Fluorcalciobritholite

Genesis and alteration mechanisms of
britholite group minerals from ore bodies –
related to a Keivy peralkaline granitenepheline syenite complex, Kola Peninsula,
NW Russia
Dmitry ZOZULYA1, Lyudmila LYALINA1,
Raymond MACDONALD2, Boguslaw BAGIŃSKI2,
Yevgeny SAVCHENKO1, Piotr DZIERŻANOWSKI2
1Geological Institute,
Kola Science Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences, Apatity, Russia
2Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Petrology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
Alkaline rocks of the Kola Peninsula,
NE Fennoscandian Shield
The Keivy peralkaline granite-syenite complex consists of 2670-2660 Ma aegirine-arfvedsonite
granites (six sheet-like massifs of a few hundred meters thickness and a total exposure area of ca.
2500 km2) that intrude the TTG basement of the Central Kola terrane. Small dike-like bodies of 2610
Ma nepheline syenite cut the West Keivy peralkaline granite massif.
West
Keivy
&
White
Tundra
massifs
Numerous Zr-Y-REE-Nb ore occurrences and deposits are associated with different lithologies and
formed by different genetic (late- and post-magmatic) processes: mineralized apical and veined granites,
mineralized nepheline syenites, quartzolites (silexites), various metasomatic rocks, pegmatites.
Geochemical constraints on the origin of
Keivy peralkaline granite-syenite complex
Keivy peralkaline granites have
the geochemical features of
within-plate or post-collisional Atype granitoids. Associated
nepheline syenite is of OIB-like
affinity.
Sakharjok nepheline syenite
(n=30)
The rocks of the Keivy complex
are extremely enriched in Zr
(300-5000 ppm), Y (40-500 ppm),
Nb (20-600 ppm), REE (100-1000
times chondrites), which is
explained by enriched mantle
source of primary melts and
extreme fractionation processes.
The REE patterns for some
samples are of V-shape form,
which is a characteristic of
hydrothermal alteration.
Geology and WR geochemistry of ore bodies
Quartzolite (silexite):
Mineralized nepheline syenite:
- small irregular-shaped bodies (1-2 m) and veins
in the endocontact (type 1) and exocontact (type
2) zones of granite massifs;
- ore bodies are confined to the nepheline
syenite and represent the linear zones of
200-1350 m length and of 3-30 m thickness;
- REE (9600-67800 ppm), Y (4570-19600 ppm),
Nb (240-14300 ppm), Zr (11200-79700 ppm);
- REE2O3 (0.2-0.3 wt. %), Y (500-900 ppm),
Nb (150-1200 ppm), Zr (10000-16000 ppm);
- RM minerals associations: zircon-britholiteyttrialite (type 1), zircon-fergusonite (type 1),
zircon-chevkinite (type 2).
- ore minerals: zircon (0.5-1.2 vol. %, rarely
up to 2.5 vol. %), britholite (0.2-1.0 vol. %)
and pyrochlore.
100000
Quartzolite-1
10000
1000
Quartzolite-2
Nepheline-feldspar pegmatite:
- pegmatite body is of zonal structure,
outcrops in the area of 30 m2 and consists
mainly of nepheline, albite, analcime,
pyroxene, biotite;
- RM minerals association: britholite- and
apatite-group minerals, zircon, meliphanite,
leucophanite, gadolinite, hainite, behoite.
100
La Ce Pr Nd Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu
General description of britholite group minerals
(BGM, with exception of tritomite species)
•
•
•
•
•
•
Britholite-(Ce) (Ce,Ca)5(SiO4,PO4)3OH
Britholite-(Y) (Y,Ca)5(SiO4,PO4)3OH
Fluorbritholite-(Ce) (Ce,Ca)5(SiO4,PO4)3F
Fluorbritholite-(Y) (Y,Ca)5(SiO4,PO4)3F
Fluorcalciobritholite (Ca,REE)5(SiO4,PO4)3F
«Calciobritholite» (Ca,REE)5(SiO4,PO4)3OH
•
•
•
•
•
(Slovakia, UK, granite)
•
«Britholite-(La)» (La,Ca)5(SiO4,PO4)3(OH,F)
(Angola, carbonatite)
•
Common accessory REE mineral of
alkaline, acid and carbonatitic rocks;
Highly variable chemical
composition with different REE/Ca,
P/Si, F/OH, depending mainly on
chemistry of crystallization media;
Ore quantities in several REE
deposits;
Ce species are mostly confined to
Si-undersaturated rocks, Y species
– to Si-oversaturated rocks;
Mostly of late- and post-magmatic
origin;
Several species may crystallize in a
single rock due to different genetic
processes.
