Bauxite development in the North Apuseni mountains, western Romania

The stratigraphic and palaeogeomorphologic conditions of bauxite formation in the North Apuseni mountains are related to the geotectonic evolution of western Romania during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous. Bauxitization, accumulation and preservation of the bauxites were directly associated with karst development in the area under study. The petrographic and mineralogic nature of the bauxite deposits reveal superimposed aliagenetic, catagenic and, locally, metamorphic features. A comparative analysis of the principal chemical components of the different bauxite-bearing zones of the North Apuseni mountains are used to show similar development.