Kalsilite of the Khibiny and Lovozero alkaline plutons,Kola Peninsula

Kalsilite—a typical mineral of ore-bearing zones of the Khibiny and Lovozero plutons—was formed after low-Si and high-K nepheline in one of three ways: (1) by relatively high-temperature replacement of Na with K; (2) due to orthoclase-kalsilite poikiloblastesis in foidolites and overlapping foyaites; or (3) by replacement of nepheline with zeolite.     

Minerals of zirconolite group from fenitized xenoliths in nepheline syenites of Khibiny and Lovozero plutons,Kola Peninsula

Zirconolite, its Ce-, Nd-, and Y-analogs, and laachite, another member of the zirconolite group, are typomorphic minerals of the fenitized xenoliths in nepheline syenite and foidolite of the Khibiny–Lovozero Complex, Kola Peninsula, Russia. All these minerals are formed at the late stage of fenitization as products of ilmentie alteration under the effect of Zr-bearing fluids. The diversity of these minerals is caused by the chemical substitutions of Na and Ca for REE, Th, and U compensated by substitution of Ti and Zr for Nb, Fe and Ta, as well as by the redistribution of REE between varieties enriched in Ti (HREE) or Nb (LREE). The results obtained can be used in the synthesis of Synroc-type titanate ceramics assigned for the immobilization of actinides.     

Pyroxenes of the Khibiny alkaline pluton, Kola Peninsula

Seven pyroxene varieties were identified in nepheline syenites and foidolites of the Khibiny pluton: enstatite, ferrosilite, diopside, hedenbergite, augite, aegirine-augite, and aegirine. Enstatite and augite are typical of alkaline and ultramafic rocks of dike series. Ferrosilite was found in country quartzitic hornfels. Diopside is a rock-forming mineral in alkaline and ultramafic rocks, alkali gabbroids, hornfels in xenoliths of volcanic and sedimentary rocks and foyaite, melteigite-urtite that assimilate them, and certain hydrothermal pegmatite veins. Hedenbergite was noted in hornfels from xenoliths of volcanic and sedimentary rocks and in a hydrothermal pegmatite vein at Mount Eveslogchorr. Aegirine-augite is the predominant pyroxene in all types of nepheline syenites, phonolites and tinguaites, foidolites, alkaline and ultramafic rocks of dike series, fenitized wall rocks surrounding the pluton, and xenoliths of Devonian volcanic and sedimentary rocks. Aegirine is an abundant primary or, more often, secondary mineral in nepheline syenites, foidolites, and hydrothermal pegmatite veins. It occurs as separate crystals, outer zones of diopside and aegirine-augite crystals, and homoaxial pseudomorphs after Na-Ca amphiboles. Microprobe analyses of 265 pyroxenes samples allowed us to distinguish ten principal trends of isomorphic replacement and corresponding typomorphic features of pyroxenes. Compositional variations in clinopyroxenes along the sampled 35-km profile from the margin of the Khibiny pluton to its center confirm the symmetric zoning of the foyaite pluton relative to semicircular faults of the Minor Arc and the Main (Central) Ring marked by Devonian volcanic and sedimentary rocks, foidolites, and related metasomatic rocks (rischorrite, albitite, and aegirinite). Changes in the composition of pyroxenes are explained mainly by the redistribution of elements between coexisting minerals of foyaites in the process of their intense differentiation under the effect of foidolite melts that have intruded into the circular fault zones.     

