Light rare earth elements (LREE) in perovskite from kimberlites of Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract

Electron microprobe analyses of groundmass perovskites from kimberlites of Andhra Pradesh, India, reveal that their LREE oxide contents range from 0.88 to 1.97 wt% in case of the Mahbubnagar kimberlites and 2.57 to 5.37 wt% in the Anantapur kimberlites, with Ce being the most abundant in every case followed by Nd and La Chondrite-normalized REE distribution patterns of perovskites show good correlation with the respective whole-rock REE distributions thereby displaying the dominant role played by perovskite in controlling the kimberlite REE distribution patterns. Results of this study also show that the perovskites from Indian kimberlites, compared to those in Group II kimberlites (Orangeites) of South Africa, have relatively impoverished LREE.