Rare earth elements pilot studies of the baltic marine sands enriched in heavy minerals

Abstract

Abstract The carried out pilot work on the concentration of rare earth elements (REE) in the Baltic marine sands from the Odra and Słupsk Banks showed that in some places their accumulations are quite interesting in terms of the placer deposits and may be the subject of an interesting prospecting project. The results of ICP-MS and electron microprobe (CAMECA SX-100) investigation confirm the close relationship of REE concentration to heavy minerals content in the sediments of marine sands. It is indicated, in addition to monazite, as a primary mineral carrier of rare earth elements. The vast preponderance of light REE is noted in the samples of heavy mineral concentrates from the Odra and Słupsk Banks as well as in the beach sand sample from the Hel Peninsula. The highest concentrations are achieved mainly by cerium and almost two times less by lanthanum. The total REE in the most interesting considered samples range from c.a. 0.14% (trench on the beach) to 0.9% (heavy minerals concentrate from the Odra Bank). The high contents of REE are accompanied by a high concentration of Th (900-150 ppm). Neodymium (0.1-0.17% Nd), whose presence is associated with the presence of pyrochlore and Nb-rutile also appears in the heavy minerals concentrate samples. It is necessary to systematically identify heavy minerals resources in the Baltic sands. More detailed research should cover the prospective areas situated to the North-East from the documented placer fields of the Odra Bank, as well as tentatively identified areas of the Słupsk Bank and submarine paleo-slope of the Hel Peninsula.