www.dmirs.wa.gov.au Geological Survey ofWestern AustraliaGovernment of Western AustraliaDepartment of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety

RARE-ELEMENTPEGMATITES

FEBRUARY 2020

Rare-element pegmatites are a new addition to the GSWA Mineral Systems AtlasŸThis poster provides a mineral systems analysis for rare-element pegmatitesŸ

IntroductionRare-element pegmatites are important hosts for Li, Cs, and Ta mineralization in Western Australia, with examples including the Greenbushes, Pilgangoora, and Wodgina deposits.

What are rare-element pegmatites?

They are further divided into:Ÿ¡ Lithium–Cesium–Tantalum (LCT) pegmatites

The simplest classification scheme divides granitic pegmatites Ÿinto common pegmatites and rare-element pegmatites

¡ Niobium–Yttrium–Fluorine (NYF) pegmatites

Rare-element pegmatites have anomalous contents of Be, Li, ŸTa, Sn, and Cs

Pegmatite occurrences in the WAROX field observational Ÿdatabase show their wide distribution and correspondence to greenstone belts (Fig. 1)

Rare-element pegmatites represent