Differentiated rare-element mineralization in an ongonite–topazite composite dike at the Xianghualing tin district, Southern China: An electron-microprobe study on the evolution from niobium–tantalum-oxides to cassiterite

Our study characterizes in detail the mineralogical, textural and compositional features of a highly evolved, composite ongonite–topazite dike and its magmatic differentiation history. We present compositional data collected by established techniques, i.e. by electron microprobe and wet-chemical analysis, which provide a detailed framework for future studies that employ state-of-the-art analytical techniques. The studied dike (referred to as the No. 431 dike) crops out within the Xianghualing area in the Nanling Range of southern China, in close spatial association with Jurassic Sn–Nb–Ta granite plutons. The rock samples in the No. 431 dike were collected from a structurally lower drill hole and a trench at higher level. The ongonite is encountered throughout the dike, but the topazite is only revealed along the margin of the upper, near-surface dike. The results of whole-rock major and trace element analyses show that the rocks of the No. 431 dike are strongly peraluminous with an average ACNK value of ~1.5 for ongonite and >3.9 for topazite. They are enriched in F, 1.7wt.% and 5.4wt.% on average for ongonite and topazite, respectively. The rocks have low Zr/Hf and Nb/Ta ratios, and high levels of ore-forming elements including Nb, Ta, Sn, and W. Silicate and oxide mineral assemblages, textures, and compositions are also distinct for the two rock types studied. In the lower ongonite of the dike, there are abundant phenocrysts of K-feldspar, quartz, and albite, and microphenocrysts of topaz and zinnwaldite in a matrix dominated by quartz, K-feldspar, and albite. Characteristic oxides are columbite–tantalite, tapiolite, and microlite, but cassiterite is absent. The upper ongonite of the dike has a silicate assemblage similar to the lower ongonite; columbite-(Mn), uranomicrolite, and limited amounts of cassiterite are the dominant accessory minerals. The topazite is characterized by large amounts of topaz and zinnwaldite intergrown with quartz, while K-feldspar, albite, and quartz phenocrysts have rounded shapes and are relatively rare. Cassiterite is the most abundant ore mineral, while Nb–Ta oxide minerals are less abundant. We interpret the whole-rock compositional trends, mineral textures, assemblages, and compositions to reflect the differentiation of an evolved, initially homogeneous magma that separated into aluminosilicate and hydrosaline melts, corresponding to crystallization of ongonite and topazite, respectively. The crystallization of Nb–Ta- and