Home Physical Sciences Visible and short-wave infrared reflectance spectroscopy of REE phosphate minerals
Article
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Visible and short-wave infrared reflectance spectroscopy of REE phosphate minerals

  • David J. Turner EMAIL logo , Benoit Rivard and Lee A. Groat
Published/Copyright: September 30, 2016
Become an author with De Gruyter Brill

Abstract

Reflectance spectroscopy in the visible to short-wave infrared regions (500 to 2500 nm) was carried out using natural samples of the rare earth element (REE) phosphate minerals monazite, xenotime, and britholite. Samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and electron microprobe analysis. Absorption band positions were recorded with their probable origins, and spectral variability among the samples is discussed. Spectral features of these minerals are driven primarily by 4f-4f intraconfigurational electronic transitions of trivalent lanthanides. The distinct REE distributions of monazite, xenotime, and britholite drive their bulk spectral patterns, which in turn are sufficiently distinct to enable spectral classification. Spectral variability of some specific REE-related absorptions are interpreted to be driven by differences of the co-ordination polyhedra for the lanthanide cations between the crystal structures. Spectra of these minerals were also compared against carbonatite-hosted REE bearing fluorapatite. The work presented here strengthens the growing foundation for the interpretation of reflectance spectra of these REE phosphate minerals and enables exploitation of the observed features by the remote sensing community for detection, identification, and quantification of REE phosphate minerals. This is especially relevant for hyperspectral imaging spectroscopy with high spatial resolution, where the spectral response of a pixel becomes increasingly dominated by mineralogy.

Acknowledgments

Tony Mariano and Michel Picard (Canadian Museum of Nature) are thanked for their help with acquiring samples, and Jilu Feng and Steve Creighton for their help with data collection. Financial support is acknowledged from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. T.C. Chudy is thanked for his help and insight with the fluorapatite-bearing Fir carbonatite sample. The reviewers provided constructive reviews that improved the quality and clarity of this manuscript.

References cited

Ardanova, L.I., Get’man, E.I., Loboda, S.N., Prisedsky, V.V., Tkachenko, T.V., Marchenko, V.I., and Lyashenko, A.S. (2010) Isomorphous substitutions of rare earth elements for calcium in synthetic hydroxyapatites. Inorganic Chemistry, 49, 10,687–10,693.10.1021/ic1015127Search in Google Scholar

Assaaoudi, H., Ennaciri, A., and Rulmont, A. (2001) Vibrational spectra of hydrated rare earth orthophosphates. Vibrational Spectroscopy, 25, 81–90.10.1016/S0924-2031(00)00109-0Search in Google Scholar

Becker, P.C., Hayhurst, T., Shalimoff, G., Conway, J.G., Edelstein, N., Boatner, L.A., and Abraham, M.M. (1984) Crystal field analysis of Tm3+ and Yb3+ in YPO4 and LuPO4. The Journal of Chemical Physics, 81, 2872–2878.10.1063/1.448060Search in Google Scholar

Bernstein, L.R. (1982) Monazite from North Carolina having the alexandrite effect. American Mineralogist, 67, 356–359.Search in Google Scholar

Binnemans, K., Couwenberg, I., De Leebeeck, H., Görller-Walrand, C., and Adam, J.L. (1999) Spectroscopic properties of tetravalent uranium in glasses. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 285, 105–111.10.1016/S0925-8388(98)00967-0Search in Google Scholar

Boatner, L.A. (2002) Synthesis, structure, and properties of monazite, pretulite, and xenotime. Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry, 48, 87–121.10.1515/9781501509636-007Search in Google Scholar

Cantelar, E., Lifante, G., Calderón, T., Meléndrez, R., Millán, A., Alvarez, M.A., and Barboza-Flores, M. (2001) Optical characterisation of rare earths in natural fluorapatite. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 323, 851–854.10.1016/S0925-8388(01)01159-8Search in Google Scholar

Carnall, W.T., Goodman, G.L., Rajnak, K., and Rana, R.S. (1989) A systematic analysis of the spectra of the lanthanides doped into single crystal LaF3. The Journal of Chemical Physics, 90, 3443–3457.10.1063/1.455853Search in Google Scholar

