Geosciences (Oct 2023)
Li-Cs-Na-Rich Beryl from Beryl-Bearing Pegmatite Dike No. 7 of the Shongui Deposit, Kola Province, Russia
Abstract
Beryl is both an accessory and a rock-forming mineral in pegmatites that contain beryl, making it a major source of Be. Beryl-bearing pegmatites of the Shongui deposit, located in the Kola province of the Northeastern Fennoscandian Shield, hold beryl with a yellowish-greenish color. An investigation into the chemical composition of this beryl from pegmatite dike No. 7 has been performed for the first time via the secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) technique, and the chemical composition of the beryl-bearing pegmatites has been analyzed for the first time by the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method. These pegmatites have high concentrations (ppm) of Be (11.8), Li (30.9), Rb (482), Nb (50.3), Ta (14.6), Cs (66.8), and Mn (283) and low concentrations of Sr, Y, Ba, rare earth elements (REE), Zr, and Th. In the Shongui pegmatite field, concentrations of Be, Li, Rb, Cs, Nb, Ta, and Mn increase from barren to beryl-bearing pegmatites, whereas concentrations of Ba, Sr, Y, and REE decline. Rb/Ba, Rb/Sr, and Zr/Hf ratios, showing the fractionation degree, change from the barren to beryl-bearing pegmatites: Rb/Ba and Rb/Sr increase from 111 and 0.46 to 1365 and 8.06, respectively, and Zr/Hf decreases from 18.9 to 14.5. The chemical composition of beryl from the Shongui deposit is unique. This mineral has a concentration of 25,300 ppm of alkalis (Li, Cs, K, Rb, Na) and the average Li, Ce, and Na content is 4430, 5000, and 15,400 ppm, respectively. According to its chemical composition, the Shongui beryl belongs to the Li-Cs-Na type, a type that is not recognized in the available classifications. It is supposed that this beryl was mainly crystallized in the magmatic stage rather than in any hydrothermal and metasomatic stages. Two beryl groups have been distinguished in beryl-bearing pegmatite dike No. 7: beryl from the intermediate zone (Brl-I) and beryl from the core zone (Brl-II). These beryls are concluded to have crystallized in the following order: Brl-I and then Brl-II. Compared with Brl-I, Brl-II is depleted in Cs, Na, Cl, and H2O and is enriched in Fe and Mn. The Fe/Mn ratio varies from 9.18 to 16.50 in these beryls and their yellowish-greenish shades are thought to be driven by a large amount of Fe compared to Mn.
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