Shitouping Ion-Adsorption Heavy REE Deposit, Anyuan Co., Ganzhou, Jiangxi, Chinai

Regional Level Types
Shitouping Ion-Adsorption Heavy REE Deposit	Deposit
Anyuan Co.	County
Ganzhou	Prefecture
Jiangxi	Province
China	Country

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The Shitouping pluton covers an area of about 200 km2. These granites intruded on the Late Neoproterozoic metamorphic sedimentary rocks, Ordovician weakly deformed biotite granodiorite, and the earliest Cretaceous (145~143 Ma) silica volcanic rocks. This pluton is mainly composed of medium- to coarse-grained biotite monzogranites and syenogranites with limited volume of fine-grained granite occurring as dykes or stocks. The biotite monzogranites mainly consist of plagioclase, K-feldspar, quartz, biotite and minor Fe-Ti oxide mainly enclosed by biotite. Plagioclase (oligoclase) has calcium-rich cores and fresh sodium-rich rims and tends to form clusters. The REE-bearing accessory minerals include zircon, apatite, and monazite as well as a small amount of bastnäsite and synchysite-(Ce) associated with sericite. On the contrary, the syenogranites have lower proportions of plagioclase (albite), biotite, Fe-Ti oxide, apatite, and monazite, but higher proportions of hydrothermal HREE- and Nb-bearing minerals closely associated with fluorite. They are co-genetic with monzogranites showing identical Nd-Hf isotope compositions, and should be more evolved units characterized by stronger Ba, Sr, P, Ti, and Eu negative anomalies. Both of the two granites are LREE-type granites and the syenogranites containing abundant hydrothermal HREE-fluorocarbonates and higher total HREE contents can be assumed to be the main bedrock of the large-scale Shitouping ion-adsorption HREE deposits.

The Shitouping deposit, a newly discovered ion-adsorption type HREE deposits (IAHDs) in southern Jiangxi (∼60% ∑HREO/∑REO; avg. HREE grade: 0.088%), exceeds the world’s largest HREE deposit (Zudong) in reserves. Its parent rock (Shitouping complex pluton, SCP), comprises monzogranite (MGBG), syenogranite (MGSG), and alkali feldspar granite (FGAG), with MGSG and FGAG being more HREE-enriched. Zircon U-Pb dating results indicate that the three lithofacies of the SCP were formed at ∼ 140 Ma. Mineralogical studies reveal widespread complex REE mineral textures and assemblages within the pluton, attributed to fluid metasomatism.

The Genbei ore-district is the most extensively explored district within the Shitouping deposit, spanning a total area of 43.61 km2 and encompassing a coverage area of the granite weathering crust that reaches 31.03 km2.The weathering crust is distributed in a planar pattern, with an exposed elevation ranging from 270 to 930 m, a slope gradient of 20°–40°, and a thickness varying from 1.0 to 35.0 m (with an average of 7.53 m). The HREE-rich ore bodies are primarily hosted within the weathering crust of alkali-feldspar granite, and their distribution range are closely consistent with that of the weathering crust. The ore bodies extend approximately 370–2,900 m in length and 100–2200 m in width, with thicknesses ranging from 3.93 to 8.83 m (averaging 7.00 m). Currently, the confirmed HREE resources in the Genbei ore-district have achieved large-scale deposit and an average grade of SRE2O3 (rare earth leachability) at 0.062%.

Commodity List

This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.

Mineral List

21 valid minerals.

Rock Types Recorded