Wigu Hill (Record #148) rare-earth element deposit in Tanzania

Wigu Hill

Carbonatite with residual enrichment rare earth element deposit in , Tanzania

Geographic location

Country	Tanzania
Geographic location:	37.566667, -7.433333
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Location references

Woolley, A.R., 2001, Alkaline rocks and carbonatites of the world-- Part 3: Africa: London, The Geological Society, 372 p.

Geologic characteristics

Deposit type	Carbonatite with residual enrichment
REE minerals	bastnäsite monazite cerium goyazite synchysite parisite
Ore minerals	niobium fluorite strontianite barite celestite pyrite sphalerite
Gangue minerals	quartz dolomite calcite
Host rock types	weathered dolomitic carbonatite

Nearby scientific information

Geologic map unit	37.566666666667, -7.4333333333333
Other databases	Find additional scientific data near this location

Economic information

Status	REE resource
Resource estimates	ama 20% REO

References for resource estimates

Castor, S.B., 1994, Rare earth minerals, in Carr, D.D., ed., Industrial minerals and rocks, 6th edition: Littleton, Colorardo, Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploratin, Inc., p. 827-839.

Comments

Carbonatite dikes. Deposit show extensive replacement by hydrothermal solutions rich in REE, Sr, F, BA, and silica.

Bibliographic references

Castor, S.B., 1994, Rare earth minerals, in Carr, D.D., ed., Industrial minerals and rocks, 6th edition: Littleton, Colorardo, Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploratin, Inc., p. 827-839.
Neary, C.R., and Highley, D.E., 1984, The economic importance of the rare earth elements, in Henderson, P., ed., Rare earth element geochemistry: New York, Elsevier, Developments in Geochemistry 2, p. 423-466.
Mariano, A.N., 1989, Economic geology of rare earth minerals, in Lipin, B.R., and McKay, G.A., eds., Geochemistry and mineralogy of the rare earth elements: Washington, D.C., Mineralogical Society of America Reviews in Mineralogy 21, p. 309-348.
Pell, Jennifer, 1996, Chapter 13- Mineral deposits associated with carbonatites and related alkaline igneous rocks, in Mitchell, R.H., ed., Undersaturated alkaline rocks: Mineralogy, petrogenesis, and economic potential: Mineralogical Association of Canada Short Course 24, p. 271-310.
Overstreet, W.C., 1967 The geologic occurrence of monazite: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 530, 327 p.
Woolley, A.R., 2001, Alkaline rocks and carbonatites of the world-- Part 3: Africa: London, The Geological Society, 372 p.
Mariano, A.N., 1973, Carbonatite investigations in Tanzania-- Wigu Hill, Ufiome, Kerimasi: confidential report to Molycorp Inc. and Idara Ya Madini (Tanzania), 105 p.