Carpéna, J., Boyer, L., Fialin, M., Kiénast, J.R., and Lacout, J.L. (2001) Ca2+, PO43–Ln3+, SiO44– coupled substitution in the apatitic structure: Stability of the mono-silicated fluor-britholite. Comptes Rendus de l’Académie des Sciences-Series IIA-Earth and Planetary Science, 333, 373–379.Search in Google Scholar

Chudy, T.C. (2013) The petrogenesis of the Ta-bearing Fir carbonatite system, east-central British Columbia, Canada. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of British Columbia, Canada, 585 p.Search in Google Scholar

Clark, R.N. (1999) Spectroscopy of rocks and minerals, and principles of spectroscopy. In A.N. Rencz, Ed., Manual of Remote Sensing, Volume 3, Remote Sensing for the Earth Sciences, p. 3–58. Wiley, New York.Search in Google Scholar

Clark, R.N., Swayze, G.A., Wise, R.A., Livo, K.E., Hoefen, T.M., Kokaly, R.F., and Sutley, S.J. (2007) USGS digital spectral library splib06a, U.S. Geological Survery, Digital Data Ser. 231p.10.3133/ds231Search in Google Scholar

Clavier, N., Podor, R., and Dacheux, N. (2011) Crystal chemistry of the monazite structure, Journal of the European Ceramic Society, 31, 941–976.10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2010.12.019Search in Google Scholar

Dieke, G.H., Crosswhite, H., and Crosswhite H.M. (1968) Spectra and Energy Levels of the Rare Earth Ions in Crystals, 193 p. Wiley Interscience, New York.Search in Google Scholar

Farmer, V.C. (1974) Infrared Spectra of Minerals. Mineralogical Society, 539 p.10.1180/mono-4Search in Google Scholar

Fleet, M.E., and Liu, X. (2008) Accommodation of the carbonate ion in fluorapatite synthesized at high pressure. American Mineralogist, 93, 1460–1469.10.2138/am.2008.2786Search in Google Scholar

Fleet, M.E., and Pan, Y. (1995) Site preference of rare earth elements in fluorapatite. American Mineralogist, 80, 329–335.10.2138/am-1995-3-414Search in Google Scholar

Frost, R.L., and Erickson, K.L. (2005) Near-infrared spectroscopic study of selected hydrated hydroxylated phosphates. Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, 61, 45–50.10.1016/j.saa.2004.03.010Search in Google Scholar

Gaffey, S.J. (1986) Spectral reflectance of carbonate minerals in the visible and near infrared (0.35–2.55 microns); calcite, aragonite, and dolomite. American Mineralogist, 71, 151–162.Search in Google Scholar

Gerharz, R. (1965) Absorption structures in the visible reflection spectrum of minerals. Economic Geology, 60, 1721–1725.10.2113/gsecongeo.60.8.1721Search in Google Scholar

Görller-Walrand, C., and Binnemans, K. (1998) Spectral intensities of f-f transitions, In K.A. Gschneidner and L. Eyring, Eds., Handbook on the Physics and Chemistry of Rare Earths, 25, chapter 167, p. 101–264. North-Holland, Amsterdam.10.1016/S0168-1273(98)25006-9Search in Google Scholar

Gruber, J.B., Burdick, G.W., Valiev, U.V., Nash, K.L., Rakhimov, S.A., and Sardar, D.K. (2009) Energy levels and symmetry assignments for Stark components of Ho3+ (4f10) in yttrium gallium garnet (Y3Ga5O12). Journal of Applied Physics, 106, 113110.10.1063/1.3259441Search in Google Scholar

Hayhurst, T., Shalimoff, G., Edelstein, N., Boatner, L.A., and Abraham, M.M. (1981) Optical spectra and Zeeman effect for Er3+ in LuPO4 and HfSiO4. The Journal of Chemical Physics, 74, 5449–5452.10.1063/1.440949Search in Google Scholar

Hernández, T., and Martin, P. (2007) Microstructural and optical features of a Eu-monazite. Journal of the European Ceramic Society, 27, 109–114.10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2006.05.091Search in Google Scholar

Heuser, J., Bukaemskiy, A.A., Neumeier, S., Neumann, A., and Bosbach, D. (2014) Raman and infrared spectroscopy of monazite-type ceramics used for nuclear waste conditioning. Progress in Nuclear Energy, 72, 149–155.10.1016/j.pnucene.2013.09.003Search in Google Scholar

