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Iron rich conglomerate of Ma'Okil Formation at Bukit Lop,

Chaah,Johor
MOHD SHAFEEA LEMAN AND YUSRI ZAKARIAH

J aha tan Geologi


Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor
Abstract: Matahari Mining Sdn. Bhd. which operate at the southeastern spur ofBukit Lop,
near Chaah, exposed about 40m thick of conglomerate which belongs to the continental Upper
Mesozoic Ma'Okil Formation. The conglomerate unit overlies a massive andesitic volcanic
rock. The lowest bed of the conglomerate is essentially made of angular to subrounded pebbles
and cobbles ofhematite derived from the nearby primary hematite ore body. The clasts of this
conglomerate are poorly sorted and the matrix is made of very fine-grained hematite. Iron
clasts are also present in the overlying conglomerate, the percentage and size of which
decrease toward the top of the conglomerate unit. This in situ nature of iron conglomerate
deposition suggests that the iron clasts were deposited as an alluvial fan deposit along the foot
of a fault scarp. The paleoslope is directed toward the northwest. The farthest distribution
of the iron pebbles is about 50 m from the centre of the fan. This fault might represent part
of the Ma'Okil wrench fault mentioned by Burton (1965) along which Bean (1968) recognised
several iron ore deposits. The absence of goethite cement or matrix suggests that the
depositional environment of the conglomerate was not very much influenced by water.

INTRODUCTION

immediately southeast of the basin, is believed


The operation site of the Matahari Mining to be part of the basal (continental origin)
Sdn. Bhd. is located on the southeast comer of conglomerate of the Upper Mesozoic Ma'Okil
Bukit Lop, about 10 km southwest of Chaah Formation.
Town (Fig. 1). The mine was reopened in 1985
GEOLOGICAL SETTING
after its last closure in 1965. Iron and baryte
were mined from several primary hematiteBukit Lop is situated in northwest Johor,
baryte ore bodies emplaced parallel or
about 10 km southwest of Chaah Town. The
subparallel to the ?flow bedding of the andesitic
Ma'Okil Formation is the youngest rock
volcanic host rock. Part of the mining history
formation exposed in the area west of Chaah
and geology related to this iron mineralization
Town. On the southeastern part of Bukit Lop
was published by Bean in 1968.
(southwest of Chaah) this formation
Recently, while studying the geology of unconformably overlies the oldest rock formation
the iron mine and the surrounding area, the of the area, i.e. the Upper Permian Lop
present authors noted the occurrences of iron Formation (Fig. 1). In the area west and
rich conglomerate overlying the andesitic northwest of Chaah Town, the Ma'Okil
volcanic rock. This conglomerate which obtains Formation overlies the Middle to Upper Triassic
much of its source material from the underlying Gemas Formation, uncomformably. Primary
volcanic rocks and the primary iron ore body iron and baryte mineralization emplaced within
ISSN 0126-5539

Warta Geologi, Vol. 21, No.5, Sep-Oct 1995, pp. 293-299

-mine pit

. --....

___ ___-

... ------

1- --..km
2
Ma'Okil Formation -.
c=]Lop Formation
O
Gemas Formation

''-""'-- "'

,.

V\V

faun v

ri

I a. Southwest -northeast

section

northeast )

~-V.-~ /.... ~~r~c~le . 5~~~~r_ -1y ~ v .: .v ~ ~ ~ y ~ ':'.. v. v v v v v vy_v v . .


( southwest

. Y _v_v v _v_v_y

v v v v v v v v v v v v j"v ...v . ..v .... v : .v.... v .. .v v v v v v v v v ~ v

volcanic rock
andesite/
agglomerate/
breccia

v v v , -

v vv ,

Figure I b. Southeast- northwest section (not to scale)

Figur.e 1. Geological setting and geological section of the study area.

to Johor Baharu

to Kuala .lumpur

IRON RICH CONGLOMERATE OF MA'OKIL FORMATION AT BUKIT LoP, CHAAH, JOHOR

the volcanic unit of the Ma'Okil Formation


played a very important role in the development
of mining in this area.
THE MA'OKIL FORMATION

295

Bukit Lop. The mine pit excavation work was


made to follow the trend of the primary hematite
lode which is roughly trending northeastsouthwest. There is no conglomerate found in
the southeastern face of the mine pit. The
conglomerate unit overlies the andesitic volcanic
rock which hosted the iron mineralization (Fig.
1). This volcanic rock probably belongs to one
of those volcanic units described earlier by
Loganathan (1978) from the conglomerate unit
of Ma'Okil Formation.

