Discovery of the REE minerals and its geological significance in the Quyang bauxite deposit, West Guangxi, China

Abstract

Most of the karstic bauxite deposits in China are enriched in REE, and the REE has commonly been considered to be adsorbed on the surface of clay or diaspore minerals as ion state. However, occurrence of REE minerals in the bauxite deposits has not been reported by far. In the Quyang bauxite deposit from Guangxi province, we find REE minerals. The minerals are parisite and churchite. Parisite is widely distributed in the ooids and matrix, inducing positive Ce anomaly of the ores; whereas, churchite is rare and occurred in the core of ooid. The compositions of the REE minerals show the Eu anomaly can change gently during the weathering, and the Eu anomaly analyses suggest that the REE in the ores are mostly derived from the underlying carbonates. The parisite is formed in an alkaline condition, while churchite in an acidic situation; the co-existence of the two minerals in the ores suggests the Permian environment for bauxite formation is complex with great change of pH value. Moreover, parisite is inferred to be formed earlier than the churchite.