Amphiboles of the Khibiny alkaline pluton, Kola Peninsula, Russia

The rocks of the Khibiny pluton contain 25 amphibole varieties, including edenite, fluoredenite, kaersutite, pargasite, ferropargasite, hastingsite, magnesiohastingsite, katophorite, ferrikatophorite, magnesiokatophorite, magnesioferrikatophorite, magnesioferrifluorkatophorite, ferrimagnesiotaramite, ferrorichterite, potassium ferrorichterite, richterite, potassium richterite, potassium fluorrichterite, arfvedsonite, potassium arfvedsonite, magnesioarfvedsonite, magnesioriebeckite, ferriferronyboite, ferrinyboite, and ferroeckermannite. The composition of rock-forming amphiboles changes symmetrically relative to the Central Ring of the pluton; i.e., amphiboles enriched in K, Ca, Mg, and Si are typical of foyaite near and within the Central Ring. The Fe and Mn contents in amphiboles increase in the direction from marginal part of the pluton to its center. Foyaite of the marginal zone contains ferroeckermannite, richterite, arfvedsonite, and ferrorichterite; edenite is typical of foyaite and hornfels of the Minor Arc. Between the Minor Arc and the Central Ring, foyaite contains ferroeckermannite, arfvedsonite, and richterite; amphiboles in rischorrite, foidolite and hornfels of the Central Ring are (potassium) arfvedsonite, (potassium) richterite, magnesiokatophorite, magnesioarfvedsonite, ferroeckermannite, and ferriferronyboite; amphiboles in foyaite within the Central Ring, in the central part of the pluton, are arfvedsonite, magnesioarfvedsonite, ferriferronyboite, katophorite, and richterite. It is suggested that such zoning formed due to the alteration of foyaite by a foidolite melt intruded into the Main (Central) Ring Fault.     

Variations in the composition and origin of hydrocarbon gases from inclusions in minerals of the Khibiny and Lovozero plutons,Kola Peninsula,Russia

Relationships between methane and its homologues mainly contained in fluid microinclusions have been studied in 332 monomineralic fractions from the Khibiny and Lovozero alkaline plutons. Hydrocarbon gases (HCG) were extracted for subsequent chromatographic analysis using the bulk method of sample comminution. The molecular weight distribution (MWD) of gaseous alkanes in the same and associated minerals is different depending on geological setting of the samples. The molecular mass of HCG increases (i) with decrease in temperature and capture of fluid inclusions in the course of transformation of primary magmatic minerals and the formation of late minerals as products of intensified postmagmatic processes; (ii) in the direction from khibinite at the margin and foyaite in the core of the Khibiny pluton to the central ring structure; and (iii) from the bottom to top of the differentiated complex in the Lovozero pluton. The results obtained coupled with other geochemical data suggest multistage generation and transformation of hydrocarbons from the magmatic to the final low-temperature hydrothermal stage. The MWD of hydrocarbon components in gases occluded by minerals can serve as an indicator of conditions characteristic of rock and ore formation, as well as of the consecutive formation and transformation of associated minerals revealing ambiguous and controversial relationships.     

Rock-Forming feldspars of the Khibiny alkaline pluton,Kola Peninsula,Russia

This paper describes the structural-compositional zoning of the well-known Khibiny pluton in regard to rock-forming feldspars. The content of K-Na-feldspars increases inward and outward from the Main foidolite ring. The degree of coorientation of tabular K-Na-feldspar crystals sharply increases in the Main ring zone, and microcline-dominant foyaite turns into orthoclase-dominant foyaite. The composition of K-Na-feldspars in the center of the pluton and the Main ring zone is characterized by an enrichment in Al. This shift is compensated by a substitution of some K and Na with Ba (the Main ring zone) or by an addition of K and Na cations to the initially cation-deficient microcline (the central part of the pluton). Feldspars of volcanosedimentary rocks occurring as xenoliths in foyaite primarily corresponded to plagioclase An_15–40, but high-temperature fenitization and formation of hornfels in the Main ring zone gave rise to the crystallization of anorthoclase subsequently transformed into orthoclase and albite due to cooling and further fenitization. Such a zoning is the result of filling the Main ring fault zone within the homogeneous foyaite pluton with a foidolite melt, which provided the heating and potassium metasomatism of foyaite and xenoliths of volcanosedimentary rocks therein. The process eventually led to the transformation of foyaite into rischorrite-lyavochorrite, while xenoliths were transformed into aluminum hornfels with anorthoclase, annite, andalusite, topaz, and sekaninaite.     

A reassessment of models for hydrocarbon generation in the Khibiny nepheline syenite complex, Kola Peninsula, Russia

