This study focuses on exocontact mineral assemblages to determine composition, thermal signatures, and the extent of exomorphism that occurred between the Mt. Mica pegmatite and the migmatite host rock at the contact. Biotite-garnet thermometry of country rock samples resulted in an average temperature estimate of 630 °C. Measured biotite Fe/(Fe+Mg) ratios were used to calculate an fO2 of -18. The results indicate that the country rock and pegmatite formed under similar oxidizing conditions near the quartz-fayalite-magnetite (QFM) equilibria buffer. Whole rock (REE) analysis indicates an interaction trend between the country rock and pegmatite. Exomorphism does not appear to have been significant at Mt. Mica, likely due to the moderately evolved nature of the pegmatite. Minor B leakage into the surrounding country rock is constrained to within 15 cm from the contact. Results indicate no enrichment of alkali elements (Li, Rb, Cs), As, U, or F occurred in minerals analyzed.

The early Cretaceous anorogenic Erongo Granite of Namibia is known to host abundant boron mineralization in rounded, quartz-tourmaline clusters and in NYF-type miarolitic, pegmatitic cavities. Rock and mineral samples were taken from the bulk granite, tourmaline nests, and miarolitic cavities and analyzed using a variety of modern analytical techniques. Geochemical and mineralogical data suggest substantial input from the metasedimentary rocks of the Damara orogen was important in the genesis of the Erongo Granite magma. The geochemical signature of the Damara orogen is most evident in the tourmaline clusters and miarolitic cavities, where fractional crystallization accumulated volatile and incompatible elements enough to exsolve a second fluid phase and induce drastic textural and mineralogical changes. As a result, the geochemical character of the pegmatitic cavities is far removed from that of classic NYF-type systems, where boron mineralization is usually not observed.

Natropalermoite, ideally Na2SrAl4(PO4)(4)(OH)(4), the Na-analogue of palermoite, is a new mineral from the Palermo No. 1 mine, Groton, New Hampshire, USA. Associated minerals are palermoite, eosphorite and quartz. Natropalermoite crystals are prismatic with striations parallel to the direction of elongation (the a axis) up to 200 mu m x 50 mu m x 45 mu m in size. The mineral is colourless, transparent with a white streak and vitreous lustre and is visually indistinguishable from palermoite. It is brittle with subconchoidal fracture and has a Mohs hardness of 5.5. Cleavage is perfect on {001}, fair on {100} and no parting was observed. The calculated density is 3.502 g cm(-3). Natropalermoite is biaxial (-), alpha = 1.624(1), ss = 1.641(1), gamma = 1.643(1) (589 nm), 2V(meas) = 43(4)degrees, 2V(calc) = 38 degrees. An electronmicroprobe analysis yielded an empirical formula (based on 20 O apfu) of (Na1.69Li0.31)(Sigma 2.00) (Sr0.95Mg0.04C a(0.02)Ba(0.01))(Sigma 1.02) (Al3.82Mn0.03Fe0.03)(Sigma 3.88) (P1.01O4)(4)(OH)(4). Natropalermoite is orthorhombic, space group Imcb, a = 11.4849(6), b = 16.2490(7), c = 7.2927(4) angstrom, V = 1360.95(17) A(3), Z = 4. Natropalermoite is isotypic with palermoite, but substitution of the larger Na for Li results in substantial increase of the b cell parameter. Four of the seven Na-O distances are longer than their equivalents in palermoite, resulting in a more regular 7-fold coordination polyhedron about Na. The eight strongest peaks in the calculated X-ray powder diffraction are [d(calc) (angstrom), I-rel%, (hkl)]: [3.128, 100, (321)], [4.907, 68, (121)], [3.327, 48, (022)], [4.689, 45, (220)], [3.078, 45, (202)], [2.453, 38, (242)], [2.636, 35, (411)], [2.174, 35, (422)].

