Abstract
South-central Chile has some potential mineral resources including radioactive and rare earth elements (REE) minerals. This study reports some basic characteristics of the mineralogy of a radioactive-rare earth elements occurrence, related to a pegmatitic outcrop “Vertientes Pegmatite” hosted on Paleozoic granitic rocks of the South Coastal Batholith and discusses potential areas for REE deposits, particularly beach placers along the coastline of the BioBío region. In this pegmatite, X-ray diffraction analysis shows uranium-bearing minerals such as coffinite and metaschoepite, along with microcline, anorthoclase, albite, quartz and illite. Through optical microscopy and electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA), rare earth minerals (monazite and xenotime) and radioactive minerals (thorite and thorium silicate ± uranium) were identified. Additionally, granitic rocks of the South Coastal Batholith around this pegmatite show rare earth minerals (monazite and allanite).
Highlights
The rare earth elements (REE) are a group of 17 chemically similar elements (the lanthanides, scandium (Sc), and yttrium (Y)) [1]
This study reports some basic characteristics of the mineralogy of a radioactive-rare earth elements occurrence, related to a pegmatitic outcrop “Vertientes Pegmatite” hosted on Paleozoic granitic rocks of the South Coastal Batholith and discusses potential areas for REE deposits, beach placers along the coastline of the BioBío region
The feldspars are visible in slightly altered outcrops, but generally are strongly altered to clays, which mostly correspond to illite. Part of these nonmetallic minerals are mixed with uranium and thorium minerals, whose radioactivity had been previously registered in the field by a gamma-ray integration spectrometer
Summary
The rare earth elements (REE) are a group of 17 chemically similar elements (the lanthanides, scandium (Sc), and yttrium (Y)) [1]. Reserves of REE (metric tons) are mainly found in China (44,000,000), Brazil (22,000,000), Vietnam (22,000,000), Russia (12,000,000), India (6,900,000), Australia (3,400,000) and United States (1,400,000) [5], and other countries such as South Africa (860,000), Canada (830,000), Malawi (140,000) and Malaysia (30,000) [6]. In Chile, information about REE ocurrences has increased over the last years due to work of some private companies, as well as studies generated by state research centers. These centers include the Chilean National Mining Corporation (ENAMI), Chilean Nuclear Energy Commission (CChEN) and National Geology and Mining Service (SERNAGEOMIN). The total resources are 8203 tons of REE, with indicated resources of 2944 tons (grade of ~760 ppm), and 1811 tons of uranium
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