LUMINESCENCE OF EU2+ IN FELDSPARS FROM MUSCOVITE PEGMATITES

Abstract

The data on photoluminescence (PL) that precisely detects Eu2+ centers and X-ray luminescence (XL) were compared for plagioclases and potassium feldspars in 21 samples from muscovite pegmatites of the Mama region. The Eu contents determined in 10 samples vary from 10−4 to 10−6 wt %. Europium occurs mainly as bivalent species that replaces Sr2+, Ca2+, and Ba2+. Eu is gained in the products of early crystallization, and its relative amounts decrease by an order of magnitude in the course of pegmatite formation down to complete disappearance in late generations of feldspars. It is shown that Eu2+ can be detected in XL spectra, and the Eu2+ content can be determined in qualitative terms, for instance, by the intensity of radiation band 400–420 nm in plagioclase.