Mineral resource potential of rare and rare-earth metals in the Polar Urals

For the first time, based on the geological, strata and prognostic metallogenic maps, as well as the authorial areal legends, the article describes geological structure, geodynamic situation, occurrence patterns and resource potential of rare metals. In the Polar Urals, the bodies of rare metals occur nonuniformly, mostly inside and nearby stiff Pre-Vendian Paleo-Continental blocks (Kharbei–Marunkei and Lyapin mega blocks) and, partly, in the strata of the platform mega complex. They are dated to four metalogenic ages: Pre-Riphean, Riphean–Cambrian, Paleozoic and Mesozoic–Cenozoic, with mostly uranium, thorium, iron, rare and nonferrous metals and gold metallization at the largest deposits of Taikey, Ust-Mramor, Longotyogan, Turman, Turiya, MAN-9 etc. The resource potential of the Polar Urals (C+P1+P2) totals (thousand tons): Ta2O5—29.1, Nb2O5—264.28, ∑TR—243.82. The obtained results show that, alongside the certain ore types of the metallogenic ages, the factors which govern the ore content of the territory include: localization in the neighborhood of deep faults and suture zones; connection with sub-alkali acid magmatism, geochemistry mostly represented by Nb, Ta, Th, U, Zr, Be, Y; connection with albitite–greisen, qualmite and acite metasomatic rocks; stratified horizons rich in the Middle and Later Riphean and Later Cambrian uranium–rare metals–rare earths in the neighborhood of mostly TR-containing granitoid massifs.

Dushin V. A. Mineral resource potential of rare and rare-earth metals in the Polar Urals. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2022;(5):52-66. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_ 1493_2022_5_0_52.

V.A. Dushin, Dr. Sci. (Geol. Mineral.), Professor, Head of Chair, Ural State Mining University, 620144, Ekaterinburg, Russia, e-mail: fgg.gpr@m.ursmu.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-9657-6324.

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