Bulletin of the Geological Society of Malaysia, Volume 74, November 2022, pp. 169 – 173
Characterization of dikes at Simpang Pulai quarry, Perak
Muhammad ‘Izzat ‘Irfan Ahmad Tajuddin1, Teoh Ying Jia1,*, Choong Chee Meng2, Benjamin Sautter2, Haylay Tsegab2, Muhammad Hatta Roselee3
1 School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
2 South East Asia Carbonate Research Laboratory, Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Perak, Malaysia
3 Geology Department, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
*Corresponding author email address: tyj@usm.my
Abstract: Due to dissolution, weathering and erosion, limestone and marble form karstic landscape with precipitous hills, rugged valleys, caves and sinkholes. In the event of an intrusion, the magma, which resides below the limestone bedrock will ascend toward the earth’s surface and fill up the fractures within the pre-existing rocks, forming dikes and sills. Dikes and veins can also be formed when minerals precipitate from hydrothermal fluids within a fracture. The objective of this study was to determine the texture and mineralogy of the dikes cutting the marble in the study area. The findings suggest that the mineral composition and physical structure of the dikes differ from the marble host rock based on its mineral, chemical and physical properties. Three samples were collected and analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and petrographic microscope. The results show that there are at least two types of dike, which are quartz and a coarse-grained granite dike at the study area. The presence of these dikes may affect the chemical and mechanical properties of aggregates produced from the quarry, and in turn affect the excavated rocks of its usage.
Keywords: Simpang Pulai quarry, dikes, petrographic, scanning electron microscope
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Manuscript received 20 July 2020
Received in revised form 21 January 2021
Accepted 22 January 2021
Available online 30 November 2022
0126-6187; 2637-109X / Published by the Geological Society of Malaysia.
© 2022 by the Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) License 4.0.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7186/bgsm74202211
