The formation of the ore-bearing dolomite marble from the giant Bayan Obo REE-Nb-Fe deposit, Inner Mongolia: insights from micron-scale geochemical data

• Published in: Mineralium deposita Vol. 55; no. 1; pp. 131 - 146
• Main Authors: Chen, Wei, Liu, Hang-Yu, Lu, Jue, Jiang, Shao-Yong, Simonetti, Antonio, Xu, Cheng, Zhang, Wen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.01.2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Bastnasite; Bearing; Carbonates; Dolomite; Dolostone; Earth; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Geochemistry; Geological processes; Geology; Isotope composition; Isotopes; Lead; Lead isotopes; Mantle; Marble; Mineral Resources; Mineralogy; Monazite; Niobium; Paleozoic; Rare earth elements; Ratios; Recrystallization; Sedimentary facies; Spatial discrimination; Spatial resolution; Strontium 87; Strontium isotopes; Trace elements; Micron-scale geochemical analysis; Sr-Pb isotopes; Metasomatism; Igneous origin; Dolomite marble; Bayan Obo

The genesis of Earth’s largest rare earth element (REE) deposit, Bayan Obo (China), has been intensely debated, in particular whether the host dolomite marble is of sedimentary or igneous origin. The protracted (Mesoproterozoic to Paleozoic) and intricate (magmatic to metasomatic) geological process...