NON-HENRY'S LAW BEHAVIOR OF REE PARTITIONING BETWEEN FLUORAPATITE AND CAF2-RICH MELTS: CONTROLS OF INTRINSIC VACANCIES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR NATURAL APATITES

Abstract

The partitioning of rare-earth elements (REEs: Gd and multiple REEs), Sr, and Mn between fluorapatite and CaF2-rich melts was investigated over a wide range of REE concentrations (i.e., from 0.8 ± 0.1 to 25,000 ± 2600 ppm Gd in fluorapatite) in two different sample assemblies (i.e., tightly covered Pt crucibles and sealed Pt capsules) at 1220 °C and atmospheric pressure. Attainment of equilibrium is indicated by selected reversal experiments. The partition coefficient D(Gd) decreases from ∼2 to ∼0.5 with increasing Gd in fluorapatite, hence a marked non-Henry’s Law behavior, but becomes independent of composition at and above ∼5000 and ∼1000 ppm Gd for experiments in Pt crucibles and Pt capsules, respectively. Non-Henry’s Law behavior is also observed in experiments involving multiple REEs. All REE patterns are convex upward in shape with maxima between Nd and Gd, and D(La)/D(Nd) and D(Nd)/D(Yb) decrease systematically with increasing total REEs in fluorapatite, suggesting that REE fractionations are partly related to non-Henry’s Law behavior. These experimental results and local structural data from previous electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopic studies suggest that the non-Henry’s Law behavior of REE partitioning between fluorapatite and melt is controlled by intrinsic Ca2+ vacancies in the c-axis channels. The D(Sr) and D(Mn) values are independent of composition and, therefore, do not deviate from the Henry’s Law in their respective compositional ranges investigated in this study.