Visible/near infrared reflectance (VNIR) spectral features of ion-exchangeable Rare earth elements hosted by clay minerals: Potential use for exploration of regolith-hosted REE deposits

Regolith-hosted ion-exchangeable rare earth element (REE) mineralization in South China dominate the global source of heavy REEs. The lack of studies on spectral features of ion-exchangeable REEs limits the application of visible/near infrared reflectance (VNIR, 350–2500 nm) spectroscopy for rapid identification of regolith-hosted REE deposits in prospective areas. This paper presents a systematic study on VNIR spectral features of ion-exchangeable REEs hosted by a series of synthetic REE-adsorbed clay minerals and natural regolith samples. The results show that ion-exchangeable Nd3+, Dy3+, Ho3+, Er3+ and Tm3+ display diagnostic absorption features at the bands of 730–870, 805, 641, 652, and 684 nm. Specifically, the Nd3+ related absorption bands of regolith samples at ~800 nm show a shoulder at ~802 nm that are distinguishable from unweathered primary REE(−bearing) minerals. The maxima of second derivative curves derived from the Nd3+ absorption at ~802 nm, M802_2nd, can be used to quantify variations of ion-exchangeable REEs in regoliths. Nevertheless, the absorption features of REE3+ ions could be subdued due to an overlapping problem caused by the broad absorption bands of Fe-oxides in the range of 700–900 nm. The obtained VNIR spectra of ion-exchangeable REEs provide critical supplement to spectral library for REE-bearing minerals. This study demonstrates that field-based VNIR spectroscopy can be deployed as a powerful tool for regional and deposit-scale exploration of regolith-hosted ion-exchangeable REE resources. •Ion-exchangeable REEs display diagnostic VNIR spectral features.•VNIR features of Nd3+ can quantify mineralization of regolith-hosted REE orebodies.•VNIR features of Ion-exchangeable REEs can be subdued by the bands of Fe-oxides.•VNIR spectroscopy is feasible for exploration of regolith-hosted REE deposits.