Abstract

Thirty beach sand samples from the granitic shoreline of the Sithonia Plutonic Complex (SPC) were analyzed for their REE and major element contents. The obtained results are compared with the adjacent SPC rock-types, in order to determine any enrichments or depletions. Among the samples enriched in REE, three are seasonal deposits of heavy minerals and their concentrations are controlled by the action of sea-waves. The available geochemical characteristics were also used to confirm the parental rocks of the beach sands, which are the SPC rock-types. The heavy fractions (total, total magnetic and total non-magnetic) of the beach sands were correlated with the REE concentrations, revealing a strong correlation between the heavy non-magnetic fraction and REE content. Among the minerals of the heavy non-magnetic fraction, monazite seems to control the REE content in the heavy mineral-enriched samples, whereas in the rest of the samples allanite, belonging to the heavy magnetic fraction may be the most important REE mineral.

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