AN OVERVIEW INTO THE ASBESTOS MINERALS: HISTORICAL AND GEOLOGICAL AND THE CASE STUDY OF THE SÍTIO XILILI (PE), CENTRAL BORBORMA PROVINCE

An overview into the asbestos minerals: historical and geological aspects and case study of the Sítio Xilili (PE), Central Borborema Province

Abstract

Asbestos is a generic name given to minerals that have a fibrous habit and elongated morphology. These minerals subdivide into silicates from the serpentine group: chrysotile and, the amphibole group: crocidolite (var. riebeckite), amosite (var. cummingtonite-grunerite), besides anthophyllite, tremolite, and actinolite. They are minerals with great economic appeal since they have high flexibility, heat, electricity, and traction resistance. Despite their toxicity, those fibers are utilized for thousands of years in the civil construction and automobile industries. Asbestos is found mainly in metasomatized ultramafic rocks, and the main asbestos deposit, from the chrysotile type, in Brazil, occurs in the Cana Brava Mine, Goiás. In this paper, we deal with the case study of the Sítio Xilili (near Arcoverde City, Pernambuco) anthophyllitic asbestos occurrence. The asbestos occurs as lenses in the serpentinized ultramafic rocks composed of antigorite, serpentine, talc, magnesite, and chlorite, which are hosted by the metavolcanosedimentary rock from the Riacho do Tigre Complex, Rio Capibaribe Terrane, Borborema Province. Mineralogical, petrographic, and field data aspects are presented to add information on how to identify asbestos deposits through petrographic analysis.