Trace elements in various genetic types of zircon from syenite of the Sakharjok massif, Kola Peninsula

Abstract

Zircon is an accessory mineral in alkali and nepheline syenites of the Neoarchean Sakharjok intrusion. Zircon in association with britholite and pyrochlore forms orebodies in nepheline syenite of this massif. Zircon crystals reveal an inhomogeneous zonal, occasionally mosaic structure comprising fragments and zones related to magmatic, hydrothermal, and metamorphic stages of mineral formation. Magmatic zircon differs by a high REE concentration (1769 ppm, on average), distinct Ce maximum (Ce/Ce* = 105, on average), and Eu minimum (Eu/Eu* = 0.19) as compared with other genetic types. No correlation between these parameters has been established. Hydrothermal zircon is characterized by a low Ce/Ce* ratio (0.7–3.9 and 2.0, on average), elevated LREE contents, and lowered ratios of MREE and HREE to La. Metamorphic zircon differs from magmatic by a sharply lower REE concentration (385 ppm, on average), lowered Th/U (0.32) and Ce/Ce* (31.9, on average) ratios. In the Ce/Ce* versus MREE/La plot, the lowest values of these ratios are typical of hydrothermal zircon, while the intermediate and maximum values are inherent to metamorphic and magmatic zircons, respectively. These variations make it possible to delineate reliable fields of their compositions. The distribution of data points in the above-mentioned plots shows that REE chemical activity depends on the redox conditions of zircon crystallization.