The key role of mica during igneous concentration of tantalum

Aleksandr Stepanov*, John A. Mavrogenes, Sebastien Meffre, Paul Davidson

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    289 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Igneous rocks with high Ta concentrations share a number of similarities such as high Ta/Nb, low Ti, LREE and Zr concentrations and granitic compositions. These features can be traced through fractionated granitic series. Formation of Ta-rich melts begins with anatexis in the presence of residual biotite, followed by magmatic crystallization of biotite and muscovite. Crystallization of biotite and muscovite increases Ta/Nb and reduces the Ti content of the melt. Titanium-bearing oxides such as rutile and titanite are enriched in Ta and have the potential to deplete Ta at early stages of fractionation. However, mica crystallization suppresses their saturation and allows Ta to increase in the melt. Saturation with respect to Ta and Nb minerals occurs at the latest stages of magmatic crystallization, and columbite can originate from recrystallization of mica. We propose a model for prediction of intrusion fertility for Ta.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article number1009
    Pages (from-to)1-8
    Number of pages8
    JournalContributions to Mineralogy and Petrology
    Volume167
    Issue number6
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Jun 2014

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