Unraveling rare earth element signatures in hydrothermal carbonate minerals using a source-sink system

摘要

Rare earth element and yttrium (REEY) signatures in hydrothermal carbonate minerals are widely used proxies for studying hydrothermal mineralization. This review adopts a source sink approach that synthesizes the current understanding of REEY mass transfer along the pathway of hydrothermal fluids. The merits of this process-centered approach are illustrated with representative examples, selected to disclose the interpretative possibilities and limitations of REEY studies on carbonates.