Geology and mineralogy of some pegmatites in the eastern border of the Punilla District, Córdoba province

Abstract

This study has been made on three pegmatites in the eastern border of the Achala Batholith, near Villa Santa Cruz del Lago, Córdoba province. Country rocks are porphyritic and equigranular monzogranites of the Achala batholith and amphibole-bearing monzogranite enclaves. Pegmatites are well-zoned and are of rare-element class, complex type, beryl-columbite subtype. They probably belong to the hybrid family. Minerals found in all pegmatites include quartz, ordered microcline, plagioclase and muscovite (occasionally pink due to Mn>Fe). Biotite is a very frequent accessory. Beryl can be classified as alkali-poor sodicpotassic beryl and has Fe replacing Al in its structure. Fluorapatite, displaying a marked negative Eu anomaly, may contain up to 2.95% Mn and 0.77% Fe. Xenotime-(Y) occurs as inclusions within apatite. Garnet (spessartine-almandine) is compositionally unzoned. Other minerals found in small quantities are fluorite, rutile, hematite, columbite-group minerals (generally Nb>Ta and Fe>Mn) with disordered structure, members of the pyrochlore group (mainly Nb-, Pb- and U-rich), malachite, mottramite, zircon (with low to null Hf), chrysocolla, kaolinite, interstratified illite/smectite, illite, bertrandite, kettnerite, bismutite, clinobisvanite and probably gahnite. Fluid inclusions in beryl and miarolitic quartz from SD-2 show that supercritical CO₂ was present in a stage of the pegmatite evolution. Late solutions have no detectable CO₂ and record a cooling history. These pegmatites crystallized from a Be-rich peraluminous melt, with Nb>>Ta, between 0.4 and 0.8% P₂O₅ and almost no S. Fractionation of Mn from Fe was moderate.