The name Ma'Okil Formation was


introduced by Loganathan (1978) for the
continental Upper Mesozoic rock unit which is
largely exposed within the vicinity of Ma'Okil
Forest Reserve. Loganathan (1978) noted many
similarities between the Ma'Okil continental
The conglomerate is thickly bedded to
sequence and other Mesozoic continental deposits
massive
in nature. The clasts of the
described in Pahang as Tembeling Formation
conglomerate
range in size from pebble to cobble,
by Koopmans (1968) and Burton (1973), as
and
angular
to
subrounded in shape. The size
Tekai Group by Khoo (1977) and as Tembeling
of
the
clasts
generally
decreases toward the
Group by Koopmans (1977) and Khoo (1983).
Similar continental deposits were described in top of the conglomerate unit.
Kelantan as the Gagau Group by Rishworth
The clasts in the lowest bed of the
(1974). In Johor, continental Mesozoic rocks conglomerate unit are very poorly sorted and
have been described under various stratigraphic they are almost entirely made of hematite
units from different areas including the Ulu pebbles and cobbles, embedded in matrix made
Endau Bed in Mersing area (Chong et al., 1968), of very fine-grained iron oxide (Figs. 2, 3). XTebak Formation in Gunung Belumut area ray diffraction analysis shows that both clasts
(Rajah, 1968), Panti Sandstone in Ulu Sedili and matrix are almost entirely made ofhematite
area (Suntharalingam, 1973) and the Paloh with traces of quartz present (Fig. 4). Neither
Bed in Bekok-Paloh area (Zakaria Hussain, the clast, nor the cement shows any trace of
1986, 1987). Loganathan (1978) noted that all goethite or any other iron hydroxide minerals.
these continental deposits have many The iron matrix occurs only in the lowest bed
similarities between them and thus he concluded of the conglomerate unit which is closest to the
that all of these formations were primary iron ore body.
contemporaneously deposited. Loganathan
This iron conglomerate bed has a lenticular
(1978) considered that the Ma'Okil Formation
shape (a lobe with rather planar base) with
was developed as an outlier of the Tahan
maximum thickness of about 3. 7 m and
Supergroup of Yin and Aw (1975).
maximum diameter of about 100m. There are
Comprehensive compilation of works on these
at least 3 iron conglomerate unit laterally
various Upper Mesozoic rock formations can be
developed in this area. Towards the northeast
obtained from Loganathan (1978) and Khoo (1983).
of the main iron conglomerate unit, the bed
According to Loganathan (1978), the thins gradually to about 0.5 m before it merges
Ma'Okil Formation comprises a 200 m thick into another iron conglomerate unit. Meanwhile,
rudaceous unit overlain by a 300 m thick towards the southwest, the main iron
arenaceous unit, which in turn was overlain by conglomerate unit thins gradually and
about 6,200 m thick argillaceous unit. Volcanic disappears for about 20 m before another iron
flows of trachytic to andesitic composition are conglomerate unit appears.
commonly found interbedded with other
Towards the top of the conglomerate unit
sediments in the rudaceous and the argillaceous
the sorting of the sediment grains improves
units.
gradually. Iron pebbles also occur in thin
lenticular bed (channel-filled) (Fig. 1a) or rarely
THE IRON RICH CONGLOMERATE
as scattered clasts in the top conglomerate
About 40 m thick of conglomerate is exposed unit. The conglomerate unit also contains several
on the northwestern face of the mine pit at lenticular beds of sandstone also with channelW11rt11 Geologi, Vol. 21, No.5, SqH)ct 1995

296

MoHD 81-IAFEEA LEMAN AND YUSRI ZAKARIAH

Figure 2. Iron Conglomerate bed from Bukit Lop, Chaah (V = volcanic rock ; IC = iron
conglomerate bed; C = conglomerate)

Figure 3. Closed up view of the iron conglomerate showing angular to subrounded pebbles of
hematite in matrix of fine grain hematite.
Wartn Gcologi, Vol. 21, No.5, St!p-Oct1995

IRON RICH CONGLOMERATE OF

MA.'OK.IL FORMATION AT BUKIT U)p,

Sl

ss: 0.1it41illil

297

CHAAH, JOHOR

t.:

!.Iaiit CuKa1 +2

II;
<

2.1itlitlil

33-0664 I Fe203 Hel:tatite


~3-1161

Si02

Qua~tz

syn

2theta

11, 11
1913. Linea~

I I,

?0.1itlitlit}

S!:Jn

YZ13-13
ss: lit.041itlil

t.:

1. Iilia CuHa1+2

i,

<

24-9972 D Fe203
23-1151

2theta

i'

1881it. Lineal'

He~atite
E~n

Si02 QuaPtz

Figure 4. X-ray diffractogram of clast (a) and matrix (b) of the iron conglomerate showing the domination of
hematite with traces of Si02

