@article{LorenzAltenbergerTrumbulletal.2019, author = {Lorenz, Melanie and Altenberger, Uwe and Trumbull, Robert B. and Lira, Raul and Lopez de Luchi, Monica Graciela and G{\"u}nter, Christina and Eidner, Sascha}, title = {Chemical and textural relations of britholite- and apatite-group minerals from hydrothermal REE mineralization at the Rodeo de los Molles deposit, Central Argentina}, series = {American mineralogist : an international journal of earth and planetary materials}, volume = {104}, journal = {American mineralogist : an international journal of earth and planetary materials}, number = {12}, publisher = {Mineralogical Society of America}, address = {Chantilly}, issn = {0003-004X}, doi = {10.2138/am-2019-6969}, pages = {1840 -- 1850}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Britholite group minerals (REE,Ca)(5)[(Si,P)O-4](3)(OH,F) are widespread rare-earth minerals in alkaline rocks and their associated metasomatic zones, where they usually are minor accessory phases. An exception is the REE deposit Rodeo de los Molles, Central Argentina, where fluorbritholite-(Ce) (FBri) is the main carrier of REE and is closely intergrown with fluorapatite (FAp). These minerals reach an abundance of locally up to 75 modal\% (FBri) and 20 modal\% (FAp) in the vein mineralizations. The Rodeo de los Molles deposit is hosted by a fenitized monzogranite of the Middle Devonian Las Chacras-Potrerillos batholith. The REE mineralization consists of fluorbritholite-(Ce), britholite-(Ce), fluorapatite, allanite-(Ce), and REE fluorcarbonates, and is associated with hydrothermal fluorite, quartz, albite, zircon, and titanite. The REE assemblage takes two forms: irregular patchy shaped REE-rich composites and discrete cross-cutting veins. The irregular composites are more common, but here fluorbritholite-(Ce) is mostly replaced by REE carbonates. The vein mineralization has more abundant and better-preserved britholite phases. The majority of britholite grains at Rodeo de los Molles are hydrothermally altered, and alteration is strongly enhanced by metamictization, which is indicated by darkening of the mineral, loss of birefringence, porosity, and volume changes leading to polygonal cracks in and around altered grains. A detailed electron microprobe study of apatite-britholite minerals from Rodeo de los Molles revealed compositional variations in fluorapatite and fluorbritholite-(Ce) consistent with the coupled substitution of REE3+ + Si4+ = Ca2+ + P5+ and a compositional gap of similar to 4 apfu between the two phases, which we interpret as a miscibility gap. Micrometer-scale intergrowths of fluorapatite in fluorbritholite-(Ce) minerals and vice versa are chemically characterized here for the first time and interpreted as exsolution textures that formed during cooling below the proposed solvus.}, language = {en} } @article{TrumbullSudoHarrisetal.2019, author = {Trumbull, Robert B. and Sudo, Masafumi and Harris, C. and Armstrong, R. A. and de Beer, C. H.}, title = {The age of the Koegel Fontein anorogenic complex, South Africa, and its relationship to the regional timing of magmatism and breakup along the South Atlantic rifted margin}, series = {South African Journal of Geology}, volume = {122}, journal = {South African Journal of Geology}, number = {1}, publisher = {Geological Society of South Africa}, address = {Marshalltown}, issn = {1012-0750}, doi = {10.25131/sajg.122.0007}, pages = {69 -- 78}, year = {2019}, abstract = {The early Cretaceous Koegel Fontein intrusive complex is situated near the Atlantic coast in South Africa, about 350 km northwest of Cape Town. The complex comprises felsic units of granite and syenite with compositionally related dykes, and a single intrusive plug of diorite. Existing zircon U-Pb ages of 144 +/- 2 Ma for the syenite and 133.9 +/- 1.3 Ma for the granite suggest that the emplacement of the complex took place over a period of about 10 My. This study provides additional and independent ages of the Koegel Fontein complex by Ar-40/Ar-39 dating to confirm the onset and duration of magmatism and better define the sequence of igneous units that comprise it. New laser step-heating Ar-40/Ar-3(9) ages on plagioclase and biotite from the main intrusive units in the complex are presented here, including samples previously dated by U-Pb dating. The Ar-40/Ar-39 ages for the granite and syenite