Mineralogical, geochemical, and geotechnical features of lateritic soils from termite mounds in two contrasting savannah areas (central Cameroon) as raw materials for brick making

Termite mound soils (TMS) from humid savannah (HS) and dry savannah (DS) were evaluated as raw materials for compressed earth bricks (CEB) and fired bricks. Mineralogy and major elements geochemistry were performed by X-Ray Diffraction and X-Ray Fluorescence, respectively. Physico-mechanical characteristics of unfired and fired bricks at 900, 950, 1000, 1050, and 1100 °C after 7 curing days were evaluated. The studied TMS are made up of quartz, muscovite, anatase, kaolinite, hematite, and goethite. Illite is present in humid savannah while in DS gibbsite appears. These materials are rich in SiO2 (58.96–61.79 wt%), Al2O3 (16.93–18.78 wt%), and Fe2O3 (7.41–10.33 wt%). The TMS from both HS and DS are sandy clay. Those from DS are silty (13%) than those from HS (