Microstructural characterization of clay from the southwestern region of Timimoun (Gourara) in Algeria

The present study was carried out within the framework of sustainable development of the region of Timimoun which is located in the southwestern part of the Algerian Sahara, at the level of the Saharan platform, between the Grand Erg Occidental, to the north, and the Tademaït Plateau, to the south. From the geological point of view, the region of Timimoun is located at the level of the Gourara Basin, one of the largest sedimentary basins of the Saharan platform. Selected clay samples were studied in order to analyze their chemical and mineralogical compositions, and also to determine their physical properties (particle size and plasticity), with the purpose of assessing their suitability to be used as raw materials that can be employed as fired materials and also in the manufacture of clinker. These materials are mainly composed of illite and kaolinite. They are dominant clay minerals that are essentially made up of quartz, dolomite, and hematite. Their particle size distribution and plasticity index are indicative of plastic clay. The recorded identification results further confirmed the potential application of clay from the region of Timimoun as fired materials and also as a local raw material for the manufacture of cement. It is worth indicating that raw earth building materials made from local clays have been successfully used for millennia.