• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.12-20
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• 2010

Metamictization and color change in zircons from Cambodia and Tanzania were investigated. Elements analysis to detect radioactivity of elements such as U and Th, and spectroscopic analysis using UV-VIS and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were performed. According to the UV-VIS spectroscopic analysis, it was perceived that many and high intense absorption peaks appeared in blue and colorless zircons, while less and low intense absorption peaks appeared in uranium contained green and yellow zircons. It was found that those stones have made progress to the metamictization. After heat treatment, we could detect opposite results. As the results of FTIR spectroscopy analysis, in the metamict green and yellow zircon, it is showed that 3-phonon combination mode bands of $[SiO_4]^{4-}$ internal vibration in the region of 3100~3400 $cm^{-1}$ are broad and some of them disappear. However, the disappeared bands are observed again due to restored crystal lattice by the heat treatment. Also, $U^{4+}$ peaks that can detect the uranium content in zircon appears at near 4800 $cm^{-1}$ in the green and yellow samples. From this investigation, we could observe the metamictization effect and color change in uranium-bearing zircon by heat treatment using spectroscopic analysis.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.161-174
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• 2013

The geology of the weondong deposit area consists mainly of Cambro-Ordovician and Carboniferous-Triassic formations, and intruded quartz porphyry and dyke. The skarn mineralized zone in the weondong deposit is the most prospective region for the useful W-mineral deposits. To determine the skarn-mineralization age, U-Pb SHRIMP and K-Ar age dating methods were employed. The U-Pb zircon ages of quartz porphyry intrusion (WD-A) and feldspar porphyry dyke (WD-B) are 79.37 Ma and 50.64 Ma. The K-Ar ages of coarse-grained crystalline phlogopite (WD-1), massive phlogopite (WDR-1), phlogopite coexisted with skarn minerals (WD-M), and vein type illite (WD-2) were determined as $49.1{\pm}1.1$ Ma, $49.2{\pm}1.2$ Ma, $49.9{\pm}3.6$ Ma, and $48.3{\pm}1.1$ Ma, respectively. And the ages of the high uranium zircon of hydrothermally altered quartz porphyry (WD-C) range from 59.7 to 38.7 Ma, which dependson zircon's textures affected by hydrothermal fluids. It is regarded as the effect of some hydrothermal events, which may precipitate and overgrow the high-U zircons, and happen the zircon's metamictization and dissolution-reprecipitation reactions. Based on the K-Ar age datings for the skarn minerals and field evidences, we suggest that the timing of W-skarn mineralization in weondong deposit may be about 50 Ma. However, for the accurate timing of skarn mineralization in this area, the additional researches about the sequence of superposition at the skarn minerals and geological relationship between skarn deposits and dyke should be needed in the future.