobedded deposits associated with the dunite unit of the Dinagat ophiolite
Samar lateritic (residual)  chromite deposit	Llorente, Hernani and McArthur, Samar	Co-owned by Pacific Shore Mining and Rio Chico Mining corporations		Chromite occurs mainly as (i) residual concentrations in laterites, (ii) sand as transported alluvial lateritic material deposited in flat areas near the shore and in karsted limestone areas, and (iii) primary chromite as densely disseminated bands and massive lenses in serpenti-nized bedrock.
Batang-Batang alluvial chromite and chromite sand deposit	Narra, Palawan,	Philcrome Mining Corporation		Quaternary beach sediments adjacent to the exposed ultramfaic complex of the Palawan Ophiolite

MANGANESE a silver-gray, brittle metallic element used principally in making alloys 12th in abundance among elements in the earth's crust. ORE: Rhodocrosite, Franklinite, Psilomelane/ Romanechite, Hausmannite, Braunite, Rhodonite, Alabandite, Manganite Ukraine is the world’s leading producer of high-grade manganese ore, followed by Georgia, South Africa, Brazil, and Gabon. Most of the manganese deposits of commercial importance are confined in a belt between 45º north latitude and 25º south latitude.		CLASSIFICATION Primary ( Volcanic-sedimentary) Manganese Deposits Primary manganese deposits of volcanic-sedimentary origin are those deposits associated with : a) submarine volcanic rocks and chert ; b) tuff and tuffaceous sedimentary rocks and some chert ; and c) chert only. Secondary (Residual) Manganese Deposits These deposits are formed by the weathering and reconcentration of manganese from primary bedded manganese oxides.
	LOCATION		OPERATOR	GEOLOGY	AGE
Primary sedimentary and epigenetic deposits and secondary(residual)	Anda Peninsula , Bohol		New Frontier Mines, Inc.	Manganese ore mineralization at the Anda Peninsula offers a low grade residual deposits that consist of fined-grained manganese oxide particles that range in size from 0.2 to 5 centimeters in size containing an average of 20 percent manganese.
Sedimentary	Madulag, Baler, Aurora		Central Mining Corporation.	The manganese deposits appear to consist of tabular to lenticular through        pockety bodies ranging from a few centimeters to about 3.5 meters thick.
Primary sedimentary deposit	Coron , Busuanga Island, Palawan		Jordan Mining and Industrial Corporation	Manganese occurs as intertonguing layers and/or bedded with chert and jasper.
Residual type	Barangay Camangue Lolloken, Municipality of                 Enrique Villanueva, Siquijor Island, Negros Oriental		Badillo Mining Corporation	This residual concentration of manganese ore consists  of 1 – 2 meters thick                    sandstones impregnated with manganese oxide of the Basac Formation. The ore                    occurs on the surface as beds, stringers, scattered pebbles and boulders.
Sedimentary and residual deposit	Bawang,Jiabong , Western Samar			The sedimentary deposit consists of tabular to lenticular body in tuffaceous limestone and chert of Cretaceous formation.

