Abstract
We have developed an INAA techniques for analyzing single crystals extracted from rocks. Trace element contents have been measured in a large variety of mineral species, as well as isotopic ratios of some REE in minerals related to natural fission reactions. The sensitivity of INAA allows to avoid the main shortcomings of usual mineral geochemistry: (1) only very short quantities of minerals are needed (down to a few μg), so that even very sparse minerals could be analyzed, (2) purity of minerals is carefully checked, and (3) the heterogeneity of a population may be studied. The method is especially useful when applied to minerals acting as tracers for some element families, e.g. REE in Ca-bearing minerals (fluorite, apatite, titanite, gamet) and Zr-bearing minerals, or chalcophile elements (Co, Ni, As, Sb, Mo, Ag, Au and Se) in sulfides. We present an application of the method to the Oklo U deposit in Gabon showing that features outlined above are of special interest for the study of hydrothermal processes.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
P. M. Bethke, P. B. Barton, Jr., Econ. Geol., 66 (1971) 140.
P. L. Blanc, Oklo Working Group, Proc. 3rd Joint EC-CEA Progress Meeting, Brussels, 11–12 October 1993,H. von Maravic (Ed.), EUR 16098, 1995, p. 3.
G. K. Czamanske, T. W. Sisson, J. L. Campbell, W. J. Teesdale, Am. Mineral., 78 (1993) 893.
F. Gauthier-Lapaye, F. Weber, Econ Geol., 84 (1989) 2267.
C. Grappin, M. Treuil, S. Yaman, J. C. Touray, Mineral. Deposita, 14 (1979) 297.
R. W. Hinton, B. G. J. Upton, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 55 (1991) 3287.
H. Jaffrézic, Talanta, 23 (1976) 497.
K. E. Jarvis, J. G. Williams, Chem. Geol., 106 (1993) 251.
F. Karlsson, Oklo Working Group, Proc. 3rd Joint EC-CEA Progress Meeting, Brussels, 11–12 October, 1993,H. von Maravic (Ed.), EUR-16098, 1995, p. 145.
L. Marchand, D. Joseph, J. C. Touray, M. Treuil, Mineral. Deposita, 11 (1976) 357.
P. Möller, P. Dulski, Chem. Geol., 40 (1983) 1.
B. Nagy, F. Gauthier-Lafaye, P. Holliger, D. W. Davis, D. J. Mossman, J. S. Leventhal, M. J. Rigali, J. Parnell, Nature, 354 (1991) 472.
R. Naudet, Oklo: des réacteurs fossiles—Etude physique, Eyrolles, Paris, 1991.
L. Raimbault, Bull. Minéral., 108 (1985) 737.
L. Raimbault, E. Bilal, Can. Mineral., 31 (1993) 119.
L. Raimbault, A. Baumer, M. Dubru, C. Benkerrou, V. Croze, A. Zahm, Am. Mineral., 78 (1993) 1275.
L. Raimbault, H. Peycelon, Migration '95, 5th Intern. Conf. on the Chemistry and Migration Behaviour of Actinides and Fission Products in the Geosphere, Abstracts, 1995, p. 98.
N. Shimizu, N. V. Sobolev, Nature, 375 (1995) 394.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Raimbault, L., Peycelon, H. & Joron, J.L. Single-crystal trace element analysis in rock-forming minerals by instrumental neutron activation analysis. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 216, 221–228 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02033782
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02033782