Magmatic–hydrothermal rare-element mineralization in the Songshugang granite (northeastern Jiangxi,China): Insights from an electron-microprobe study of Nb–Ta–Zr minerals

The Songshugang granite, hidden in the Sinian metasedimentary stratum, is a highly evolved rare-element granite in northeastern Jiangxi province, South China. The samples were systematically taken from the CK-102 drill hole at the depth of 171–423 m. Four types of rocks were divided from the bottom upwards: topaz albite granite as the main body, greisen nodules, topaz K-feldspar granite and pegmatite layer. Electron-microprobe study reveals that the rare-element minerals of the Songshugang granite are very different from those of other rare-element granites. Mn^# [Mn/(Fe + Mn)] and Ta^# [Ta/(Nb + Ta)] of columbite-group minerals and Hf^# [Hf/(Zr + Hf)] of zircon are nearly constant within each type of rocks. However, back-scattered electron imaging revealed that Nb–Ta oxides and zircon of the Songshugang granite, especially those of topaz albite granite, topaz K-feldspar granite and greisen, are commonly characterized by a specific two-stage texture on the crystal scale. The early-stage Nb–Ta oxide is simply subhedral-shaped columbite-(Fe) (CGM-I) with low Mn^# (0.16–0.37) and Ta^# (0.05–0.29). Columbite-(Fe) is penetrated by the later-stage tantalite veinlets (CGM-II) or surrounded by complex Nb–Ta–Sn–W mineral assemblages, including tantalite-(Fe), wodginite (sl), cassiterite, and ferberite. Tantalite has wide range of Mn^# values (0.15–0.88) from Fe-dominance to Mn-dominance. Wodginite with Ta>Nb has large variable concentrations of W, Sn and Ti. Cassiterite and ferberite are all enriched in Nb and Ta (Nb₂O₅ + Ta₂O₅ up to 20.12 wt.% and 31.42 wt.%, respectively), with high Ta^# (>0.5). Similar to Nb–Ta oxides and Nb–Ta–Sn–W mineral assemblages, the early-stage zircon is commonly included by the later-stage zircon with sharply boundary. They have contrasting Hf contents, and HfO₂ of the later-stage zircon is up to 28.13 wt.%. Petrographic features indicate that the early-stage of columbite and zircon were formed in magmatic environment. However, the later-stage of rare-element minerals were influenced by fluxes-enriched fluids. Tantalite, together with wodginite, cassiterite, and ferberite implies a Ta-dominant media. An interstitial fluid-rich melt enriched in Ta and flux at the magmatic–hydrothermal transitional stage is currently a favored model for explaining the later-stage of rare-element mineralization.     

Evolution of mariupolite (nepheline syenite) in the alkaline Oktiabrski Massif (Ukraine) as the host of potential Nb–Zr–REE mineralization

Mariupolite, aegirine-albite nepheline syenite, outcropping only in the Oktiabrski massif in south-eastern Ukraine, is a potential resource of Nb, Zr and REE for future exploration and development. Some types of this rock can be also used in ceramics, glass and building industry and jewellery. Mariupolite is composed of (1) magmatic and (2) subsolidus and hydrothermal components. The magmatic assemblage includes zircon, aegirine, nepheline, albite, K-feldspar, pyrochlore, fluorapatite, fluorbritholite-(Ce) and magnetite. Alkaline-carbonate-chloride-rich fluids exsolved very early in the history of the rock, in a late stage of, or directly after, its consolidation, induced intensive high-temperature alteration of the primary mariupolite components resulted in formation of cancrinite, calcite, fluorite, REE-bearing minerals such as monazite, parasite-(Ce), bastnäsite-(Ce), as well as sodalite, natrolite and hematite. The genesis of this peculiar mineralization seems to be associated with multistage magmatic and tectonic activity of the Ukrainian Shield and fluids mediated metasomatic processes.     