Copper a brownish-red metallic element, 25th most abundant element in crustal rocks. Principal Ore: Chalcopyrite and Bornite, Chalcocite, Covellite, Malachite,Azurite and Chrysocolla. In the Philippines, the principal sources of copper are porphyry copper deposits associated with dioritic to quartz dioritic and granodioritic stocks and batholiths occurring in major arcs of the Philippines.			Porphyry Copper dioritic to quartz dioritic and granodioritic stocks and batholiths They are distributed over a wide age range: Cretaceous in Cebu, Oligocene in Nueva Vizcaya and southeastern Negros, Late Miocene to Pliocene in the Luzon Central Cordillera. Epithermal/mesothermal vein-type Late Miocene to Pliocene. VMS      Kuroko-Type- These are strata-bound polymetallic mineral deposits genetically related to submarine acid volcanic activity      Cyprus- Type- The Cyprus-type refers to the massive sulfide base metal sulfide ores associated with rocks of mafic-ultramafic association of ophiolitic affinity      Besshi- Type- The description for the Besshi- or Kieslager-type copper deposits is that of stratabound massive cupriferous iron sulfide deposits, bed-like or lenticular in form, that lie conformably in crystalline schists (Kanehira and Tatsumi, 1970). It is now recognized, however, that these types of deposits are simply metamorphosed VMS deposits, of either the Kuroko or Cyprus types Vein- Type Copper      volcanic-hosted Cu-As-Sb veins – HS veins      mafic/ultramafic-hosted chalcopyrite-pyrrhotitepyrite-quartz veins Copper Skarn- Skarns are rocks consisting of Ca-Fe-Mg-Mn silicates formed by the replacement of carbonate-bearing rocks accompanied by regional or contact metamorphism and metasomatism, in response to the emplacement of intrusives of varying compositions.
PORPHYRY COPPER
	LOCATION	OPERATOR		HOST ROCK	AGE
Sto. Tomas II	Padcal, Tuba, Benguet	Philex Mining Corporation		hornblende quartz diorite porphyry,
Far Southeast	Mankayan, Beguet	Lepanto Consolidated Mining		Quartz diorite porphyry stock
Dinkidi	Didipio, Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya	Climax Mining Corporation		dark Diorite	Middle Miocene.
San Antonio	Sta.Cruz, Marinduque	Marcopper Mining Corporation		granodioritic to quartz dioritic
Carmen	Brgys. Toledo and Biga, Toledo City, Cebu	Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Corporation		Lutopandiorite and intruded rocks.
Kingking	Lawaan,PantuKan, Compostela Valley	(NADECOR)		diorite intrusive complex partly by the intruded metamorphosed volcanics	Miocene diorite intrusives.
Batong-buhay	Pasil, Kalinga			diorite body
Boyungan		Silangan Mindanao Mining Corporation
VMS DEPOSITS
	LOCATION	OPERATOR		HOST ROCK	AGE
Ungay-Malobago- Besshi Type	Pacolbon,Rapu-Rapu, Albay Prov	Rapu-Rapu Minerals Inc.		altered dacitic volcanic layers that are closely associated with intercalated quartzo-feldspathic (felsic) schists.	Middle to Late Cretaceous.
Hixbar- Besshi	Karog-kog, Rapu-Rapu, Albay Province	Hixbar Gold Mining Co. /Nielsen and Company		same	same
Canatuan	Sitio Canatuan, Bgy. Tabayo, Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte	TVI Resource Development (Philippines), Inc.		Tungauan schists
Bagacay	Hinabangan, Samar
Sulat	Lonoy and Bonot, Sulat, Eastern Samar	Trident Mining and Industrial Corp.		dacitic rocks
HIGH SULFIDATION EPITHERMAL
Tampakan	Tampakan, South Cotabato	Sagittarius Mines Incorporated		Mineralization in the area is hosted by a sequence of intermediate to alkali volcanics and subvolcanics, which are intruded by rocks of wide range compositions.  Mineralization style is that of an two earlier porphyry copper events telescoped by a highsulfidation epithermal Cu-Au deposit. The two porphyry Cu phases are hosted, respectively younging age, to quartz diorite  and hornblende-biotite diorite.
SKARN
Bessemer	Larap, Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte			Ore mineralization is largely confined within the skarn zone. Higher grade bodies are in the form of beds roughly parallel to the skarn-shale (hornfels) contact at the footwall

