Studies on Residual Soil Geochemistry in The Evaluation of Niobium Within Samchampi Alkaline Carbonatite Complex, Karbi Anglong District, Assam, India

The Samchampi Alkaline Carbonatite Complex (SACC), emplaced into the Archean granite-gneisses of Mikir Hills, Assam, hosts significant resources of Nb, Ta and Y associated with carbonatites of upper Cretaceous age (109 Ma). A thick weathering crust of residual soil mantles the complex, covering an area of 16 sq. km. A preliminary reserve estimate in about 11 sq.km of the residual soil of the complex indicates 12, 124 metric tonnes (t) of niobium, 2685t of tantalum and 1821t of yttrium.