 Specialty Metals Deposits
APPLIED PETROGRAPHICS has extensive experience in the exploration for, and characterization of, specialty metals deposits of lanthanides (REE’s), niobium, gallium, and germanium. Petrographic and analytical data are useful in the resolution of a variety of exploration and mineral processing problems.
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| Identification of ore minerals and potential by-product phases | |
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| The two rare-earth mineralized carbonatites are characterized by different ore mineralogy. In the CL photo at left the rare earth phase is ancylite, a strontium-rare earth carbonate, accompanied by strontianite, apatite, and calcite. In the TLX photo at right, the primary REE phase is monazite, a rare earth phosphate. | |
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| Textural disposition and amenability to separation | |
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| The dolomitic carbonatite in the left photo (transmitted light/uncrossed polars;TLP) contains pyrochlore (Ca, Na2)Nb2O6(OH, F) that is texturally amenable to beneficiation, while the finer-grained, radially fibrous parisite Ca(Ce, La)2(CO3)3F2 would not be expected to beneficiate well. | |
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| Characterization and distribution of alteration patterns | |
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| These CL photomicrographs illustrate dolomite crackle breccias developed along the Apex fault above the collapse breccia-hosted Apex gallium-germanium deposit in SW Utah. Early veinlets of red CL dolomite (dolo)are cut by intermediate mixed calcite- dolomite veinlets and breccia matrix. The latest veinlets are yellow-luminescent calcite (calc). The dolomite veinlets are found immediately proximal to the ore breccia. The host dolomitic limestone blocks have a darker orange CL. | |
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