Geological and mineralization characteristics of Manono–Kitotolo Li−Cs−Ta pegmatite in the Democratic Republic of Congo

ZENG Ruiyin; ZHU Xinyou; WANG Rong; LI Qingzhe; ZHAN Yong; ZHANG Xiong; SUN Ning; LI Liang; TAN Kangyu; HUANG Jianye

doi:10.12029/gc20200819002

2024 Vol. 51, No. 2

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Article navigation > Geology in China > 2024 > 51(2): 443-456

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ZENG Ruiyin, ZHU Xinyou, WANG Rong, LI Qingzhe, ZHAN Yong, ZHANG Xiong, SUN Ning, LI Liang, TAN Kangyu, HUANG Jianye. 2024. Geological and mineralization characteristics of Manono–Kitotolo Li−Cs−Ta pegmatite in the Democratic Republic of Congo[J]. Geology in China, 51(2): 443-456. doi: 10.12029/gc20200819002

Citation:

ZENG Ruiyin, ZHU Xinyou, WANG Rong, LI Qingzhe, ZHAN Yong, ZHANG Xiong, SUN Ning, LI Liang, TAN Kangyu, HUANG Jianye. 2024. Geological and mineralization characteristics of Manono–Kitotolo Li−Cs−Ta pegmatite in the Democratic Republic of Congo[J]. Geology in China, 51(2): 443-456. doi: 10.12029/gc20200819002

Geological and mineralization characteristics of Manono–Kitotolo Li−Cs−Ta pegmatite in the Democratic Republic of Congo

1.
Faculty of Land Resource Engineering. Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093, Yunnan, China
2.
Beijing Institute of Geology for Mineral Resources Co., Ltd., Beijing 100012, China
3.
Sinotech Minerals Exploration Co., Ltd., Beijing 100012, China
4.
School of Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China

Fund Project: Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.41363002) and the subject of the Key Special Project of the National Key Research and Development Program “Exploitation of Deep Resources” (No.2017YFC0602403).

More Information

Author Bio: ZENG Ruiyin, male, born in 1991, master candidate, engineer, majors in mineralogy, petrology, deposits; E-mail: zengqingqin0428@sina.com
Corresponding author: ZHU Xinyou, male, born in 1965, professor level senior engineer, mainly engaged in the study of mineral deposit; E-mail: zhuxinyou@outlook.com.

Received Date: 19 August 2020

Revised Date: 05 October 2020

Publish Date: 25 March 2024

Abstract

Abstract

This paper is the result of mineral exploration engineering.
Objective
The Manono–Kitotolo spodumene (40%−70%) pegmatite, one of the lithium−cesium−tantalum pegmatite (LCT) in the world, is located at the Mesoproterozoic Kibaran rare metals metallogenic belt in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The field works revealed that the symbiotic minerals of pegmatite gradually evolved from outside to inside: granite aplite zone(Ⅰ), muscovite−feldspar quartz zone (Ⅱ), quartz albitite zone (Ⅲ), spodumene zone (Ⅳ) and quartz kernel (Ⅴ).
Methods
In this study, the composition of major elements of mica, spodumene, cassiterite and columbite−tantalite are analyzed by Electron probe X−ray micro−analyzer (EPMA) to bring light on Li−Nb−Ta−Sn mineralization and pegmatitic crystallization differentiation.
Results
The results show that the content of Rb, Li, and F in muscovite gradually increased from outward (Ⅰ) to inward (Ⅴ), meanwhile the K/Rb gradually decreased. The content of Fe and Rb in lepidolite (V−1) is relatively higher than in muscovite(Ⅱ), which indicating highly fractionated pegmatite inside. Li mineralization mainly occurs in spodumene pegmatite (Ⅳ).
Conclusions
The grain size of spodumene varies from macro−crystal to coarse grain and medium grain and its principal components keep consistent except Li lost by oxidative leaching, argillation, greisenization and other alterations. Cassiterite with high Nb and Ta is generally formed by greisenization in zone Ⅲ–Ⅳ. Nb−Ta is mineralized in the form of the columbite−tantalite−manganotantalite isomorphism in the zone Ⅱ–Ⅳ, with the development of differentiation, the content of Ta and Mn in minerals increases, while the content of Nb, Fe and Ti decreases and formed Ta−rich and Mn−rich Columbite−tantalite.
- spodumene /
- cassiterite /
- columbite−tantalite /
- muscovite /
- greisenization /
- Manono–Kitotolo Pegmatite /
- mineral exploration engineering /
- the Democratic Republic of Congo

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References

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