Kyanite is generally considered to be a product of metamorphism. This study investigates a set of kyanite-bearing pegmatites that represent a case in which kyanite crystallized directly from melt. The pegmatites intrude spinel orthopyroxene hornblendite in the Buncombe Pegmatite District in the Eastern Blue Ridge of North Carolina. One site was studied in detail and survey studies of two other occurrences were made. The pegmatites contain quartz, large euhedral crystals of plagioclase, biotite, and kyanite, as well as apatite, muscovite, tourmaline, and microscopic primary sillimanite. Potassium feldspar is notably absent. One site, the Thomas Mine, was examined in detail in order to determine the mode of occurrence for these rocks. Excavation revealed pegmatite with two texturally and mineralogically distinct zones. Biotite-rich rocks surrounding the pegmatite indicate strongly potassic alteration of the host hornblendite. Trace element data obtained for kyanite and biotite from the pegmatite show clear patterns related to chemical fractionation of these components during crystallization. Major element geochemistry of the pegmatite and host ,I rocks are consistent with magmatic intrusion. Reaction of the pegmatite melt with the host rocks led to the formation of large amounts of biotite, and depleted the melt in potassium. The remaining melt became saturated in aluminum silicate and crystallized kyanite and sillimanite. Wallrock assemblages, fluid inclusions in pegmatite quartz, the coexistence of kyanite and sillimanite as primary phases, and geothermobarometry on nearby unaltered rocks all indicate conditions of formation of approximately 600-800 MPa and 625-675°C, near those of peak metamorphism for the region. / Master of Science

This thesis focuses on mineralogy, geochemistry, and origin of eight pegmatites and two spatially associated granites of Late Archean and Paleoproterozoic ages located in Marquette and Dickinson Counties, Michigan. Biotite geochemistry reveals that both granites and all pegmatites are peraluminous and have an orogenic signature. However, bulk composition reveals the Humboldt granite is a peraluminous A-type granite and the Bell Creek granite is a peraluminous mix between I-, S-, and A-type granites. The Republic Mine pegmatite appears to be geochemically similar to the Bell Creek granite and Grizzly pegmatite. The Crockley pegmatite is genetically related to the Humboldt granite. The Groveland Mine, Sturgeon River, and Hwy69 pegmatites appear to be a product of the Peavy Pond Complex being contaminated with the Marquette Range Super Group. Contamination and anatexis have made classification of the granites and pegmatites problematic. The Grizzly should be classified as a primitive LCT-type even though this pegmatite lacks characteristic enrichment associated with LCT pegmatites. Mineralogical geochemistry reveals that the Republic Mine is relatively more primitive than other pegmatites and should be classified as a primitive Mixed-type pegmatite. Groveland Mine has mineralogy and geochemistry not normally associated with NYF-type pegmatites and should be classified as Mixed. The Crockley pegmatite should be classified as NYF-type with a primitive LCT overprint. Dolfin, Hwy69, Sturgeon River, and Black River pegmatites should be classified as Rare Element, REE, NYF-type, although the Black River has slight tantalum enrichment expressed in columbite group minerals.

Subvolcanically emplaced granitic, miarolitic pegmatites associated with the White Mountain Igneous Province (WMIP), New Hampshire, were sampled and analyzed using modern analytical techniques including X-ray fluorescence, electron microprobe, scanning electron microscopy, and direct-coupled plasma spectrophotometry. Analytical results suggest that all the sampled miarolitic pegmatites from this study are petrogenetically related to the same intrusive suite, the WMIP. Based on the geochemical data, all the samples formed in an anorogenic tectonic setting and are rift-related. They are classified as NYF-type and plot in the “within plate granite” field on tectonic discrimination diagrams. The majority of the samples are peraluminous, A1-type granites. The trace element abundances on the spider diagram and chondrite-normalized diagram, which include a pronounced negative Eu anomaly and REE enrichments, are consistent with these miarolitic pegmatites resulting from a strongly fractionated granitic parental melts, but less fractionated than the classic NYF-systems such as South Platte (Simmons et al. 1987) and the Wausau Syenite Complex (Meyers et al. 1984).

Mount Mica is a poorly zoned sodic LCT-type pegmatite consisting dominantly of quartz, albite and muscovite in the outer portions. Potassium feldspar and lepidolite are restricted to the core zone. Micas in the wall zone are chemically homogeneous, but abruptly evolve into higher Cs + Rb bearing lithian muscovites and lepidolites in the core zone. The abrupt increase of the Cs, Rb in K-feldspar, and Cs, Rb and F in muscovite, and lepidolite combined with the occurrence of highly evolved species lepidolite, pollucite, elbaite, beryl and spodumene in the core zone suggests that incompatible elements were retained in residual fluid until their concentration was high enough to initiate crystallization of incompatible-rich mineral phases. The relatively low abundance of incompatible elements in the hanging wall suggest that the fractionation process was efficient in sweeping incompatibles into the core-zone, producing proportionally small volumes inside the pegmatite with very high enrichment in incompatible elements.