Although hydrocarbon-bearing fluids have been known from the alkaline igneous rocks of the Khibiny intrusion for many years, their origin remains enigmatic. A recently proposed model of post-magmatic hydrocarbon (HC) generation through Fischer-Tropsch (FT) type reactions suggests the hydration of Fe-bearing phases and release of H₂ which reacts with magmatically derived CO₂ to form CH₄ and higher HCs. However, new petrographic, microthermometric, laser Raman, bulk gas and isotope data are presented and discussed in the context of previously published work in order to reassess models of HC generation. The gas phase is dominated by CH₄ with only minor proportions of higher hydrocarbons. No remnants of the proposed primary CO₂-rich fluid are found in the complex. The majority of the fluid inclusions are of secondary nature and trapped in healed microfractures. This indicates a high fluid flux after magma crystallisation. Entrapment conditions for fluid inclusions are 450–550 °C at 2.8–4.5 kbar. These temperatures are too high for hydrocarbon gas generation through the FT reaction. Chemical analyses of rims of Fe-rich phases suggest that they are not the result of alteration but instead represent changes in magma composition during crystallisation. Furthermore, there is no clear relationship between the presence of Fe-rich minerals and the abundance of fluid inclusion planes (FIPs) as reported elsewhere. δ¹³C values for methane range from − 22.4‰ to − 5.4‰, confirming a largely abiogenic origin for the gas. The presence of primary CH₄-dominated fluid inclusions and melt inclusions, which contain a methane-rich gas phase, indicates a magmatic origin of the HCs. An increase in methane content, together with a decrease in δ¹³C isotope values towards the intrusion margin suggests that magmatically derived abiogenic hydrocarbons may have mixed with biogenic hydrocarbons derived from the surrounding country rocks.     

Corundum-group minerals in rocks of the Khibiny alkaline pluton,Kola Peninsula

Five minerals of the corundum group have been identified in the Khibiny pluton with certainty. Corundum proper and karelianite occur only in hornfels after volcanic and sedimentary rocks. Xenoliths of hornfels mark the ring faults that bound foidalite within the field of foyaite. Hematite occurs in hydrothermally altered nepheline syenite and crosscutting hydrothermal veins related to the ring faults. Minerals of the ilmenite-pyrophanite series are present in all rocks of the pluton, including veins. Accessory ilmenite in foyaite varies from the manganese variety and pyrophanite in the inner and outer parts of the pluton to manganese-free ilmenite in zone of the Main Ring Fault. In xenoliths of volcanic rocks and alkaline ultramafic rocks, ilmenite is enriched in magnesium. The zoning in distribution of the above-mentioned minerals and the character of variation in their compositions from margins of the pluton to its center are consistent with the petrochemical zoning formed as a result of foyaite alteration of near ring faults.     

Spinel-group minerals in rocks of the Khibiny alkaline pluton,Kola Peninsula

Seven spinel-group minerals in various geological settings have been revealed in the rocks of the Khibiny pluton. Hercynite, gahnite, and vuorelainenite occur only in xenoliths of hornfels after volcanic and sedimentary rocks, whereas spinel and magnesiochromite occur in alkaline ultramafic rocks of dike series. Franklinite has been discovered in a low-temperature hydrothermal vein. Ubiquitous magnetite is abundant in foyaite, foidolites, alkaline ultrabasic rocks, and pegmatite and hydrothermal veins and may even be the main mineral in some foidolite varieties. The spinel-group minerals are characterized by various chemical compositions due to the fractionation of nepheline syenites resulting in formation of the Main ring of foidolites and apatite-nepheline ore. Like most other minerals found throughout the pluton, magnetite is characterized by variation in the chemical composition along the radial line from the contact with country Proterozoic volcanic rocks to the geometric center of the pluton. Toward the center, the total Ti and Mn contents in magnetite increase from 5–15 up to 40 at %.     

On the problem of the formation and geochemical role of bituminous matter in pegmatites of the Khibiny and Lovozero alkaline massifs, Kola Peninsula, Russia

Solid bituminous matter (SBM) typically occurs in the late hydrothermal assemblages of pegmatites of the Khibiny and Lovozero massifs, being confined to a microporous framework Ti-, Nb-, and Zr-silicates, which are sorbents of small molecules and efficient catalysts of the polymerization, reforming, and selective oxidation of organic matter. Bituminous matter from the pegmatites of the Lovozero Massif typically have elevated contents of aliphatic hydrocarbons, sulfur, and sodium, but are depleted in oxygen and trace elements. SBM from the pegmatites of the Khibiny Massif are depleted in sulfur and enriched in oxygen-bearing derivatives of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Being complexing agents for Th, REE, Ba, Sr, and Ca, they play a key role in the transfer and accumulation of Th and in the accumulation of alkali earth and rare earth elements during the hydrothermal stage of mineral formation. Oxidized SBM bearing rare and alkali earth elements are complex microheterogenous systems, which contain mineral (Th silicates, calcite, etc.), metalorganic (with REE, Ca, Sr, Ba), and predominantly organic phases formed by the exsolution of initial metalorganic material with decreasing temperature.     

