Abstract
Lithium (Li) can be found in many minerals, including lepidolite. Lepidolite is found in pegmatite-related tin deposits in the Phang Nga area in southern Thailand. According to their field occurrence, petrography, mineral chemistry, and whole-rock geochemistry, the Li-bearing pegmatites and the granitic rocks in the study area can be linked to tin deposits in southern Thailand as part of the SE Asian tin belt. The Li-bearing pegmatites are characterized by an abundance of lepidolite, K-feldspar, plagioclase, and quartz with some accessory minerals of fluorite, cassiterite, apatite, monazite, and beryl. The granitic rocks show various compositions, including porphyritic biotite–muscovite granite, biotite granite, and muscovite—tourmaline granite with different proportions of K-feldspar, plagioclase, quartz, biotite, muscovite, and tourmaline. Whole-rock geochemistry indicates that both the Li-bearing pegmatites and granitic rocks have a close relationship rooted in their peraluminous S-type granite affinity. The Li-bearing pegmatites evolved from highly fractionated S-type granitic rocks comparable with the Western Belt Granite of Thailand. The enrichment of large-ion lithophile elements (e.g., Rb and K) and the depletion of Ba, Nb, and Ti together with similar rare Earth element patterns reflect the collisional setting indicating the Sibumasu–West Burma and West Burma—Indo-Burma collisions during the Cretaceous to the Eocene. The crystallization pressure—temperature conditions of these rocks were 3.49–4.25 kbar and 622°C–675°C, respectively, with an emplacement depth of 13–15 km. The Li-bearing pegmatites had a relatively high average Li grade compared with those of other Li-bearing pegmatites in the world.
1 Introduction
Nowadays, lithium (Li) has become an important element in many industries (e.g., energy storage), especially in the energy industry. Li can be found in many minerals, such as spodumene, lepidolite, amblygonite, petalite in granitic rocks, and pegmatites (; ; Zhang et al., 2020; ). These Li-bearing rocks evolved from highly fractionated granites (; ; Muller et al., 2022; Shen et al., 2022) that migrated from parental granite to rare-metal-rich pegmatites, including Li-bearing pegmatites. Lepidolite pegmatites are well-defined Li sources in several deposits in the world, such as the Alakha deposits in Russia (), the Zavitinskoye deposits in Russia (Seltmann et al., 2010; Melentiev et al., 2022), and the La Vi, Quang Ngai deposits in Vietnam ().
Lepidolite pegmatite and related granitic rocks (; Nakapadungrat and Putthapiban, 1992; ) have been discovered in the tin deposits in the Phang Nga area, southern Thailand (Figure 1) (Suthakorn, 1992; Nakapadungrat and Maneenai, 1993). These rocks comprise the SE Asia tin belt (; Nakapadungrat and Putthapiban, 1992; ), which is associated with various types of tin deposits (), such as argillic dissemination, quartz–cassiterite–wolframite vein swarm, and pegmatite types (; Nakapadungrat and Maneenai, 1993; ). Moreover, granitic rocks related to tin deposits are distributed in many areas along the Western Belt Granite (WBG) of Thailand, such as Chiang Mai, the Thai–Burma border in Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi together with the Phang Nga–Phuket area, and other areas in SE Asia (e.g., Dhawai, Burma; Nakapadungrat and Putthapiban, 1992; ; ).
FIGURE 1
Although there are some reports about tin deposits related to lepidolite pegmatite in Thailand (Suthakorn, 1992; Nakapadungrat and Maneenai, 1993), detailed studies on the petrology and geochemistry of lepidolite pegmatite and related granitic rocks associated with tin deposits in Phang Nga area, southern Thailand, have never made. Therefore, this research aims to provide the petrology, mineral chemistry, and geochemistry of lepidolite pegmatite and related granitic rocks in the Phang Nga tin field, southern Thailand, to understand the petrogenesis, tectonic setting, and Li potential in Thailand and the SE Asia tin belt.
2 Geological background
Granitic rocks widely distributed throughout Thailand and SE Asia (
The granites of the Phang Nga area are exposed along the western coast and central part of the Phang Nga were intruded into Permo-Carboniferous sedimentary rocks, Permian limestone, and Triassic–Jurassic sedimentary rocks and were covered by Quaternary sediment (
3 Analytical methods
Six representative Li-bearing pegmatites and five related granitic rocks exposed in the Phang Nga area, southern Thailand (Figure 1), were collected from the least weathered zone to study their petrography, mineral chemistry, and whole-rock geochemistry. Representative granitic rocks were collected from main granitic exposures, including Khao Po (PNG5), Khao Hang Hong (PNG15), Khao Khanim (PNG13), Khao Lak (PNG9), and Khao Kata Khwam (PNG8) (Figure 1B).
All rock samples were prepared as polished thin sections using grinding powder and diamond paste at the Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University. A Nikon polarized light microscope was used to observe petrographic characteristics.
The mineral chemical study was conducted using an electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA; model JEOL JXA-8100) installed at the Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University. The conditions for the analysis were set at 15 kV and about 2 μA using a focused beam spot (1 μm). Mineral and pure oxide standards were used for calibration at the same conditions with automatic ZAF correction and the analyses are reported as oxide weight percentages. The Li2O content of lepidolite was calculated after Tischendorf et al. (1997).
Representative samples were prepared using a disc mill and were fused to be fused beads for whole-rock geochemical analysis. The major and minor oxides of the samples were analyzed using an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (Bruker model AXS S-4 Pioneer) based at the Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University. The major and minor oxides, including SiO2, TiO2, Al2O3, FeOtotal, MnO, MgO, CaO, Na2O, K2O, and P2O5, were analyzed along with international rock standards for calibration. Loss on ignition was also conducted by measuring weight loss after heating at 1,050°C for 3 h in a furnace. In addition, trace and rare Earth element (REE) compositions were analyzed through inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) at ALS, Vientiane, Laos PDR with detection limits from 0.0004 ppm to 0.01%.
