The geochemical effect of lanthanides: Its types and application for magmatic rocks—A new method to semi-quantitatively determine strength of magmatic fluid complexation and fractional crystallization

Abstract

In this paper, the relationship between rare earth elements (REEs) geochemical behavior and their ionic radii was studied. According to the basic law called the effect on geochemistry of lanthanides, five types and some of subtypes of REEs occurrence, both in magmatic rocks and their minerals, were found, which may correspond to the evolutionary way of magmatic rocks. Analysis of REEs data for an amazonite-topaz granite pluton in East Xinjiang, one of the administrative regions of West China, and Cenozoic alkaline volcanic-intrusive rocks in the Xialiaohe depression of Bohai Bay Basin, China show that types II1, III and IV of effect on geochemistry of lanthanides not only reflect fluid complexation and fractional crystallization existed in magmatic evolution directly, but also can determine semi-quantitatively the strength of fluid complexation and fractional crystallization. Therefore, the effect on geochemistry of lanthanides, a new way to study semi-quantitatively evolution of magmatic rocks, is probably practicable. Moreover, the mafic lavas of different sources from the margin of Gonghe Basin, Qinghai Province, China, can be effectively distinguished in the diagram which can be drawn with some parameters of linear equation of LREEs and its ion radius.