The formation conditions of labuntsovite-group minerals in the Kovdor massif,Kola Peninsula

In the Kovdor massif, labuntsovite-group minerals occur in dolomite carbonatite veins (labuntsovite-Mg), in a natrolite-calcite vein (lemmleinite-Ba and labuntsovite-Fe), and in calcite pockets and veinlets cutting fenites (late labuntsovite-Mg). They are closely intergrown with paragenetic carbonates, and this makes it possible to estimate their crystallization temperature from the fluid inclusions entrapped in dolomite (≥265°C) and calcite (175–225°C). The earlier labuntsovite-Mg was formed under relatively acidic conditions, whereas later labuntsovite-calcite mineralization was derived from alkaline solutions.     

Thorium mineralization in hyperalkaline pegmatites and hydrothermalites of the Lovozero pluton,Kola Peninsula

The Lovozero pluton (Kola Peninsula, Russia) is an unique object from the standpoint of the abundance, diversity, and originality of Th mineralization. In contrast to other igneous rocks and to such chemical elements as Ca, REE, U, and Na, Th in the hyperalkaline pegmatites and hydrothermalites of the Lovozero pluton commonly occurs as its own mineral phases. Umbozerite Na₃Sr₄Th(Mn,Zn,Fe,Mg)[Si₈O₂₄](OH) (7 samples), Ti-Th silicate Na_0–7Sr_0–1ThTi_1–2Si₈O_22–23(OH) · nH₂O (8 samples), Na-Th silicate (Na,K)₄Th₃[Si₈(O,OH)₂₄] · nH₂O (6 samples), thorite (2 samples), steenstrupine-(Ce)-thorosteenstrupine series minerals (5 samples), and Th phosphate (Th,Na,K,Ca,Mg,U,Sr,Ba)[(P,Si, Al)₁O₄] · nH₂O (1 sample) were investigated in this study. Ti-Th silicates and Th phosphate have been described for the first time. All of the above-mentioned minerals have been examined with electron microprobe, IR spectroscopy, powder diffraction, thermogravimetric and optical methods. High-Th minerals such as steenstrupine, umbozerite, Th phosphate, and Na-Th silicates crystallized mainly during the ussingite stage of the pegmatite-forming process. At the early hydrothermal high-alkaline stage, steenstrupine was replaced with REE and Th aggregates (belovite, vitusite, seidite, Na-Th silicates, Ti-Th silicates, etc.). Thorite, Ti-Th silicates, and minerals of the rhabdophane and monazite groups were formed at the late hydrothermal low-alkaline stage. Despite the metamict features of almost all samples, stoichiometric ratios of cations in umbozerites and Ti-Th silicates remain stable. Clear relationships have been revealed between umbozerites and Ti-Th silicates, on the one hand, and seidite-(Ce), a Ti-silicate that has a zeolite-like structure, on the other. This implies that, under certain conditions, these minerals may be regarded as potential suppliers of Th to the environment due to the leaching of Th from zeolite channels.     

Chromium mineralization in the Khibiny alkaline massif (Kola Peninsula,Russia)

This paper presents new data on chromium mineralization in a fenitized xenolith in Mt. Kaskasnyunchorr in the Khibiny alkaline massif (Kola Peninsula, Russia) and summarizes data on Cr mineralogy in the Khibiny Mountains. Protolith silicates that contained Cr³⁺ admixture are believed to be the source of this element in the fenite. Cr-bearing (maximum Cr₂O₃ concentrations, wt %, are in parentheses) aegirine (5.8), crichtonite-group minerals (2.1), muscovite (1.3), zirconolite (1.1), titanite (1.0), fluorine-magnesioarfvedsonite (0.8), biotite (0.8), ilmenite (0.6), and aenigmatite (0.6) occur in the fenite. The late-stage spinellides of the FeTi-chromite-CrTi-magnetite series, which are very poor in Mg and Al and which formed after Crrich aegirine and ilmenite, are the richest in Cr (up to 42% Ct₂O₃). Cr concentrations grew with time during the fenitization process. Unlike minerals in the Khibiny ultramafic rocks where Cr is associated with Mg, Al (it is isomorphic with Cr), and with Ca, chromium in the fenites is associated with Fe, Ti, and V (with which Cr³⁺ is isomorphic) and with Na in silicate minerals. Cr³⁺ Mobility of Cr³⁺ and the unique character of chromium mineralization in the examined fenites were caused by high alkalinity of the fluid.     

