Mineralogy of damtjernites and pelletal lapilli. Damtjernite pipes of the Chadobets UML-carbonatite complex exhibit a porphyritic structure consisting of macrocrysts and phenocrysts of olivine and phlogopite (20–50 vol.%) within a groundmass of predominantly phlogopite, K-feldspar and dolomite composition with minor clinopyroxene, fluorapatite, Cr-spinel, Ti-magnetite, and ilmenite crystals and grains (Fig. 2a-c). Damtjernites often contain xenoliths of the earlier formed UML rocks and carbonatites, fragments of sedimentary rocks, as well as abundant pelletal lapilli inclusions (Fig. 2a-i). Secondary minerals in the damtjernites include quartz, calcite, serpentine, epidote, chlorite and rutile, replacing the magmatic minerals (Fig. 2b-f).
Pelletal lapilli found in these damtjernites can be divided into three types according to the mineral composition of the core (seed minerals or rock fragments) (Fig. 2f-k). The first type (PL-I) is formed around large single macrocryst seeds (and/or phenocrysts) of olivine (?) or phlogopite; the core minerals are usually 1–8 mm in size (Fig. 2a,g-h). The second type (PL-II) contains several macrocryst seeds of relatively smaller size (100–500 µm) "in intergrowth" with juvenile mineral assemblage (Fig. 2h). The third type (PL-III) correspond to fragments of country rocks or earlier magmatic pulses of the Chadobets complex (Fig. 2i). In some cases, the size of the seed fragments can reach up to several cm, while the dimension of the mineral phases on the marginal sections of the lapilli is within an order of magnitude greater than those phases on the rim in the PL-I and the mineral assemblages of PL-II (Fig. 2i,j).
The mineral composition on the marginal zones (rims) of the pelletal lapilli among all three types is quite similar and represented by mineral assemblages comparable to those making up damtjernites. However, it should be noted that both the mineral phases of the seed kernels, as well as the mantle zones of the pelletal lapilli underwent intensive hydrothermal-metasomatic alteration (silicification, chloritization, serpentinization, carbonatization, etc.), which significantly obscures their primary (magmatic) chemical composition (Fig. 2f-h). Nonetheless, different types of pelletal lapilli show some chemical heterogeneity in the composition of marginal phases in PL, which may be clearly observed on the elemental maps obtained by SEM-EPMA and Raman spectroscopy. The combination of these two methods made possible to obtain better characterization of the mineral composition and distribution patterns of mineral phases within pelletal lapilli.
Pelletal lapilli type I and II are markedly zoned in terms of their chemical composition (Fig. 2 and Fig. 3), being PL-I rhythmically zoned to the margin, where several compositional bands (usually 2–3) of P, Ti, Al, K, Ca and Si (Fig. 2k-p) may be observed. On the other hand, such rhythmic zoning pattern is not observed for the PL-II, although a clearly developed zoning is evident (Fig. 3).
The composition as determined by Raman spectroscopy showed the structural presence and distribution of different mineral phases (Fig. 3). Raman spectra of the first two types of pelletal lapilli (PL-I and PL-II) confirmed the presence of phlogopite grains as kernels and on the margins of the PL; the presence of rutile and fluorapatite grains zonally distributed in a matrix of K-feldspar-dolomite; in addition, a few relics after olivine are found on the rim structures. A profound alteration of primary magmatic minerals in the PL by quartz-chlorite aggregates is also observed (Fig. 3).
Meanwhile, the juvenile rim of type III pelletal lapilli does not have a marked zoning (Fig. 4a-h). The mineral composition of the rim in PL-III is consistent with that of the first two types (I and II) and represented by phlogopite and olivine (?), fluorapatite, rutile (Nb), titanomagnetite, spinels (Cr), barite as well as rare phases such as pyrochlore and rare earth minerals – monazite-(Ce) and synchysite-(Ce), - mantled by a matrix rim of K-feldspar-dolomite composition (Fig. 4i-o). Quartz, chlorite, calcite, epidote and some iron oxides and hydroxides represent a secondary mineralization.
Olivine (Ol?) phenocrysts as well as crystal kernels in all types of pelletal lapilli are commonly replaced by assemblages of secondary minerals such as quartz, chlorite, calcite, and serpentine with rutile impregnations. (Fig. 2f-h,k; Fig. 3, Fig. 4) where only relics are left. All macrocrysts we encountered in, diagnosed as olivine mainly by their relic morphology, are completely altered.
Phlogopite crystals in all three types of pelletal lapilli were investigated using an electron microprobe analyzer (Table 1s). The chemical composition of mineral phases among them is similar and varies: 4.22–6.56 wt% of TiO2, up to 0.79 wt% of BaO, up to 0.06 wt.% of MnO (%), and 0.17–1.83 wt% of Cr2O3 (Table 1s). The phlogopite compositional range in pelletal lapilli is similar to that of phenocrysts in damtjernites of the Chadobets complex, which indicates a juvenile mineral composition in PL (Fig. 5a-b). Moreover, this phlogopite mineral composition lies within the compositional fields of mica from the Chadobets and Ilbokich UML complexes, and which belong to the same geological structure [7, 11, 14, 19] (Fig. 5a-b).
