Oxide minerals in the granitic cupola of the Jálama Batholith, Salamanca, Spain. Part I: accessory Sn, Nb, Ta and Ti minerals in leucogranites, aplites and pegmatites

Abstract

*Corresponding author Sn–Nb–Ta–Ti oxides occur as accessory minerals in the granitic facies of the External Unit in the Jalama Batholith (Salamanca, Spain) and in the related LCT pegmatite dikes of the rare-element class. Moreover, abundant cassiterite and columbite-group minerals crystallized in the Cruz del Rayo peribatholithic pegmatite dikes, cutting the pre-Ordovician low-grade metasedimentary rocks of the surrounding Schist-Graywacke Complex. Cassiterite, rutile, ilmenite and tantalite-(Fe) occur disseminated in the border facies of the External Unit, especially throughout the tourmaline-bearing leucogranite and the apical aplites. Additionally, cassiterite, rutile and Ta-rich rutile developed locally in the intragranitic pegmatite dikes. Two types of peribatholithic pegmatites can be distinguished at Cruz del Rayo: (i) granite-like pegmatites, with columbite-(Fe) I and II and cassiterite, in which the influence of metasomatic fluids led to formation of the late albite unit and crystallization of tantalite-(Fe), and (ii) greisen-like bodies, which contain high amounts of columbite-(Fe), columbite(Mn), tantalite-(Mn) I and II as well as cassiterite. The primary oxide assemblage in both types of the peribatholithic pegmatite dikes would have crystallized as a result of magmatic differentiation of the residual melts coming from the Jalama granitic cupola. However, crystallization of the secondary assemblage, richer in Fe and Ta, is interpreted mainly as a consequence of interaction with external fluids coming from the metamorphic host rocks, more or less mixed with meteoric fluids, although partial dissolution and re-precipitation could have played an important role, as well.