Investigation of rare earth elements potential in iron ore deposits in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Sri Lankan geological terrain is mainly comprised of three different types of Iron ore deposits, which are not in the scale for economic extraction. When we consider the iron deposits on a global scale, most of them are associated with high concentrations of rare earth elements (REE). This research is focused on investigating the potential for REEs of the Sri Lankan iron ore deposits. Three major iron ore deposits of different genesis were selected for sampling, and collected samples were subjected to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis. Analysis revealed a high potential for REE in Panirendawa and Buttala deposits, while Dela deposits showed the least potential. Although high concentrations were shown in a few samples collected from magnetite deposits, it also contains high variation within a few (10–100) meter distances. This variation was due to different degrees of weathering and transportation of iron ore materials. The highest REE potential was associated with the heavily weathered and transported material rather than the fresh iron ore. If the explored potential for REEs is consistent with the associated geological profile of these iron ore bodies, they could present a mineable REE source for Sri Lanka.