Zircon from the East Orebody of the Bayan Obo Fe–Nb–REE deposit,China, and SHRIMP ages for carbonatite-related magmatism and REE mineralization events

Extremely U-depleted (<1 ppm) zircons from H8 banded ores in the East Orebody of the Bayan Obo REE–Nb–Fe deposit are presented, with mineral compositions, textures, ²³²Th–²⁰⁸Pb SHRIMP ages and petrological context. Cores of East Orebody zircon contain up to 7 wt% HfO₂ and are zoned, depicting bipyramidal crystal forms. A distinct generation of patchy, epitaxial rim zircon, similarly depleted in U, is intergrown with rare earth ore minerals (bastnäsite, parisite, monazite). Overprinting aegirine textures indicate paragenetically late, reactive Na-rich fluids. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns without Eu anomalies match closely with those from the Mud Tank and Kovdor carbonatitic zircons. Increased HREE in rims ((Lu/Gd)_N 43–112) relative to cores ((Lu/Gd)_N 6–7.5) and the localized presence of xenotime are attributable to reactive, mineralizing fluid compositions enriched in Y, REE and P. Cathodoluminescence further reveals HREE fractionation in rims, evidenced by a narrow-band Er³⁺ emission at 405 nm. The extreme depletion of U in core and rim zircon is characteristic for this mineral deposit and is indicative of a persistent common source. U depletion is also a characteristic for zircons from carbonatitic or kimberlitic systems. ²³²Th–²⁰⁸Pb (SHRIMP II) geochronological data reveal the age of zircon cores as 1,325 ± 60 Ma and a rim-alteration event as 455.6 ± 28.27 Ma. The combined findings are consistent with a protolithic igneous origin for zircon cores, from a period of intrusive, alkaline–carbonatitic magmatism. Fluid processes responsible for the REE–Nb mineralizations affected zircon rim growth and degradation during the widely reported Caledonian events, providing a new example in a localized context of HREE enrichment processes.     

Geochemistry of the Kalatongke Ni–Cu–(PGE) sulfide deposit,NW China: implications for the formation of magmatic sulfide mineralization in a postcollisional environment

The Kalatongke (also spelt as Karatungk) Ni–Cu–(platinum-group element, PGE) sulfide deposit, containing 33 Mt sulfide ore with a grade of 0.8 wt.% Ni and 1.3 wt.% Cu, is located in the Eastern Junggar terrane, Northern Xinjiang, NW China. The largest sulfide ore body, which occupies more than 50 vol.% of the intrusion Y1, is dominantly comprised of disseminated sulfide with a massive sulfide inner zone. Economic disseminated sulfides also occur at the base of the intrusions Y2 and Y3. The main host rock types are norite in the lower part and diorite in the upper part of each intrusion. Enrichment in large ion lithophile elements and depletion in heavy rare earth elements relative to mid-ocean ridge basalt indicate that the mafic intrusions were produced from magmas derived from a metasomatized garnet lherzolite mantle. The average grades of the disseminated ores are 0.6 wt.% Ni and 1.1 wt.% Cu, whereas those of the massive ores are 2 wt.% Ni and 8 wt.% Cu. The PGE contents of the disseminated ores (14–69 ppb Pt and 78–162 ppb Pd) are lower than those of the massive ores (120–505 ppb Pt and 30–827 ppb Pd). However, on the basis of 100% sulfide, PGE contents of the massive sulfides are lower than those of the disseminated sulfides. Very high Cu/Pd ratios (>4.5 × 10⁴) indicate that the Kalatongke sulfides segregated from PGE-depleted magma produced by prior sulfide saturation and separation. A negative correlation between the Cu/Pd ratio and the Pd content in 100% sulfide indicates that the PGE content of the sulfide is controlled by both the PGE concentrations in the parental silicate magma and the ratio of the amount of silicate to sulfide magma. The negative correlations between Ir and Pd indicate that the massive sulfides experienced fractionation.     

In situ analyses of micas in the Yashan granite,South China: Constraints on magmatic and hydrothermal evolutions of W and Ta–Nb bearing granites

