Geology and rare-earth element geochemistry of highly evolved, molybdenite-bearing granitic plutons, Southeastern Desert, Egypt

The field relations, mineralogy, and major and trace elements (including REE analyses of whole-rock samples and minerals) of granites and their associated molybdenite uranium mineralized aplites in Southeastern Desert, Egypt, have been studied. The granites are leucocratic and mostly peraluminous in nature with muscovite increasing at the expense of biotite. The chemical and mineralogical characteristics of the granitic rocks indicate that their melts originated from the LILE-enriched mantle wedge by partial melting and are contaminated by crustal melts, followed by thermogravitational processes. Leucogranites with higher Na2O/K2O ratios from Um Dargag and Um Maiat crystallized under H2O-saturated equilibrium conditions in which the exsolved vapor continuously migrated away. The REE patterns of the granites studied are characterized by LREE enrichments and negative Eu anomalies. In comparison, the potassic aplites and the more sodic leucogranites are depleted in LREE, enriched in HREE and show more remarkable negative Eu anomalies. Allanite and monazite are the most important REE carriers in the granites. These minerals are strongly enriched in LREE, whereas fluorite and xenotime, which are more abundant in the aplites, are enriched in HREE. The average Lu/Ce ratio represents the fractionation trend with respect to HREE. It is 0.71 for radioactive fluorite, and it increases to 1.22 for non-radioactive fluorite. The high REE contents of molybdenite represent re-deposition of the mobilized Mo and REE. Due to the strong control of accessory minerals, the REEs are of limited use in petrogenetic modelling of highly evolved granitic systems.     

Geochemistry of lamprophyres associated with uranium mineralization, Southeastern Desert, Egypt

Two brecciated shear zones (NNW-SSE) are found crosscutting cataclastic rocks. The cataclastic rocks (3.0 km2) occupy the core of the granitic pluton and enclose a roof pendant of mafic-ultramafic rocks. The NNW-SSE-extending lamprophyre dykes vary in thickness from 0.5 m to 1 m and up to 800 m long, cutting the cataclastic rocks and are composed mainly of plagioclases, amphiboles, relics of pyroxenes and K-feldspar phenocrysts embedded in fine-grained groundmass. They are characterized as being peraluminous, calc-alkaline in composition (chemical trap) and enriched in calcite, sulfide and P2O5. The lamprophyres were affected by hydrothermal alteration (chlorite-carbonate alteration) while the cataclastic rocks were affected by diagenetic alteration (K-feldspar-albite alteration). Uranium mineralization is the product of hydrothermal events and has been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), involving primary uranium minerals (U3O8) and secondary uranium minerals (uranophane and beta-uranophane, kasolite, torbernite, autonite and meta-autonite) in addition to U- bearing minerals (astrocyanite, betafite and fergusonite). The presence of different mineral parageneses associated with clay minerals indicates that the lamprophyres were subjected to acidic and alkaline mineralizing solutions. Moreover, the U-Zr/U, U-Ce/U values show negative correlations, confirming U-enrichment in both cataclastic rocks and shear zones while the Th-eU/eTh, Th-Zr/Th and Th-Ce/Th values show negative correlations, indicating that the U-bearing solutions are rich in Th in the cataclastic rocks only.     

Uranium mineralization in the muscovite-rich granites of the Shalatin region, Southeastern Desert, Egypt

1INTRODUCTION THELATEPRECAMBRIANGRANITOIDSOFTHEARABONU BIANSHIELDINEGYPTWEREEXPOSEDBYEARLYTOMIDDLE TERTIARYUPLIFTANDENSUINGEROSIONDURINGTHEREDSEA RIFTINGEVENT(GREENBERG,1981).THEREAREANUMBER OFEFFECTIVEANDRELATIVELYSUCCESSFULSCHEMESFORTHE CLASSIFICATIONOF…     

Mineralization of pegmatites in parts of the Oban Massif, Southeastern Nigeria： A preliminary analysis

The Oban Basement Massif of southeastern Nigeria is composed of metamorphosed rocks including phyllites, schists, gneisses and amphibolites cut by pegmatitic dykes of varying length and thickness, which intruded the metamorphic rocks. Preliminary geochemical study and analysis of these pegmatites from western Oban Massif at Uyanga, Akwa Ibami, Iwuru I, Iwuru Ⅱ and Igbofia showed that the pegmatites are highly albitized. This is incon-sistent with earlier postulations that the pegmatites in this part of Nige...     