units (131.1 +/- 0.9 Ma and 143.3 +/- 0.9, respectively) are in good agreement with the zircon U-Pb ages. Other units not previously dated include the Rooivleitjie alkaline granite (150.7 +/- 0.6 Ma), two quartz-porphyry dykes (143.0 +/- 0.9 and 139.4 +/- 1.7 Ma) and the Zout Rivier diorite plug (133.0 +/- 1.0 Ma). The new results confirm an early onset of magmatism at Koegel Fontein relative to that of the Etendeka Province some 1000 km to the north, which is consistent with the regional south-to-north propagation of South Atlantic rifting. The youngest Ar-40/Ar-3(9) ages at Koegel Fontein (134 to 131 Ma, Rietpoort Granite and 133 Ma, Zout Rivier diorite) correspond to the age of the first magnetic seafloor-spreading anomaly offshore, and we suggest that the longevity of Koegel Fontein magmatism relates to a superposition of pre-drift magmatism onshore and spreading-related magmatism as continental separation began.}, language = {en} } @article{KaufmannHoffmannBachmannetal.2019, author = {Kaufmann, Felix E. D. and Hoffmann, Marie C. and Bachmann, Kai and Veksler, Ilya V. and Trumbull, Robert B. and Hecht, Lutz}, title = {Variations in Composition, Texture, and Platinum Group Element Mineralization in the Lower Group and Middle Group Chromitites of the Northwestern Bushveld Complex, South Africa}, series = {Economic geology}, volume = {114}, journal = {Economic geology}, number = {3}, publisher = {The Economic Geology Publ. Co}, address = {Littleton}, issn = {0361-0128}, doi = {10.5382/econgeo.4641}, pages = {569 -- 590}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Small-scale variations in mineral chemistry, textures, and platinum group element (PGE) mineralization were investigated in the Lower and Middle Group chromitite layers LG6, LG6a, MG1, MG2, and MG2 II from vertical drill core profiles at the Thaba mine in the northwestern limb of the Bushveld Complex. We present detailed geochemical profiles of chromite composition and chromite crystal size distribution curves to shed light on the processes of chromite accumulation and textural modification as well as mineralization. Multiple samples within each layer were assayed for PGE concentrations, and the respective platinum group mineral association was determined by mineral liberation analysis (MLA). There is strong evidence for postcumulus changes in the chromitites. The crystal size distribution curves suggest that the primary chromite texture was coarsened by a combination of adcumulus growth and textural equilibration, while compaction of the crystal mush played only a minor role. Mineral compositions were also modified by postcumulus processes, but because of the very high modal amount of chromite and its local preservation in orthopyroxene oikocrysts, that phase retained much primary information. Vertical variations of chromite composition within chromitite layers and from one layer to another do not support the idea of chromite accumulation from crystal-rich slurries or crystal settling from a large magma chamber. Instead, we favor a successive buildup of chromitite layers by repeated injections of relatively thin layers of chromite-saturated magmas, with in situ crystallization occurring at the crystal mush-magma interface. The adcumulus growth of chromite grains to form massive chromitite required addition of Cr to the layers, which we attribute to downward percolation from the overlying magma. The PGE concentrations are elevated in all chromitite layers compared to adjacent silicate rocks and show a systematic increase upward from LG6 (avg 807 ppb Ir + Ru + Rh + Pt + Pd + Au) to MG2 II (avg 2,062 ppb). There are also significant internal variations in all layers, with enrichments at hanging and/or footwalls. The enriched nature of chromitites in PGEs compared to host pyroxenites is a general feature, independent of the layer thickness. The MLA results distinguish two principal groups of PGE mineral associations: the LG6, LG6, and MG1 are dominated by the malanite series, laurite, and PGE sulfarsenides, while the MG2 and MG2 II layers are characterized by laurite and PGE sulfides as well as Pt-Fe-Sn and PGE-Sb-Bi-Pb alloys. Differences in the PGE associations are attributed to postcumulus alteration of the MG2 and MG2 II layer, while the chromitites below, particularly LG6 and LG6a, contain a more pristine association.}, language = {en} }