Most rare-metal granites in South China host major W deposits with few or without Ta–Nb mineralization. However, the Yashan granitic pluton, located in the Yichun area of western Jiangxi province, South China, hosts a major Nb–Ta deposit with minor W mineralization. It is thus important for understanding the diversity of W and Nb–Ta mineralization associated with rare-metal granites. The Yashan pluton consists of multi-stage intrusive units, including the protolithionite (-muscovite) granite, Li-mica granite and topaz–lepidolite granite from the early to late stages. Bulk-rock REE contents and La/Yb ratios decrease from protolithionite granite to Li-mica granite to topaz–lepidolite granite, suggesting the dominant plagioclase fractionation. This variation, together with increasing Li, Rb, Cs and Ta but decreasing Nb/Ta and Zr/Hf ratios, is consistent with the magmatic evolution. In the Yashan pluton, micas are protolithionite, muscovite, Li-mica and lepidolite, and zircons show wide concentration ranges of ZrO₂, HfO₂, UO₂, ThO₂, Y₂O₃ and P₂O₅. Compositional variations of minerals, such as increasing F, Rb and Li in mica and increasing Hf, U and P in zircon are also in concert with the magmatic evolution from protolithionite granite to Li-mica granite to topaz–lepidolite granite. The most evolved topaz–lepidolite granite has the highest bulk-rock Li, Rb, Cs, F and P contents, consistent with the highest contents of these elements and the lowest Nb/Ta ratio in mica and the lowest Zr/Hf ratio in zircon. Ta–Nb enrichment was closely related to the enrichment of volatile elements (i.e. Li, F and P) in the melt during magmatic evolution, which raised the proportion of non-bridging oxygens (NBOs) in the melt. The rims of zoned micas in the Li-mica and topaz–lepidolite granites contain lower Rb, Cs, Nb and Ta and much lower F and W than the cores and/or mantles, indicating an exotic aqueous fluid during hydrothermal evolution. Some columbite-group minerals may have formed from exotic aqueous fluids which were originally depleted in F, Rb, Cs, Nb, Ta and W, but such fluids were not responsible for Ta–Nb enrichment in the Yashan granite. The interaction of hydrothermal fluids with previously existing micas may have played an important role in leaching, concentrating and transporting W, Fe and Ti. Ta–Nb enrichment was associated with highly evolved magmas, but W mineralization is closely related to hydrothermal fluid. Thus these magmatic and hydrothermal processes explain the diversity of W and Ta–Nb mineralizations in the rare-metal granites.     

Redox problems in the “metallogenic specialization” of magmatic rocks and the genesis of hydrothermal ore mineralization

Considering the history and current state of the problem of the so-called metallogenic specialization of magmatic rocks, the paper places emphasis onto various aspects of the genesis of ore mineralization depending on the redox state of magmas (as a logical continuation of S. Ishihara’s works), fluids, and host rocks. These problems were inadequately poorly explored and discussed by researchers dealing with ore deposits. Various possible variants of ore-forming redox processes for different types of mineral deposits, with ore mineralization affiliated to granites (Ta, Sn, W, Mo, and Be) and mafic magmas (Au, Ag, U, Cu, Zn, Pb, As, Sb, and Hg) and, accordingly, to crustal and mantle origin, are discussed. On the basis of analyzed geological data, including those published over the past three decades, it is shown that the redox state of ore-producing magmas commonly significantly impacted not only the ore potential of magmatic complexes but also the genetic type of the ore mineralization. The redox state of the fluids predetermined the transport and precipitation speciation of metals. Influence mechanisms of hydrocarbons from sedimentary country rocks and gaseous products of their pyrolysis on ore deposition of various metals are considered. Understanding these mechanisms can be helpful for predicting the possible precipitation sites of ore mineralization of noble, radioactive, and chalcophile metals.     

In-situ zircon U-Pb age and Hf-O isotopic constraints on the origin of the Hasan-Robat A-type granite from Sanandaj–Sirjan zone,Iran: implications for reworking of Cadomian arc igneous rocks

Mineralogy and Petrology - The Lower Permian Hasan-Robat syenogranite occurs as a single pluton and intruded the Upper Carboniferous–Lower Permian sandstones and dolomitic limestones in the...     

