Modes of occurrence of critical metals (Nb-Ta-Zr-Hf-REY-Ga) in altered volcanic ashes in the Xuanwei Formation, eastern Yunnan Province, SW China: A quantitative evaluation based on sequential chemical extraction

Abstract

Altered volcanic ash with highly-elevated concentrations of Nb(Ta), Zr(Hf), Ga, and rare earth elements and yttrium (REY) is an untraditional type of critical metal deposit that has been discovered in Yunnan Province, southwest China. Previous studies have briefly described the modes of occurrence of Nb(Ta)-Zr(Hf)-REY-Ga in the ore deposit, showing that Zr and Hf are mostly hosted in zircon; light rare earth elements (LREE) mainly occur in REY-bearing carbonates and phosphates; Nb and Ta are primarily hosted in the former Fe-Ti oxide phases and zircon; and Ga is predominantly associated with clay minerals. However, previous studies of the modes of occurrence of critical metal elements (Nb-Ta-Zr-Hf-REY-Ga) have been limited to qualitative or semi-quantitative studies of individual mineral grains, and quantitative research of the modes of occurrence of these elements in whole rocks is absent. This paper quantifies the modes of occurrence of critical elements (Nb-Ta-Zr-Hf-REY-Ga) using a sequential chemical extraction method. The results show that about 65.3–86.7% Nb is associated with hydrofluoric acid (HF)-soluble aluminosilicates (clays) and 13.3–34.7% in the insoluble phases such as Nb-rutile. Approximately 87.6–90.2% Zr is the primary hosted in zircon and 9.5–12.0% Zr appears to be associated with HF-soluble aluminosilicates in the altered volcanic ash. In felsic altered volcanic ashes (Al2O3/TiO2 ratio between 21 and 70), the REY are predominantly in the authigenic minerals such as REY-bearing aluminum phosphates and sulfates of the alunite supergroup (APS minerals), carbonates or fluorocarbonates. About 74.0–89.4% LREE, 26.5–34.2% middle rare earth elements (MREY), and 22.1–24.8% heavy rare earth elements (HREE) occur in HF-soluble aluminosilicates. In intermediate altered volcanic ash samples (Al2O3/TiO2 ratio between 8 and 21), 93.0% LREE are associated with insoluble phases such as monazite and zircon. Gallium is predominantly associated with HF-soluble aluminosilicates (73.3–80.5%) in all altered volcanic ash samples.