The chromite deposits associated with ophiolite complexes, Southeastern Desert, Egypt： Petrological and geochemical characteristics and mineralization

1 Introduction The association of massive Fe-Ni-Cu sulfides andchromite is a very unusual feature of podiformchromitites occurring in mantle tectonites of ophioliticcomplexes. It has only been described in theSoutheastern Desert, Egypt, where sulfides a…     

Geologic relationships and mineralization of peralkaline/alkaline granite-syenite of the Zargat Na＇ am ring complex, Southeastern Desert, Egypt

The Zargat Na’ am ring complex crops out 90 km NW of Shalatin City in the Southeastern Desert of Egypt. The ring complex forms a prominent ridge standing high above the surrounding mafic-ultramafic hills. It is cut by two sets of joints and faults which strike predominantly NNW-SSE and E-W, and is injected by dikes, porphyritic alkaline syenites, and felsite porphyries. It consists of alkali syenites, alkali quartz syenites, and peralkaline arfvedsonite-bearing granitic and pegmatitic dikes and sills. The complex is characterized locally by extreme enrichments in REEs, wolframite and rare, high field strength metals (HFSM), such as Zr and Nb. The highest concentrations (1.5 wt% Zr, 0.25 wt% Nb, 0.6 wt% Σ REEs) occur in aegirine-albite aplites that formed around arfvedsonite pegmatites. Quartzhosted melt inclusions in arfvedsonite granite and pegmatite provide unequivocal evidence that the peralkaline compositions and rare metal enrichments are primary magmatic features. Glass inclusions in quartz crystals also have high concentrations of incompatible trace elements including Nb (750 ￠ 10⁻⁶), Zr (2500 × 10⁻⁶) and REEs (1450 × 10⁻⁶). The REEs, Nb and Zr compositions of the aegirine-albite aplites plot along the same linear enrichment trends as the melt inclusions, and Y/Ho ratios mostly display unfractionated, near-chondritic values. The chemical and textural features of the aegirine-albite aplites are apparently resultant from rapid crystallization after volatile loss from a residual peralkaline granitic melt similar in composition to the melt inclusions.     

U-Pb Age and Hf Isotope Study of Detrital Zircons from the Wanzi Supracrustals： Constraints on the Tectonic Setting and Evolution of the Fuping Complex, Trans-North China Orogen

Located in the middle segment of the Trans-North China Orogen, the Fuping Complex is considered as a critical area in understanding the evolution history of the North China Craton （NCC）. The complex is composed of various high-grade and multiply deformed rocks, including gray gneiss, basic granulite, amphibolite, fine-grained gneiss and marble, metamorphosed to upper amphibolite or granulite facies. It can be divided into four rock units： the Fuping TTG gneisses, Longquanguan augen gneisses, Wanzi supracrustals, and Nanying granitic gneisses. U-Pb age and Hf isotope compositions of about 200 detrital zircons from the Wanzi supracrustals of the Fuping Complex have been analyzed. The data on metamorphic zircon rims give ages of 1.82-1.84 Ga, corresponding to the final amalgamation event of the NCC, whereas the data for igneous zircon cores yield two age populations at -2.10 and -2.51 Ga, with some inherited ages scattering between 2.5 and 2.9 Ga. These results suggest that the Wanzi supracrustals were derived from the Fuping TTG gneisses （-2.5 Ga） and the Nanying granitic gneisses （2.0-2.1 Ga） and deposited between 2.10 and 1.84 Ga. All zircons with -2.51 Ga age have positive initial εHf values from ＋1.4 to ＋10.9, suggesting an important crustal growth event at -2.5 Ga through the addition of juvenile materials from the mantle. The Hf isotope data for the detrital zircons further imply that the 2.8 Ga rocks are important components in the lower crust, which is consistent with a suggestion from Nd isotope data for the Eastern Block. The zircons of 2.10 Ga population have initial εHf values of-4.9 to ＋6.1, interpreted as mixing of crustal re-melt with minor juvenile material contribution at 2.1 Ga. These results are distinct from that for the Western Block, supporting that the Fuping Complex was emplaced in a tectonic active environment at the western margin of the Eastern Block.     