Loparite-(Ce) from the Khibiny Alkaline Pluton,Kola Peninsula,Russia

Data on the occurrence, morphology, anatomy, composition, and formation conditions of loparite-(Ce) in the Khibiny alkaline pluton are given. Loparite-(Ce), (Na,Ce,Sr)(Ce,Th)(Ti,Nb)2O6, resulted from metasomatic alteration and assimilation of metamorphic host rocks at the contact with foyaite as well as foyaite on the contact with foidolite. This alteration was the highest in pegmatite, and albitite developed there. A decrease in temperature resulted in enrichment of the perovskite and tausonite endmembers in loparite-(Ce) owing to a decrease in the loparite and lueshite endmembers. La and Ce sharply predominate among rare earth elements in the composition of loparite-(Ce).     

A Pb isotope investigation of the Lovozero Agpaitic Nepheline Syenite,Kola Peninsula,Russia

For the first time Pb isotope composition was established in Lovozero rocks and raremetal ores, which is important for identifying their sources. The world’s largest layered intrusion of agpaitic nepheline syenite-the Lovozero alkaline massif—is located near the center of the Kola Peninsula in Russia. This superlarge complex plutonic body hosts the economically important loparite and eudiallyte deposits [1]. These deposits contain immense resources of REE, Nb, Ta, Zr, and constitute a world class mineral district. The Lovozero massif belongs to the Kola ultramafic alkaline and carbonatitic province (KACP) of Devonian age. Previous bulk rock studies have shown that the initial Sr and Nd isotope ratios of Lovozero rocks plot in the depleted mantle quadrant of Sr-Nd diagrams [2]. More recently, Hf isotope data obtained by Kogarko et al. (3) confirm that the Lovozero and Khibina massifs with ?_Hf between 6 and 8 are derived predominantly from a depleted mantle source. It was shown that Sr, Nd, and Hf abundances are significantly elevated in the Kola alkaline rocks, and thus their isotopic compositions are relatively insensitive to minor contamination by the overlying crustal rocks. By contrast, Pb in the KACP rocks is a much more sensitive indicator of a crustal component. In this paper we investigate the lead isotopic signature of all resentative types of Lovozero rocks (Table 1) in order to further characterize their mantle sources. The Lovozero massif consists of four intrusive phases. Rocks of phase I (mostly nepheline syenites) comprise about 5% of the total volume, phase II (urtites, foyaite, lujavrites) forms the main portion of the massif comprising 77% in volume, and phase III (eudialyte lujavrites) contributes about 18%. Country rocks are represented by Devonian effusive rocks and Archean gneisses.     

Leaching rare-earth and radioactive elements from alkaline rocks of the Lovozero Massif,Kola Peninsula

The paper presents data on the leaching efficiency of rare-earth (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, and Lu) and radioactive (Th and U) elements by various reagents from alkaline rocks of the Lovozero Massif. Element concentrations were analyzed by ICP-MS and instrumental neutral activation (INAA). A new complex technique is suggested for analyzing elements on the solid phase of polymer hydrogels. This technique makes it possible to enhance the sensitivity and selectivity of INAA when these elements are simultaneously contained in rocks. Data are presented on the selective leaching of trace elements and the application of environmentally safe reagents.     

Free hydrogen-hydrocarbon gases from the Lovozero loparite deposit (Kola Peninsula,NW Russia)

