Scandium, Yttrium and Lanthanids in the Beryl of the Sherlovaya Gora Deposit

Abstract

For the first time, a comparative study of the content of iron, scandium, yttrium and lanthanide impurities was carried out using the example of 58 differently colored beryl crystals of the Sherlovaya Gora deposit in the South-Eastern Transbaikalia. Significant variations in the average values of the contents of scandium, yttrium and iron in the beryl crystals of Sherlovaya Gora have been found. A comparative analysis of the ratios of the content of scandium and iron in the color varieties of beryl has shown an existing tendency towards their positive correlation. Based on this, two groups of crystals, differing in scandium and iron levels, have been found typical for the iron content up to 1200 ppm and scandium to 100 ppm (Group 1: yellow, green-blue and olive-green crystals and only 17% of green ones) and for the iron content up to 700 ppm and scandium from 120 to 240 ppm (Group 2: green (60%) and blue (35%) crystals). A tendency towards higher content of heavy lanthanides in comparison with light ones has been revealed. The exception is lanthanum in green, blue and yellow crystals, the content of which is close to a clarke or higher (up to 48 ppm). For the studied beryl crystals, the europium minimum is not typical. The distribution of yttrium in beryl crystals has not yet been revealed.