Are South China granites special in forming ion-adsorption REE deposits?

Abstract

Ion-adsorption REE deposits associated with clay minerals are the main global HREE producer. The majority of these deposits are formed by the weathering of granites in South China, but whether there is any fundamental difference between the granites in and outside South China is still unclear. Besides, an effective evaluation system of granite mineralization potential is urgently needed for HREE exploration.To answer this question, we compiled a global granite geochemical dataset from within (n = 1932) and outside (n = 6109) South China, together with a dataset of representative REE deposits in South China (n = 128). The geochemical comparation shows that the South China granites share similar REE contents with those of many granites from places outside South China. Such similarity has also been found between REE ore-related and ore-barren granites in South China. This shows that granites from outside South China could also have ore-forming potential. Warm humid climate and quasi-equalized crustal state promote chemical weathering to continuously leach REEs and store them in the weathering crust. The enrichment ratio (Rx) can be used to quantify the climatic effect between orebodies and parent rocks. The calculated average Enrichment Ratios (Rx) of LREE- and HREE-rich deposits are 2.41 and 2.68, respectively. Sufficient REE content in granite is the prerequisite for mineralization, and we propose that the combination of the minimum REE + Y (172 and 108 ppm in LREE- and HREE-rich parent rocks, respectively) and REE oxide ratio (1.32) can reveal the granite metallogenic potential. Together with the suitable tropical and temperate climate area with ion-adsorption REE deposits, we further identified certain regions with high REE mineralization potential outside South China to assist future exploration.