Pegmatite

H20 solubility in silicate magmas

• Amount of H2O will depend on the amount of water in the source and
also in its solubility
• Solubility depends mainly on pressure and temperature
• Water dissolved in magmas probably as hydroxyl (OH GROUPs)
 Crystallization of Granitic
Magmas
Burnham Model
• When a granitic magma crystallizes the liquidus
assemblage is dominated by anhydrous mineral =>
water (and other incompatible elements) increase their
concentration in residual magma
• At some point the magma gets water saturated and
exsolved a fluid phase=> H2O saturation
• Zones of water saturated magma are localized towards
the roof of a granite intrusion.
Fluid phase can dissolve:
Silica

Cations: Na+, K+ (at high

pressure the proportion is
similar to the eutectic
granite composition).Ca 2+,
Mg 2+ and Fe2+

Anions: Cl-, HS-, HCO3-,

SO4-2 Very important in ore-
forming processes
and base and precious
metal as that can combine
(complex) with anions
 Magmatic/Hydrothermal Deposits:
Intermediate-Felsic Intrusion related Cu (Zn, Au,
Ag, Fe), Mo,(Re), W, Sn, Ta (Nb), Li (Be, Rb, Cs)

• Pegmatite deposits (materi minggu ini)

• Porphyry Cu and Mo
• High sulphidation epithermal Au-Ag deposits
• Greisen related Sn-W
• Polymetallic Skarn
Magmatic/Hydrothermal Deposits
 Pegmatite
• Very coarse-grained, igneous rock, usually of granitic
composition, in which the individual crystals are at least
2.5 cm long.

• Can contain fine components.

• Crystallization occurs at a late stage, when the magma

is enriched in volatiles and trace elements.

• Pegmatites may concentrate some rare elements

(lithium, boron, fluorine, tantalum, niobium, rare earth
elements, and uranium) to economic proportions.
 Tourmalines from the
Sahatany Valley. Fot. J.
Gajowniczek.

http://www.spiriferminerals.com/26,VII -VIII-
2008---Madagascar.html

Beryl (morganite),
tourmalines, lepidolite,
amazonite in the pegmatite
vein at the Ambalamahatsara
pegmatite field. Fot. J.
Gajowniczek.
Tourmaline / K feldspar

Photographs of some characteristic

Elbaite "fan" in fine-grained lepidolite rock facies of the Tanco Lower
(Black Mountain, Maine) pegmatite
 Economic Relevance
• Pegmatite are a major source of
beryllium, lithium, cesium, tantalum,
muscovite and feldspar.
• Minor source of Uranium, Yttrium. RRE,
Tin and tungsten production
• Miarolitic pegmatites are an important
source of gemstone such a beryl
(emerald), topaz and tourmaline
 Tantalum and Lithium Global Prodiction
Tantalum (pegmatite
dominated production)

Lithium (Saline brines and

pegmatite production)
 Rare Elements Pegmatite
Key Geological Features
• Age ranges from Achaean to Tertiary.
Pegmatites are usually peripheral to larger
granitic plutons which usually represent parental
granites
• Tend to occur in zoned Fields.
• Formed by extreme igneous fractionation.
 Form and size of deposits
• Lenticular subhorizontal sills
• Dyke-like bodies

• Size ranges from few meters to hundreds of

meters
e.g. Tanco, Manitoba : upto 1520 m long, 1060
m wide, 100 m thick sibhorizontal sill
FI pegmatite dyke in Yellowknife is more than
2 km long and averages 8m wide
 Pegmatite dike in quartz-biotite schist
(Northwest Territories, Canada)

Elba granitic pegmatites (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy)

Brazil Lake Pegmatite, NS
 Internal Structure
• Many pegmatites are unzoned and relatively uniform in composition
and texture

• Rare Element pegamtites are usually zoned

Concentric zones following the shape the complex consisting on
(from margin inwards):
 Border Zone (metasomatic chilled margin, fine grain)
 Wall Zone (First pegmatitic textures, consists mainly of quartz,
feldspars and muscovite)
 Intermediate Zone: Mineralogically complex, contains a variety
of economically important minerals such as micas, beryl,
spodumene, lepidolite, tantalite => Ore
 Core zone: Consists mainly of quartz , either as solid masses or
as euhedral crystals.
 Internal Zonation
(example:Tanco, Canada)
Alternating aplite and pegmatite veins in the Sebago pegmatitic granite (Maine)
Mineralogy (Tanco)
Regional Zoning
Rare element
pegmatites associated
with granitic intrusions
tend to have a zonal
patterns around such
intrusions.
In general the most
enriched pegmatites will
be located farthest from
the intrusion
 Genetic Model
• Pegmatites are commonly considered to derive from
magma that may have crystallized in the presence of a
magmatic fluid (Jahns-Burham model)
• In the case of rare element pegmatites, the parental
melt are related to highly differentiated granitic
magmas rich in silica, alumina, alkalis, water and other
volatiles
• Lithology of the source Rock is major control to the
ultimate Pegmatite composition.
• According to Jahns and Burham model, crystallization
takes place mainly under close system conditions,
from the contact with wallrocks inwards
• WARNING: Some pegmatites are certainly not the
product of water saturated granite crystallization
 Role of H 2O Fluids
• Experimental work shows that pegmatitic textures were
distinguish from “normal” granitic textures by
crystallization in the presence of H2O fluids
• The transition from granite to pegmatite may define the
point of water saturation
• H2O fluid enhance large crystals formation because of
extended crystallization due to depression of granite
solidus and permitting more efficient diffusion in low
viscosity silicate melt.
Warning: New Models Predict Pegmatite Formation in
H2O Undersaturated melts