GOLD beauty and resistance to corrosion, most ductile and malleable 75th in order of abundance among the elemen Green gold used in jewelry contains copper and silver; white gold contains zinc and nickel, or platinum metals. Chlorauric acid is used in photography for tonin silver images. Potassium gold cyanide is used in electrogilding. The naturally occurring gold-silver alloy is called electrum. Gold also occurs in telluride (tellurium-bearing) minerals such as calaverite and sylvanite along with silver, and in the mineral nagyagite along with lead, antimony, and sulfur. It occurs with mercury as gold amalgam. It may be occasionally present in the sulfide minerals pyrite, galena and sphalerite. Seawater also contains gold of up to 9 billion metric tons, but its recovery is yet to be economically feasible	SILVER This white, lustrous metallic element conducts heat and electricity better than any other metal. It is next to gold in terms of malleability and ductility. It is harder than gold but softer than copper. 66th among elements in terms of natural abundance in the earth’s crust. Colloidal silver, dilute solutions of silver nitrate (AgNO3), and some insoluble compounds, such as potassium, are used in medicine as antiseptics and bactericides. Argyrol, a silver-protein compound, is a local antiseptic for the eyes, ears, nose, and throat. cerargyrite (or horn silver), pyrargyrite, sylvanite, and argentite.
GEOLOGY AND OCCURENCES tensional splays oblique to the Philippine fault zone Two major magmatic arcs, the Western Luzon and Eastern Philippine arcs, are the most prolific gold producers in the country.
The gold districts are (1) Baguio-Mankayan gold district along the western flank of Luzon Central Cordillera; (2) Camarines Norte Gold District of southeastern Luzon; and (3) Masbate Gold district in northwestern Masbate Island. (4) The gold province is the Eastern Mindanao Gold Province consisting of three gold districts, namely, Surigao Gold District, Central Gold District, and Masara Gold District.	Philippine gold deposits may be genetically divided into two groups: 1.       primary-hypogene gold-silver deposits 2.       secondary-supergene deposits

NON METALLICS

Industrial minerals and manufacturing materials including cement raw materials, ceramics and refractory raw materials are dealt with in this chapter.  These minerals and materials are as follows:  

ASBESTOS -Asbestos though considered a significant industrial mineral utilized in fireproofing, insulation, brake linings and asbestos cement early in 1980’s is now considered non-commercial due to its carcinogenic property.

CLASSIFICATION : §  Shingles §  Paper §  plaster LOCALITIES Bangui and Burgos, Ilocos Norte; Aguilar and Mangatarem, Pangasinan; Botolan, Cabangan, San Felipe and San Marcelino, Zambales; Abra de Ilog, Mindoro Occidental; Antique; Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon §  refuse grade

§  Asbestos

§  Feldspar

§  Talc

§  Barite 

§  Gypsum

§  Cement raw materials

§  Bentonite

§  Limestone

§  Ceramic raw material

§  Clay 

§  Magnesite

§  Refractory raw materials

§  Diatomite

§  Perlite

§  Zeolite

§  Dolomite
Silica  

BARITE Barite is an inert, heavy and stable mineral; hence, it is also called heavy spar. Oftentimes, it is white, opaque and twinned, though impurities render the mineral different colors like buff, gray and reddish. Barite is produced and sold in several forms: jig concentrate, crude lumps, ground barite, or flotation concentrate.

LOCALITIES Mabilog na Bundok, Lobo, Batangas and in Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

BENTONITE   Bentonite is clay consisting predominantly of minerals of the smectite group. Bentonite is an important mineral commodity used in foundry molding sands, drilling mud, bentonite slurries for sealing porous strata and stoppage of water movement in foundations for buildings, tunnels and dams, iron ore pelletizing, bleaching oils and fats, carriers for insecticides and pesticides, and as component of paints, pharmaceuticals, medicines and cosmetics.  Commercial bentonite deposits are formed by alteration of fine-grained volcanic debris deposited over relatively large areas. Other bentonite deposits are formed by insitu hydrothermal alteration of coarse-grained intrusive rocks.

