Mineralogy and geochemistry of rare metal pegmatite, Metapal, Bastar district, Madhya Pradesh, India

The Metapal pegmatite emplaced in granite, is an isolated, fully differentiated and complex type of granite pegmatite with well developed zoning and distinct albitised and greisenised replacement units rich in ixiolite and beryl. Other rare element minerals that are present include, euxenite, aeschynite, microlite, monazite, and cassiterite. Ixiolite mineral is being reported and characterized for the first time from this pegmatite of India. Enrichment of Rb, low Sr, K/Rb and Sr/Rb in perthitic feldspar and high Nb, Sn, and Ga in muscovite also signify the highly differentiated and mineralised nature of Metapal pegmatite. The pegmatite has undergone shallow weathering resulting in limited colluvial placers rich in Nb-Ta minerals. (author)