100 µm
fluorbritholite-(Y)
Morphology and structure of BGM from quartzolite
б
380
285
190
Ca
95
0
200 µm
а
730
547.5
365
Y
182.5
0
100
75
50
25
Ce
в
0
40 µm
Altered rim with monazite-(Ce)
alteration rim is composed of X-ray amorphous
substance with lower Ca and REE contents
(somewhere monazite and bastnaesite crystallized)
Morphology and structure of BGM from
mineralized nepheline syenite
fluorbritholite-(Ce), rarely
fluorbritholite-(Y) in amphibole syenite;
- individual (up to 1 mm) subhedral and
anhedral crystals (aegirine syenite);
- large (up to 20 mm) agglomerations of
grains (amphibole syenite);
rim
- includes the “porous” zircon, fluorite
and albite;
- post-crystallization inner-grain
alteration: bud-type (1) and banded (2)
zones;
- two types of alteration rims: dense
(epidote composition with Ap) and
tracery (REE carbonates and silicates);
- possible reaction for rim formation:
britholite + fluid → apatite + epidote +
REE carbonate
Morphology and structure of BGM from
nepheline-feldspar pegmatite
Fluorcalciobritholite
Fluorbrith(Y,La)
Ap
Fluorbrith-(Y)
Brith
40 µm
а
200 µm
б
20 µm
д
Ap
F-CaBrith
Ap
Fluorbrith-(Ce)
Brith-(Ce)
1 mm
в
100 µm
- two morphological types: (1) euhedral prismatic crystals of
1.5-2 mm length and (2) anhedral grains up to 8-10 mm size;
- intergrowths with apatite and fluorite;
- alteration rims contain numerous apatite grains.
г
400 µm
fluorbritholite-(Ce), fluorbritholite-(Y),
fluorcalciobritholite, britholite-(Се),
«calciobritholite», “fluorbritholite-(La)”
е
Substitution schemes and the composition gap
in apatite-supergroup minerals
8
7
6
Px NephSyen
TNS
Amph NephSyen
PNS
5
REE+Y+Si
(apfu)
Neph-Fs Pegm
PegEss
Px NephSyen
PegmNS
4
Quartzolite-2
Sill
2
Quartzolite-1
Sill
1
3
Q-Fs Pegmatite
PegmGr
Metasomatite
metasom
2
Ap Essexite
apatESS
1
Ap Quartzolite-2
apatSILL2
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Ca+P (apfu)
Inverse correlation; Shift from 1:1 line due to different substitution scheme; Gap is shortened due to calciobritholite and unusually REE-rich apatite.
Substitution schemes and the composition gap
in apatite-supergroup minerals
4,5
4
3,5
Px NephSyen
TNS
3
REE+Y+Na
(apfu)
Amph NephSyen
PNS
Neph-Fs Pegm
PegEss
2,5
Px NephSyen
PegmNS
Quartzolite-2
Sill
2
2
Quartzolite-1
Sill
1
1,5
Q-Fs Pegmatite
PegmGr
Metasomatite
метасоматит
1
Ap Essexite
apatiteESS
Ap Quartzolite-2
apatiteSILL-2
0,5
0
0
2
4
6
2Ca (apfu)
8
10
12
Distribution of Y- and Ce- species of BGM in
different rock types
3
Ce
2,5
Px NephSyen
TNS
2
Amph NephSyen
PNS
Neph-Fs Pegm
PegEss
1,5
Px NephSyen
PegmNS
SilQuartzolite-2
2
Quartzolite-1
Sill
1
1
Q-Fs Pegmatite
PegmGr
Metasomatite
metasom
apobas
0,5
Y
0
0
0,5
1
1,5
2
2,5
3
Chondrite-normalised REE patterns for BGM
BGM from quartzolite-1,
N=14
BGM from mineralized
nepheline syenite, N=12
BGM from quartzolite-2,
N=11
BGM from nephelinefeldspar pegmatite, N=7
La/Ndn as indicator of CO2 and H2O activities in fluid
18
16
14
CO2
Silexite-1
12
pNS
10
La/Ndn
Pegm AlkGR WT
8
Silexite-2
6
tNS
Pegm Essex
4
Apobas metas
H2O
2
0
0
0,2
0,4
0,6
(La+Ce)/(REE+Y) , ppm
0,8
Conclusions and remarks on role of fluids in
genesis and alteration of BGM from Keivy complex
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
BGM from Keivy complex formed during late-magmatic (in nephelinefeldspar pegmatite and nepheline syenite) and post-magmatic (in
nepheline syenite and quartzolite) stages.
Numerous genetic processes and different composition of crystallization
media result in high diversity and variable composition of BGM.
Alkaline and fluorine-rich fluids originated from nepheline syenite and
peralkaline granite magmas, enriched in REE.
At various crystallization and alteration stages, the CO2, H2O activities in
the fluid were high: CO2- rich fluid is suggested for pegmatitic and
aegirine-nepheline syenitic BGM, H2O-rich fluid – for amphobolenepheline syenitic and quartzolitic BGM.
Post-crystallization alteration of Ce-dominant britholites results in
formation of rims with lower F, La, Ce and crystallization of epidote,
apatite, REE-carbonates; alteration of Y-dominant britholites leads to
release of Ca, Y, P and crystallization of monazite and bastnaesite.