Geochemistry of meta-volcanic rocks from the Longbohe Cu deposit, Yunnan Province, China： Implications for the genesis and tectonic setting

The Longbohe Cu deposit, which is located in the southern part of the Honghe ore-forming zone, Yunnan Province, China, belongs to a typical ore field where volcanic rocks are of wide distribution and are associated with Cu mineralization in time and space. The volcanic rocks in the ore field, which have experienced varying degree of alteration or regional metamorphism, can be divided into three types, i.e., meta-andesite, meta-subvolcanic rock and meta-basic volcanic rock in accordance with their mineral assemblages. These three types of volcanic rocks in the ore field are relatively rich in Na and the main samples plot in the area of alkali basalts in the geochemical classification diagram. With the exception of very few elements, these three types of volcanic rocks are similar in the content of trace elements. In comparison to the basalts of different tectonic settings, the meta-volcanic rocks in the ore field are rich in high field strength elements (HFSE) such as Th, Nb, etc. and depleted in large ion lithophile elements (LILE) such as Sr, Ba, etc. and their primary mantle-normalized trace element patterns show remarkable negative Th and Nb anomalies and negative Sr and Ba anomalies. These three types of volcanic rocks are similar in REE content range and chondrite-normalized REE patterns with the exception of Eu anomaly. Various lines of evidence show that these three types of volcanic rocks in the ore field have the same source but are the products of different stages of magmatic evolution, their original magma is a product of partial melting of the metasomatically enriched mantle in the tensional tectonic setting within the continent plate, and the crystallization differentiation plays an important role in the process of magmatic evolution.     

Geological and Geochemical Characteristics and Petrogenesis of the Anqing—Lujiang Quartz Syenite Rock Belt,East China

The Anqing-Lujiang quartz syenite rock belt consists of the Huangmeijian, Chengshan and Dalongshan composite batholiths which intruded into the Mesozoic strata. The country rocks were subjected to thermal contact metamorphism with little sign of folding and regional metamorphism. The rock belt is Late Yenshanian in age with a Rb-Sr isochron age of 135 Ma. Major rock types are quartz syenite and, to a lesser extent, syenite porphyry and alkali feldspar granite. Rock-forming minerals are dominantly potash feldspar (more than 50%) and lesser amounts of plagioclase and quartz. Mafic minerals, mostly Mg-biotite with lesser amounts of amphibole and pyroxene, are rare. Occasionally, alkalic mafic minerals (aegirine, riebeckite) are found. Characteristic accessary minerals of the earlier intrusives are magnetite, sphene and apatite and those of the later intrusives are ilmenite and zircon. Typologic distribution and evolutionary trend of zircon population are very similar to those of granites of mantle origin as suggested by Pupin, J. P. Petrochemically, the rock belt is poor in Ca but rich in alkali and Al with Na₂O+K₂O > 10%. It belongs to the K-Na transitional series, with a high alkalinity ratio (A. R. = 3–7) and a K /Na (atom) ratio close to unity. Rocks in the belt are rich in REE which tends to decrease from the early to the late stage, belonging to LREE type. The initial Sr ratio is 0.7078–0.7064. The rock belt is the Mesozoic anorogenic product of alkalic magmatic activity from a deep-seated source. According to a mantle-crust mixing model for Sr and Pb isotopes, it is estimated that 60.2–53.8% of the materials has been derived from the mantle. Additionally, its rich alkali, poor water content and anorogenic characteristics suggest that the belt is similar to the A-type granites.     

