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Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8836-0228
Date Available
7-7-2028
Year of Publication
2026
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
College
Arts and Sciences
Department/School/Program
Earth and Environmental Sciences (Geology)
Faculty
David Moecher
Faculty
Andrea Erhardt
Abstract
Exploration for critical mineral resources within the United States is increasing, especially for rare earth element (REE) minerals, as the U.S. has become reliant on the importation of minerals to fulfill growing domestic demand. The purpose of this study is to use Laser Ablation Split Stream – Inductively Coupled Plasma – Mass Spectrometry (LASS–ICP–MS) on detrital monazite grains for U–Pb geochronology and REE analysis to constrain sedimentary provenance and evaluate the REE potential in the Coastal Plain province of South Carolina. Samples were obtained from the USGS NURE program with additional panned stream samples and Late Cretaceous to Early Cenozoic Coastal Plain formations. The dominant heavy minerals are ilmenite, zircon, monazite, sillimanite, and garnet, consistent with a metamorphic source terrane. Detrital monazite grains within the Cenozoic formations and in the modern Coastal Plain waterways have major U–Pb age modes (Alleghanian, Neo-Acadian, lesser Acadian, no Taconian) consistent with a provenance from terranes southeast of the Brevard Fault zone in the Inner Piedmont. The notable lack of Taconian-aged monazite grains is consistent with a general lack of Blue Ridge Province input. Heavy REE concentrations vary widely among dated grains, but monazite grains of Neo-Acadian age tend to have highest Gd/Lu values, consistent with monazite growth related to garnet growth during peak Neo-Acadian regional metamorphism. There is not a clear relationship between Y+HREE content, spot location, and age as shown by in-situ studies of metamorphic monazite in metapelites. Comparison of samples in this study to previous works indicates that the source of sediment matches those in the Inner Piedmont of South and North Carolina.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2026.343
Archival?
Archival
Funding Information
This study was supported by a National Science Foundation grant (no.: 2346610) and the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences Ferm Fund and Brown-McFarlan Fund throughout 2024 - 2026.
Recommended Citation
Grove, Riley E., "Provenance of Detrital Monazite in Tertiary Coastal Plain Sediments (South Carolina) Based on Monazite U–Pb Geochronology, REE Concentrations, and Heavy Mineral Assemblages: Implications for Critical Mineral Resources" (2026). Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences. 126.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/ees_etds/126
