Crystal Chemistry of Zircon and Monazite: Crystal Structure, Major and Trace Elements, and Radiation Damage ...

• Main Author: Zaman, Md. Mashrur
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Graduate Studies 2015
• Subjects: Geology; FOS Earth and related environmental sciences; Mineralogy; XRD; Crystal; Arctic
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.11575/prism/25497; https://prism.ucalgary.ca/handle/11023/2328

This study investigates the crystal structural variations and their relation to chemical composition and radiation effects of detrital zircon and monazite, and the elevated radionuclide concentrations in zircon and monazite-rich heavy mineral deposits in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Several experimental techniques such as electron-probe micro-analysis (EPMA), single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD), synchrotron high-resolution powder X-ray diffraction (HRPXRD), gamma-ray spectroscopy with hyper-purity germanium detector (GRS-HPGe), and gravity, magnetic, and electrical mineral separators have been used to carry out this research. In addition, several software programs including SHELX, WinGX, GSAS-EXGUI, Crystal Maker, and Gamma-W have also been applied for data processing and analysis. The unit-cell parameters for the eight zircon samples vary linearly with increasing unit-cell volume, V. The detrital zircon sample 7:PIF (Perry Island Formation) from the Canadian Arctic Islands has the lowest unit-cell ...