Prospecting of rare metals in the East-Ukrainian pegmatitе province – important part of geological exploration in Ukraine

Abstract

Nowadays, there has significantly increased the interest of industry in rare metal mineralization in pegmatites, which determines their importance as raw materials for “critical elements” Ta, Nb, Li, Be, Sn, Y, TR, etc., and thus there is a need to re-evaluate the known and newly-found deposits of rare metal pegmatites. A detailed comprehensive scientific analysis of the available materials on pegmatites of the East-Ukrainian pegmatitе province (Middle Dnipro and Western Azov) with the development of effective criteria and characteristics of hidden mineralization has to precede the production of costly geological exploration works. Due to the special genetic position of pegmatites in the chain of endogenous processes, their unique mineralogical-petrographic, geochemical and metallogenic properties and ability to form within well-defined structures and rock complexes, it is possible to identify very promising areas, with a detailed scientific analysis of areas. There is considered geological and structural setting and granitoid magmatism of the East-Ukrainian pegmatite region, which determine the specialization of pegmatite associations and the pegmatite fields and belts formed by them. Three pegmatite-­generating stages of development of the pegmatite region are singled out. It is shown that all rare metal pegmatites of the region are associated with the third – gra­nite-greenstone – stage. The analysis of the geological position and structure of two deposits of rare metals (Shevchenko – lithium; Kruta Balka – lithium, tantalum and niobium) was also carried out, and the structural position of the existing ore occurrences and mineralization points of rare metal pegmatites was taken into account. Based on geological data on these deposits and ore occurrences using previous developments reflected in the literature, the most important search criteria and characteristics of rare metal pegmatites of the East-Ukrainian pegmatite region are shown. Taking into account the above, there are given recommendations for scientific analysis of the territory with the compilation of general forecast maps of the territory and detailed maps of perspective structures in the scale of 1:10 000–1:25 000 with analysis of geological structure and reflection of pegmatite-bearing structures, plicative failure of their strata; study of physical, physico-thermal, chemical and mineralogical properties of rocks with the development of classification of rocks according to the possibility of occurrence of pegmatite bodies in them. Primarily, it is recommended to carry out prospect evaluation survey within the clusters of rare metal pegmatites – Voskresenka, Voskresenka-2, Mokri Yaly, Golubi Skeli, Sadovе in the Western Azov and Komendantivka and Zhovtе in the Middle Dnipro region, as well as detailed mapping of the Hulyaipole pegmatite cluster in the south of the Sofiivka structure.

Keywords

• east-ukrainian pegmatite region
• rare metal pegmatites
• lithium
• shevchenko deposit
• pegmatite prospecting