Rare Earth Deposits of North America

Rare earth elements (REE) have been mined in North America since 1885, when placer monazite was produced in the southeast USA. Since the 1960s, however, most North American REE have come from a carbonatite deposit at Mountain Pass, California, and most of the world’s REE came from this source between 1965 and 1995. After 1998, Mountain Pass REE sales declined substantially due to competition from China and to environmental constraints. REE are presently not mined at Mountain Pass, and shipments were made from stockpiles in recent years. Chevron Mining, however, restarted extraction of selected REE at Mountain Pass in 2007. In 1987, Mountain Pass reserves were calculated at 29 Mt of ore with 8.9% rare earth oxide based on a 5% cut‐off grade. Current reserves are in excess of 20 Mt at similar grade. The ore mineral is bastnasite, and the ore has high light REE/heavy REE (LREE/HREE). The carbonatite is a moderately dipping, tabular 1.4‐Ga intrusive body associated with ultrapotassic alkaline plutons of similar age. The chemistry and ultrapotassic alkaline association of the Mountain Pass deposit suggest a different source than that of most other carbonatites. Elsewhere in the western USA, carbonatites have been proposed as possible REE sources. Large but low‐grade LREE resources are in carbonatite in Colorado and Wyoming. Carbonatite complexes in Canada contain only minor REE resources. Other types of hard‐rock REE deposits in the USA include small iron‐REE deposits in Missouri and New York, and vein deposits in Idaho. Phosphorite and fluorite deposits in the USA also contain minor REE resources. The most recently discovered REE deposit in North America is the Hoidas Lake vein deposit, Saskatchewan, a small but incompletely evaluated resource. Neogene North American placer monazite resources, both marine and continental, are small or in environmentally sensitive areas, and thus unlikely to be mined. Paleoplacer deposits also contain minor resources. Possible future uranium mining of Precambrian conglomerates in the Elliott Lake–Blind River district, Canada, could yield by‐product HREE and Y. REE deposits occur in peralkaline syenitic and granitic rocks in several places in North America. These deposits are typically enriched in HREE, Y, and Zr. Some also have associated Be, Nb, and Ta. The largest such deposits are at Thor Lake and Strange Lake in Canada. A eudialyte syenite deposit at Pajarito Mountain in New Mexico is also probably large, but of lower grade. Similar deposits occur at Kipawa Lake and Lackner Lake in Canada. Future uses of some REE commodities are expected to increase, and growth is likely for REE in new technologies. World reserves, however, are probably sufficient to meet international demand for most REE commodities well into the 21st century. Recent experience shows that Chinese producers are capable of large amounts of REE production, keeping prices low. Most refined REE prices are now at approximately 50% of the 1980s price levels, but there has been recent upward price movement for some REE compounds following Chinese restriction of exports. Because of its grade, size, and relatively simple metallurgy, the Mountain Pass deposit remains North America’s best source of LREE. The future of REE production at Mountain Pass is mostly dependent on REE price levels and on domestic REE marketing potential. The development of new REE deposits in North America is unlikely in the near future. Undeveloped deposits with the most potential are probably large, low‐grade deposits in peralkaline igneous rocks. Competition with established Chinese HREE and Y sources and a developing Australian deposit will be a factor.     

Geochemical evolution of the Capim River kaolin, Northern Brazil

The Capim River kaolin, located in the eastern Brazilian Amazon, constitutes one of the most important kaolin deposits in the world. Known for its high whiteness, its noble application is in the paper industry. Studies were carried out on samples from the six facies of the deposit (sand kaolin, soft kaolin, lower transition facies, ferruginous crust, upper transition facies and flint kaolin) in order to trace its geochemical evolution. The kaolin developed at the expense of Cretaceous sandy–clayey sediments of the Ipixuna Formation. Intense lateritic processes characterized by ferruginization and deferruginization mechanisms led to the distinction of the different facies.     