Platinum-group minerals from the Jinbaoshan Pd–Pt deposit,SW China: evidence for magmatic origin and hydrothermal alteration

The Jinbaoshan Pt–Pd deposit in Yunnan, SW China, is hosted in a wehrlite body, which is a member of the Permian (∼260 Ma) Emeishan Large Igneous Province (ELIP). The deposit is reported to contain one million tonnes of Pt–Pd ore grading 0.21% Ni and 0.16% Cu with 3.0 g/t (Pd + Pt). Platinum-group minerals (PGM) mostly are ∼10 μm in diameter, and are commonly Te-, Sn- and As-bearing, including moncheite (PtTe₂), atokite (Pd₃Sn), kotulskite (PdTe), sperrylite (PtAs₂), irarsite (IrAsS), cooperite (PtS), sudburyite (PdSb), and Pt–Fe alloy. Primary rock-forming minerals are olivine and clinopyroxene, with clinopyroxene forming anhedral poikilitic crystals surrounding olivine. Primary chromite occurs either as euhedral grains enclosed within olivine or as an interstitial phase to the olivine. However, the intrusion has undergone extensive hydrothermal alteration. Most olivine grains have been altered to serpentine, and interstitial clinopyroxene is often altered to actinolite/tremolite and locally biotite. Interstitial chromite grains are either partially or totally replaced by secondary magnetite. Base-metal sulfides (BMS), such as pentlandite and chalcopyrite, are usually interstitial to the altered olivine. PGM are located with the BMS and are therefore also interstitial to the serpentinized olivine grains, occurring within altered interstitial clinopyroxene and chromite, or along the edges of these minerals, which predominantly altered to actinolite/tremolite, serpentine and magnetite. Hydrothermal fluids were responsible for the release of the platinum-group elements (PGE) from the BMS to precipitate the PGM at low temperature during pervasive alteration. A sequence of alteration of the PGM has been recognized. Initially moncheite and atokite have been corroded and recrystallized during the formation of actinolite/tremolite, and then, cooperite and moncheite were altered to Pt–Fe alloy where they are in contact with serpentine. Sudburyite occurs in veins indicating late Pd mobility. However, textural evidence shows that the PGM are still in close proximity to the BMS. They occur in PGE-rich layers located at specific igneous horizons in the intrusion, suggesting that PGE were originally magmatic concentrations that, within a PGE-rich horizon, crystallized with BMS late in the olivine/clinopyroxene crystallization sequence and have not been significantly transported during serpentinization and alteration.     

Geochemistry and Os–Nd–Sr isotopes of the Gaositai Alaskan-type ultramafic complex from the northern North China craton: implications for mantle–crust interaction

We report petrological, chemical and Os–Nd–Sr isotopic data for the Gaositai ultramafic complex from northern North China craton (NCC) to reveal its petrogenesis. The complex shows features of Alaskan-type intrusions, including (1) the concentric zoning from dunite core, to clinopyroxenite and hornblendite in the rim, and the common cumulative textures; (2) the abundance of olivine, clinopyroxene and hornblende, and the scarcity of orthopyroxene and plagioclase, and (3) the systematic decrease in Mg# of ferromagnesian phases from core to rim, accompanied by the Fe-enrichment trend of accessory spinel. The different rock types show highly varied, radiogenic Os isotopic ratios (0.129–5.2), and unradiogenic Nd isotopic composition (ε_Nd(t) = −8 to −15), but are homogeneous in I_Sr ratios (0.7054–0.7066). The (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os)_i ratios are found to be anti-correlated with ε_Nd(t) values and whole-rock Mg# as well. These data suggest significant crustal contamination during magma evolution. The crustal contaminants are dominantly Archean mafic rocks in the lower crust, and subordinate TTG gneisses at shallower crustal levels. The parental magma was hydrous picritic in composition, derived from an enriched lithospheric mantle source above a subduction zone. The zoned pattern of the complex formed probably through “flow differentiation” of a rapidly rising crystal mush along a fracture zone that was developed as a result of lithospheric extension in a back-arc setting in the northern margin of the NCC at ca. 280 Ma.     

ELA-ICP-MS U–Pb zircon geochronology of regional volcanism hosting the Bajo de la Alumbrera Cu–Au deposit: implications for porphyry-related mineralization

