Bauxite

In short

Bauxite is a dull, earthy rock in which aluminium hydroxide minerals (gibbsite, boehmite, diaspore) are mixed with iron oxides and clay. It is the main raw material of aluminium metal on a commercial scale: 90 percent of the world's bauxite goes into aluminium (İMİB). According to the USGS, Türkiye mined about 3.7 million tons of bauxite in 2024; MTA names the deposits around Seydişehir in Konya and Akseki in Antalya as the country's richest.

Photos

How to recognise it

1. 1

   A dull, earthy rock, white, cream, grey, pink, red or brown (the colour comes from iron oxides). Lateritic types show round pea-sized grains (pisolites) and a mottled texture, which helps in recognising it in the field.

2. 2

   Soft (Mohs hardness 1–3) and light (density 2–2.5 g/cm³): it feels clearly lighter than an iron ore of the same red colour. The bauxite of some deposits is hard and dense, that of others crumbles easily.

3. 3

   The streak is usually white (iron stains can change the colour) and there is no cleavage.

4. 4

   For an ore to count as bauxite its aluminium content must be high enough: according to İMİB, bauxite used for aluminium generally contains 30–60 percent aluminium. This cannot be told by eye; a chemical analysis is needed.

Myths and misconceptions

• MythAluminium is made by smelting bauxite directly.

  FactBauxite is first turned by the Bayer process into alumina, a white aluminium oxide powder, and alumina is then turned into metal by electrolysis. About 4 tons of bauxite give 2 tons of alumina and 1 ton of aluminium; electrolysis uses a great deal of electricity.

• MythEvery red or brown rock or soil is bauxite, and bauxite is always red.

  FactIron oxides give the red colour, and the same weathering also produces aluminium-poor rocks such as iron-rich laterite. Bauxite can be white, cream, grey or pink, and it only counts as bauxite if its aluminium content is high enough. Indeed, the ferruginous bauxites of İslahiye–Payas and Yalvaç have large reserves, yet no production for aluminium has been possible from them because of technological problems.

Did you know?

Where is it found?

• Les Baux-de-Provence, Provence, France · Type localityBauxite was discovered in 1821 by the French geologist Pierre Berthier near the village of Les Baux and takes its name from it (Wikipedia). The point is the position of the village.
• Boké Region, Guinea · Major depositAccording to Wikipedia, Boké Region is home to a great part of Guinea's bauxite reserves. According to the USGS, Guinea is the world's largest bauxite producer, with about 142 million tons in 2024. The point is the general position of the region.
• Weipa, Queensland, Australia · Major depositAccording to Wikipedia, the enormous bauxite deposits at Weipa were identified in 1955 by the geologist Henry Evans, and the mine is among the world's largest. According to the USGS, Australia produced about 100 million tons in 2024. The point is the position of the town of Weipa.
• Central parishes (Manchester, St Ann, St Elizabeth), Jamaica · Major depositAccording to Wikipedia, bauxite in Jamaica occurs in the parishes of St Elizabeth, Manchester, Clarendon, St Catherine, St Ann and Trelawny; the discovery of the deposits in the 1940s shifted the country's economy from sugar and bananas towards mining. Britannica names Jamaica among the important bauxite fields. The point is the general position of the region.
• Bauxite, Saline County, Arkansas, USA · Known localityBauxite was found in the area in the early 1890s and the town was named after the ore. The Pittsburgh Reduction Company (later ALCOA) bought extensive land in the county in 1905, and output reached 6 million short tons a year in 1943 in the Second World War (Wikipedia).
• Seydişehir, Konya, Türkiye · Major depositAccording to MTA the boehmitic bauxite of the Seydişehir–Akseki area is Türkiye's richest deposit and feeds the aluminium plant: total reserves of 36.5 million tons, of which 31 million tons are workable. The country's only integrated aluminium plant (Eti Alüminyum) is here. The point is the position of the town of Seydişehir.
• Akseki, Antalya, Türkiye · Major depositThe Antalya side of the Seydişehir–Akseki bauxite field; MTA gives the two areas as a single reserve area. The point is the position of the town of Akseki.
• Milas–Yatağan area, Muğla, Türkiye · Known localityAccording to MTA, diasporic bauxite; total reserves of 20.6 million tons, of which 17.5 million tons are workable. Production took place from time to time and the workings later closed. The point is approximate, between the two districts.
• Tufanbeyli–Saimbeyli area, Adana, Türkiye · Known localityAccording to MTA, diasporic bauxite; total reserves of 11.5 million tons, of which 9.8 million tons are workable. The point is approximate, between the two districts.
• Kokaksu area, Zonguldak, Türkiye · Known localityBoehmitic deposits, the most important known outside the Taurus belt; they are not worked because the distance from the plants raises costs (MTA, İMİB). The point is the position of the city of Zonguldak, not the exact place of the deposit.
• Yalvaç–Şarkikaraağaç area, Isparta, Türkiye · Known localityAccording to MTA, ferruginous-diasporic bauxite; about 115.6 million tons of probable and possible resources, but no workable reserves because of technological problems. The low-grade ore is noted as a possible future feed for the Seydişehir plant. The point is approximate, between the two districts.
• İslahiye–Payas area, Gaziantep and Hatay, Türkiye · Known localityTürkiye's largest bauxite resource: according to MTA the ferruginous-diasporic ore holds about 215.5 million tons of probable and possible resources, but no production has been possible from these deposits because of technological problems. The point is approximate, between the two districts.

Locations are approximate to protect sites. Red dots mark places in Türkiye. Open in the big map →