4 Results
4.1 Field occurrence and petrographic description
In the Phang Nga area, one of the main tin fields of Thailand, Li-bearing pegmatites are found as lepidolite pegmatite dikes related to tin deposits near Khao Po in the Takua Thong tin field (Figure 1B). Li-bearing pegmatites with a width ranging from 1 to 10 m are oriented along the NE–SW trend and cut into Carboniferous–Permian mudstone (Figure 2A). These pegmatites appear to have a similar trend with that of the Khlong Marui Fault zone (Figure 1A).
FIGURE 2

(A) Outcrop exposure of the Li-bearing pegmatites cut into the host rock of mudstone; (B,C) lepidolite in the Li-bearing pegmatite; (D–F) granitic rocks associated with tin deposits exposed in the Phang Nga area, southern Thailand.
Representative samples from the pegmatites were collected from the least weathered Li-bearing pegmatites. The Li-bearing pegmatites show phaneritic with some porphyritic textures (Figures 2B, C) with coarse grains (1–2 cm). The main mineral assemblages (Figures 3A, B) include lepidolite, K-feldspar, plagioclase, and quartz with or without accessory minerals of fluorite, cassiterite, apatite, monazite, and beryl. The main minerals in the Li-bearing pegmatites comprised lepidolite at about 20%–30%, feldspar at 30%–40%, and quartz at 20%–40%, with 1%–5% other accessory minerals. The lepidolite was clearly subhedral micaceous with grain sizes that ranged from 0.2 mm to 1 cm. Meanwhile, subhedral and anhedral K-feldspars (0.5 mm–2 cm) were commonly presented as phenocrysts producing the seriate porphyritic texture of the pegmatite. Subhedral and anhedral plagioclase crystals with albite twinning were 0.5 mm–1 cm in size. Subhedral fluorite (0.3 mm–1 cm), anhedral beryl (0.2–0.5 mm), subhedral monazite (0.2–0.5 mm), and cassiterite (<0.1–0.2 mm) were present in some samples.
FIGURE 3

Photomicrograph under cross-polarization (XPL) of the (A,B) Li-bearing pegmatites and (C,D) related granitic rocks in the Phang Nga area, southern Thailand. Abbreviations: Lep (lepidolite); Q (quartz); Kfs (K-feldspar); Pl (plagioclase); Bi (biotite); Mu (muscovite); Ap (apatite).
In the study area, the Li-bearing pegmatites were associated with granitic rocks (Figures 2D–F) in the Phang Nga area (Figure 1B) in the WBG (Nakapadungrat and Putthapiban, 1992;
The above granitic rocks were characterized by porphyritic biotite–muscovite granite (with some biotite granite) and muscovite–tourmaline granite (Figure 2). The porphyritic biotite–muscovite granites were distributed in all granitic exposures in the study area (Figure 1B). Porphyritic textures with feldspar phenocrysts were very common (Figure 2F). Some equigranular texture with medium grains was also found in the muscovite-rich granite (Figure 2E). These granitic rocks were composed mainly of K-feldspar, plagioclase, quartz, biotite, muscovite with accessory minerals of opaque minerals, apatite, zircon, titanite, monazite, and tourmaline.
In terms of microscopic characters (Figures 3C, D), subhedral to anhedral K-feldspars were found as phenocrysts (5 mm–5 cm) and groundmass (0.5–3 mm). A gride twin was clearly observed in microcline. Perthitic textures of alkali feldspar were also found. Subhedral to anhedral plagioclase that ranged in size from 0.3 to 3 mm were clearly observed with significant albite twins and sometimes Carlsbad–albite twins. Anhedral quartz with a size of 0.5–1 mm was a typical composition. Myrmekitic texture was commonly found in quartz. Biotite was very common in the granitic rocks with typical subhedral to anhedral crystals (0.5–4 mm). The biotite showed a flaky texture with different proportions from 5% to 20% in the different granitic exposures. Subhedral to anhedral muscovite (0.5–3 mm) with a flaky texture was also common in the granitic rocks. For the other accessory minerals, suhedral to subhedral titanite (0.5–1 mm), subhedral to anhedral apatite (0.2–0.5 mm), subhedral zircon (0.1–0.3 mm), subhedral to subhedral monazite (0.2–0.5 mm), and subhedral tourmaline (0.4–1 mm) were commonly found in the granitic rocks. In addition, anhedral opaque minerals (0.1–0.3 mm) were also present as accessory minerals.
4.2 Mineral chemistry
The chemistry of selected minerals in the Li-bearing pegmatites and host granites was analyzed. These minerals include lepidolite, biotite, feldspar, cassiterite, ilmenite, and titanite. The analytical results are summarized in Tables 1–5.