ELA-ICP-MS U–Pb zircon geochronology has been used to show that the porphyritic intrusions related to the formation of the Bajo de la Alumbrera porphyry Cu–Au deposit, NW Argentina, are cogenetic with stratigraphically well-constrained volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks of the Late Miocene Farallón Negro Volcanic Complex. Zircon geochronology for intrusions in this deposit and the host volcanic sequence show that multiple mineralized porphyries were emplaced in a volcanic complex that developed over 1.5 million years. Volcanism occurred in a multi-vent volcanic complex in a siliciclastic intermontane basin. The complex evolved from early mafic-intermediate effusive phases to a later silicic explosive phase associated with mafic intrusions. Zircons from the basal mafic-intermediate lavas have ages that range from 8.46±0.14 to 7.94±0.27 Ma. Regionally extensive silicic explosive volcanism occurred at ~8.0 Ma (8.05±0.13 and 7.96±0.11 Ma), which is co-temporal with intrusion of the earliest mineralized porphyries at Bajo de la Alumbrera (8.02±0.14 and 7.98±0.14 Ma). Regional uplift and erosion followed during which the magmatic-hydrothermal system was probably unroofed. Shortly thereafter, dacitic lava domes were extruded (7.95±0.17 Ma) and rhyolitic diatremes (7.79±0.13 Ma) deposited thick tuff blankets across the region. Emplacement of large intermediate composition stocks occurred at 7.37±0.22 Ma, shortly before renewed magmatism occurred at Bajo de la Alumbrera (7.10±0.07 Ma). The latest porphyry intrusive event is temporally associated with new ore-bearing magmatic-hydrothermal fluids. Other dacitic intrusions are associated with subeconomic deposits that formed synchronously with the mineralized porphyries at Bajo de la Alumbrera. However, their emplacement continued (from 7.10± 0.06 to 6.93±0.07 Ma) after the final intrusion at Bajo de al Alumbrera. Regional volcanism had ceased by 6.8 Ma (6.92±0.07 Ma). The brief history of the volcanic complex hosting the Bajo de la Alumbrera Cu–Au deposit differs from that of other Andean provinces hosting porphyry deposits. For example, at the El Salvador porphyry copper district in Chile, magmatism related to Cu mineralization was episodic in regional igneous activity that occurred over tens of millions of years. Bajo de la Alumbrera resulted from the superposition of multiple porphyry-related hydrothermal systems, temporally separated by a million years. It appears that the metal budget in porphyry ore deposits is not simply a function of their longevity and/or the superposition of multiple porphyry systems. Nor is it a function of the duration of the associated cycle of magmatism. Instead, the timing of processes operating in the parental magma body is the controlling factor in the formation of a fertile porphyry-related ore system.Electronic Supplementary Material Electronic supplementary material to this paper can be obtained by using the Springer Link server located at Editorial handling: N. White     

Zircon geochronology of the Koraput alkaline complex: Insights from combined geochemical and U–Pb–Hf isotope analyses,and implications for the timing of alkaline magmatism in the Eastern Ghats Belt,India

Zircon formation and modification during magmatic crystallization and high-grade metamorphism are explored using TIMS and LA-ICP-MS U–Pb geochronology, Lu–Hf isotope chemistry, trace element analysis and textural clues on zircons from the Koraput alkaline intrusion, Eastern Ghats Belt (EGB), India. The zircon host-rock is a granulite-facies nepheline syenite gneiss with an exceptionally low Zr concentration, prohibiting early magmatic Zr saturation. With zircon formation occurring at a late stage of advanced magmatic cooling, significant amounts of Zr were incorporated into biotite, nearly the only other Zr-bearing phase in the nepheline syenite gneisses. Investigated zircons experienced a multi-stage history of magmatic and metamorphic zircon growth with repeated solid-state recrystallization and partial dissolution–precipitation. These processes are recorded by complex patterns of internal zircon structures and a wide range of apparently concordant U–Pb ages between 869 ± 7 Ma and 690 ± 1 Ma. The oldest ages are interpreted to represent the timing of the emplacement of the Koraput alkaline complex, which significantly postdates the intrusion ages of most of the alkaline intrusion in the western EGB. However, Hf model ages of TDM = 1.5 to 1.0 Ga suggest an earlier separation of the nepheline syenite magma from its depleted mantle source, overlapping with the widespread Mesoproterozoic, rift-related alkaline magmatism in the EGB. Zircons yielding ages younger than 860 Ma have most probably experienced partial resetting of their U–Pb ages during repeated and variable recrystallization events. Consistent youngest LA-ICP-MS and CA-TIMS U–Pb ages of 700–690 Ma reflect a final pulse of high-grade metamorphism in the Koraput area and underline the recurrence of considerable orogenic activity in the western EGB during the Neoproterozoic. Within the nepheline syenite gneisses this final high-grade metamorphic event caused biotite breakdown, releasing sufficient Zr for local saturation and new subsolidus zircon growth along the biotite grain boundaries.     

