Аннотация:The large Paleoproterozoic Nb-Ta-Zr-REE-Y Katugin
deposit is situated in the southern part of the Kodar-Udokan
district. Together with the Tomtor deposit in
northern Siberia, Katugin deposit comprises the main
Ta-Nb resources of the Russian Federation that can be
developed in the future. The deposit occurs within a zone
of fault-controlled alkaline alteration at the contact of
rapakivi granite pluton. The ore-bearing quartz-albite-microcline
alteration in a combination with alkaline granite
form a steeply dipping lode exposed at the surface over
an area of 5 km2 and traced to a depth of 800 m. The ore
contains 1.62 wt% ZrO2, 0.026 wt% Ta2O5, 0.374 wt%
Nb2O5, 0.16 wt% Y2O3, 0.22 wt% REE2O3, and
0.0078 wt% U3O8. Pyrochlore, zircon, gagarinite, REE-fluorite,
monazite, and cryolite are the major minerals.
Fergusonite, ilmenite, and ilmenorutile are widespread in
the metasomatized country rocks. It was suggested that
deposit was formed as a result of metasomatism, but nowadays
there is an opinion on its magmatic origin.