TABLE 1
| Analysis no. | C6-3LP4-1 | c7-3LP1-2 | C9-2LP1-2 | C9-2LP2-1 | C9-2LP3-1 | C9-2LP3-2 | C9-2LP4-2 | C9-2LP6-1 | C9-2LP6-2 | C5-2LP7-2 | C5-2LP9-1 | C5-2LP10-2 | C1-3LP1-2 | C1-3LP4-1 | C1-3LP4-2 | C1-3LP7-1 | C4-1LP3-2 | C4-1LP4-2 | C4-1LP6-1 | C4-1LP6-2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mineral name | Lep | Lep | Lep | Lep | Lep | Lep | Lep | Lep | Lep | Lep | Lep | Lep | Lep | Lep | Lep | Lep | Lep | Lep | Lep | Lep |
| SiO2 | 51.13 | 51.64 | 51.18 | 50.57 | 51.15 | 50.75 | 51.13 | 50.77 | 50.84 | 50.25 | 50.54 | 50.51 | 51.10 | 51.36 | 51.88 | 50.35 | 51.32 | 51.15 | 51.03 | 50.80 |
| Al2O3 | 26.17 | 26.38 | 27.19 | 26.76 | 26.23 | 27.20 | 27.16 | 27.30 | 27.43 | 27.90 | 27.30 | 26.39 | 27.02 | 25.51 | 25.84 | 27.51 | 26.83 | 26.59 | 26.25 | 28.16 |
| TiO2 | 0.03 | 0.08 | 0.04 | 0.07 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.04 | 0.02 | 0.08 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.03 | 0.08 | 0.00 | 0.08 | 0.07 | 0.19 | 0.09 |
| FeO | 0.05 | 0.21 | 0.19 | 0.08 | 0.09 | 0.09 | 0.01 | 0.04 | 0.03 | 0.04 | 0.11 | 0.13 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.03 | 0.01 | 0.11 | 0.02 | 0.25 | 0.10 |
| MnO | 1.25 | 1.40 | 1.19 | 0.46 | 0.60 | 0.59 | 0.21 | 0.27 | 0.23 | 0.63 | 1.11 | 2.24 | 1.11 | 1.05 | 1.04 | 0.01 | 1.42 | 0.56 | 1.01 | 1.01 |
| MgO | 0.03 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.08 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.05 | 0.00 |
| CaO | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.04 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.32 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Na2O | 0.19 | 0.18 | 0.38 | 0.44 | 0.47 | 0.46 | 0.68 | 0.63 | 0.66 | 0.12 | 0.46 | 0.29 | 0.20 | 0.31 | 0.20 | 0.28 | 0.33 | 0.50 | 0.12 | 0.38 |
| K2O | 10.56 | 10.67 | 10.28 | 10.73 | 10.58 | 10.57 | 10.18 | 10.61 | 10.75 | 10.99 | 10.10 | 10.14 | 10.33 | 10.26 | 10.37 | 10.08 | 10.29 | 10.31 | 10.73 | 10.22 |
| Li2Oa | 5.12 | 5.27 | 5.13 | 4.96 | 5.12 | 5.01 | 5.12 | 5.02 | 5.03 | 4.86 | 4.95 | 4.94 | 5.11 | 5.18 | 5.34 | 4.89 | 5.17 | 5.12 | 5.09 | 5.02 |
| Total | 94.53 | 95.83 | 95.58 | 94.10 | 94.27 | 94.66 | 94.48 | 94.68 | 95.01 | 94.89 | 94.58 | 94.65 | 94.89 | 93.71 | 94.88 | 93.45 | 95.56 | 94.33 | 94.72 | 95.77 |
| 22 (O) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Si | 6.739 | 6.724 | 6.667 | 6.691 | 6.748 | 6.669 | 6.700 | 6.665 | 6.656 | 6.603 | 6.649 | 6.680 | 6.692 | 6.806 | 6.789 | 6.664 | 6.690 | 6.728 | 6.720 | 6.596 |
| Al | 4.065 | 4.047 | 4.173 | 4.172 | 4.076 | 4.212 | 4.194 | 4.223 | 4.231 | 4.320 | 4.232 | 4.112 | 4.170 | 3.983 | 3.984 | 4.291 | 4.122 | 4.121 | 4.072 | 4.309 |
| Ti | 0.003 | 0.007 | 0.004 | 0.007 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.003 | 0.001 | 0.008 | 0.003 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.003 | 0.008 | 0.000 | 0.007 | 0.007 | 0.018 | 0.009 |
| Lia | 2.712 | 2.756 | 2.688 | 2.637 | 2.718 | 2.646 | 2.696 | 2.647 | 2.649 | 2.569 | 2.616 | 2.626 | 2.690 | 2.762 | 2.807 | 2.603 | 2.711 | 2.709 | 2.695 | 2.622 |
| Fe2+ | 0.005 | 0.023 | 0.020 | 0.008 | 0.010 | 0.009 | 0.001 | 0.004 | 0.003 | 0.004 | 0.012 | 0.014 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.003 | 0.001 | 0.012 | 0.003 | 0.027 | 0.011 |
| Mn | 0.139 | 0.155 | 0.131 | 0.052 | 0.067 | 0.066 | 0.024 | 0.030 | 0.025 | 0.070 | 0.124 | 0.251 | 0.123 | 0.117 | 0.116 | 0.001 | 0.157 | 0.062 | 0.113 | 0.111 |
| Mg | 0.006 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.003 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.002 | 0.002 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.004 | 0.000 | 0.016 | 0.000 | 0.002 | 0.000 | 0.009 | 0.000 |
| Ca | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.004 | 0.003 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.005 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.002 | 0.000 | 0.002 | 0.002 | 0.045 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Na | 0.049 | 0.046 | 0.095 | 0.113 | 0.121 | 0.116 | 0.172 | 0.161 | 0.166 | 0.030 | 0.116 | 0.073 | 0.050 | 0.080 | 0.052 | 0.072 | 0.084 | 0.128 | 0.031 | 0.096 |
| K | 1.775 | 1.771 | 1.707 | 1.810 | 1.779 | 1.772 | 1.701 | 1.776 | 1.794 | 1.842 | 1.695 | 1.711 | 1.725 | 1.733 | 1.729 | 1.701 | 1.710 | 1.729 | 1.802 | 1.692 |
| Total | 15.494 | 15.532 | 15.488 | 15.496 | 15.522 | 15.491 | 15.488 | 15.511 | 15.532 | 15.449 | 15.446 | 15.469 | 15.455 | 15.487 | 15.506 | 15.379 | 15.495 | 15.488 | 15.489 | 15.445 |
Representative EPMA analyses of lepidolite in the Li-bearing pegmatites in the Phang Nga area, Southern Thailand.
