Bauxite with core of unweathered parent rock

Bauxite in France

Bauxite is the main ore of aluminium. It is mostly aluminium oxide.

Bauxite is the most important aluminium ore. It is largely made up of the minerals Gibbsite Al(OH)₃, Boehmite γ-AlO(OH), and Diaspore α-AlO(OH), together with the iron oxides Goethite and Hematite, the clay mineral Kaolinite and small amounts of Anatase TiO₂. It was named after the village Les Baux-de-Provence in southern France, where it was first discovered in 1821 by geologist Pierre Berthier. Today the four biggest producers are Australia, Brazil, China and India. view more...