REE characteristics and Nd isotopic compositions of Lunar pristine rocks：Implications for petrogenesis of pristine rocks and source regions

This paper compile the rare-earth elements and Nd isotope data for lunar pristine rocks from investiga-tions in recent years. Using these data, we compared the REE characteristics of lunar pristine rocks and Nd isotopic compositions of their source regions. Based on the Lunar Magma Ocean model, we then studied their formation and petrogenetic correlations of Mg suite, alkali suite, and KREEP, with especial emphasis on the importance of assimi-lation during early magmatism. And Nd isotopic compositions of mare basalt samples suggest that mantle sources of mare basalts should be heterogeneous, which has not yet been explained by several current models.     

Geochemical characteristics and spectrometric prospecting in the muscovite-bearing pegmatites and granites,southeastern Aswan,Egypt

Rare metal mineralization of Sn, Nb-Ta and W is encountered in the Gebel Dihmit area （GDA）, southeastern Aswan, Egypt. The mineralization is related to muscovite granites and their pegmatite derivatives. The pegmatites are divided into three types according to their main mineral assemblages： K-feldspar-muscovite-tourmaline, K-feldspar-albite-muscovite and albite-K-feldspar-lepidolite veins. Petrogenetic studies indicate that Sn and Nb-Ta mineralization extends from the late-magmatic stage to the pegmatite and hydrothermal stages of the （GDA） suite. The albite-K-feldspar-lepidolite granite is composed dominantly of albite, lepidolote, and quartz, with topaz, K-feldspar and amblygonite. The accessory minerals are zircon, monazite, pollucite, columbite-tantalite, microlite and Ta-rich cassiterite. Phenocrysts of quartz, topaz and K-feldspar contain abundant inclusions of albite laths and occasional lepidolite crystals along growth zones （snowball texture）, indicating simultaneous crystallization from a subsolvus, residual magma. The origin of the pegmatites is attributed to extreme differentiation by fractional crystallization of a granitic magma. The economic potential for rare metals was evaluated in the geochemical discrimination diagrams. Accordingly, some of the pegmatites are not only highly differentiated in terms of alkalis, but also the promising targets for small-scale Ta and, to a less extent, Sn. The pegmatites also provide the first example of Fe-Mn and Nb-Ta fractionation in successive generations of granites to cassiterite-bearing pegmatites, which perfectly ex- hibit similar fractionation trends established for primary columbite-tantalite in the corresponding categories of pegmatites. Uranium and Th of magmatic origin are indicated by the presence of thorite and allanite, whereas evidence of hydrothermal mineralization is the alteration of rock- foring minerals such as feldspar and the formation of secondary minerals such as uranophane..     

赣杭构造带金衢盆地燕山期基性脉岩地球化学特征及成因探讨

赣杭构造带金衢盆地内发育有燕山期基性脉岩,岩石类型主要为辉绿(玢)岩.K-Ar年代学研究显示基性脉岩产出时代为69.5～131.7Ma,为白垩纪岩浆活动的产物.SiO2含量范围为46.70%～50.23%,K2O+Na2O为4.01%～7.82%,可分为碱性和亚碱性岩两类.微量元素相对富集大离子亲石元素(LILE)(K...     

Aspect of the specialty metals potentials of pegmatites in western Oban Massif, SE Nigeria: A preliminary geochemical approach

Minerals in general and rare-metals in particular are of invaluable importance in the development and industrialization of any nation.This is true as they could affect a nation’s national income,employment ratio,Gross National Product,and its entire economy.The study area(western Oban Massif-SE Nigeria) was investigated for its specialty metals bearing potentials because of(1) its geology,which is similar to other specialty metals bearing areas of the world;(2) past works,which points to the area as a likely source of economic deposit of such metals;and(3) the soaring cost of these rare metals in the light of recent upsurge in global information/telecommunication technology.Results from the study,show that only cesium(Cs) and beryllium(Be) show minute signs or indications of enrichment if properly harnessed.Thus these metals should be studied in details to ascertain their economic potentials.The rocks are too deficient in the other rare-metals(lithium,zirconium,strontium,tantalite,niobium,tungsten,gallium,and chromium) to warrant further analysis.     

