Unique pegmatite vein found in Murmansk Region's mine
The find is of special interest to the scientific community, as such a combination of minerals in one rock has never been seen before
MURMANSK, September 7. /TASS/. Geologists of Rosatom mining division's Lovozero Mining and Processing Plant in the Murmansk Region, discovered a unique pegmatite vein with a combination of minerals never seen before in any rock. The vein was found in an underground mine of the Karnasurt field, the company said.
"A uniquely beautiful pegmatite vein has been found in an underground mine on the eastern flank of the Karnasurt field at the Lovozero rare metal deposit in the Murmansk Region," the company said.
The find is of special interest to the scientific community - though all the minerals found in pegmatite are well known, their combination in one rock has never been seen before, the company added.
"In the unique rock, there are minerals like villiaumite, kazakovite, lomonosovite, rasvumite, and townendite that forms bright lilac irregularly shaped separations. Additionally, in this rock, with townendite are combined eudialyte, phosinaite, nordite, steenstrupine, schizolite, sapozhnikovite, sphalerite, molybdenite, bartonite. All these rare and rarest minerals, and besides in such a unique combination, are shimmering with different colors. Every piece of the vein is of separate interest, it is a desirable object for any mineralogical collection," the company quoted its chief geologist, Ekaterina Bryk, as saying.
That was the third find of the kind in the Karnasurt mine's history, the plant's Director General Vladimir Fedyakov said. The plans to preserve the pegmatite vein and to support scientific research. Earlier, Jubilee and Palitra deposits were discovered. The most studied is the Jubilee deposit, which was opened in 1970 and eight years later it received the status of a protected geological monument of nature. At the deposit, experts discovered 13 new minerals.
The Lovozero Mining and Processing plant is Russia's only company, which produces and enriches loparite ore in the Murmansk Region. Rare earth metals, extracted from the ore, are used in Russian industries. The company is part of Rosatom's mining division.