U-Pb dating of bastnäsite from the Vuoriyarvi massif: An example application for assessing the REE potential of carbonatite-related deposits

Abstract

The Vuoriyarvi massif is a Devonian multistage alkaline-ultrabasic carbonatite complex within the Kola alkaline province. Dolomite carbonatites of the Vuoriyarvi massif contain abundant rare-earth mineralization mainly represented by ancylite-(Ce) and bastnäsite-(Ce). Ancylite was previously shown to have probably formed in the Devonian (ca. 365 Ma) during an early postmagmatic overprint. Previous geological observations have revealed a much later crystallization of bastnäsite but have not been able to specify the exact age of the mineralization. The in situ U-Pb dating of bastnäsite allowed us to constrain its genesis. Bastnäsite for this study was extracted from two varieties of dolomite carbonatite breccias cemented by (1) quartz-bastnäsite and (2) strontianite aggregates (hereafter bastnäsite-rich and strontianite-rich carbonatites – BRC and SRC, respectively). The obtained age estimations (237.7 ± 9.8 Ma and 239.9 ± 4.1 Ma, respectively) indicate that both studied rocks were formed during a single event. The revealed age difference (∼125 Ma) excludes the genetic link between the bastnäsite origin and regional alkaline magmatism, pointing out an additional source for the Vuoriyarvi bastnäsite-bearing rocks. Moreover, the obtained U-Pb ages provide strong evidence that a Triassic event is responsible for the occurrence of bastnäsite mineralization due to hydrothermal REE redistribution from the Devonian ancylite-rich carbonatites. Most of the REEs released during this process via dissolution of ancylite were precipitated in situ as bastnäsite, while strontium was transported and incorporated into strontianite. The Pb isotopic characteristics of bastnäsite (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18.1 ± 0.1, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15.3 ± 0.1, and ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb = 0.84 ± 0.01) are most probably inherited from the Devonian host rocks of the Vuoriyarvi massif involved in the Triassic overprint. Isotopic signatures of Pb, Sr, and Nd show that the depleted mantle and lower crust played the leading role in formation of the Vuoriyarvi alkaline complex. Taken together, the results of the present study negate the supergene origin of the Vuoriyarvi bastnäsite, implying that the bastnäsite mineralization is not confined to near-surface layers and, therefore, may be dispersed more broadly throughout the complex. These findings raise the question on underestimation of the probable REE reserves and lay the groundwork for a reassessment of the economic potential of the Vuoriyarvi complex.