Bulletin of the Geological Society of Malaysia, Volume 13, Dec. 1980, pp. 103 – 111

Rare earth element abundance patterns in alkaline basaltic lavas of Kuantan, Peninsular Malaysia

K. R. CHAKRABORTY¹, G. SITA RAM² and SHARIFAH BARLIAN AIDID³

¹Department of Geology, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur

²Nuclear Science Unit, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur

³Department of Physics, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur

Abstract: Rare earth element (REE) concentrations in twelve representative samples of Late Cenozoic Kuantan lavas are presented and compared with those of other regions. The samples include five alkali olivine basalts, two limburgites (basanite) and five olivine nephelinites of known chemical and mineralogical compositions. All the samples show light REE enriched fractionated abundance patterns. Chondrite-normalized Ce and Yb values range from about 34 to 160 and 6 to 9 respectively. The maximum intragroup variations in REE abundances are shown by alkali olivine basalts and their relative abundance patterns are also irregular suggesting a complicated evolutionary history. The total REE contents as well as the degree of light REE enrichment increase in the order alkali olivine basalt, limburgite and olivine nephelinite, The REE abundances in the Kuantan lavas, both absolute and relative, match closely with those in similar rocks of other regions including oceanic islands.

https://doi.org/10.7186/bgsm13198008