Rare earth element partition between sphene,apatite and other coexisting minerals of the Kangerdlugssuaq intrusion,E. Greenland

Cumulus apatite, sphene, feldspar, amphibole and biotite from the pulaskite of the Kangerdlugssuaq alkaline intrusion have been analysed for rare earth elements (REE) by instrumental neutron activation analysis. The apatite is particularly rich in REE, contains 3.6% Ce and shows a steep, light REE-enriched, chondrite-normalised pattern. The other minerals have light REE enrichment but with sphene showing a peak at Ce on a chondrite-normalised plot. REE partition coefficient values show that the light REE are preferentially accommodated by apatite relative to sphene. The differences in these coefficients result from differences in the co-ordination of the REE in the two minerals.