晋蒙地区西施沟复式岩体锆石U-Pb年龄、地球化学特征及岩石成因

本文对晋蒙地区的西施沟复式岩体进行了LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb定年、岩石地球化学特征研究,探讨了其岩石成因及其对华北克拉通北缘中生代构造岩浆演化的启示。该岩体的岩石类型从中性岩至酸性岩连续变化且以中性岩为主,内部广泛发育微粒闪长质包体,具明显的岩浆混合成因;锆石U-Pb定年结果显示其形成年龄为160.19±0.50Ma,为中晚侏罗世岩浆活动的产物;岩石地球化学数据表明,属于准铝(弱过铝)质的高钾钙碱性系列I型花岗岩;稀土总量(ΣREE)中等,轻重稀土分馏明显,无明显负铕异常;均富集轻稀土及大离子亲石元素(Ba、Rb、K),亏损高场强元素(Nb、Ta、P),具明显的陆壳成分特征;其形成可能与中晚侏罗世古太平洋板块的俯冲有关,为华北板块陆内造山作用的产物。     

川西甲基卡烧碳沟地区伟晶岩脉地球化学特征

通过对烧碳沟地区伟晶岩的岩石学特征及地球化学特征进行分析,探讨了其成矿构造背景及物质来源等成矿地质条件.结果表明:烧碳沟一带伟晶岩的SiO2含量为73.46%~75.96%,全碱含量为4.71%~7.36%,里特曼指数为0.70~1.84,反映了伟晶岩的钙碱性特征;铝饱和指数A/CNK 为1.54~2.49,全部大于1.1,反映了强过铝质S 型花岗岩的特征.伟晶岩的主量、微量和稀土元素特征表明,其源岩以黏土沉积物为主,与甲基卡二云母花岗岩相比,两者具有高度相似的微量、稀土元素配分模式,以及近似的Nb/Ta 比值,表明两者具有同源性,且属于分异程度较高的钙碱性花岗伟晶岩脉.构造背景分析显示伟晶岩属于同碰撞花岗岩,在印支运动末期相对稳定的环境中,甲基卡一带的穹状构造为稀有金属伟晶岩矿床提供了良好的成矿环境.     

新疆阿尔泰造山带中伟晶岩型稀有金属矿床成矿 规律、找矿模型及其找矿方向

文章对阿尔泰造山带中的主要伟晶岩类型、时空分布特征、形成物源以及稀有金属矿化类型、形成条件(包括温度、压力、侵位深度)、可能控制因素等进行了归纳和总结,进而提出了阿尔泰伟晶岩成因模式、稀有金属矿化机制、伟晶岩型稀有金属矿床找矿模型及其找矿方向。阿尔泰稀有金属伟晶岩显示2个期次(同造山和后造山)和4个阶段(泥盆纪—早石炭世、二叠纪、三叠纪、早侏罗世)的成岩成矿特征。其中,以后造山阶段的三叠纪伟晶岩成岩及其Be、Li成矿作用最为显著。不同期次和阶段的伟晶岩显示规律的时空分布特征,稀有金属伟晶岩的成岩成矿明显受"构造-变质-物源-岩浆"的控制,而伟晶岩与周边花岗岩存在时代或物源上的解耦,表明阿尔泰伟晶岩不是由花岗质岩浆分异演化晚期的残余岩浆固结形成,由此提出阿尔泰不同时代伟晶岩的成因模式,即造山过程中加厚的不成熟地壳物质在伸展减压背景下发生小比例部分熔融(深熔)形成独立伟晶岩。通过对形成伟晶岩初始岩浆中磷含量、伟晶岩分异演化程度的评价以及基于围岩蚀变过程中全岩及蚀变矿物电气石中稀有金属Li、Rb、Cs含量特征,建立了阿尔泰伟晶岩型稀有金属矿床找矿模型、地质-地球化学找矿指标体系,并提出不同尺度的找矿方向。