Trace Element Distribution in Zoned Kyanite of Thassos Island (Greece) Using Combined Spectroscopic Analyses

Comprehensive mineralogical and petrographic studies require analytical methods capable to report the distribution of major to trace elements within crystals in order to unravel their formation conditions and subsequent evolution. Additionally, the investigation of transition elements (e.g., Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, and Zn) is essential for the comprehension of substitution processes within colored minerals. This study is conducted on a zoned kyanite crystal from a deformed quartz vein found within garnet-kyanite-biotite-hematite-plagioclase +/- staurolite +/- sillimanite paragneiss of Thassos Island, Greece. Herein, we show the efficiency of combining conventional, for example, cathodoluminescence, electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), and new methods, for example, micro-laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (mu LIBS), micro-X-ray fluorescence (mu XRF), and Raman spectroscopy, to determine the chemical and crystallographic features of minerals. The simple chemistry of this crystal offers an ideal case to compare and valuate the potential of combined spectroscopy techniques to analyze minerals. We demonstrate that mu LIBS and mu XRF are perfectly adapted to perform multi-element imaging of major to trace elements down to the ppm level within a pluricentimetric crystal (2.3 x 0.5 cm) prior to quantitative analyses. We also highlight the benefit of cathodoluminescence and Raman mapping in the investigation of crystallographic features within minerals. The multispectroscopic approach enabled us to correlate growth stages of kyanite with the polymetamorphic history of the sample. Our results also highlight the spatial dependence of Ti for the generation of blue zonation by Fe2+-Ti4+ substitutions with Al3+.

Automated summary

Comprehensive mineralogical and petrographic studies require a combination of analytical methods to investigate the distribution of major to trace elements within crystals and determine their chemical and crystallographic features. This study demonstrates the efficiency of combining conventional methods like cathodoluminescence, electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) with new methods like micro-laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (mu LIBS), micro-X-ray fluorescence (mu XRF), and Raman spectroscopy. The results show the potential of these multispectroscopic approaches in analyzing minerals and establishing correlations between the growth stages of kyanite and the polymetamorphic history of the sample.