Hoefen, T.M., Swayze, G., Giles, S.A., Van Gosen, B.S., Emsbo, P., and Karst, A. (2013) Spectroscopic investigations of REE hosted heavy mineral sands and phosphates. In Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 45, 278, https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2013AM/finalprogram/abstract_231493.htm.Search in Google Scholar

Hoefen, T.M., Livo, K.E., Giles, S.A., Lowers, H.A., Swayze, G.A., Taylor, C.D., Verplanck, P.L., Emsbo, P., Koenig, A., and McCafferty, A.E. (2014) Characterization of REE-bearing minerals and synthetic materials using high resolution ultraviolet to near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy. In AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts, 1, 4299.Search in Google Scholar

Hughes, J.M., Cameron, M., and Mariano, A.N. (1991) Rare-earth-element ordering and structural variations in natural rare-earth-bearing apatites. American Mineralogist, 76, 1165–1173.Search in Google Scholar

Hunt, G.R. (1977) Spectral signatures of particulate minerals, in the visible and near-infrared, Geophysics, 42, 501–513.10.1190/1.1440721Search in Google Scholar

Huntington, J., and Laukamp, C. (2015) Drill core reflectance spectroscopy applied to the carbonatite hosted REE deposit at Cummins Range (Australia). SGA 2015, August 24-27, Nancy, France. 1017–1019.Search in Google Scholar

Kerr, A., Rafuse, H., Sparkes, G., Hinchey, J., and Sandeman, H. (2011) Visible/ Infrared spectroscopy (VIRS) as a research tool in economic geology: Background and pilot studies from Newfoundland and Labrador. Current Research, Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Natural Resources Geological Survey Report 11-1, 145–166.Search in Google Scholar

Lane, M.D., Mertzman, S.A., Dyar, M.D., and Bishop, J.L. (2011) Phosphate Minerals Measured in the Visible-Near Infrared and Thermal Infrared: Spectra and XRD Analyses. In 42nd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference Proceedings, The Woodlands, Texas, p. 1013.Search in Google Scholar

Lenz, C., Talla, D., Ruschel, K., Škoda, R., Götze, J., and Nasdala, L. (2013) Factors affecting the Nd3+ (REE3+) luminescence of minerals. Mineralogy and Petrology, 107, 415–428.10.1007/s00710-013-0286-2Search in Google Scholar

Linthout, K. (2007) Tripartite division of the system 2REEPO4–CaTh(PO4)22ThSiO4, discreditation of brabantite, and recognition of cheralite as the name for members dominated by CaTh (PO4)2. Canadian Mineralogist, 45, 503–508.10.2113/gscanmin.45.3.503Search in Google Scholar

Liu, G. (2005). Electronic energy level structure. Spectroscopic Properties of Rare Earths in Optical Materials, 83, 1–94. Springer, Berlin.10.1007/3-540-28209-2_1Search in Google Scholar

Mariano, A.N. (1989) Economic geology of rare earth minerals. Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry, 21, 309–338.Search in Google Scholar

Morin Ka, S. (2012) Hyperspectral characterisation of rare earth minerals. Geological Survey of Western Australia, Record 2012/12, 50 p.Search in Google Scholar

Mullica, D.F., Milligan, W.O., Grossie, D.A., Beall, G.W., and Boatner, L.A. (1984) Ninefold coordination LaPO4: Pentagonal interpenetrating tetrahedral polyhedron. Inorganica Chimica Acta, 95, 231–236.10.1016/S0020-1693(00)87472-1Search in Google Scholar

Ni, Y., Hughes, J.M., and Mariano, A.N. (1995) Crystal chemistry of the monazite and xenotime structures. American Mineralogist, 80, 21–26.10.2138/am-1995-1-203Search in Google Scholar

Noe, D.C., Hughes, J.M., Mariano, A.N., Drexler, J.W., and Kato, A. (1993) The crystal structure of monoclinic britholite-(Ce) and britholite-(Y). Zeitschrift für Kristallographie-Crystalline Materials, 206, 233–246.10.1524/zkri.1993.206.Part-2.233Search in Google Scholar

