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    Monazite, iron oxide and barite exsolutions in apatite aggregates from CCSD drillhole eclogites and their geological implications
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    To elucidate at what pressure and temperature and for what fluid compositions monazite may be induced to form from fluorapatite, the LREE-enriched Durango fluorapatite has been metasomatized experimentally at temperatures of 300, 600, 700, 800, 850, and 900°C and pressures of 500 and 1000 MPa. Fluids used included pure H2O, various NaCl, KCl, and CaCl2 brines (salt/H2O = 50/50, 30/70, or 10/90), and either 90/10 CO2/H2O or 40/60 CO2/H2O mix. Monazite formed in the fluorapatite + H2O, fluorapatite + 40/60 CO2/H2O, and the fluorapatite + KCl brine experiments. At 900°C and 1000 MPa, monazite formed both as inclusions within the fluorapatite and externally on its surface. Below 900°C, monazite grew only externally on the fluorapatite, either as euhedral to semi-euhedral crystals or as partial mantles over smaller fluorapatite grains. Monazite, especially at 900°C and 1000 MPa, is compositionally heterogeneous, specifically with respect to the Th content (ThO2 = 4-38 wt%). Whereas the reactant fluorapatite in the pure H2O experiments remained unzoned at lower temperatures, three coupled zones with different (LREE+Si+Na) abundances developed at 900°C. These zones roughly follow the rim of the fluorapatite enclosing a fourth zone or the core, resembling the original composition. Monazite inclusions formed only in the one zone where the LREE are depleted. In the NaCl brine experiments, the Na replaced Si lost to the solution, which stabilized the LREE, and precluded formation of monazite. Similarly, the high activity of Ca in the CaCl2 brine caused Ca to replace (LREE+Na) on the Ca site and discouraged the growth of monazite. The fluorapatite recrystallized to a fluor-chlorapatite, which displays oscillatory zoning, specifically with respect to the LREE. The results from this study imply that the presence of monazite inclusions and rim grains associated with fluorapatite (1) can be metasomatically induced; (2) can give insights into the chemistry of the metasomatizing fluids; (3) can provide some information on the grade of the metasomatic overprint; and (4) could indicate the occurrence of one or more metasomatic events
    Fluorapatite
    Brine
    Phosphate minerals
    Citations (302)
    Abstract Fluorapatite grains with monazite inclusions and/or rim grains are described in two of four samples from a set of granulite-facies metapelites collected from the Variscan Schwarzwald, southern Germany. Fluorapatite in all four samples appears to have experienced some dissolution in the partial granitic melt formed during granulite-facies metamorphism. Monazite inclusions and rim grains are highly deficient in Th and are presumed to have formed from fluorapatite in association with partial melting during granulite-facies metamorphism. Monazite inclusions range from very small (<1 μm) and very numerous to small (1–2 μm), sometimes elongated, and less numerous; both types are evenly distributed throughout the fluorapatite grain interior. Monazite rim grains tend to be 1–10 μm. The formation of monazite inclusions is proposed to be due to dissolution-reprecipitation of the fluorapatite by the aqueous fluids inherent in the granitic melt. We propose that an increase in inclusion size coupled with a decrease in inclusion number is due to Ostwald ripening (interfacial energy reduction), which is greatly facilitated by the presence of an interconnected, fluid-filled porosity in the metasomatized fluorapatite. We further propose that monazite rim grains formed principally during partial dissolution of the fluorapatite in the granitic melt and to a lesser extent by partial dissolutionreprecipitation of the fluorapatite grain rim area allowing for the partial removal of (Y+ REE ). We conclude that fluorapatite, with monazite inclusions and rim grains, experienced partial dissolution in a H2O-rich peraluminous granitic melt compared to fluorapatite with monazite rim grains and no inclusions which reacted with a similar, relatively less H 2 O-rich melt. In contrast, monazite-free fluorapatite experienced partial dissolution in a comparatively H 2 O-poor, subaluminous, possibly peralkaline melt.
    Fluorapatite
    The REE enrichment process in fluorapatite and the REE redistribution among fluorapatite, monazite, and allanite were studied in a series of three sets of experimental runs at P-T conditions of 0.5 to 4 GPa and 650 to 900 °C. The first two sets of experimental runs utilized fluorapatite as a P-source, synthetic monazite or allanite as the REE sources, albite, quartz, and NaF-H2O or NaCl-H2O. The third set of runs was carried out with powdered Ca3(PO4)2, allanite, quartz, (±Al2O3), and a NaF-H2O solution.
    Allanite
    Fluorapatite
    Redistribution
    Citations (29)