Mineralogical and geochemical study on beach placers of the Calabrian coast as potential source of L-REE

With this contribution we hope to increase the interest in the field of the REE potential resources, proposing a new mining site, located along the Calabrian coastline. The Calabrian Arc, is represented by Sila, Serre, Poro and Aspromonte Massifs, and also includes the southern portion of the Coastal Chain (Calcaterra & Parise, 2010). It consists of a series of Palaeozoic plutonic–metamorphic nappes, locally overlain by a Mesozoic–Cenozoic sedimentary cover. The metamorphic chain, was dismantled by the erosional and gravity-related processes induced by the high uplift rates occurred in the Quaternary time. In response to the strong uplift, land areas were affected by very high denudation rates, due to the action of seasonal streams characterized by high transport capacity. This favored very high sedimentation rates on the continental shelf and originated the S. Eufemia Gulf sandy sediments. They result from dismantling of mainly kinzigitic gneisses (Serre Massif) and are characterized by accumulation of valuable minerals, known as beach placers, formed by gravity separation. to the proposed results highlight the potential use of the identified beach placers as L-REE source. To reach the goal we carried out a mineralogical and geochemical characterization of the heavy mineral component through a multidisciplinary approach including Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM-EDX), X-Ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD) and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyses. SEM-EDX and XRPD analyses evidenced the presence of the heavy mineral phases as magnetite, ilmenite, garnet, rutile and monazite.The XRF bulk chemistry data put in evidence very high amount of Ce (2283 – 2850 ppm), La (1043 – 1330 ppm), Nd (1400 – 1700 ppm) and Th (409 – 464 ppm). We put in evidence that the identified “beach placers” might represent a topic of interest related to the proposals of the “Horizon 2020” project, for sustainable primary and secondary raw materials productions. Calcaterra, D. & Parise M. (2010): Weathering in the crystalline rocks of Calabria, Italy, and relationships to landslides. Geol. Soc. Eng. Geol. Spec. Publ., 23, 105-130.