Calculated after Tischendorf et al. (1997).
4.2.1 Lepidolite
The compositions of lepidolite, an essential mineral in the Li-bearing pegmatite, are summarized in Table 1. These compositions showed high SiO2 (50.25–51.88 wt%), Al2O3 (25.51–28.16 wt%), and K2O (10.08–10.99 wt%) contents with low MnO (0.01–2.24 wt%) and MgO (0.00–0.08 wt%) contents. The Li2O contents ranged from 4.86 to 5.34 wt%, as calculated after Tischendorf et al. (1997). The lepidolite compositions clearly plot in the lepidolite field (Figure 4A) of Tischendorf et al. (2001).
FIGURE 4

Mineral chemistry plots of (A) lepidolite compositions (after Tischendorf et al., 1997); (B) biotite compositions (after Morimoto et al., 1988); (C) feldspar compositions (after Smith and Brown, 1974); (D) ilmenite (after
4.2.2 Biotite
Biotite, commonly found in the granitic rocks in this study, showed an aluminum content that ranged from 3.31 to 3.56 pfu (17.05–18.38 wt% Al2O3) with the TiO2 and FeOtotal contents of 2.28–3.16 wt% and 24.46–25.71 wt%, respectively. Biotite was not present in the Li-bearing pegmatite. This biotite in the granitic rocks was classified into the annite–siderophyllite end-member following the classification of
TABLE 2
| Analysis No. | PNG15Bi1-1 | PNG15Bi1-2 | PNG15Bi2-1 | PNG15Bi2-2 | PNG15Bi3-1 | PNG15Bi3-2 | PNG9Bi1-1 | PNG9Bi1-2 | PNG9Bi2-1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SiO2 | 34.36 | 34.83 | 34.23 | 34.47 | 34.09 | 33.66 | 34.39 | 33.97 | 33.35 |
| Al2O3 | 17.88 | 17.64 | 18.33 | 18.37 | 17.56 | 17.81 | 17.85 | 18.16 | 17.75 |
| TiO2 | 2.28 | 2.35 | 2.36 | 2.30 | 2.50 | 2.45 | 2.82 | 2.95 | 2.85 |
| Cr2O3 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.03 | 0.04 | 0.00 | 0.05 |
| FeOt | 24.16 | 25.68 | 25.23 | 24.50 | 25.71 | 25.09 | 24.54 | 24.89 | 24.74 |
| MnO | 0.64 | 0.64 | 0.71 | 0.66 | 0.69 | 0.66 | 0.30 | 0.34 | 0.38 |
| MgO | 5.61 | 5.59 | 5.55 | 5.73 | 5.39 | 5.43 | 5.76 | 5.37 | 5.74 |
| CaO | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Na2O | 0.07 | 0.06 | 0.12 | 0.05 | 0.14 | 0.10 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.08 |
| K2O | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Total | 85.02 | 86.80 | 86.54 | 86.08 | 86.13 | 85.25 | 85.75 | 85.73 | 84.93 |
| 22 (O) | |||||||||
| Si | 5.687 | 5.685 | 5.599 | 5.639 | 5.627 | 5.600 | 5.646 | 5.594 | 5.557 |
| Al | 3.486 | 3.394 | 3.534 | 3.540 | 3.416 | 3.491 | 3.453 | 3.523 | 3.485 |
| Ti | 0.284 | 0.288 | 0.290 | 0.283 | 0.311 | 0.307 | 0.348 | 0.365 | 0.357 |
| Cr | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.002 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.004 | 0.006 | 0.000 | 0.006 |
| Fe2+ | 3.343 | 3.505 | 3.451 | 3.351 | 3.548 | 3.489 | 3.368 | 3.425 | 3.446 |
| Mn | 0.090 | 0.088 | 0.098 | 0.091 | 0.097 | 0.094 | 0.042 | 0.048 | 0.053 |
| Mg | 1.383 | 1.358 | 1.351 | 1.397 | 1.325 | 1.345 | 1.407 | 1.318 | 1.423 |
| Ca | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.006 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Na | 0.023 | 0.019 | 0.038 | 0.015 | 0.045 | 0.031 | 0.014 | 0.016 | 0.024 |
| K | 0.004 | 0.004 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.004 | 0.003 | 0.002 | 0.001 | 0.000 |
| Total | 14.300 | 14.341 | 14.362 | 14.316 | 14.379 | 14.363 | 14.286 | 14.289 | 14.353 |
| Temperature (oC)* | 622.5 | 624.3 | 625.7 | 622.0 | 637.1 | 635.3 | 657.5 | 664.0 | 661.6 |
| Pressure (kbar)** | 4.0 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.0 |
| Depth (km) | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 |
| PNG9Bi2-2 | PNG8Bi1-1 | PNG8Bi1-2 | PNG8Bi2-1 | PNG8Bi2-2 | PNG8Bi3-1 | PNG8Bit3-2 | PNG8Bi4-1 | PNG8Bi4-2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32.96 | 34.03 | 34.57 | 34.90 | 34.46 | 34.34 | 34.23 | 34.21 | 35.00 |
| 18.06 | 17.46 | 17.37 | 17.67 | 17.31 | 17.66 | 17.40 | 17.05 | 17.15 |
| 2.93 | 3.09 | 3.16 | 2.98 | 2.99 | 3.07 | 3.09 | 2.83 | 2.68 |
| 0.03 | 0.06 | 0.03 | 0.01 | 0.08 | 0.01 | 0.04 | 0.01 | 0.00 |
| 25.58 | 24.50 | 24.73 | 25.53 | 24.87 | 25.13 | 24.26 | 25.47 | 25.33 |
| 0.34 | 0.40 | 0.37 | 0.38 | 0.39 | 0.38 | 0.43 | 0.41 | 0.39 |
| 5.05 | 5.86 | 5.77 | 5.68 | 5.74 | 5.62 | 5.64 | 5.88 | 5.77 |
| 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.10 | 0.04 |
| 0.09 | 0.00 | 0.08 | 0.09 | 0.09 | 0.04 | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.05 |
| 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 0.00 |
| 85.06 | 85.40 | 86.10 | 87.25 | 85.95 | 86.26 | 85.18 | 86.09 | 86.40 |
| 5.510 | 5.621 | 5.664 | 5.656 | 5.663 | 5.627 | 5.660 | 5.639 | 5.723 |
| 3.558 | 3.398 | 3.353 | 3.374 | 3.352 | 3.409 | 3.390 | 3.313 | 3.305 |
| 0.369 | 0.384 | 0.389 | 0.363 | 0.369 | 0.378 | 0.384 | 0.351 | 0.330 |
