<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) analyses were used to characterize britholite-(Ce) of the metaluminous granite (Proterozoic) intruded into the Nubian Formation in southwestern Egypt and having a relatively high content of radioactive elements (potassium = 4.4 wt%, thorium = 52 ppm, uranium = 10 ppm). The britholite-(Ce) studied here incorporates light rare earth elements (LREE) including lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, and neodymium as well as thorium. The mineral forms as tabular crystals in a fine-grained quartz-K-feldspar-plagioclase matrix, coexisting with other accessory minerals including biotite, zircon, clinochlore, titanite, and magnetite. Primary britholite-(Ce) usually includes titanite, zircon, and magnetite and is occasionally included in biotite. The inclusion of britholite-(Ce) in biotite suggests that the two minerals crystallized approximately coevally. Petrographical and SEM-EDS data indicate breakdown of the primary magmatic britholite-(Ce) in the samples. This study constitutes the first report for a sole presence of britholite-(Ce) as LREE phase in metaluminous granite samples from Egypt.</p>
</abstract>

Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) analyses were used to characterize britholite-(Ce) of the metaluminous granite (Proterozoic) intruded into the Nubian Formation in southwestern Egypt and having a relatively high content of radioactive elements (potassium = 4.4 wt%, thorium = 52 ppm, uranium = 10 ppm). The britholite-(Ce) studied here incorporates light rare earth elements (LREE) including lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, and neodymium as well as thorium. The mineral forms as tabular crystals in a fine-grained quartz-K-feldspar-plagioclase matrix, coexisting with other accessory minerals including biotite, zircon, clinochlore, titanite, and magnetite. Primary britholite-(Ce) usually includes titanite, zircon, and magnetite and is occasionally included in biotite. The inclusion of britholite-(Ce) in biotite suggests that the two minerals crystallized approximately coevally. Petrographical and SEM-EDS data indicate breakdown of the primary magmatic britholite-(Ce) in the samples. This study constitutes the first report for a sole presence of britholite-(Ce) as LREE phase in metaluminous granite samples from Egypt.

Britholite-(Ce) from the metaluminous granite of SW Egypt

Mineralogia

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

{"article-title":"Britholite-(Ce) from the metaluminous granite of SW Egypt"}

Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) analyses were used to characterize britholite-(Ce) of the...

Britholite-(Ce) from the metaluminous granite of SW Egypt

Article Category: Letter

Published Online: Apr 06, 2023

Page range: 11 - 17

Received: Dec 12, 2022

Accepted: Feb 20, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/mipo-2023-0002

Keywords
Britholite-(Ce), metaluminous granite, radioactivity, Egypt

© 2023 Kamaleldin M. Hassan, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Britholite-(Ce) from the metaluminous granite of SW Egypt

Article Category: Letter

Published Online: Apr 06, 2023

Page range: 11 - 17

Received: Dec 12, 2022

Accepted: Feb 20, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/mipo-2023-0002

KeywordsBritholite-(Ce), metaluminous granite, radioactivity, Egypt

© 2023 Kamaleldin M. Hassan, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
Britholite-(Ce), metaluminous granite, radioactivity, Egypt