REE geochemistry and Sr isotopic composition of silicate-carbonate rocks from the Zelentsovskaya mine (Kusa-Kopan intrusive complex, Southern Urals)

Abstract

The object of this study is silicate-carbonate rocks located in gabbroid of the Kusinsko-Kopan intrusive complex within the Zelentsovskaya mine in the South Urals. Low Mn and Fe contents and low 87Sr/86Sr ratio in calcite (0.7045–0.7048) indicate that the source of carbonate matter for these rocks was recrystallized limestones of the Lower Riphean Satka Formation. Isotopic-geochemical data (87Sr/86Sr ratio and flat REE distribution pattern) indicate the influence of gabbroid melt on their composition. It is suggested that the silicate-carbonate rocks were formed as a result of the geological process closest to the skarn formation.