Gabbroic intrusions and magmatic metasomatism in harzburgites from the Garrett transform fault: implications for the nature of the mantle–crust transition at fast-spreading ridges

 Mafic and ultramafic rocks sampled in the Garrett transform fault at 13°28′S on the East Pacific Rise (EPR) provide insight on magmatic processes occurring under a fast-spreading ridge system. Serpentinized harzburgite from Garrett have modal, mineral and bulk chemical compositions consistent with being mantle residue of a high degree of partial melting. Along with other EPR localities (Terevaka transform fault and Hess Deep), these harzburgites are among the most residual and depleted in magmatophile elements of the entire mid-ocean ridge system. Geothermometric calculations using olivine-spinel pairs indicate a mean temperature of 759 ± 25 °C for Garrett residual harzburgite similar to the average of 755 °C for tectonite peridotites from slow-spreading ridges. Results of this study show that mid-ocean ridge peridotites are subject to both fractional melting and metasomatic processes. Evidence for mantle metasomatism is ubiquitous in harzburgite and is likely widespread in the entire Garrett peridotite massif. Magma-harzburgite interactions are very well preserved as pyroxenite lenses, plagioclase dunite pockets or dunitic wall rock to intrusive gabbros. Abundant gabbroic rocks are found as intrusive pockets and dikes in harzburgite and have been injected in the following sequence: olivine-gabbro, gabbro, gabbronorite, and ferrogabbro. The wide variety of magmas that crystallized into gabbros contrast sharply with present-day intratransform basalts, which have a highly primitive composition. Ferrogabbro dikes have been intruded at the ridge-transform intersection and as they represent the last event of a succession of gabbros intrusive into the peridotite, they likely constrain the origin of the entire peridotite massif to the same location. In peridotite massifs from Pacific transform faults (Garrett and Terevaka), primitive to fractionated basaltic magmas have flowed and crystallized variable amounts of dunite (±plagioclase) and minor pyroxenite, followed by a succession of cumulate gabbroic dikes which have extensively intruded and modified the host harzburgitic rocks. The lithosphere and style of magmatic activity within a fast-slipping transform fault (outcrops of ultramafic massif, discontinuous gabbro pockets intrusive in peridotite, magnesian and phyric basalts) are more analogous to slow-spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge type than the East Pacific Rise. Received: 13 October 1997 / Accepted: 5 February 1999     

Isotope and rare earth element chemistry of carbonatite–alkaline complexes of Deccan volcanic province: implications to magmatic and alteration processes

Results of different isotopic and trace element studies on three carbonatite–alkaline complexes (Amba Dongar, Mundwara and Sarnu-Dandali) of the Deccan flood basalt province, India, are presented. The Amba Dongar (Ambadungar) complex has been dated precisely to 65.0±0.3 Ma by the ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar method. The minimum initial Sr isotopic ratio of alkaline rocks of Amba Dongar is found to be same as that of the coexisting carbonatites, suggesting their derivation from a common parent magma, probably through liquid immiscibility. The rare earth element abundance in these rocks also supports the liquid immiscibility hypothesis. Further investigation revealed that the parent magma of this complex has been contaminated (∼5%) by the lower crustal material, which is clearly reflected in the initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr variation of alkaline rocks but not in the carbonatites. Sr study also suggests that the mantle source of Amba Dongar like the other two complexes is a Rb/Sr enriched source. The temporal and spatial relationships of all the three complexes with the Deccan flood basalts support the hypothesis of reunion plume origin for these. Fractional crystallization and subsequent hydrothermal/meteoric alteration are found to have controlled the stable carbon and oxygen isotopic variations in carbonatites. This study suggests that all the complexes have been derived from isotopically average mantle except for a particular batch of parent magma at Amba Dongar, which appears to have incorporated recycled crustal carbon. In a plume origin scenario such incorporation indicates the entrainment of ¹³C-enriched subcontinental lithospheric mantle by the plume.     