CLASSIFICATION: 1.     SWELLING TYPE They expand considerably, from 15 to 20 times of the original volume of dry material in water and contain sodium as predominant exchangeable ion. 2.     Non Swelling Tyoe This type has negligible swelling and carries calcium as its principal exchangeable ion. ***Bentonites in the Philippines are generally of the nonswelling type, the bulk of which is classified as fuller’s earth. LOCALITIES Pangasinan, Cagayan, Nueva Ecija, Batangas, Quezon , Albay, Cebu, Leyte, Davao del Norte,

GYPSUM Gypsum is a hydrous calcium sulphate (CaSO4.2H2O) containing 20 percent water. It is obtained either from naturally occurring gypsum-bearing ores or from fertilizer manufacturing, as by-products.  At present, the expanded production capacity of most cement plants in the country requires large volume of gypsum as cement retarder. Likewise, the manufacturing industry has greater need for gypsum in the fabrication of fireproof gypsum board now proliferating among high-rise malls and condominiums.  LOCALITIES:      Over the country, the known gypsum deposits are disposed in four (4) provinces: Batangas, Albay, Camarines Sur and Negros Oriental.

LIMESTONE       Carbonate rocks are extremely common and make up approximately 15% of the sedimentary column. They occur extensively in the Philippine archipelago and vary in age from Cretaceous to Recent. The cement industry is the largest consumer of limestone.

CLAY     Clay is an earthy substance consisting chiefly of hydrous aluminum silicates with colloidal material and specks of rock fragments, which generally become plastic when wet and stone-like when fired. The biggest reserves of siliceous clay in the islands were formed by the residual alteration of chloritic schists in Siruma, Camarines Sur.

CLASSIFICATION: 1.     RESIDUAL These deposits are widely distributed in the country. Many of these clay deposits are formed from the chemical weathering of feldspar-rich rocks.            Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, Abra, Benguet, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Zambalez, Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna, Batangas, Quezon, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon, Albay, Marinduque, Romblon, Negros Occidental, Iloilo, Panay, Antique, Surigao del Sur, Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon and Zamboanga del Sur and in Zamboanga City. 2.     TRANSPORTED Transported clays are formed by accumulation in sites such as swamps and basins of clayey materials transported by water

DIATOMITE     Diatomite or “diatomaceous earth“ consists mainly of siliceous shells or skeletons of single-celled organisms called diatoms. It is composed essentially of hydrated amorphous or opalline silica with varying amounts of contaminant materials such as silica sand, clays, salts and organic matter.  LOCALITIES:      Diatomite deposits are in Pantabangan and Caranglan, Nueva Ecija; Basud, Camarines Norte; Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte; and in Quezon, Bukidnon.

FELDSPAR       Feldspar is the general term for the group of rock-forming minerals that are essentially anhydrous aluminum silicates.  It is an important material in the production of glass, fired clay products, and enamel paints.   Related to intrusions

MAGNESITE Magnesite, a natural form of magnesium carbonate with ideal magnesia content of 47.60 percent, is an important source of magnesium for industrial purposes.  Magnesium is an essential element in plant and animal metabolism, and is added to animal feeds in the form of caustic-calcined magnesia.  LOCALITIES:       Lupon, Mati, Puntalinao, and Banay-banay, Davao Oriental; small deposits are in Sibuyan Island, Romblon. .

PERLITE       Perlite is a hydrated silicic volcanic glass, which generally has a characteristic “onion-skin” or perlitic texture and a pearly luster.  When expanded or bloated by shock calcination, perlite forms an inert mass with an open texture having low bulk density, low thermal conductivity, high sound absorption and fire-resistance. LOCALITIES: Perlite deposits are found in Calayan Island, Cagayan; Baao, Camarines Sur; and in Maslog, Taysan, and Puro, Legazpi City

SILICA Silica or silicon dioxide (SiO2) commonly occurs as mineral quartz in varied forms; as veins and lenses of bull quartz, as sand, pebbles, cobbles and boulders, and as siliceous clays About 85% of silica sand are utilized in glass manufacture  CLASSIFICATION: 1.Silica in rock form ( Mindoro) 2.Silica in fragmental form ( Tagkawayan Quezon) 3. Siliceous clays ( Siruma Peninsula, Camarines Sur)

