RARE-EARTH ELEMENT MOBILITY DURING CONVERSION OF NEPHELINE SYENITE INTO LATERITIC BAUXITE AT PASSA-QUATRO, MINAIS-GERAIS, BRAZIL

In a lateritic bauxite formed by weathering of nepheline syenite at Passa Quatro, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, bauxites on the hill-tops directly develop from the syenite bed-rock, while downslope, a kaolinitic layer occurs between bauxite and syenite. A petrological investigation was performed on undisturbed weathered rock samples collected from a representative upslope pit. The undisturbed weathered rocks were chemically analysed for major and trace elements including REE and Zr. Mass balance calculations were applied, and the behaviour of the REE in the Passa Quatro weathering system was established compared to REE reference chondrite and to REE reference parent rock. In the lateritic bauxite, the results suggest that the first stages of weathering induce a volumetric change of 50%, i.e. collapse, with respect to the parent rock, and remove REE with a slightly larger loss of the LREE, except Ce, compared to the HREE. In the upper layers, where bauxite is more mature, a net mass gain in REE is observed relative to the underlying layers. This gain takes place during the reduction of the upper layer during the downward progression of the weathering front. Very significant REE losses occurs during the bauxitization processes throughout the upslope profile. In addition, the downslope kaolinitic system is demonstrated to be depleted in REE in the same proportions as the upslope bauxite. We propose that the REE exported in solution from the whole weathering mantle have enriched neighbouring watershed sediments.