Characterization of Loma Venturilla pegmatites using nuclear techniques

Neutron Activation Analysis and Gamma Spectrometric Analysis were used for the determination of 21 trace elements in geological samples of pegmatites of Loma Venturilla area (Central Cuba). The procedure applied permitted, in general, the determination of K, Co, Cr, Sc, Rb, Cs, Ba, Ta, Hf, Th, and U and 10 Rare Earth Elements: La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Ho, Tm, Yb, and Lu. The results were obtained with good precision and accuracy. The knowledge of such concentrations is of great interest in the geosciences. The values of the concentrations obtained can be extensively used in petrogenetic studies of those rocks, since they facilitate the evaluation and estimation of the extent of the main process involved in the generation and differentiation of the melts from which the pegmatites were derived. (author)