REE Geochemistry of Fluorite from the Maoniuping REE Deposit, Sichuan Province, China： Implications for the Source of Ore-forming Fluids

Fluorite is one of the main gangue minerals in the Maoniuping REE deposit,Sichuan Province,China.Fluorite with different colors occurs not only within various orebodies,but also in wallrocks of the orefield.Based on REE geochemistry,fluorite in the orefield can be classified as the LREE-rich,LREE-flat and LREE-depleted types.The three types of fluorite formed at different stages from the same hydrothermal fluid source,with the LREE-rich fluorite forming at the relatively early stage,the LREE-flat fluorite in the middle,and the LREE-depleted fluorite at the latest stage.Various lines of evidence demonstrate that the variation of the REE contents of fluorite shows no relation to the color.The mineralization of the Maoniuping REE deposit is associated spatially and temporally with carbonatite-syenite magmatism and the ore-forming fluids are mainly derived from carbonatite and syenite melts.     

Ages and compositions of primary and secondary allanite from the Lala Fe–Cu deposit,SW China: implications for multiple episodes of hydrothermal events

Numerous Fe–Cu deposits in southwestern China form the Kangdian Iron-Oxide Copper-Gold (IOCG) metallogenic Province. These deposits have a close association of Fe-oxides and Cu-sulfides formed at different stages, which are possibly related to multiple hydrothermal events. In this paper, U–Pb dating and chemical analyses on allanite from different stages of the Lala deposit were used to constrain timing and origin of such events. Allanite occurs as disseminated grains or patches in Fe–Cu ores and is closely associated with chalcopyrite, molybdenite, calcite and minor titanite, postdating magnetite and apatite. High-resolution backscattered electronic (BSE) imaging, electron microprobe compositions and X-ray scanning profiles demonstrate that REE-rich primary allanite was replaced by later, relatively porous and REE-poor secondary allanite. Such a replacement was promoted by interaction between primary allanite and fluid fluxes infiltrating the minerals, following an exchange scheme of REE³⁺ + Fe²⁺ → Ca²⁺ + Al³⁺. The secondary allanite has higher Fe³⁺/(Fe³⁺+Fe²⁺) ratios and U contents, indicating involvement of relatively oxidized fluids during alteration. The alteration has also produced unidentified secondary REE minerals in fractures, indicating re-deposition of some of the removed REEs. The primary and secondary allanites are dated by in situ LA-ICP-MS technique and have U–Pb ages of 1,067 ± 41 Ma and 880–850 Ma, respectively. The ~1.07 Ga primary allanite was contemporaneous with the main Mo–Cu–LREE mineralization with a molybdenite Re–Os age of ~1.08 Ga. The 880–850 Ma secondary allanite is comparable with the Ar–Ar ages (890–830 Ma) of biotite from hosting schists and undeformed sulfide veins occurring throughout the Kangdian Province, suggesting that such an event was possibly syn-deformational and represents a younger hydrothermal event. Occurrences of both primary and secondary allanites suggest that the mineralization may have involved multiple tectonothermal events including the ~1.05–1.1 Ga intra-plate and subsequent 960–740 Ma arc magmatism in the Kangdian region.     

Be-daughter minerals in fluid and melt inclusions: implications for the enrichment of Be in granite–pegmatite systems

The study of re-homogenized melt inclusions in the same growth planes of quartz of pegmatites genetically linked to the Variscan granite of the Ehrenfriedersdorf complex, Erzgebirge, Germany, by ion microprobe analyses has determined high concentrations of Be, up to 10,000 ppm, in one type of melt inclusion, as well as moderate concentrations in the 100 ppm range in a second type of melt inclusion. Generally, the high Be concentrations are associated with the H₂O- and other volatile-rich type-B melt inclusions, and the lower Be concentration levels are connected to H₂O-poor type-A melt inclusions. Both inclusion types, representing conjugate melt pairs, are formed by a liquid–liquid immiscibility separation process. This extremely strong and very systematic scattering in Be provides insights into the origin of Be concentration and transport mechanisms in pegmatite-forming melts. In this contribution, we present more than 250 new analytical data and show with ion microprobe and fs-LA-ICPMS studies on quenched glasses, as well as with confocal Raman spectroscopy of daughter minerals in unheated melt inclusions, that the concentrations of Be may achieve such extreme levels during melt–melt immiscibility of H₂O-, B-, F-, P-, ± Li-enriched pegmatite-forming magmas. Starting from host granite with about 10 ppm Be, melt inclusions with 10,000 ppm Be correspond to enrichment by a factor of over 1,000. This strong enrichment of Be is the result of processes of fractional crystallization and further enrichment in melt patches of pegmatite bodies due to melt–melt immiscibility at fluid saturation. We also draw additional conclusions regarding the speciation of Be in pegmatite-forming melt systems from investigation of the Be-bearing daughter mineral phases in the most H₂O-rich melt inclusions. In the case of evolved volatile and H₂O-rich pegmatite systems, B, P, and carbonates are important for the enrichment and formation of stable Be complexes.     

