Geochemistry of vesuvianite from contact-metasomatic rocks of mineral mines in the Southern Urals

Abstract

A mineralogical and geochemical study of vesuvianite from mineral aggregates sampled in the Zelentsovskaya, Nikolaje-Maximilianovskaya, Akhmatovskaya and Shishimskaya mines located at the outer contact of the Kusa-Kopan intrusion of the Southern Urals was carried out. Vesuvianite from the silicate-carbonate rock (Zelentsovskaya mine) is significantly enriched in Fe, V, Cr, Y, Zr, Th, Sn, and Cl, and the REE distribution spectrum it is close to that for garnets from the same rocks. Vesuvianite from calcite-garnet vein in chlorite schist (Nikolaje-Maximilianovskaya mine) is enriched in U, and REE distribution spectra there are significantly differentiated, which is explained by the removal of incompatible elements. Vesuvianite from rodingites (Akhmatovskaya mine) is enriched in Mn, Ni, Zn, Sr, Nb and volatile components (F and Cl), and the REE distribution spectra are conformal to each other, which testifies to a stable geochemical equilibrium in the rock. Vesuvianite from the skarn (Shishimskaya mine) is in paragenesis with garnet, so it is significantly enriched in Al, LREE and water, and depleted in impurity elements. The content of trace and rare-earth elements in all vesuvianites shows signs of contact metasomatism: the peculiarities of their composition depend on the mineral paragenesis and the influence of the frame rocks — gabbroids of the Kusa-Kopan intrusive complex.