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The Catalão I niobium deposit, central Brazil: Resources, geology and pyrochlore chemistry

2011; Elsevier BV; Volume: 41; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.oregeorev.2011.06.013

1872-7360

Pedro Cordeiro, José Affonso Brod, Matheus Palmieri, Claudinei Gouveia de Oliveira, Elisa Soares Rocha Barbosa, Roberto Ventura Santos, José Carlos Gaspar, Luis Carlos de Assis,

earthquake and tectonic studies

The Catalão I alkaline–carbonatite–phoscorite complex contains both fresh rock and residual (weathering-related) niobium mineralization. The fresh rock niobium deposit consists of two plug-shaped orebodies named Mine II and East Area, respectively emplaced in carbonatite and phlogopitite. Together, these orebodies contain 29 Mt at 1.22 wt.% Nb2O5 (measured and indicated). In closer detail, the orebodies consist of dike swarms of pyrochlore-bearing, olivine-free phoscorite-series rocks (nelsonite) that can be either apatite-rich (P2 unit) or magnetite-rich (P3 unit). Dolomite carbonatite (DC) is intimately related with nelsonite. Natropyrochlore and calciopyrochlore are the most abundant niobium phases in the fresh rock deposit. Pyrochlore supergroup chemistry shows a compositional trend from Ca–Na dominant pyrochlores toward Ba-enriched kenopyrochlore in fresh rock and the dominance of Ba-rich kenopyrochlore in the residual deposit. Carbonates associated with Ba-, Sr-enriched pyrochlore show higher δ18OSMOW than expected for carbonates crystallizing from mantle-derived magmas. We interpret both the δ18OSMOW and pyrochlore chemistry variations from the original composition as evidence of interaction with low-temperature fluids which, albeit not responsible for the mineralization, modified its magmatic isotopic features. The origin of the Catalão I niobium deposit is related to carbonatite magmatism but the process that generated such niobium-rich rocks is still undetermined and might be related to crystal accumulation and/or emplacement of a phosphate–iron-oxide magma.