| 0.004 | 0.008 | 0.004 | 0.001 | 0.010 | 0.001 | 0.006 | 0.002 | 0.000 |
| 3.575 | 3.384 | 3.387 | 3.459 | 3.417 | 3.442 | 3.353 | 3.510 | 3.463 |
| 0.048 | 0.055 | 0.052 | 0.053 | 0.055 | 0.053 | 0.060 | 0.057 | 0.053 |
| 1.257 | 1.443 | 1.407 | 1.370 | 1.405 | 1.372 | 1.390 | 1.444 | 1.405 |
| 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.018 | 0.006 |
| 0.030 | 0.000 | 0.024 | 0.027 | 0.029 | 0.013 | 0.033 | 0.033 | 0.016 |
| 0.005 | 0.000 | 0.005 | 0.005 | 0.003 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.005 | 0.000 |
| 14.357 | 14.293 | 14.285 | 14.309 | 14.302 | 14.297 | 14.275 | 14.372 | 14.303 |
| 664.7 | 673.5 | 675.0 | 663.6 | 666.9 | 670.3 | 673.1 | 658.9 | 648.4 |
| 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 |
Representative EPMA analyses of biotite in the granitic rocks in the Phang Nga area, southern Thailand.
Calculated after
Calculated after Uchida et al. (2007).
4.2.3 Feldspar
The mineral chemistry of feldspar, including K-feldspar and plagioclase, is presented in Table 3. The composition plots in the feldspar ternary diagram are shown in Figure 4C. The K-feldspar in the Li-bearing pegmatites showed higher orthoclase contents (Or97–98) than those of the granitic rocks (Or91–93) (Figure 4C). For the plagioclase compositions, the plagioclases in the granitic rocks were albite to oligoclase (An0–22), whereas those in the Li-bearing pegmatites were in the albite range (An0–5) (Figure 4C).
TABLE 3
| Rock-Type | Li-bearing pegmatite | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Analysis No. | C7-3F3-1 | C7-3F4-1 | C7-3F5-1 | C7-3F7-2 | C5-2F1-1 | C1-3F2-2 | C3-1F3-2 | C1-3F6-1 | C4-1F1-1 | C4-1F1-2 |
| SiO2 | 67.24 | 67.15 | 67.41 | 66.51 | 67.99 | 67.60 | 67.30 | 68.43 | 67.72 | 68.09 |
| Al2O3 | 19.67 | 19.62 | 19.71 | 20.22 | 19.63 | 19.79 | 19.92 | 19.30 | 20.30 | 20.02 |
| TiO2 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 0.03 |
| FeO | 0.04 | 0.00 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| MnO | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 0.04 | 0.02 |
| MgO | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| CaO | 0.43 | 0.70 | 0.29 | 1.05 | 0.37 | 0.28 | 0.39 | 0.24 | 0.78 | 0.70 |
| Na2O | 11.81 | 11.46 | 11.84 | 11.57 | 11.31 | 11.38 | 11.41 | 11.44 | 11.18 | 11.27 |
| K2O | 0.10 | 0.12 | 0.06 | 0.10 | 0.08 | 0.09 | 0.11 | 0.10 | 0.08 | 0.05 |
| Total | 99.30 | 99.05 | 99.36 | 99.45 | 99.38 | 99.17 | 99.12 | 99.54 | 100.12 | 100.19 |
| 8 (O) | ||||||||||
| Si | 2.968 | 2.969 | 2.971 | 2.937 | 2.987 | 2.978 | 2.969 | 3.001 | 2.959 | 2.971 |
| Al | 1.023 | 1.022 | 1.024 | 1.052 | 1.016 | 1.027 | 1.036 | 0.998 | 1.045 | 1.030 |
| Ti | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Fe2+ | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Mn | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Mg | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Ca | 0.020 | 0.033 | 0.014 | 0.050 | 0.017 | 0.013 | 0.018 | 0.011 | 0.037 | 0.033 |
| Na | 1.010 | 0.982 | 1.011 | 0.990 | 0.962 | 0.971 | 0.975 | 0.972 | 0.946 | 0.953 |
| K | 0.006 | 0.007 | 0.004 | 0.006 | 0.004 | 0.005 | 0.006 | 0.005 | 0.004 | 0.003 |
| Total | 5.028 | 5.014 | 5.025 | 5.035 | 4.988 | 4.996 | 5.004 | 4.989 | 4.993 | 4.991 |
| An% | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.01 | 0.05 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.04 | 0.03 |
| Ab% | 0.97 | 0.96 | 0.98 | 0.95 | 0.98 | 0.98 | 0.98 | 0.98 | 0.96 | 0.96 |
| Or% | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Li-bearing pegmatite | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C9-2F1-1 | C9-2F1-2 | PNG13F1-2 | PNG13F2-2 | PNG13F3-2 | PNG15F1-2 | PNG15F2-1 | PNG9F2-1 | PNG8F1-2 | PNG8F1-1 | PNG8F2-1 |
| 65.08 | 66.03 | 67.11 | 64.16 | 67.47 | 66.25 | 66.86 | 66.80 | 66.10 | 65.72 | 65.47 |
| 18.72 | 18.39 | 19.61 | 21.67 | 20.13 | 19.92 | 20.13 | 20.05 | 20.21 | 17.72 | 16.66 |
| 0.15 | 0.14 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 0.04 | 0.00 |
| 0.21 | 0.22 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.04 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.05 | 0.09 | 0.03 | 0.08 |
| 0.05 | 0.07 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 0.00 | 0.00 | 2.22 | 4.47 | 0.97 | 1.93 | 2.18 | 1.70 | 1.74 | 0.04 | 0.00 |
| 0.30 | 0.20 | 9.93 | 8.64 | 10.58 | 11.48 | 11.45 | 11.98 | 11.65 | 0.75 | 1.03 |
| 15.21 | 14.72 | 0.24 | 0.28 | 0.09 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 16.34 | 16.10 |
| 99.75 | 99.76 | 99.15 | 99.26 | 99.33 | 99.63 | 100.72 | 100.60 | 99.86 | 100.63 | 99.36 |
| 2.997 | 3.026 | 2.965 | 2.851 | 2.966 | 2.929 | 2.926 | 2.928 | 2.918 | 3.021 | 3.050 |
