Polyphased rare-element magmatism during late orogenic evolution: geochronological constraints from NW Variscan Iberia

Rare-element granites and pegmatites represent important sources of raw materials for clean, green and high technologies, such as lithium and tantalum, for example. However, mechanisms of rare-element granites and pegmatite's origin are still far from being fully understood. Several rare-element pegmatite fields and a rare-element granite are known in the Variscan realms located in Iberia (Spain and Portugal), enhancing the interest of this area for studying the formation of these extremely fractionated melts. In situ U-Pb dating by LA-SF-ICP-MS of columbite-group minerals from rare-element granites and pegmatites of the Iberian Variscan belt provides new constraints on the generation of rare-element melts. Three events have been recognized: (i) Emplacement of the Argemela rare-element granite, in the Central Iberian Zone (CIZ), with an age of 326 +/- 3 Ma; (ii) Emplacement of rare-element pegmatites from the Galicia-Tras-os-Montes Zone (GTOMZ), at an average age of 310 +/- 5 Ma; (iii) Emplacement of rare-element pegmatites in the CIZ and in the southern GTOMZ at about 301 +/- 3 Ma. These two last events are coeval with the two peaks of ages for the late orogenic magmatism at ca. 308 Ma and 299 Ma, and all dated rare-element pegmatites clearly emplaced during the late-orogenic evolution of the Variscan belt. Contemporaneous fields of rare-element pegmatites are arranged in belts following those formed by similar granitoid suites. Pegmatite fields from both the GTOMZ and the CIZ reveal a southward propagation of ages of emplacement, which matches the observed propagation of deformation, metamorphism and magmatism in the two different geotectonic zones. Existence of three successive rare-element events in the Iberian Massif argues against the involvement of lower crustal HP-HT metamorphism in the generation of rare-element melts. Possible sources of rare-element-enriched melts are more likely located in the middle to upper crust, as are the major components of granitic magmatism. Analyses of U and Pb isotopes from columbite-group minerals are very robust and reproducible, making them good candidates for dating ore deposits related to peraluminous magmatism as well as REE- and Nb-bearing deposits.

Automated summary

Rare-element granites and pegmatites are important sources of raw materials for clean, green and high technologies. However, the mechanisms of their origin are still not fully understood. In situ U-Pb dating of columbite-group minerals from rare-element granites and pegmatites in the Iberian Variscan belt provides new constraints on the generation of these rare-element melts.