Oberti, R., Ottolini, L., della Ventura, G., and Parodi, G.C (2001) On the symmetry and crystal chemistry of britholite: new structural and microanalytical data. American Mineralogist, 86, 1066–1075.10.2138/am-2001-8-913Search in Google Scholar

Onac, B.P., Ettinger, K., Kearns, J., and Balasz, I.I. (2005) A modern, guano-related occurrence of foggite, CaAl (PO4)(OH)2·H2O and churchite-(Y), YPO4·2H2O in Cioclovina Cave, Romania. Mineralogy and Petrology, 85, 291–302.10.1007/s00710-005-0106-4Search in Google Scholar

Pasero, M., Kampf, A.R., Ferraris, C., Pekov, I.V., Rakovan, J., and White, T.J. (2010) Nomenclature of the apatite supergroup minerals. European Journal of Mineralogy, 22, 163–179.10.1127/0935-1221/2010/0022-2022Search in Google Scholar

Pekov, I.V., Pasero, M., Yaskovskaya, A.N., Chukanov, N.V., Pushcharovsky, D.Y., Merlino, S., and Zadov, A.E. (2007) Fluorcalciobritholite, (Ca, REE)5[(Si, P)O4]3F, a new mineral: description and crystal chemistry. European Journal of Mineralogy, 1, 95–103.10.1127/0935-1221/2007/0019-0095Search in Google Scholar

Rapaport, A., David, V., Bass, M., Deka, C., and Boatner, L.A. (1999) Optical spectroscopy of erbium-doped lutetium orthophosphate. Journal of Luminescence, 85, 155–161.10.1016/S0022-2313(99)00060-5Search in Google Scholar

Roeder, P.L., MacArthur, D., Ma, X.P., Palmer, G.R., and Mariano, A.N. (1987) Cathodoluminescence and microprobe study of rare-earth elements in apatite. American Mineralogist, 72, 801–811.Search in Google Scholar

Rowan, L.C., Kingston, M.J., and Crowley, J.K. (1986) Spectral reflectance of carbonatite and related alkalic igneous rocks from four North American localities. Economic Geology, 81, 857–871.10.2113/gsecongeo.81.4.857Search in Google Scholar

Savchyn, P., Karbovnyk, I., Vistovskyy, V., Voloshinovskii, A., Pankratov, V., Guidi, M.C., and Popov, A.I. (2012) Vibrational properties of LaPO4 nanoparticles in mid-and far-infrared domain. Journal of Applied Physics, 112, 124309.10.1063/1.4769891Search in Google Scholar

Silva, E.N., Ayala, A.P., Guedes, I., Paschoal, C.W.A., Moreira, R.L., Loong, C.K., and Boatner, L.A. (2006) Vibrational spectra of monazite-type rare-earth orthophosphates. Optical Materials, 29, 224–230.10.1016/j.optmat.2005.09.001Search in Google Scholar

Strohhöfer, C., and Polman, A. (2003) Absorption and emission spectroscopy in Er3+–Yb3+ doped aluminum oxide waveguides. Optical Materials, 21(4), 705–712.10.1016/S0925-3467(02)00056-3Search in Google Scholar

Swayze, G.A., Pearson, N., Wilson, S., Benzel, W.M., Clark, R., Hoefen, T.M., Van Gosen, B., Adams, M., and Reitman, J. (2013) Spectrally distinguishing between REE-bearing minerals based on differences in their crystal field f-f transition absorptions. In Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 45, 278, https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2013AM/finalprogram/abstract_229888.htm.Search in Google Scholar

Talla, D., Beran, A., Škoda, R., and Losos, Z. (2011) On the presence of OH defects in the zircon-type phosphate mineral xenotime, (Y, REE)PO4. American Mineralogist, 96, 1799–1808.10.2138/am.2011.3757Search in Google Scholar

Turner, D.J. (2015) Reflectance spectroscopy and imaging spectroscopy of rare earth element-bearing mineral and rock samples. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of British Columbia, Canada, 310 p.Search in Google Scholar

Turner, D.J., Rivard, B., and Groat, L.A. (2014) Visible and short-wave infrared reflectance spectroscopy of REE fluorocarbonates. American Mineralogist, 99, 1335–1346.10.2138/am.2014.4674Search in Google Scholar

White, W.B. (1967) Diffuse-reflectance spectra of rare-earth oxides. Applied Spectroscopy, 21, 167–171.10.1366/000370267774385173Search in Google Scholar