| 1.016 | 0.993 | 1.021 | 1.135 | 1.043 | 1.038 | 1.038 | 1.035 | 1.051 | 0.960 | 0.914 |
| 0.005 | 0.005 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.000 |
| 0.008 | 0.008 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.002 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.002 | 0.003 | 0.001 | 0.003 |
| 0.002 | 0.003 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.105 | 0.213 | 0.046 | 0.092 | 0.102 | 0.080 | 0.082 | 0.002 | 0.000 |
| 0.027 | 0.018 | 0.850 | 0.744 | 0.902 | 0.984 | 0.971 | 1.017 | 0.996 | 0.067 | 0.093 |
| 0.893 | 0.860 | 0.013 | 0.016 | 0.005 | 0.002 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.958 | 0.956 |
| 4.949 | 4.912 | 4.956 | 4.961 | 4.965 | 5.045 | 5.040 | 5.063 | 5.054 | 5.010 | 5.017 |
| 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.11 | 0.22 | 0.05 | 0.08 | 0.10 | 0.07 | 0.08 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.88 | 0.76 | 0.95 | 0.91 | 0.90 | 0.93 | 0.92 | 0.06 | 0.09 |
| 0.97 | 0.98 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.93 | 0.91 |
Representative EPMA analyses of feldspars in the Li-bearing pegmatites and granitic rocks in the Phang Nga area, Southern Thailand.
4.2.4 Cassiterite
Cassiterite was found in the Li-bearing pegmatites as one of the traditional tin deposits in southern Thailand (Figure 1B). The mineral chemistry of cassiterite in the Li-bearing pegmatites is summarized in Table 4. The cassiterite consists predominantly of SnO2 (97.04–98.57 wt%), with some SiO2 (0.22–0.50 wt%), ZrO2 (0.04–0.54 wt%), Sc2O3 (0.00–0.09 wt%), CaO (0.75–0.82 wt%), MgO (0.00–0.09 wt%), MnO (0.00–1.14 wt%), and Ta2O5 (0.00–0.92 wt%). The representative compositions of cassiterite are shown in Figure 5.
TABLE 4
| Rock type | Li-bearing pegmatite | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Analysis no | C1-3Cas1-1 | C1-3Cas1-2 | C1-3Cas1-3 | C1-3Cas2-1 | C1-3Cas2-2 | C1-3Cas2-3 | C4-1Cas2-1 | C4-1Cas2-2 | C4-1Cas2-3 | C4-1Cas4-1 | C4-1Cas4-2 | C4-1Cas4-3 |
| WO3 | 0.09 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.07 | 0.05 | 0.08 | 0.05 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| SiO2 | 0.26 | 0.25 | 0.24 | 0.28 | 0.41 | 0.26 | 0.30 | 0.50 | 0.22 | 0.45 | 0.32 | 0.27 |
| TiO2 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.50 | 0.21 | 0.00 | 0.08 | 0.00 | 0.31 | 0.15 | 0.00 |
| SnO2 | 98.29 | 97.59 | 98.57 | 98.15 | 97.38 | 98.29 | 97.21 | 97.19 | 98.53 | 97.04 | 97.33 | 98.03 |
| UO2 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.06 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| ThO2 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.04 |
| ZrO2 | 0.15 | 0.11 | 0.04 | 0.06 | 0.37 | 0.14 | 0.07 | 0.54 | 0.04 | 0.27 | 0.29 | 0.07 |
| HfO2 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.06 | 0.18 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.07 | 0.10 | 0.09 | 0.04 |
| Sc2O3 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.09 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Al2O3 | 0.05 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.03 | 0.17 | 0.05 | 0.04 | 0.05 | 0.01 | 0.09 | 0.08 | 0.01 |
| MnO | 0.03 | 0.07 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.59 | 0.37 | 0.13 | 1.14 | 0.00 | 0.83 | 0.84 | 0.00 |
| MgO | 0.00 | 0.03 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.09 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| CaO | 0.82 | 0.76 | 0.80 | 0.76 | 0.79 | 0.82 | 0.78 | 0.75 | 0.80 | 0.77 | 0.80 | 0.80 |
| PbO | 0.07 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.07 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.04 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.00 |
| Nb2O5 | 0.14 | 0.00 | 0.20 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.13 | 0.06 | 0.09 | 0.00 | 0.29 | 0.17 | 0.00 |
| Ta2O5 | 0.92 | 0.31 | 0.89 | 0.47 | 0.72 | 0.71 | 0.58 | 0.13 | 0.10 | 0.66 | 0.81 | 0.00 |
| Total | 100.82 | 99.17 | 100.90 | 99.79 | 101.15 | 101.22 | 99.27 | 100.65 | 99.78 | 100.89 | 100.90 | 99.28 |
| 2 (O) | ||||||||||||
| W | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Si | 0.006 | 0.006 | 0.006 | 0.007 | 0.010 | 0.006 | 0.007 | 0.012 | 0.005 | 0.011 | 0.008 | 0.007 |
| Ti | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.009 | 0.004 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.006 | 0.003 | 0.000 |
| Sn | 0.969 | 0.978 | 0.971 | 0.977 | 0.949 | 0.963 | 0.972 | 0.952 | 0.982 | 0.948 | 0.955 | 0.981 |
| U | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Th | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Zr | 0.002 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.004 | 0.002 | 0.001 | 0.007 | 0.001 | 0.003 | 0.003 | 0.001 |
| Hf | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.000 |
