bauxite
/ˈbɔːksʌɪt
/noun [mass noun]
An amorphous clayey rock that is the chief commercial ore of aluminium. It consists largely of hydrated alumina with variable proportions of iron oxides.The principal economic activities and primary sources of foreign exchange are bauxite mining and alumina production, tourism, and sugar and banana exports....
- It is among the world's leading producers of bauxite and alumina, which are exported to Canada, Norway, and the United States.
- The major exports are bauxite and alumina, apparel, sugar, bananas, coffee, citrus and citrus products, rum, cocoa, and labor.
Derivatives
bauxitic
- Sequence III extends from the base of Seam 4A to the base of the bauxitic claystone beneath Seam 2.
- Seam 4A has a much higher content of alumina than the other seams, which may suggest that the detrital input into this coal mire contained a greater proportion of bauxitic weathering products than the other coals.
- The coastal lagoonal deposits are represented by bauxitic claystones resting on the undulating top of thick-bedded limestones.
Origin
Mid 19th century: from French, from Les Baux (the name of a village near Arles in SE France, near which it was first found) + -ite1.