Zhang, Y., and Vance, E.R. (2008) Plutonium in monazite and brabantite: Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy study. Journal of Nuclear Materials, 375, 311–314.10.1016/j.jnucmat.2007.11.011Search in Google Scholar

Zhang, M., Salje, E.K., and Ewing, R.C. (2002) Infrared spectra of Si-O overtones, hydrous species, and U ions in metamict zircon: radiation damage and recrystallization. Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 14, 3333.10.1088/0953-8984/14/12/319Search in Google Scholar

Zhang, M., Salje, E.K., and Ewing, R.C. (2003) Oxidation state of uranium in metamict and annealed zircon: Near-infrared spectroscopic quantitative analysis. Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 15, 3445.10.1088/0953-8984/15/20/307Search in Google Scholar

Zou, X., and Toratani, H. (1995) Evaluation of spectroscopic properties of Yb3+- doped glasses. Physical Review B, 52(22), 15889.10.1103/PhysRevB.52.15889Search in Google Scholar

Received: 2015-12-18
Accepted: 2016-5-25
Published Online: 2016-9-30
Published in Print: 2016-10-1

© 2016 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Research Article
  2. Temporal histories of Cordilleran continental arcs: testing models for magmatic episodicity
  3. Chemistry and Mineralogy of Earth’s Mantle
  4. Graphite-diamond relations in mantle rocks: Evidence from an eclogitic xenolith from the Udachnaya kimberlite (Siberian Craton)
  5. Special Collection: From Magmas to Ore Deposits
  6. Association of cumulus apatite with compositionally unusual olivine and plagioclase in the Taihe Fe-Ti oxide ore-bearing layered mafic-ultramafic intrusion: Petrogenetic significance and implications for ore genesis
  7. Special collection: perspectives on origins and evolution of crustal magmas
  8. Repeated, multiscale, magmatic erosion and recycling in an upper-crustal pluton: implications for magma chamber dynamics and magma volume estimates
  9. Fluids in the Crust
  10. A new experimental approach to study fluid–rock equilibria at the slab-mantle interface based on the synthetic fluid inclusion technique
  11. Special collection: mechanisms, rates, and timescales of geochemical transport processes in the crust and mantle
  12. Fe-Mg interdiffusion in orthopyroxene
  13. Special Collection: Rates and Depths of Magma Ascent on Earth
  14. Error sources in single-clinopyroxene thermobarometry and a mantle geotherm for the Novinka kimberlite, Yakutia
  15. Water in nominally hydrous and anhydrous minerals
  16. Experimental hydration of natural volcanic clinopyroxene phenocrysts under hydrothermal pressures (0.5–3 kbar)
  17. Research Article
  18. Comparison of isoelectric points of single-crystal and polycrystalline α-Al2O3 and α-Fe2O3 surfaces
  19. Research Article
  20. Synthetic olivine capsules for use in experiments
  21. Research Article
  22. Visible and short-wave infrared reflectance spectroscopy of REE phosphate minerals
  23. Research Article
  24. Protolith carbon isotope ratios in cordierite from metamorphic and igneous rocks
  25. Research Article
  26. Empirical electronic polarizabilities of ions for the prediction and interpretation of refractive indices: Oxides and oxysalts
  27. Research Article
  28. A novel protocol for resolving feldspar crystals in synchrotron X-ray microtomographic images of crystallized natural magmas and synthetic analogs
  29. Research Article
  30. Silicic lunar volcanism: Testing the crustal melting model
  31. Research Article
  32. Transition metals in the transition zone: Crystal chemistry of minor element substitution in wadsleyite
  33. Research Article
  34. Experimental evidence of the formation of intermediate phases during transition of kaolinite into metakaolinite
  35. Letter
  36. Further observations related to a possible occurrence of terrestrial ahrensite
  37. Letter
  38. Chemical zoning and lattice distortion in uraninite from Olympic Dam, South Australia
  39. Research Article
  40. New Mineral Names
  41. Book Review
  42. Book review: Layered Intrusions
  43. Book Review
  44. Book Review: Mineral Resources, Economics and the Environment, 2nd edition
Downloaded on 17.2.2026 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.2138/am-2016-5692/html
Scroll to top button