Document Type : Original Research Paper
Authors
1 1Ph.D., Department of Geology, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Geology, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran
3 Associate Professor, Department of Geology, Islamic Azad University, Eslamshahr Branch, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
In the south of Mashhad city, situated in the Khorasan-eRazaviProvince, NE Iran, there are a number of granitic intrusive bodies intersected by several pegmatite veins. These granitic bodies are of orogenic (collisional), peraluminous, S- type and host the pegmatites in an area of 40km2. This paper presents the geological, geochemical, and mineralogical investigations on the pegmatite veins in order mainly to examine their economic value for lithium and lithium bearing minerals. For this purpose, the pegmatite veins of the area were first mapped and sampled. In this regard, more than 100 samples from the pegmatites and associated granites were taken and investigated using polarized microscopy, SEM, XRD, and ICP. According to the field observations and laboratory examinations, seven individual pegmatite facies were recognized, all of which of LCT (Li, Cs, Ta) type (based on Cerny-2005-classification). The studied pegmatites contain three main types of mica including muscovite, lepidolite, and biotite and host from 430 to 1150 ppm lithium. Beside lithium bearing mica, presence of some other minerals such as garnet (almandine-spessartite), tourmaline (schorl-dravite series and schorl-elbaite series), and apatite are of interest, especially because of their potential for hosting REEs. The average of A/CNK index for the pegmatites is 1.3 to 1.6, while the average of Mg/Li is 3.9 to 24.1. The average of lithium for the facies of "quartz + tourmaline ± muscovite" is 19.3ppm, while the average of Li for the facies of "quartz+ potassium feldspar + plagioclase + muscovite + lepidolite + biotite + tourmaline" is 177.2 ppm. The low Mg/Li ratio, the high content of lithium, and the mineralization of lepidolite introduce the pegmatites of Mashhad as a significant potential for lithium, what that is being introduced for the first time from these pegmatites.
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