Mineralium Deposita

Abstract Lower Cretaceous strata of the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia host some of the world’s premier emerald deposits, yet the timing of mineralization—and its relationship to the tectonic evolution of the Cordillera—remains poorly constrained. We present high-resolution in situ U–Th–Pb petrochronology of monazite and xenotime from both the Eastern and Western Emerald Belts, revealing at least…

Abstract Sedimentary rock-hosted copper-cobalt deposits of the Central African Copperbelt (CACB) supply over 70% of global cobalt production. Cobalt source rocks proposed in the literature include Katangan red beds and mafic igneous rocks, and mafic-ultramafic rocks in the pre-Katangan basement. Given the limited exposure of potential source rocks in cobalt-rich CACB deposits, mass balance modell…

Structurally controlled Ag-Zn-Pb deposits are a distinct deposit class that has been suggested as a sub-class of orogenic gold deposits. The Sail Pond occurrence, Newfoundland, represents the first documented occurrence of this type in the Canadian Appalachians. We present the results of detailed geological, mineralogical and geochemical studies from Sail Pond, including mineral chemistry, fluid …

The Mountain Pass carbonatite stock hosts a world-class rare earth element deposit and may be classified as a carbonate-sulfate igneous rock, as it contains on average > 50 volume percent carbonate minerals and 20 to 30 volume percent sulfate minerals. The sulfates range in composition from barite to celestine and locally occur with sparse sulfide minerals. We investigate the origin of sulfur enr…

Geochemical halos surrounding Li-rich pegmatites represent a potentially effective vectoring tool for the exploration of concealed deposits. To determine the petrochemical processes triggered by fluids derived from evolved pegmatitic melts in granitic host rocks, this work investigates the geochemical anomalies around a lepidolite-rich pegmatite at Gonçalo (Portugal). The study combines EMPA and …

Ion adsorption rare earth elements deposits are the principal global source of heavy rare earth elements (HREEs). The current perception is that HREE deposits are generated from HREE-enriched granitoids, whereas LREE deposits originate from LREE-enriched intermediate-acidic magmatic and metamorphic rocks. However, contrary to the prevailing view that HREE-rich ion-adsorption mineralization requir…