Journal of Geology & Geophysics
Open Access

Abstract

Evaluation of Chemical and Petrographic Characteristics of Silica Sand from Tabuk in Saudi Arabia

Fares M Howari

Silica sand is one of the most common varieties of sand, and it is used in industrial applications throughout the world. The application depends on the purity, grain size and chemical characteristics. In the present study, X-ray, chemical and petrographic analyses were used to study sand deposits from Tabuk area in Saudi Arabia. The collected samples from the site are composed of 98% quartz (SiO₂ ), with very minor traces of carbonate and dark minerals which account for the rest of the sample constituents. The examined individual quartz grains have excellent purity, and about 98% of the grains were white transparent pure silica. The grains are mainly rounded to sub-angular. The chemical analysis indicated that the percentages of major oxides of Si, Al, Cr, Fe, and Ti were 97%, 1.5%, % <0.006%; 0.035%, and 0.0531% respectively. The grains sizes are fine and their sizes concentrated mostly around the 0.155 mm. Due to its high quality, the inspected deposit meets the industrial standards.