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Bayan Obo (Bayun-Obo; Baiyunebo) deposit, Bayan Obo, Darhan Muminggan United Banner, Baotou League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China

Superlarge polygenic REE-Fe-Nb deposit (Bayan-Obo type) with reserves of more than 40 million tonnes REE minerals (grading at 3-5.4% REE), 1 million tonnes Nb2O5 and 470 million tonnes Fe. World's largest REE deposit with 120-174 minerals.

The deposit occurs in an east-west trending Mesoproterozoic rift zone along the northern margin of the Sino-Korean Craton. Host strata are quartzite, slate, limestone, and dolomite. The latter is also the main host rock. The orebodies are stratiform and lenticular, with masses, bands, layers, veins, and disseminations. Besides clear features of hot water sedimentation, the deposit also exhibits Mg, Fe, Na and F metasomatism. Sm-Nd monazite isochron age for bastnaesite and riebeckite is 1200 to 1300 Ma, whereas Th-Pb and Sm-Nd age of Ba-REE-F carbonates and aeschynite is 474 to 402 Ma.



References:
- Ren Yingchen, Ximen Lulu, and Peng Zhizhong (1983): Daqingshanite: A new mineral recently discovered in China. Geochemistry 2(2), 180-84 (in English).
- Le Bas, M.J., Kellere, J., Tao Kejie, Wall, F., William, C.T., and Zhang Peishan (1992): Carbonatite dykes at Bayan Obo, inner Mongolia, China. Mineralogy and Petrology 46(3), 195-228.
- Zhang Peishan, Yang Zhuming, Tao Kejie, and Yang Xueming (1996): "Mineralogy and Geology of Rare Earths in China", Science Press (Beijing), 226 pp.
- Chao, E.C.T., Back, J.M., Minkin, J.A., Tatsumoto, M., Wang Junwen, Conrad, J.E., McKee, E.H., Hou Zonglin, Meng Qingrun, and Huang Shengguang (1997): The Sedimentary Carbonate-Hosted Giant Bayan Obo REE-Fe-Nb Ore Deposit of Inner Mongolia, China: A Cornerstone Example for Giant Polymetallic Ore Deposits of Hydrothermal Origin. USGS Bulletin 2143. (also at http://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/b2143/intro.html)
- Smith, M.P., Henderson, P., and Peishan, Z. (1999): Reaction relationships in the Bayan Obo Fe-REE-Nb deposit Inner Mongolia, China: implications for the relative stability of rare-earth element phosphates and fluorocarbonates. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 134, 294-310.
- Smith, M.P., Henderson, P., and Campbell, L.S. (2000): Fractionation of the REE during hydrothermal processes: constraints from the Bayan Obo Fe-REE-Nb deposit, Inner Mongolia, China. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 64(18), 3141-1360.
- Orris, G.J., and Grauch, R.I. (2002): USGS Open-File Report 02-189.
- Hongrui Fan, Yihan Xie, Kaiyi Wang, and Wilde, S.A. (2004): Methane-rich fluid inclusions in skarn near the giant REE–Nb–Fe deposit at Bayan Obo, Northern China. Ore Geology Reviews 25, 301-309.
- Gupta, C.K., and Krishnamurthy, N. (2005): Extractive Metallurgy of Rare Earths. CRC Press (Boca Raton), 484 pp.

- http://wrgis.wr.usgs.gov/open-file/of03-220/DATABASE/lode_deposits.txt





Map Reference: 41°46'22"N , 109°57'13"E

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Mineral list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities


Mineral List:
Actinolite
Aegirine
Aegirine-augite
'Aeschynite'
Aeschynite-(Ce)
Aeschynite-(Nd) (TL)
Albite
Allanite-(Ce)
Alstonite
Anatase
var: Niobian Anatase
Ankerite
'Apatite'
Apatite-(CaF)
Arfvedsonite
Augite
Bafertisite (TL)
Baotite (TL)
Baryte
Barytocalcite
Bastnäsite-(Ce)
Bastnäsite-(Y)
Beiyinite
Benstonite
β-Fergusonite-(Ce) (TL)
β-Fergusonite-(Nd) (TL)
β-Fergusonite-(Y)
Biotite
Britholite-(Ce)
Calcite
var: Manganoan Calcite
var: Strontian Calcite
Carbocernaite
Cebaite-(Ce) (TL)
Cebaite-(Nd)
Cerianite-(Ce)
Chalcopyrite
'Chevkinite'
Columbite
Cordylite-(Ce)
Daqingshanite-(Ce) (TL)
Dingdaohengite-(Ce) (TL)
Diopside
Dolomite
var: Ferroan Dolomite
Fergusonite-(Ce)
Fergusonite-(Nd)
Fersmite
Fluorite
Fergusonite-(Y)
Galena
'Garnet Group'
Goethite
Graphite
Halite
Hematite
var: Martite
'Hornblende'
Huanghoite-(Ce) (TL)
Humite
Illite
Ilmenite
IMA2009-017 (TL)
'K Feldspar'
Lanthanite-(Ce)
Limonite
Loparite-(Ce)
Magbasite (TL)
Magnesio-arfvedsonite
Magnesioriebeckite
Magnetite
Microcline
Monazite-(Ce)
Nioboaeschynite-(Ce)
Nioboaeschynite-(Nd)
Norsethite
'Oborite'
Paralstonite
Parisite-(Ce)
Parisite-(Nd)
Perovskite
Perrierite-(Ce)
Phlogopite
Plumbopyrochlore
Pyrite
Pyrochlore
Pyrrhotite
Quartz
Rhabdophane-(Ce)
Riebeckite
Röntgenite-(Ce)
Rutile
var: Ilmenorutile

var: Niobian Rutile
Sphalerite
Strontianite
Sylvite
Tainiolite
Thorite
var: Uranothorite
Tremolite
Witherite
Xenotime-(Y)
Zhangpeishanite (TL)
Zhonghuacerite-(Ce)


125 entries listed. 80 valid minerals. 12 type localities (valid minerals).

Localities in this Region:
China
 
  • Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region
    • Baotou League
      • Darhan Muminggan United Banner
        • Bayan Obo
          • Bayan Obo (Bayun-Obo; Baiyunebo) deposit

The above list contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database!
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