The Separdeh laterite deposit: textural, mineralogical, and geochemical characteristics of the rare earth elements

The Separdeh laterite deposit in the western part of Alborz is about 114 km from the Ramsar city in Mazandaran province. This deposit is located between Triassic limestones (Elika Formation) and Jurassic sandstones (Shemshak Formation). There has been no comprehensive study on the Separdeh deposit. Only studies included 1: 100,000 scale geological map of Javaherdeh and identification of bauxite-laterite and refractory materials of Gilan province by Geological Survey of Iran. Therefore, this paper attempts to study the physicochemical conditions of formation, factors of ore type development and factors affecting the distribution, mobility and differentiation of rare earth elements, Ce and Eu anomalies, and determining the origin of the ore, taking into account the petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical features of the Separdeh deposit.

Based on detailed field observations, 14 ore samples were systematically taken. These were perpendicular to the profile, picked up from the lateritic rocks due to changes in color, texture, and hardness. Thin sections were prepared for textural studies and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses of the samples for mineralogical studies at the Iranian Mineral Processing Research Center in Karaj. Geochemical studies of 10 samples were analyzed by ICP-OES and ICP-MS methods to determine the quantities of major and minor earth elements by MS Analytical Company in Canada.

Structural and textural studies in the Separdeh deposit indicate both autochthonous and allochthonous origins for this deposit. Mineralogical investigations revealed that minerals such as siderite, chamosite, kaolinite, boehmite, diaspore, hematite, goethite, clinochlore, and anatase are the main mineral phases accompanied by of minor phase like rutile, moscovite, and lipidocrocite. This mineral assemblage suggests that both underground waters with reducing-alkaline nature and surface waters with oxidizing-acidic nature played an important role in development of this deposit. Based upon chemical analyses, REE values of the ores vary from 58.91 to 846.72 ppm. Values of La/Y, Eu/Eu*, and Ce/Ce* of the ores are within the range of 0.34-3.76, 0.76-1.24, and 0.92-2.41, respectively. Geochemical studies showed that changes in the physico-chemical conditions of formation environment (pH and Eh), carbonate bed rock as a geochemical barrier, complexation with carbonate ligands, difference in the stability of minerals carrying rare earth elements (REEs), and fixation in neomorph phases, play important roles in distribution and mobility of REEs during the formation and evolution of the lateritic horizon at Separdeh. In addition, the Eu anomalies along with ratios of TiO2/Al2O3 and Sm/Nd indicate that upper Triassic rocks with andesitic to basaltic composition could be the potential precursor for this deposit.

Textural, mineralogical and geochemical studies show that the Separdeh deposit is formed in two stages. In the first stage, authigenic lateritization of the upper Triassic basaltic rocks has occurred, such as alteration and decomposing of silicate minerals and formation of clay, iron and titanium minerals. In the second stage, the transfer of lateritic material into karstic cavities and deposition in lagoon and swampy environments was carried out. These conditions have resulted in the formation of minerals such as pyrite, siderite, and facilitated the process of leaching of rare earth elements from the upper parts of the profile and deposited on the lower parts of the Separdeh deposit.