Molten Salts: Novel Agents of Transport and Deposition of Rare Earth and High Field-Strength Elements
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| Authors: | Matthew Steele-Macinnis, Xinyue Xu |
| Year: | 2023 |
| Journal: | AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts V44A-01 |
| Title: | Molten Salts: Novel Agents of Transport and Deposition of Rare Earth and High Field-Strength Elements |
| Abstract: | Magnetite-apatite deposits have been historically mined primarily for iron, but they are of growing interest as sources of rare earth and high field-strength elements (REE and HFSE) because they commonly host exceptionally REE-rich apatite and a number of HFSE-rich minerals. However, the formation mechanisms of these deposits are still poorly understood and deeply controversial, leaving major unknowns about the fluids that generate such REE and HFSE enrichment. Analysis of fluid and melt inclusions in magnetite-apatite mineral deposits from around the world and from Archean to recent times reveals that a hitherto unexpected and largely unknown type of mineralizing fluid—namely, non-aqueous ionic liquids, or molten salts—played a pivotal role in forming all of them. In other words, involvement of such molten salts is a ubiquitous and critical factor in forming REE-and HFSE-enriched magnetite-apatite … |
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