GARNET AND RARE-METALS RESOURCES OF THE VYSOTA-181 ORE OCCURRENCE, NORTH KARELIA

Abstract

A metamorphogenetic-metasomatic garnet ore occurrence, known as Vysota-181, is located in the Louhi District, Russian Karelia, which is part of the Arctic zone of the RussianFederation. The study of the ore occurrence has revealed many productive rock varieties. Various types of garnet ore have been identified, based on their distribution, mineral compositionand industrial properties. Garnet is considered as a promising complex non-radioactive source of critical strategic rare-earth metals (TR = Y+La+Ce+…+Lu) and scandium. The micro-component chemical composition of the garnet from its concentrates derived from various ore types was analyzed. It has been shown that pyralspitic garnet from sialic ore varieties contains economic concentrations of scandium (Sc203 – 177.3–196.8 g/t), a major useful component, and that yttrium-group elements (YTR = Y+Sm+…+Lu) predominatein the composition of associated TR (TR203 – 130.2–139.2 g/t, the percentage of YTR203 is 91.6–97.2 %). The rare-metals concentration (RМ) in garnet from apobasic ores (Sc203 – 72.2 g/t, TR203 – 163.3 g/t) is below the minimum economic concentration. The predicted resources of garnet and RМ in the various ore types composing the rock massif which could be quarried by the open-pit method were estimated. Garnet resources in mafic ores are 5.582 Мt, RМ resources in the garnet are (t): Sc203 – 403, TR203 – 911, including Y203 – 557, YTR203 – 871. The total garnet resources with economic scandium concentrations in the sialic ores of various types are 5.633 Мt, RМ resources in the garnet (t) are: Sc203 – 1099, TR203 – 776, including YTR203 – 714, Y203 – 468. Vysota-181 is a medium-sized ore occurrence, based on predicted scandium resources in garnet from sialic ores.

Keywords

• руда
• скандий
• редкоземельные металлы
• иттрий
• лантаноиды
• уран
• торий