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Monazite-(Gd), a new Gd-dominant mineral of the monazite group from the Zimná Voda REE–U–Au quartz vein, Prakovce, Western Carpathians, Slovakia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 May 2023

Martin Ondrejka*
Affiliation:
Department of Mineralogy Petrology and Economic Geology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Ilkovičova 6, Mlynská dolina, 842 15, Bratislava, Slovakia
Pavel Uher
Affiliation:
Department of Mineralogy Petrology and Economic Geology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Ilkovičova 6, Mlynská dolina, 842 15, Bratislava, Slovakia
Štefan Ferenc
Affiliation:
Department of Geography and Geology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Matej Bel University, Tajovského 40, 974 01 Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
Juraj Majzlan
Affiliation:
Institute of Geosciences, Friedrich Schiller University, Burgweg 11, 07749 Jena, Germany
Kilian Pollok
Affiliation:
Institute of Geosciences, Friedrich Schiller University, Burgweg 11, 07749 Jena, Germany
Tomáš Mikuš
Affiliation:
Earth Science Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Ďumbierska 1, 974 01, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
Stanislava Milovská
Affiliation:
Earth Science Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Ďumbierska 1, 974 01, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
Alexandra Molnárová
Affiliation:
Department of Mineralogy Petrology and Economic Geology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Ilkovičova 6, Mlynská dolina, 842 15, Bratislava, Slovakia
Radek Škoda
Affiliation:
Department of Geological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic
Richard Kopáčik
Affiliation:
Department of Geography and Geology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Matej Bel University, Tajovského 40, 974 01 Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
Sergii Kurylo
Affiliation:
Earth Science Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Ďumbierska 1, 974 01, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
Peter Bačík
Affiliation:
Department of Mineralogy Petrology and Economic Geology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Ilkovičova 6, Mlynská dolina, 842 15, Bratislava, Slovakia Earth Science Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 840 05, Bratislava, Slovakia
*
Corresponding author: Martin Ondrejka; Email: martin.ondrejka@uniba.sk
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Abstract

Monazite-(Gd), ideally GdPO4, is a new mineral of the monazite group. It was discovered near Prakovce-Zimná Voda, ~23 km WNW of Košice, Western Carpathians, Slovakia. It forms anhedral domains (≤100 μm, mostly 10–50 μm in size), in close association with monazite-(Sm), Gd-bearing xenotime-(Y), Gd-bearing hingganite-(Y), fluorapatite and uraninite. All these minerals are hosted in a REE–U–Au quartz–muscovite vein, hosted in phyllites in an exocontact to granites. The density calculated using the average empirical formula and unit-cell parameters is 5.55 g/cm3. The average chemical composition measured by means of electron microprobe is as follows (wt.%): P2O5 29.68, As2O5 0.15, SiO2 0.07, ThO2 0.01, UO2 0.04, Y2O3 1.30, La2O3 3.19, Ce2O3 6.93, Pr2O3 1.12, Nd2O3 10.56, Sm2O3 17.36, Eu2O3 1.49, Gd2O3 22.84, Tb2O3 1.57, Dy2O3 2.27, CaO 0.21, total 99.67. The corresponding empirical formula calculated on the basis of 4 oxygen atoms is: (Gd0.30Sm0.24Nd0.15Ce0.10La0.05Dy0.03Y0.03Tb0.02Eu0.02Pr0.02Ca0.01)0.98P1.01O4. The ideal formula is GdPO4. The monazite-type structure has been confirmed by micro-Raman spectroscopy and selected-area electron diffraction. Monazite-(Gd) is monoclinic, space group P21/n, a = 6.703(1) Å, b = 6.914(1) Å, c = 6.383(1) Å, β = 103.8(1)°, V = 287.3(1) Å3 and Z = 4. The middle REE enrichment of monazite-(Gd) is shared with the associated Gd-bearing xenotime-(Y) to ‘xenotime-(Gd)’ and Gd-bearing hingganite-(Y). This exotic REE signature and precipitation of Gd-bearing mineral assemblage is a product of selective complexing and enrichment in middle REE in low-temperature hydrothermal fluids by alteration of primary uraninite, brannerite and fluorapatite on a micro-scale. The new mineral is named as an analogue of monazite-(La), monazite-(Ce), monazite-(Nd) and monazite-(Sm) but with Gd dominant among the REE.

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Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Mineralogical Society of the United Kingdom and Ireland
Figure 0

Table 1. Conditions used for the electron microprobe analyses.

Figure 1

Figure 1. Back-scattered electron images of (a) large aggregate of monazite-(Gd) (Mnz-Gd) with xenotime-(Y) (Xtm-Y), Gd-bearing xenotime-(Y) (Gd-rich Xtm-Y) and uranyl arsenates–phosphates (U–As–P) in quartz–muscovite gangue (Qz + Ms). (b) Monazite-(Gd) (Mnz-Gd) and monazite-(Sm) (Mnz-Sm) with xenotime-(Y) (Xtm-Y) and Gd-bearing xenotime-(Y) (Gd-rich Xtm-Y) in quartz–muscovite gangue (Qz + Ms). (a) Holotype specimen, polished thin section ZV-2A; (b) cotype specimen: ZV-2A1; symbols from Warr (2021).

Figure 2

Table 2. Representative and average electron microprobe analyses and mineral formula of monazite-(Gd).

Figure 3

Figure 2. Electron diffraction patterns of the monazite-(Gd) crystal along the zone axes specified in each panel.

Figure 4

Table 3. Unit-cell parameters for natural monazite members and synthetic monazite REEPO4 compounds.

Figure 5

Table 4. Raman bands for monazite-(Gd)

Figure 6

Figure 3. Depolarised 532 nm-excited Raman spectrum of monazite-(Gd) with its peak wavenumbers. (a) Full range spectrum with assigned Raman bands. (b and c) Deconvolution of spectrum to single Gaussian–Lorentzian-shaped bands in the regions of 300–750 cm–1 and 900–1100 cm–1. Intensity scale bar in arbitrary units (a.u.).