Petrographic and Geochemical Evaluations of Rare – Metal (Ta-Nb) Potentials of Precambrian Pegmatities of AWO Area Southwestern, Nigeria.

Abstract-- The Petrographic and geochemical evaluations of pegmatite bodies around Awo in Southwestern Nigeria were carried out with a view to characterising them and determining their genesis and rare metal potentials that may be related to Ta-Nb mineralization. Fifteen (15) whole rock pegmatite samples and five (5) muscovite samples extracted from the pegmatites were analyzed for major and trace elements using the Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectrometer (ICP-AES) analytical method. The petrography revealed preponderance of Microcline and albite with subordinate muscovite and anhedral quartz, accessory minerals found include tourmaline, garnet, beryl, and spodumene. The whole rock pegmatites are highly siliceous having SiO2 mean value to be (54.95%) while the muscovite extract has a mea