Bauxite Deposits in China

Bauxite deposits in China,ranging in age from Late Paleozoic to Cenozoic,are distributed mainly inShanxi,Shandong Henan,Guizhou,Guangxi and Yunnan.Based on stratigraphic relations they can be clas-sified as 6 types:inter-system marine,inter-system continental,intra-system marine,intra-system continen-tal,weathering lateritic and weathering accumulation types.But in terms of depositional environments,onlyfour types are distinguished,i.e.,the marine deposits,continental deposits,lateritic deposits and weath-ering-accumulation deposits.These deposits have been formed in two steps:firstly,the depression ofparaplatform or front basin margins in paleocontinents and secondly,the development of littoral-lagoonson the eroded surface of karstified carbonate bedrocks.The aluminum may have been derived from thecarbonate rocks with which the ores are associated,or from adjacent aluminosilicate rocks.