Mineralogical and Geochemical Evidence of Paragenetic Unity of Igneous Silicate and Carbonatite Rocks of the Tomtor Massif in the North-East of the Siberian Platform

Abstract

The Tomtor massif is a polychronous ring zonal complex of alkaline ultramafic and carbonatite rocks containing unique Nb and REE deposits. Mineralogical and geochemical studies of minerals from different types of silicate rocks and carbonatites of the Tomtor massif were performed. For excluding traces of the interaction between silicate and carbonatite melts, we limited ourselves to the study of independent small secant bodies located in the immediate vicinity of the massif itself. The presence of through mineral series in various silicate igneous rocks and carbonatite ores of high-titanium chromium spinels, rare-metal, ore and other exotic phases with similar compositional trends was defined. Such studies will help reveal the mineralogical criteria for the genetic relationship between silicate melts and associated carbonatite derivatives, which can form rich rare elements mineralization. Also, such studies help to improve the petrochemical and mineralogical criteria for dividing potentially diamond-bearing magmatites (typical kimberlites) from non-diamond-bearing kimberlites, alpicrites and other non-diamond-bearing rocks convergent to kimberlites, which are formed under different physicochemical conditions. The existence of polychronous complex ore–magmatic ring complexes, such as the Tomtor massif, indicates the existence of large deep intraplate magma-generating chambers in the lithospheric mantle.

Keywords

• alkaline–ultrabasic rocks
• melteigite
• alkaline picrite
• syenite
• carbonatite
• rare earth elements