Geochemistry and REE content of beach sands along the Atticocycladic coastal zone, Greece

The Potential for REE and Associated Critical Metals in Coastal Sand (Placer) Deposits of Greece: A Review

“…As also described in the reviewed literature [27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][61][62][63][64][65] samples of heavy mineral sands were collected both from surface exposures and from the immediately reachable subsurface thereof. Sampling was carried out against a chosen grid, the dimensions of which varied from one locality to the next, depending on the dimensions of each beach.…”

“…Bulk chemical analysis and LOI measurements were carried out at the ACME and ACT Labs (Canada) whereas heavy mineral separation (where applicable) was conducted at the Department of Geology, University of Thessaloniki. Further details on the analytical methodology used can be found in all previous For more in-depth geological information on each occurrence reviewed the reader is referred to the Supplementary Materials detailed maps and additional geological details, and to earlier publications specific to each locality revisited [27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][61][62][63][64][65]. Through reviewing this substantial body of older and recent research, our ultimate goal with the present treatise is to provide a useful and timely first-order reference for academics and industry professionals alike, with a vested interest in the metallogenic potential of Greece with respect to REE.…”

“…Bulk chemical analysis and LOI measurements were carried out at the ACME and ACT Labs (Canada) whereas heavy mineral separation (where applicable) was conducted at the Department of Geology, University of Thessaloniki. Further details on the analytical methodology used can be found in all previous publications that have also served as key sources for the information presented herein [27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][61][62][63][64][65]. Analytical data are archived in the Supplementary Materials.…”

“…Mineralogical and geochemical data for the REE content and individual REE-bearing phases of coastal heavy mineral sands from the Atticocycladic coastal zone (Ikaria, Mykonos, Naxos, Serifos, Paros, Tinos; see Figure 2) were recently summarized by Papadopoulos et al [64]. The surrounding source rocks bear an obvious effect on the mineralogical composition of these sands.…”

“…A number of studies have been carried out on the coastal areas of Kavala [10,11,27,28,33,61,62], Touzla Cape (Aggelochori) [29] Sithonia Peninsula of Chalkidiki [30,31,35,63] and the area of Maronia in Samothrace (Northern Greece) [34]. The southern Aegean region and specifically the Atticocycladic belt is another area that has received increased research attention for its placer potential [64]. Beach placers from Nisyros island have also been investigated as an end-member case study of heavy mineral sands in a predominantly volcanic provenance.…”