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Carbonatite dykes at bayan Obo, inner Mongolia, China

Die Karbonatit-Gänge von Bayan Obo, Innere Mongolei, China

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Summary

Calcite-rich dykes occur in the thrust fold belt near the Bayan Obo rare earth element (REE) deposit. They cut a thrust inlier of granitic migmatite within folded Bayan Obo Group sediments of Proterozoic age. Cathodoluminescence, X-ray fluorescence and microprobe studies show that the rock is a calcite carbonatite with Sr-Mn-bearing calcite, magnesio-riebeckite, apatite, pyrochlore, K-feldspar and biotite. One dyke was chosen for detailed analysis. Its margin is strongly REE-mineralized with much monazite developed adjacent to zoned apatite. Secondary alteration is marked by the introduction of Fe and Mn. The adjacent migmatite is fenitized to a magnesio-riebeckite-albite rock. The sedimentary dolomite of the Bayan Obo Group is composed mainly of Mn-Sr-RE-hearing ferroan dolomite and contains bands of opaque grains, apatite, monazite, fluorite and taeniolite. Many trace element and isotope similarities between the carbonatite dyke and the sedimentary dolomite are revealed, and the evidence supports the possibility that the dolomite is a dolomitized carbonatite tuff. The Bayan Obo REE mineralization also shows geochemical similarities with the mineralization seen in the carbonatites, and a possible genetic connection is presented.

Zusammenfassung

Kalzit-reiche Gänge kommen im Faltengürtel in der Nähe der Seltenen-Erd-Lagerstätte Bayan Obo vor. Es handelt sich um hellbräunliche, 1–2 m mächtige Gänge, die migmatitische Orthogneise von granitischer Zusammensetzung innerhalb der gefalteten Sedimente der Bayan Obo Gruppe durchsetzen. Chemische Daten, die auf Kathoden-Lumineszenz, Röntgen-Fluoreszenz und Mikrosondenuntersuchungen beruhen, zeigen, daß es sich hier um einen Kalzit-KazhooudimdSr-Mo-führeodem Kalzit, Magnesio-Riebeckit Apatit, Pyrochlor Alkalifelds und Biotit handelt. Einer dieser Gänge wurde für eine eingehende Untersuchung ausgewählt. Seine randlichen Partien sind stark mit SEE mineralisiert, und viel Monazit kommt in der Nähe von zonar gebautem Apatit vor. Sekundäre Umwandlung wird durch die Zufuhr von Fe und Mn markiert. Der benachbarte Migmatit ist fenitisiert und dadurch in ein Magnesio-Riebeckit-Gestein umgewandelt. Der sedimentäre Dolomit der Bayan-Obo-Gruppe besteht hauptsächlich aus Mn-Sr-SE-führenden eisenhaltigen Dolomit und enthält Lagen von opaken Mineralen, Apatit, Monazit, Fluorit und Taeniolit. Karbonatitgänge und der sedimentäre Dolomit zeigen Ähnlichkeiten, was den Spurenelementgehalt und die isotopische Zusammensetzung betrifft. Diese Daten weisen auf die Möglichkeit hin, daß der Dolomit ein dolomitisiert Karbonatit-Tuff ist. Die SEE-Vererzung von Bayan Obo zeigt auch geochemische Ähnlichkeiten mit der Vererzung der Karbonatite, und ein möglicher genetischer Zusammenhang wird diskutiert.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, University of Leicester, LE1 7RH, Leicester, UK

    M. J. Le Bas

  2. Mineralogisch-Petrographisches Institut, Universität Freiburg, D-W 7800, Freiburg, Germany

    J. Kellere

  3. Institute of Geology, Academia Sinica, Beijing, China

    Tao Kejie & Zhang Peishan

  4. Department of Mineralogy, British Museum (Natural History), SW7 5BD, London, UK

    F. Wall & C. T. William

Authors
  1. M. J. Le Bas
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  2. J. Kellere
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  3. Tao Kejie
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  4. F. Wall
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  5. C. T. William
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  6. Zhang Peishan
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Le Bas, M.J., Kellere, J., Kejie, T. et al. Carbonatite dykes at bayan Obo, inner Mongolia, China. Mineralogy and Petrology 46, 195–228 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01164647

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01164647

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