Rare earth element (REE) resources of Turkey: An overview of their characteristics and origin

Year 2019, , 129 - 143, 15.08.2019

Hüseyin Öztürk , Nurullah Hanilçi , Sinan Altuncu , Cem Kasapçı

https://doi.org/10.19111/bulletinofmre.471205

Cited By: 3

Abstract

The Rare Earth Elements (REE)
deposits and mineralization of Turkey can be divided into four types based on
their geological setting and origin. First are deposits associated with
carbonatite- alkaline magmatic rocks, rich in Light Rare Earth Elements (LREE).
The best known examples are the Kızılcaören (Eskişehir) and Kuluncak (Malatya)
deposits with TREE grades of 2.9% and 0.7% respectively, and typical enrichment
of La-Ce. Lower grade REE mineralization at Keban (0.05% TREE) and Divriği
(0.13% TREE) is associated with abundant fluorite and all four occurrences show
similar ranges for homogenization temperatures and salinities for fluid
inclusions in fluorite and REE profiles. The second type are Triassic shales
and the bauxites formed from them in the Bolkardağı region. Enrichment of Heavy
REE (HREE) is typical and TREE grades are about 0.15% in bauxites and its
protolith. These occurrences are geochemically similar to “ion adsorption type”
deposits associated with lateritic clay on the weathered granitic rocks of
China. Third is the placer type, represented by the Çanaklı (Burdur) deposit
which is enriched in U, Th and HREE and heavy minerals such as; magnetite,
zircon and rutile and has an average grade of about 0.08% TREE. The fourth
potential source of REE is phosphorites. These rocks host the world’s largest
resources elsewhere, however the Cretaceous Mazidag deposits in Turkey are very
low grade (40ppm TREE) and clearly uneconomic. Consideration of the
environmental and health issues associated with exploitation and processing of
REE has identified the more favorable outcomes associated with exploitation of
the ion adsorption type of deposits and justification for further evaluation of
the resources and processing technologies that would enable exploitation of
REE-enriched bauxites in the Bolkardağı region.

 

Keywords

Rare earth element geochemistry, Carbonatite, Shale, Bauxide, Turkey, Turkey

Thanks

The authors are grateful to the General Directorate of Eti Maden for permitting fi eld study in the Kızılcaören Deposit and to the İstanbul University- Cerrahpaşa Scientifi c Research Projects Unit (Project no: 54348) for their fi nancial contributions.

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