Long-lived magmatic systems and implications on the recognition of granite–pegmatite genetic relations: Characterization of the Pavia granitic pegmatites (Ossa-Morena Zone,Portugal)

It is generally accepted that pegmatites are derived from large masses of granite but, even in areas where complete mineralogical, chemical and isotopic datasets are available, the relation between pegmatites and host granitic rocks or nearby plutons is usually not simple to address. The Pavia pluton, located in the Ossa-Morena Zone (Iberian Massif), is a multiphase intrusive body constructed over ∼11 m.y. by the amalgamation of several batches of magma. At the first glance, pegmatites seem to constitute a very homogeneous pegmatite field. They are mainly “intragranitic” thin tabular dikes, unzoned, layered, or with simple internal structure and are composed by the ordinary minerals that constitute the different classes of igneous rocks. They also present identical whole rock major and trace elements geochemistry and isotopic signature [(⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i = 0.70434–0.70581, ɛNd_t = −1.3 to −3.7 and δ¹⁸O = 8.2–9.6‰] but, based on previously published geochronological data, three generations of pegmatites were identified. Two of these are coeval with the emplacement of the host granites (s.l.) at 328 Ma and ca. 324 Ma. The other is related to a later magmatic event at 319–317 Ma. A similar and rather juvenile source is suggested for host granites (s.l.) and pegmatites but a simple and continuous process of intra-chamber magmatic differentiation is not supported by our data. It is suggested that pegmatites derived from slightly evolved batches of magma that interacted with fresh, newly emplaced, batches (from the same or from a similar source) with limited interaction with the crust. Therefore, the Pavia pegmatites do not represent the final products of magmatism at this level of the crust but slightly differentiated products of different batches of magma. This study demonstrates how long-lived magmatic systems can potentially affect the recognition of granite–pegmatite genetic relationships.     

Geochemistry of mafic rocks and melt inclusions and their implications for the heat source of the 14.0°S hydrothermal field,South Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Fresh rocks sampled from the 14.0°S hydrothermal field of the South Atlantic Ridge can be divided into two categories： olivine-gabbro and basalt. The olivine-gabbro is composed mainly of three types of minerals： olivine, clinopyroxene and plagioclase, while a multitude of melt inclusions occur in the plagioclase phenocrysts of the basalts. We analyzed the whole-rock, major and trace elements contents of the basaks, the mineral chemistry of phenocrysts and melt inclusions in the basalts, and the mineral chemistry of olivine-clinopyroxene-plagioclase in the olivine-gabbro, then simulated magma evolution within the crust using the COMAGMAT program. The whole-rock geochemistry shows that all the basalts exhibit typical N-MORB characteristics. In addition, the mineral chemistry characteristics of the olivine-gabbro （low-Fo olivine, low-Mg# clinopyroxene, high-TiO2 clinopyroxene, low-An plagioclase）, show that strong magma differentiation occurred within the crust. Nevertheless, significant discrepancies between those minerals and phenocrysts in the basalts （high-Fo olivine, high-An plagioclase） reflect the heterogeneity of magma differentiation. High Mg# （-~0.72） melt inclusions isobaric partial crystallization simulations suggest that the magma differentiation occurred at the depth shallower than 13.03 km below the seafloor, and both the vertical differentiation column shows distinct discrepancies from that of a steady-state magma chamber. Instead, a series of independent magma intrusions probably occurred within the crust, and their corresponding crystallized bodies, as the primary high-temperature thermal anomalies within the off-axis crust, probably act as the heat source for the development of the 14.0°S hydrothermal system.