Apatite Chemical Compositions from Acadian-Related Granitoids of New Brunswick, Canada: Implications for Petrogenesis and Metallogenesis

The geochemistry of apatite crystals from fifteen fertile and infertile Acadian-related granitoids of New Brunswick (Canada) was studied in situ, using electron microprobe and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry to further investigate petrogenesis and fertility index among these intrusions. The results indicate a clear geochemical contrast between barren and mineralized samples where apatite grains from barren intrusions are the most hydrous (OH > 0.3 wt. %), with lowest Mn (<1700 ppm), Fe (<800 ppm), and Sn (<0.01 ppm). In contrast, apatite grains from Cu-Mo related intrusions are distinguished by higher Cl (>0.1 wt. %), (La/Yb)N ratios of 21.17, (Eu/Eu*)N ratios of 0.30, and LREE/HREE ratios of 6.03. Apatites from Sn-W related magmatic suites have the highest F (>3 wt. %), Mn (>5350 ppm), Fe (>2200 ppm), Y (>4900 ppm), Sn (>2 ppm), and the lowest Cl (<0.01 wt. %), Sr (<60 ppm), U (<18 ppm), Th (<29 ppm), (Eu/Eu*)N ratios (<0.01), and (La/Yb)N ratios (<0.88). Lastly, apatite grains from Mo-bearing systems have the lowest SiO2 (<0.4 wt. %), Sr (<33 ppm), Th (<28 ppm), a moderate Mn (~3800 ppm), Y (~3500 ppm), and highest FeOt (<0.9 wt. %). However, the results indicated apatite Mn, Sr, LREE/HREE, and (Eu/Eu*)N ratios as the best fertility indices used for discriminating barren from fertile granite intrusions.