| Sc | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.002 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Al | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.005 | 0.002 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.003 | 0.002 | 0.000 |
| Mn | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.012 | 0.008 | 0.003 | 0.024 | 0.000 | 0.017 | 0.017 | 0.000 |
| Mg | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.003 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.001 |
| Ca | 0.022 | 0.020 | 0.021 | 0.020 | 0.021 | 0.022 | 0.021 | 0.020 | 0.021 | 0.020 | 0.021 | 0.022 |
| Pb | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Nb | 0.002 | 0.000 | 0.002 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.003 | 0.002 | 0.000 |
| Ta | 0.006 | 0.002 | 0.006 | 0.003 | 0.005 | 0.005 | 0.004 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.004 | 0.005 | 0.000 |
| Total | 1.010 | 1.011 | 1.010 | 1.010 | 1.017 | 1.014 | 1.011 | 1.023 | 1.011 | 1.018 | 1.018 | 1.011 |
Representative EPMA analyses of cassiterite in the Li-bearing pegmatites in the Phang Nga area, Southern Thailand.
FIGURE 5

Composition mapping of cassiterite in the Li-bearing pegmatites in the Phang Nga area, Southern Thailand.
4.2.5 Ilmenite
Ilmenite was a dominant opaque mineral in the studied granitic rocks. Representative ilmenites were analyzed for their mineral chemistry (as summarized in Table 5). They comprised mainly TiO2 that ranged from 51.57 to 52.88 wt% and FeOtotal that ranged from 45.99 to 47.36 wt%, with low contents of Al2O3 (0.00–0.02 wt%), MnO (0.63–1.10 wt%), and MgO (0.01–0.03 wt%). Solid-solution end-member plots of these ilmenites are clearly defined in Figure 4D.
TABLE 5
| Rock type | Granitic rock | Granitic rock | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Analysis no. | PNG13Op2-1 | PNG15Op2-2 | PNG15Op3-1 | PNG9Op2-2 | PNG9Op3-1 | PNG8Op1-2 | PNG8Op3-2 | PNG1Tit1-2 | PNG1Tit2-2 | PNG8Tit1-1 | PNG8Tit1-2 | PNG8Tit1-3 | PNG8Tit1-4 |
| Mineral name | Ilmenite | Ilmenite | Ilmenite | Ilmenite | Ilmenite | Ilmenite | Ilmenite | Titanite | Titanite | Titanite | Titanite | Titanite | Titanite |
| SiO2 | 0.04 | 0.07 | 0.09 | 0.07 | 0.03 | 0.07 | 0.05 | 30.63 | 30.39 | 30.57 | 30.43 | 30.85 | 30.22 |
| Al2O3 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 1.77 | 1.89 | 5.77 | 5.65 | 5.73 | 5.47 |
| TiO2 | 51.95 | 51.96 | 51.90 | 51.57 | 52.88 | 51.82 | 51.68 | 36.66 | 36.91 | 33.43 | 33.84 | 34.00 | 34.70 |
| Cr2O3 | 0.00 | 0.04 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.04 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.06 | 0.00 |
| FeO | 46.34 | 46.83 | 45.99 | 47.23 | 46.47 | 47.36 | 46.83 | 1.61 | 1.86 | 0.85 | 0.71 | 0.81 | 0.85 |
| MnO | 0.71 | 0.74 | 1.10 | 0.83 | 0.74 | 0.63 | 0.91 | 0.20 | 0.19 | 0.12 | 0.12 | 0.15 | 0.17 |
| MgO | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.04 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.02 |
| CaO | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 28.20 | 27.79 | 28.28 | 28.36 | 28.34 | 27.75 |
| Na2O | 0.00 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.04 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.02 |
| K2O | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.04 | 0.04 |
| Total | 99.05 | 99.68 | 99.18 | 99.72 | 100.20 | 99.93 | 99.49 | 99.09 | 99.08 | 99.08 | 99.13 | 99.97 | 99.22 |
| apfu | 3(O) | 5(O) | |||||||||||
| Si | 0.001 | 0.002 | 0.002 | 0.002 | 0.001 | 0.002 | 0.001 | 1.013 | 1.005 | 1.001 | 0.996 | 1.000 | 0.988 |
| Al | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.069 | 0.074 | 0.222 | 0.218 | 0.219 | 0.211 |
| Ti | 0.997 | 0.992 | 0.994 | 0.986 | 1.001 | 0.988 | 0.990 | 0.911 | 0.918 | 0.822 | 0.832 | 0.829 | 0.853 |
| Cr | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.002 | 0.000 |
| Fe2+ | 0.989 | 0.994 | 0.980 | 1.005 | 0.978 | 1.005 | 0.998 | 0.044 | 0.052 | 0.023 | 0.019 | 0.022 | 0.023 |
| Mn | 0.015 | 0.016 | 0.024 | 0.018 | 0.016 | 0.013 | 0.020 | 0.006 | 0.005 | 0.003 | 0.003 | 0.004 | 0.005 |
| Mg | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.002 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.001 |
| Ca | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.999 | 0.984 | 0.991 | 0.994 | 0.984 | 0.972 |
| Na | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.003 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.001 |
| K | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.002 | 0.002 |
| Total | 2.002 | 2.006 | 2.004 | 2.012 | 1.998 | 2.010 | 2.009 | 3.042 | 3.040 | 3.067 | 3.064 | 3.061 | 3.055 |
Representative EPMA analyses of ilmenite and titanite in the granitic rocks in the Phang Nga area, Southern Thailand.
