Rare metal-bearing and barren granites, Eastern Desert of Egypt: geochemical characterization and metallogenetic aspects

Abstract

Three “younger granite” plutons from the Eastern Desert of Egypt are studied: petrographic and geochemical characteristics of the barren pink granites at Wadi Sikait and Wadi Nugrus are similar, of alkaline, mildly peraluminous nature and are enriched in LIL-elements and LREE with moderate negative Eu anomalies. In contrast, the Sn-Ta-W-bearing albite granite of Abu Dabbab is alkaline, peraluminous muscovite granite; its chemical specialization is manifested by the pronounced enrichment in Ta, Sn, W, F, Rb and Li coupled with marked depletion in Ca, Ti, Mg, Sr and Ba. Elemental ratios (e.g., K/Rb, Rb/Sr, Ba/Rb) discriminate the albite granite and the pink granites into “mineralized and barren granites”, respectively.

The albite granite is derived from Na-rich magma of within-plate characteristics. Fluorine was an important complexing anion during magmatic evolution history. The albite granite is emplaced at shallow depth (<100 MPa) and at the intersection of structural weaknesses. The pink granites might have a crustal and/or LIL-element enriched mantle sources, in which the subduction-related fingerprints are partly obliterated. For both types, reactivation of regional structures played a significant role in magma generation.

Acid metasomatism is mainly manifested by the development of thin greisen veins along fracture systems in the albite granite. The chemistry of greisenization using mass balance approach reveals that the process is accompanied by dramatic increase in SiO₂, Fe₂O₃, MnO, F, Sn and Li as well as significant loss in Na₂O, K₂O, Ba, Nb and Zn. The process causes a significant increase in volume (30%). Changes in chemical components are consistent with the observed mineralogical changes. Microprobe results reveal that the wolframite crystals are typically huebnerite with Fe-rich cores and Mn-rich rims. Compositional variations in wolframite crystals are attributed to the physicochemical conditions (pH, T, etc.) and chemistry of the ore-bearing fluids.