下庄铀矿田337矿床成矿流体稀土元素示踪

337铀矿床位于下庄矿田东缘,区内发育近EW向、NNE向构造裂隙群及NW向辉绿岩和正长岩脉体,发育以碱性为主的多种围岩蚀变。区内矿床主要赋矿围岩的稀土元素特征属壳源型。矿石内金属矿物以沥青铀矿为主,矿石的LREE/HREE比值为3.25,Sm/Nd比值平均为0.307,Ce/Yb比值为7.127,这些数据都显示出成矿流体具有较深来源。矿石较围岩亏损稀土元素尤其是轻稀土元素,稀土元素分布模式平缓,与幔源辉绿岩特别是与正长岩的稀土元素分布模式相近,负铕异常比围岩更为强烈,反映成矿流体的来源具有幔源性。结合区域地质特征,可以认为337矿床成矿流体来源具有幔源性质。     

REE/trace element characteristics of sandstone-type uranium deposits in the Ordos Basin

1 Introduction The Ordos Basin is the second largest sedimentary basin in China. During the last 10 years, a great progress has been achieved in the aspects of tectonic evolution, dynamics process, inner and outer geological processes during Mesozoic-Cen…     

REE characteristics of the Fanshan alunite deposit in Zhejiang Province, China

1 Introduction Alunite [KAl3(SO4)2(OH)6] is a very important non-ferrous metal resource, so many countries throughout the world have made great investments in research on the mechanism of its formation, its geological characteristics and applications. O…     

胶莱盆地含金建造地球化学特征

胶莱盆地蓬家夼金矿床及宋家沟金矿床均赋存于下白垩统莱阳群一段含金建造中,该含金建造由砾岩、含砾砂岩、碳质泥岩及碳酸盐岩等组成,Au100.2～241.0ng/g,Ag1.50～3.73μg/g,Zn560～1021μg/g,Pb356～364μg/g,Cu60～394μg/g,As11.0～25.4μg/g,同时富硫及有机碳。含金建造K-Rb、K-Ba呈正相关,K-Sr、K-Ca不相关,Sr/Ba<1,B、V关系均显示了陆相淡水沉积特征。La/Y-REE组成显示了沉积特征。围岩、矿石及矿石中黄铁矿及磁铁矿的稀土元素分布模式相似,该含金建造是矿源层也是容矿层,是区内重要的成矿地质条件及找矿标志。     

乳山金矿煌斑岩的Sm-Nd同位素研究

乳山金矿区发育多种与金矿脉在时空上密切伴生的煌斑岩脉。煌斑岩的稀土元素含量和配分曲线与胶东群残留体和昆嵛山花岗岩的均较相似；三者的εNd(t)、INd(t)和tDM亦甚为相近。胶东群的分异熔融作用，可较好地解释煌斑岩与花岗岩和胶东群残留体在成因上的渊源关系。     

湘南地区稀土矿产资源开发经济意义探讨

湘南地区风化壳型稀土资源丰富，对其开发的采、选工艺和流程简单，投入资金较少，产出颇丰、经济、社会效益明显，是湘南盆困山区脱贫致富的重要途径。本文就开发湘南稀土矿的成本、效益等进行了初步测算，可供参考。     

陕西洛川黄土沉积物中稀土元素及其它微量元素的化学淋滤研究

本文采用化学淋滤的方法对洛川黄土沉积物的酸溶和酸不溶相中稀土元素以及其它微量元素的分布分配特征进行了系统的分析。     

Behaviours of REE and Other Trace Elements During Pedological Weathering-Evidence from Chemical Leaching of Loess and Palaeosol from the Luochuan Section in Central China

The chemical leaching method is used for a systematic analysis of distribution characteristics of acid-soluble and acid-insoluble REE and other trace elements from the Luochuan loess deposits. The study shows that the acid-insoluble phase in loess and palaeosol is a stable component of old aeolian dusts and is characteristic of the provenance; the acid-soluble phase is the unstable component in the weathering pedogenic process and reflects rock-forming features after accumulation of aeolian dusts. The acid-insoluble REE and acid-soluble Sr and Pb can be used as geochemical indicators respectively to trace the provenance characteristics and the weathering pedogenic process.