The Lovozero nepheline-syenite massif in the north-eastern Fennoscandian Shield, well-known to mineralogists and petrologists, is also interesting with its high contents of hydrogen-hydrocarbon gases in different forms of presence, which is untypical of magmatic rocks. The article systematizes and generalizes little known and unpublished data on the composition, location, character and scale (intensity) of the free gases (FG) emission within a major loparite deposit confined to the massif. СН₄ and Н₂ are dominant in the FG composition. The molecular weight distribution of hydrocarbon gas components corresponds to the classic Anderson–Schulz–Flory distribution with a steep gradient. Carbon and hydrogen of the gases are characterized by rather heavy isotope compositions, becoming lighter from the transition of methane to ethane. The FG volume has been estimated as 0.2–1.6 m³ of gas per 1 m³ of undisturbed rock. The gas recovery of walls in underground workings has been up to 0.2 ml/min/m² for СН₄ and 0.5 ml/min/m² for Н₂ in several years after their heading. The discharge of some shot holes that characterizes the gas emission intensity (1.8–2 m deep and 40 mm in diameter) is up to 300 ml/min, but its 1–2 orders lesser values dominate. The discharge time in some sections varies from several days to 20 years. The overpressure of gases towards the air mainly does not increase 100 hPa, sometimes reaching 120 kPa. It has been defined, that FG distribute irregularly (at the distance of centimeters to hundreds of meters) and their composition and particularly emission intensity perform different temporal fluctuations. The abiogenic origin of FG has been proposed, with FG appearing as a mixture of gases in various proportions: (a) gases remaining in microfissures at the massif's consolidation after the capture by fluid inclusions and those lost during degassing and (b) gases occurred in mechanic-chemical reactions, partial emission and concentration of occluded and diffusely scattered gases under the unstable stress-strain mode of the rock mass. Combustible and explosive hydrogen-hydrocarbon FG can accumulate in the air of underground workings and cause accidents, disrupting the workflow. The background for using characteristics of spatial-temporal variations of the FG emission as precursors of dangerous geodynamic phenomena has been indicated.     

Elpasolite from hyperalkaline pegmatite of the Khibiny pluton, Kola Peninsula. Symmetry of elpasolite

Elpasolite, K₂NaAlF₆, has been found for the first time in a pegmatite related to peralkaline foid syenite at Mt. Koashva, Khibiny alkaline pluton, Kola Peninsula, Russia, as pale pink octahedral crystals up to 2 mm in size within cavities in the natrolite core of pegmatite in association with amicite, sodalite, aegirine, pectolite, catapleiite, sitinakite, lemmleinite-K, and vinogradovite. The chemical composition determined with an electron microprobe is as follows, wt %: 31.53 K; 9.22 Na; 11.20 Al; 47.21 F; total is 99.16. The empirical formula is K_1.96Na_0.98Al_1.01F_6.05. The infrared spectrum is given. The crystal structure has been refined to R = 0.030, space group Fm $ \bar 3 Elpasolite, K₂NaAlF₆, has been found for the first time in a pegmatite related to peralkaline foid syenite at Mt. Koashva, Khibiny alkaline pluton, Kola Peninsula, Russia, as pale pink octahedral crystals up to 2 mm in size within cavities in the natrolite core of pegmatite in association with amicite, sodalite, aegirine, pectolite, catapleiite, sitinakite, lemmleinite-K, and vinogradovite. The chemical composition determined with an electron microprobe is as follows, wt %: 31.53 K; 9.22 Na; 11.20 Al; 47.21 F; total is 99.16. The empirical formula is K_1.96Na_0.98Al_1.01F_6.05. The infrared spectrum is given. The crystal structure has been refined to R = 0.030, space group Fm m, a = 8.092 ?. The result of a special X-ray powder diffraction study confirmed the suggestion made by Morss (1974) that reflections violating space group Fm m in some published X-ray powder patterns of natural elpasolite are Kβ-lines. Original Russian Text ? I.V. Pekov, N.V. Chukanov, N.N. Kononkova, N.V. Zubkova, M.Kh. Rabadanov, D.Yu. Pushcharovsky, 2007, published in Zapiski Rossiiskogo Mineralogicheskogo Obshchestva, 2007, No. 6, pp. 76–84.     

Typochemistry of rinkite and products of its alteration in the Khibiny Alkaline pluton,Kola Peninsula

The occurrence, morphology, and composition of rinkite are considered against the background of zoning in the Khibiny pluton. Accessory rinkite is mostly characteristic of foyaite in the outer part of pluton, occurs somewhat less frequently in foyaite and rischorrite in the central part of pluton, even more sparsely in foidolites and apatite–nepheline rocks, and sporadically in fenitized xenoliths of the Lovozero Formation. The largest, up to economic, accumulations of rinkite are related to the pegmatite and hydrothermal veins, which occur in nepheline syenite on both sides of the Main foidolite ring. The composition of rinkite varies throughout the pluton. The Ca, Na, and F contents in accessory rinkite and amorphous products of its alteration progressively increase from foyaite and fenitized basalt of the Lovozero Formation to foidolite, rischorrite, apatite–nepheline rocks, and pegmatite–hydrothermal veins.