298

MOHD SHAFEEA LEMAN AND YUSRI ZAKARIAH

filled shape, some of which has a diameter of downthrown block of a normal fault. The
up to 20 m and thickness of about 2.3 m. Toward sedimentary depositional environment of this
the top, the conglomerate unit is gradually iron conglomerate can be interpreted as a
proximal alluvial fan lobe, and the iron oxides
overlain by pebbly sandstone.
were brought down mainly by gravitational
The conglomerate and the overlying pebbly
force. The absence of goethite or any other
sandstone unit is moderately dipping (40 to
iron hydroxide mineral indicated that water
50) towards the northwest. The general strike
did not play an important role in the deposition
is trending towards northeast-southwest, a trend
of this conglomerate. The paleoslope is directed
very similar to the main trend of the iron
very gently toward the northwest with the iron
mineralization. At the same sector of the mine
source coming from the northeast-southwest
pit, a nearly vertical normal fault can be seen
trending hematite mineralization lode. The
cutting the conglomerate and sandstone units
Ma'Okil basin might have been developed as a
almost at a right angle to the bedding strike.
half graben on the northwestern sector of the
The base of the conglomerate unit on the
iron mineralization zone. This fault plane
northeastern side of the fault has been displaced
appeared to be coincide with mineralization
about 8 m downward (Fig. 1a). The fault only
lineament mentioned by Burton (1965) as the
cuts the lower part of the conglomerate unit
?Ma'Okil wrench fault. Bean (1968), suggested
and the underlying volcanic rock. Perhaps, it
that the Bukit Lop and Sri Medan iron
is a series of similar trending faults which
mineralizations are related to this ?Ma'Okil
later influence the present day lineament of
wrench fault.
Stratigraphically, the
the Bukit Lop ridge and other ridges within
conglomerate unit conformably overlies the
the Ma'Okil Forest Reserve. The Bukit Lop
massive andesitic volcanic rock and it is overlain
ridge and other ridges within the Ma'Okil Forest
by thick pebbly sandstone. The conglomerate
Reserve is trending toward northwest-southeast.
and the pebbly sandstone units at this locality
have been faulted probably by a series of similar
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
trending faults which influence the development
present day lineation of the Bukit Lop ridge
of
The presence of conglomerate at this
locality have been mention by Bean (1968) and and other ridges in this area.
Zakaria Hussain (1987). Zakaria Hussain (1987)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
considered that this continental deposit belong
to the Paloh Formation. However, the present
The author would like to thank Dr. Kamal
study shows that this continental unit represents
Roslan
Mohamed for allowing the use of his
the southernmost extension of the Ma'Okil
4-07-03-033 grant to fund this
IRPA
project
Formation described by Loganathan ( 1978) from
research
and
the
staff of the Geology Department
the Ma'Okil are:1. The iron rich conglomerate
UKM for their help during various stages of
at the basal conglomerate unit of the Ma'Okil
preparation of this paper.
Formation is perhaps only a local phenomenon.
This conglomerate might be equivalent with
REFERENCES
many other Upper Mesozoic continental
conglomerates found in other parts of Peninsular BEAN, J.H., 1968. Iron-ore deposits of West Malaysia.
Malaysia such as the Paloh Formation (Zakaria
Geol. Surv. Malaysia Econ. Bull., 2, 194p.
Hussain, 1987), Murau Conglomerate
BuRTON, C.K., 1965. Wrench faulting in Malaya.
(Suntharalingam, 1973), Lanis Conglomerate
Journal of Geology, 73(5), 781-798.
(Khoo, 1973), Badong Conglomerate (Rishworth,
BuRTON, C.K., 1973. Mesozoic. In: Gobbett, D.J. and
1974) and many others.
The iron conglomerate which is essentially
made of in situ, angular to subrounded pebbles
and cobbles of iron ore (mostly hematite) might
represent an alluvial fan deposit formed on the

Hutchison, C.S. (Eds.), Geology of the Malay


Peninsular. Wiley-Interscince.

R.H., EVANS, C.M. AND


T., 1968. Geology and mineral
potential of the Melaka-Mersing area. GeoL Surv.

CHONG,

F.S.,

COOK,

SuNTHARALINGAM,

Warta Gcologi, Vol. 21, No.5, Scp-Oct 1995

IRON RICH CONGLOMERATE OF

MA.'OKIL FORMATION AT BUK.IT

LoP, CHAAH, JOHOR

299

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KHoo, H.P., 1977. Geology of the Sungai Tekai area
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KooPMANs,

KooPMANS,

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Geology, UKM.

Manuscript received 27 February 1995

Warta Geologi, Vol. 21, No.5, Sep-Oct 1995

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