Description
The Ilimaussaq Complex (c. 1160 Ma), part of the Gardar Alkaline Province in Southern Greenland, forms a 17 by 8 km circular intrusion that hosts some of the chemically most evolved rock types in the world. The complex is well-known for its spectacular mineralogy and magmatic layering as well as its multi-element resource potential. Over two hundred and twenty five minerals have been identified at Ilímaussaq, thirty of which were first discovered there (e.g. sodalite, eudialyte, aenigmatite and arfvedsonite) and several of which are unique to the complex, occurring in rock-forming quantities (e.g. naujakasite and sørensenite). The dominant rock type is an agpaitic nepheline syenite, generally characterised by having complex Na-Zr-Ti-silicates like eudialyte and rinkite instead of common Zr-Ti phases like zircon or ilmenite. The agpaites provide economically interesting deposits of critical metals such as Zn, Zr, REE, Nb, Ta, U, Li and Be; two exploration companies are currently active in the area. During this talk I will discuss the general geology and mineralogy of the complex, its resource potential, and some aspects of my PhD research, particularly focussing on eudialyte-hosted REE-Zr-Nb mineralisation in the lowermost exposed part of the magma chamber.Seminar at SUERC - East Kilbride, Scotland, UK
| Period | 4 Oct 2016 |
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| Held at | SUERC, United Kingdom |