REE-bearing minerals in a Ti-rich vein from the Adamello contact aureole (Italy)

Abstract

Zirconolite, aeschynite-(Ce), titanite and apatite have been found as minor or accessory minerals in a Ti-rich (TiO2=2.1–4.5 wt.%) hydrothermal vein occurring in dolomite marbles at the contact with a tonalite intrusion of the Tertiary Adamello batholith (northern Italy). The vein consists of four distinct mineral zones, comprising from margin to center: (1) forsterite+calcite, (2) pargasite+calcite+titanite+sulfides, (3) phlogopite +calcite+titanite+sulfides, and (4) titanian clinohumite +spinel+calcite+sulfides. Zirconolite occurs in two vein zones only: in the phlogopite zone it is invariably anhedral, often corroded, and exhibits complex chemical zonation patterns. In the titanian clinohumite zone zirconolite is idiomorphic and characterized by a pronounced discontinous chemical zoning, but shows no evidence of corrosion. The considerable compositional variation observed for zirconolite (in wt.%: ∑(REE2O3)=0.74–16.8, UO2=0.59–24.0, ThO2=0.67–17.1) is due to the zoning, and may be attributed to four major substitutions described by the exchange vectors: 1. (Th, U) (Mg, Fe2+) Ca-1 Ti-1 2. REE Al Ca-1 Ti-1 3. REE Fe2+ (Nb, Ta) Ca-1 Ti-1 4. Hf Zr-1