REE-förande fosfater i Blötbergets apatitjärnmalm
The Blötberget deposit is situated in the north-western part of Bergslagen. The mineralization is an apatite-iron oxide ore of Kiruna type. In Bergslagen the apatite-iron oxide ores occur along a zone from Grängesberg through Blötberget to Idkerberget in the northeast and they represent the largest and the most important iron oxide deposit in Sweden, south of Norrbotten.Different REE hosting phosphate phases has been studied by optical microscopy and analyzed by EDS attached to an electron microscope.The key minerals other than iron oxides are apatite, monazite and xenotime. The relative concentration of the REE-bearing phases differs from the other apatite-iron oxide mineralizations in the area, for example Grängesberg, by a higher concentration of xenotime and lower contents of allanite.