ORIGINAL PAPER The vein-type barite mineralization of the Draïssa ore field, Ougarta; SW- Algeria: mineralogy, trace elements and halogens Ahmed Abderrahmane Semchaoui 1 & Omar Kolli 1 & Abdelhak Boutaleb 1 & Tarek Zerrouki 1 Received: 15 December 2015 /Accepted: 5 October 2016 # Saudi Society for Geosciences 2016 Abstract The Draïssa barite vein system in the Ougarta district is located in southwestern Algeria. It is the princi- pal mineral deposit of economic interest of the area. The mineralization is hosted by Cambrian sedimentary rocks that unconformably overlie Precambrian formations. The mineralized structures consist mostly of barite and quartz with minor sulfide minerals and trend dominantly NE-SW, NW-SE, and E-W. Siliceous alteration zones are associated with the vein system. Samples of barite ore are character- ized by low total REE contents ranging from 9 to 50 ppm and positive Eu (2–2.15 ppm) and Y (1.2–11.1 ppm) anom- alies, indicating hydrothermal activity during mineraliza- tion. Halogen data of the barite show that the Cl/Br molar ratio is 189:571 and the Na/Br ratio is 34:376, indicating that the sulfur was derived from seawater. The Ba- enrichment trend in the volcanic rocks of Draïssa is interpreted as possible probable source of the Ba (424– 3039 ppm Ba). It appears that the barite-quartz deposits were formed in two stages. Endogenous fluids deposited the primary vein materials, consisting of quartz associated with copper sulfides. Exogenous fluids (cold seawater) be- came heated during ascendant fluid movement. Mineralization was governed by convective motions and the barite and galena fillings were deposited in openings created by normal faulting. Keywords Draïssa deposits . Ougarta . Barite mineralization . REE . Halogens Introduction Although there is strong demand for barite in Algeria, the use of this mineral remains limited and production is insufficient to cover the demand. Mineral resources of barite are estimated at 6.7 million tons, of which nearly 1.6 million tons fall into the reserves proved according to the NI-43-101 system (Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum). Four deposits currently yield a production of 50,000 tons per year. Barite deposits of economic interest are mainly located in the north of Algeria, e.g., the Boucaid, Ain Mimoun, Mellal, Khoudiat Safia, and Sidi Semiane deposits. Draïssa is one of the largest barite deposits located in south- western Algeria (Ougarta) and has mineral reserves proved totaling nearly 4.5 million tons of barite according to NI-43- 101 system (ORGM 2013). This paper presents the principal characteristics of the Draïssa deposits. They are located about 1400 km SW of Algiers, 250 km from the town of Bechar, and 100 km NWof the city of Tabalbala (Fig. 1). The understanding of barite mineralization remains very poor. Acquisition of data on the area’ s petrographic, mineral- ogical, structural, and tectonic characteristics will help us to understand the development of such mineralization in this part of the Hercynian chain. This paper will present some new data on the geology, the mineralogy, and the geochemistry of these mineralizations. * Abdelhak Boutaleb abdelhak_boutaleb@yahoo.fr Ahmed Abderrahmane Semchaoui semchaoui.ahmed@hotmail.fr 1 Laboratory of Metallogeny and Magmatism of Algeria (LMMA)—Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Sciences and Technology Houari Boumediene–USTHB, BP 32, 16111 Bab Ezzouar, Algiers, Algeria Arab J Geosci (2016) 9:679 DOI 10.1007/s12517-016-2705-2