The distribution of rare earth elements between monzogranitic melt and the aqueous volatile phase in experimental investigations at 800 °C and 200 MPa

Abstract

The partitioning of the rare earth elements between a peraluminous monzogranitic melt and a chloride-bearing, sulfur- and carbon dioxide-free, aqueous volatile phase was examined experimentally as a function of chloride and major element concentrations at 800 °C and 200 MPa. The light rare earth elements (e.g. La, Ce) partition into the aqueous volatile phase to a greater extent than the heavy rare earth elements (e.g. Yb, Lu). Distribution of the rare earth elements and the major elements H, Na, K, Ca, and Al between the melt phase (mp) and aqueous volatile phase (aq) is a function of the chlorine concentration in the system, and our data are consistent with the rare earth and major elements occurring as chloride complexes in the aqueous volatile phase. Apparent equilibrium constants for experiments at 800 °C and 200 MPa, K ^′ _REE,Na ^aq/mp, expressed as the ratio of the concentration of a given rare earth element in the aqueous volatile phase to the concentration of the same element in the melt phase, divided by the cubed ratio of sodium in the aqueous volatile phase to the concentration of sodium in the melt phase, decrease systematically with increasing atomic number from K ^′ _La,Na ^aq/mp = 0.41(±0.03) to K ^′ _Lu,Na ^aq/mp=0.11(±0.01), except for Eu. These experimentally derived apparent equilibrium constants for the rare earth elements can be used in a numerical simulation of magmatic volatile exsolution. The simulation gave results consistent with the elemental distribution in the potassic alteration zone of a deep porphyry copper deposit, but higher concentrations of heavy rare earth elements are released into the magmatic aqueous solution than are captured in the secondary mineralization.