The garnet line is a planar fabric occuring within the intermediate and core zone in many of the Oxford County, Maine pegmatites. This study focuses primarily on the textural and chemical characteristics of the garnet line within the Mt. Mica and western Mt. Apatite quarries. Smaller, but similarly textured garnet line analogs from the Bennett, Emmons, Havey and Tamminen quarries are also investigated. All of these textures represent specific fractionation events within their respective dikes. In some of these locations, multiple stages of crystallization occur and appear to be post-magmatic, related to late stage metasomatism. These late stage fluids are believed to have migrated from localized and highly evolved regions within these pegmatites. The garnet line at Mt. Mica has the greatest diversity of secondary mineral assemblages, e.g. tourmaline and/or muscovite rims around garnets and ferric pollucite. None of these late stage textures have ever been described before.

Le tantale (Ta) est un métal rare essentiel de l'industrie high-tech, que l'on extrait principalement des pegmatites à éléments rares. Bien que la minéralogie du tantale soit relativement bien connue, on connaît très peu les processus qui contrôlent la formation d'un gisement de tantale. Le but de ma thèse est de comprendre les minéralisations en Ta dans la pegmatite géante de Tanco (Canada), l'un des trois plus gros gisements de Ta au monde. Cette pegmatite est extrêmement complexe pétrogénétiquement et minéralogiquement, et montre divers styles de minéralisations en Ta. L'étude de deux de ces styles, l'un associé aux zones magmatiques précoces de la pegmatite, l'autre, aux zones centrales altérées par des processus plus tardifs, m'a permis d'évaluer la contribution des processus magmatiques et métasomatiques dans la minéralisation, et d'établir un modèle métallogénique pour le Ta à Tanco.

Submitted by Fabio Sobreira Campos da Costa (fabio.sobreira@ufpe.br) on 2016-12-01T13:53:49Z No. of bitstreams: 3 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação - Bruna Araújo - UFPE - Engenharia Mineral - PDF.pdf: 3151668 bytes, checksum: a121d6d952bc1cdd6707e1998fac990c (MD5) Dissertação - Bruna Araújo - UFPE - Engenharia Mineral - PDF.pdf: 3151668 bytes, checksum: a121d6d952bc1cdd6707e1998fac990c (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-01T13:53:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 3 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação - Bruna Araújo - UFPE - Engenharia Mineral - PDF.pdf: 3151668 bytes, checksum: a121d6d952bc1cdd6707e1998fac990c (MD5) Dissertação - Bruna Araújo - UFPE - Engenharia Mineral - PDF.pdf: 3151668 bytes, checksum: a121d6d952bc1cdd6707e1998fac990c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-29 / A análise dos concentrados metálicos originários de rochas pegmatíticas contribui com o conhecimento acerca das características físicoquímicas desses minerais e com a avaliação da eficiência do processo de separação gravimétrica realizado para obtenção dos concentrados. Além disso, a confirmação da presença de elementos raros nestas rochas é fator positivo para a melhoria das condições socioeconômicas das populações do semiárido nordestino, além de colaborar com as pesquisas de viabilidade para uma posterior extração metalúrgica e com uma exploração mineral planejada e integral. Para caracterizar os concentrados metálicos dos pegmatitos Facheiro I e Mina Velha, foram analisadas amostras por difratometria de Raios-X, fluorescência de Raios-X, microscopia eletrônica de varredura e espectrometria por energia dispersiva. O trabalho apresenta e discute os resultados obtidos, que confirmaram a presença significativa de grupos minerais importantes como o grupo-columbita, além de apontar a possível presença de metais de aplicação nobre e Elementos Terras Raras. Foi proposta a discussão, em breve panorama, acerca dos impactos socioeconômicos e ambientais das atividades de mineração no semiárido, ressaltando a necessidade de um desenvolvimento nas dimensões da sustentabilidade econômica, social e ambiental. / The analysis of the concentrated metals originated from pegmatitic rocks contributes with the knowledge about the physico-chemical characteristics of these minerals and with the evaluation of the effectiveness of the gravimetric separation process carried out to obtain them. In addition, the confirmation of the presence of rare elements in these rocks is a positive factor for improving the socioeconomic conditions of populations in the northeastern semiarid, as well as for collaborating with feasibility studies for subsequent metallurgical extraction and with a planned and integral mineral exploration. For characterizing the concentrated metals of Facheiro I and Mina Velha pegmatitics, it has been analyzed samples by X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry. The research shows and discusses the obtained results which have confirmed the significant presence of important mineral groups such as the columbite-group, besides indicating the possible presence of noble metals and Rare Earth Elements. It has been proposed, in brief overview, the discussion about the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of mining activities in the semiarid region, emphasizing the need for a further development of economic sustainability, social and environmental dimensions.