A PROPOSED NEW MINERALOGICAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM FOR GRANITIC PEGMATITES

The current classification of granitic pegmatites, originally introduced by Cerny (1991a), has been the accepted system for grouping pegmatites of diverse mineralogy and chemistry for nearly three decades. Despite its general acceptance, several issues have been highlighted (Muller et al. 2022) which have imposed some limitations on its use and therefore necessitated the need to reevaluate its methodology. A new classification for granitic pegmatites is proposed in an attempt to be more inclusive of pegmatite types omitted in previous classification schemes. The new approach utilizes a more comprehensive suite of accessory minerals and defines three pegmatite groups which are genetically related to granite plutons and the anatexis of metaigneous and metasedimentary protoliths. Pegmatites belonging to Groups 1 and 2 are generated from the residual melts of S-, A-, and I-type granite magmatism (RGM) as well as being direct products of anatexis (DPA), whereas Group 3 pegmatites are only derived by anatexis.

Automated summary

This article presents the current classification system of granitic pegmatites, introduces a new classification method, and explains the advantages and scope of this method compared to previous classification schemes.