Minerals of the spinel group in damtjernites as well as in UMLs of the Chadobets complex occur as composite subhedral zoned crystals. The central parts exhibit Cr-spinel compositions with Ti-magnetite rims (Fig. 2b,c). A similar distribution in the composition is observed for spinels in pelletal lapilli (Fig. 4k,l). The skeletal Ti-magnetite grains are 10–20 µm in size and consist of up to 1.84 wt% MgO, 1.02–3.66 wt% Al2O3, 11.46–13.5 wt% TiO2, up to 0.84 wt% MnO, and 75.32–81.49 wt% FeOt. Meanwhile, smaller spinel crystals about 5–15 µm in size, contains 1.41–30.99 wt% Cr2O3, 44.05–67.43 wt% FeOt, 4.91–9.56 wt% Al2O3, and 6.02–16.88 wt% TiO2 comparable to the composition of spinel group minerals from UMLs of the Chadobets complex [7, 14, 36].
The dominant carbonate phase in damtjernite PL is dolomite, whereas calcite is subordinate (Fig. 4m; Table S2). Carbonates occur as anhedral grains about 15–25 µm in size. The dolomite contains 10.95–15.64 wt% MgO, 27.38–28.99 wt% CaO, 5.66–12.04 wt% FeOt, 0.86–2.21 wt% MnO, 0.12–0.52 wt% SrO, up to 0.08 wt% Nd2O3 and up to 0.06 wt% Ce2O3 (Table S2). The composition of secondary calcite is characterized by a significant depletion in concentrations (wt%) of MnO (0.07-047), FeOt (0.12–0.4) and SrO (up to 0.18) (Fig. 5c), as well as the LRRE2O3, which is below detection limit (Table S2). The dolomite composition in PL lies at the beginning of the evolutionary trend of carbonates from the Chadobets damtjernites (Fig. 5c) [7].
The dolomite is intergrown with K-feldspar in the PL matrix, similarly to the matrix of damtjernites (Fig. 2b,c,j; Fig. 3a, and Fig. 4j,m). K-feldspar occurs as anhedral grains (5–15 µm); and it is mostly orthoclase (Or77–100) with Na2O up to 0.84 wt%. The BaO is below the detection limit. The composition of K-feldspar in PL is analogous to that of the damtjernite from the Chadobets complex [14].
Fluorapatite appears forming euhedral grains and prismatic crystals of 5–25 µm in size, considered the less abundant primary mineral in damtjernites and pelletal lapilli, and formed at a late magmatic stage (Fig. 2c and Fig. 4m). The fluorapatite in PL contains (wt%): up to 1.87 SiO2, 0.05–1.09 Na2O, 0.84–1.48 SrO, up to 1.63 LREE2O3, and up to 0.11 ThO2 (Table S3). The composition of fluorapatites in PL shows an evolution trend, where Si and REE notably increase replacing isomorphically the position of P and Ca (Fig. 5d). In addition, we plotted the compositions of fluorapatites from UMLs of the early intrusion phase of the Chadobets complex, as well as the fluorapatites from the damtjernites groundmass (Fig. 5d-e; Table S4;). A close similarity in the composition of fluorapatites from pelletal lapilli and the early stage lamprophyres, as well as the location PL fluorapatite at the trend beginning is clearly observed (Fig. 5d,e), thus, indicating a juvenile composition of fluorapatite in PL in relation to the magmatic evolution of the alkaline complex. A steady increase in the fluorine content is shown for the composition of damtjernite fluorapatites, which evidences that fluorapatites with lower fluorine correspond to earlier mineral phases (Fig. 5e).
Meanwhile, quartz, calcite, serpentine, chlorite, rutile, pyrochlore, barite, synchysite-(Ce), and monazite-(Ce) represent secondary minerals in pelletal lapilli (Fig. 2, Fig. 3i and Fig. 4i-o). These mineral association is thought to be related to the hydrothermal-metasomatic alteration stage of damtjernites [7, 14] and PL, which replaces magmatic minerals and form diverse networks of microveinlets and micrograin aggregates (microlites).
Nb-containing minerals are represented by rutile and pyrochlore. Rutile replaces Ti-magnetite and iron-bearing minerals (e.g., phlogopite), forming spots in pseudomorphs minerals after olivine, as well as microgranular aggregates within the pelletal lapilli K-feldspar-dolomite and calcite matrix. Rutile contains 0.56–2.35 wt% TiO2.
Pyrochlore is rare and occurs as euhedral grains with size of about 5–25 µm. It is often associated with apatite and rutile in the pelletal lapilli K-feldspar-carbonate matrix (Fig. 4m). Pyrochlore grains contain (wt%): 16.79–16.89 CaO, 6.71–7.55 Na2O, 1.23–1.44 SrO, 64.19–65.38 Nb2O5, and 2.18–2.84 O = F.
Barite and synchysite-(Ce) in pelletal lapilli consist of allotriomorphic grains and microgranular aggregates (Fig. 4m). Barite includes SrO up to 1.28 wt%. Meanwhile, synchysite-(Ce) includes up to 1.68 wt% SiO2, up to 0.48 wt% Al2O3, 1.38–2.89 wt% FeOt, 7.28–11.12 wt% CaO, with La/Ce and La/Nd ratios of 0.48–0.55, and 1.77–1.85, respectively. The presence of these phases have also been reported in the hydrothermal-metasomatic mineralization of the Chadobets damtjernites [7, 14]. The crystallization of synchysite-(Ce) at the latest stages within the evolution of the UMLs hydrothermal-magmatic system also supports the evolution trend observed in fluorapatite (progressive fluorine enrichment) (Fig. 5, d-e).