TALC       Talc is a layer-lattice mineral with the following composition, Mg3Si4O10- (OH)2.  It is the softest common mineral with hardness of one (1) on Moh’s scale of hardness.  Its cleavage flakes are flexible but not elastic.  It occurs in low to medium metamorphosed basic or ultrabasic rocks and in place, constitutes the greater part of the rock, producing the material known as steatite or soapstone. LOCALITIES: Abra, de Ilog, Mindoro Occidental; Marangas, Brooke’s Point, Palawan and in Cabangan, Zambales.

ALUMINUM The main source of aluminum is bauxite, a mixture of gibbsite (Al(OH)3), diaspore (AlO(OH)), and boehmite (AlO(OH)).  Bauxite varies in colors from reddish-brown, white, tan, to tan-yellow.  It has dull to earthy luster and can look like clay or soil.  Bauxite forms when silica in aluminum-bearing rocks (with high feldspar content) is washed away (leached).  The major producer of aluminum ore is Australia, which is said to produce over 40% of the world’s reserves.  Brazil, Papua New Guinea, and Jamaica are also important producers.   About 85% of all the bauxite mined worldwide is used to produce alumina for refining into aluminum metal.  Another 10% of the alumina produced is used in the manufacture of chemical, abrasive, and refractory products. The remaining 5% is used to make abrasives, refractory materials, and aluminum compounds. Bauxite in the Philippines is commonly associated with karsted limestone and lateritic terranes.  LOCALITIES: These include Batag Island, Hinabangan, Corcord, Guiuan, and Western Samar, Nonoc Island, Bucas Grande

MOLYBDENUM        Molybdenum occurs chiefly as a secondary or accessory metal in porphyry copper and copper skarn deposits in the Philippines, although it has also been documented to occur elsewhere in quartz veins, pegmatites and bedded sedimentary deposits.  Philippine porphyry copper deposits and prospects range from gold-rich, molybdenumpoor deposits to relatively molybdenum-rich, gold-poor end members. These molybdenum-rich deposits are found in the provinces of Larap, Polillo Island, and Southern Negros while the molybdenum-deficient deposits are in Baguio and Cebu.  The molybdenum-rich, gold-deficient deposit in southwestern Negros (Binulig, Sipalay, Aya-Aya) contains 0.01% Mo with 1 ppm Au. The central Cebu porphyry copper mineralization is characterized by relatively high contents of both molybdenum and gold.

MERCURY

The term “native mercury” is used for natural mercury found associated with the mineral cinnabar.

Locality : Central Palawan

“Zambales Jade” Deposits, Zambales

       It contains sharply crystallized dodecahedral crystals of garnet, uvarovite, xenoblastic feldspar, minor diopside and sphene that lie in a granoblastic mosaic of quartz and plagioclase. This hornfelsic rock is composed of 67% feldspar (potash and plagioclase), 18% quartz, 10% garnet; 4% sphene, and 3% diopside.

“Mindoro Jade” Deposit, Occidental Mindoro

      It is composed of 40% muscovite, 50% sericite, 5% apatite and traces of quartz, calcite and chlorite. The gemstone is petrologically  termed green mica schist due to the presence of abundant sericite.

Dasol Jasper Deposit, Pangasinan

    The deposit is in San Vicente, Mabini and Barlo, Dasol.  Early prospectors used this jasper deposit as a guide in determining the relative stratigraphic location of massive sulfide bodies. The inhabitants use the jasper as sharpening stone or as aggregate for building materials.  Later, this jasper was found to be of good gem quality, thus paving the way for exploitation

Moss Opal Deposit, Ilocos Norte

   The moss opal deposit occurs as veins and lenses within fractures, cavities and flow layers of andesite.

The moss opal is milky white to brown, containing iron oxide in a moss or fernlike pattern.