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Light rare earth element systematics as a tool for investigating the petrogenesis of phoscorite-carbonatite associations, as exemplified by the Phalaborwa Complex, South Africa

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Abstract

In-situ trace element analyses of fluorapatite, calcite, dolomite, olivine, and phlogopite have been undertaken on representative phoscorite and carbonatite rocks of the Palaeoproterozoic Phalaborwa Complex. Textural and compositional characterization reveals uniformity of fluorapatite and calcite among most of the intrusions, and seems to favor a common genetic origin for the phoscorite-carbonatite association. Representing major repositories for rare earth elements (REE), fluorapatite and calcite exhibit tightly correlated light REE (LREE) abundances, suggesting that partitioning of LREE into these rock forming minerals was principally controlled by simple igneous differentiation. However, light rare earth element distribution in apatite and calcite cannot be adequately explained by equilibrium and fractional crystallization and instead favors a complex crystallization history involving mixing of compositionally distinct magma batches, in agreement with previously reported mineral isotope variability that requires open-system behaviour.

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Acknowledgements

LM and RB acknowledge funding from the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Integrated Mineral and Energy Resource Analysis (CIMERA). Sajeev Kirshnan is thanked for providing the use of the JEOL JXA-8230 SUPERPROBE at the Advanced Facility for Microscopy and Microanalysis, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Constructive criticism by an anonymous reviewer, Antonio Simonetti, Associate Editor Robert Linnen and Editor-in-Chief Georges Beaudoin helped to improve the manuscript. Thanks are extended to Palabora Mining Company Ltd for kindly providing several of the studied rocks, in particular to Paulien Lourens and Thabitha Moyana, for very helpful assistance during LM and RB visits at Phalaborwa. Grant Cawthorn and Paul Nex (Wits University) are thanked for providing part of of the studied samples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geosciences, University of the Witwatersrand, PVT Bag 3, Wits, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa

    Lorenzo Milani & Robert Bolhar

  2. Department of Earth Sciences, University of the Western Cape, PVT Bag X17, Bellville, 7530, South Africa

    Dirk Frei

  3. Department of Earth Sciences, Stellenbosch University, PVT Bag X1, Matieland, 7602, South Africa

    Dirk Frei

  4. GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam Telegrafenberg, D-14473, Potsdam, Germany

    Daniel E. Harlov

  5. Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, P.O. Box 524, Auckland Park, 2006, South Africa

    Daniel E. Harlov

  6. Centre for Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India

    Vinod O. Samuel

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Correspondence to Lorenzo Milani.

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Editorial handling: R. Linnen

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Online Resource 1

EPMA of fluorapatite at Phalaborwa. Abbreviations: Phos = phoscorite; BC = banded carbonatite; TC = transgressive carbonatite (PDF 72 kb)

Online Resource 2

Trace element compositions (in ppm), sigma errors, detection limits and mean cps of LA-ICP-MS analyses of fluorapatite and calcite at Phalaborwa. Abbreviations: Phos = phoscorite; BC = banded carbonatite; TC = transgressive carbonatite. In Italic: element contents likely related to contamination by microinclusions and not included in calculations in Table 3 (PDF 598 kb)

Online Resource 3

Trace element compositions (in ppm), sigma errors, detection limits and mean cps of LA-ICP-MS analyses of olivine and phlogopite at Phalaborwa. Abbreviations: Phos = phoscorite; BC = banded carbonatite; TC = transgressive carbonatite. In Italic: element contents likely related to contamination by microinclusions and not included in calculations in Table 3 (PDF 368 kb)

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Milani, L., Bolhar, R., Frei, D. et al. Light rare earth element systematics as a tool for investigating the petrogenesis of phoscorite-carbonatite associations, as exemplified by the Phalaborwa Complex, South Africa. Miner Deposita 52, 1105–1125 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00126-016-0708-2

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