4.2.6 Titanite
Titanite or sphene, an accessory mineral in the studied granitic rocks, showed high SiO2 (30.22–30.85 wt%), Al2O3 (33.43–36.91 wt%), and CaO (27.75–28.36 wt%) contents, with less TiO2 (1.77–5.77 wt%), FeO (0.71–1.86 wt%), and MnO (0.12–0.20 wt%). The analytical data for titanite are presented in Table 5.
4.3 Whole-rock geochemistry
Whole-rock major and trace compositions of the Li-bearing pegmatites and granitic rocks are summarized in Table 6. The Li-bearing pegmatites and granitic rocks had varying SiO2 contents from 66.01 to 74.93 wt%, where the Li-bearing pegmatites had a slightly lower SiO2 content (66.01–70.00 wt%) than that of the granitic rocks (70.31–74.93 wt%). Generally, the Li-bearing pegmatites showed lower FeOtotal (0.12–0.48 wt%), MgO (0.12–0.48 wt%), and CaO (0.21–0.94 wt%) contents than those of the granitic rocks (1.15–3.07 wt% FeOtotal, 0.17–0.95 wt% MgO, and 0.98–2.18 wt% CaO). Meanwhile, the Li-bearing pegmatites exhibited higher Al2O3 (19.28–22.59 wt%), MnO (0.24–0.80 wt%), and Na2O (2.60–5.63 wt%) contents than those of the granitic rocks (12.64–13.59 wt% Al2O3, 0.03–0.05 wt% MnO, and 2.16–2.84 wt% Na2O). Moreover, both the Li-bearing pegmatites and the granitic rocks showed high contents of Na2O+ K2O, which ranged from 7.66 to 8.29 wt% and 7.55 to 8.46 wt%, respectively. The total alkali–silica (TAS) plot of SiO2 and total alkali (
TABLE 6
| Sample no. | Li-bearing pegmatite | Granitic rocks | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PNG-C1 | PNG-C4 | PNG-C5 | PNG-C6 | PNG-C7 | PNG-C9 | PNG5 | PNG8 | PNG9 | PNG13 | PNG15 | |
| Oxides (wt%) by XRF | |||||||||||
| SiO2 | 68.16 | 66.45 | 66.01 | 69.29 | 67.45 | 70.00 | 72.48 | 70.31 | 73.93 | 74.93 | 73.84 |
| TiO2 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.50 | 0.58 | 0.32 | 0.17 | 0.15 |
| Al2O3 | 20.72 | 22.59 | 21.74 | 19.96 | 21.61 | 19.28 | 13.00 | 13.59 | 12.91 | 12.64 | 13.53 |
| FeOt | 0.12 | 0.18 | 0.48 | 0.14 | 0.13 | 0.12 | 2.55 | 3.07 | 1.94 | 1.15 | 1.22 |
| MnO | 0.30 | 0.52 | 0.80 | 0.27 | 0.27 | 0.24 | 0.04 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.03 | 0.04 |
| MgO | 0.03 | 0.05 | 0.08 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.05 | 0.68 | 0.95 | 0.46 | 0.17 | 0.20 |
| CaO | 0.60 | 0.26 | 0.21 | 0.52 | 0.74 | 0.94 | 1.30 | 2.18 | 1.23 | 1.02 | 0.98 |
| Na2O | 3.95 | 3.52 | 2.60 | 4.44 | 4.32 | 5.63 | 2.16 | 2.28 | 2.40 | 2.84 | 2.84 |
| K2O | 4.29 | 4.61 | 5.44 | 3.22 | 3.97 | 2.18 | 5.38 | 5.48 | 5.51 | 5.28 | 5.61 |
| P2O5 | 0.19 | 0.08 | 0.08 | 0.03 | 0.06 | 0.04 | 0.12 | 0.19 | 0.08 | 0.07 | 0.07 |
| LOI | 1.82 | 1.86 | 2.15 | 1.99 | 2.05 | 1.38 | 1.47 | 1.39 | 1.17 | 1.11 | 1.42 |
| Total | 100.18 | 100.14 | 99.61 | 99.91 | 100.64 | 99.87 | 99.69 | 100.07 | 99.99 | 99.40 | 99.90 |
| Li2O | 1.40 | 0.62 | 1.10 | 1.00 | 1.12 | 0.37 | 0.02 | 0.04 | 0.03 | 0.04 | 0.04 |
| Li (%) | 0.65 | 0.29 | 0.51 | 0.46 | 0.52 | 0.17 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.0176 |
| Trace and REE (ppm) by ICP-MS | |||||||||||
| Li | 6,520 | 2,900 | 5,090 | 4,640 | 5,200 | 1700 | 96.1 | 182.5 | 125 | 183 | 176 |
| B | 111 | 72 | 124 | 61 | 64 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ba | <2 | 16 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 530 | 710 | 245 | 103 | 112 |
| Be | 400 | 210 | 186 | 139.5 | 430 | 300 | 5.11 | 6.04 | 9.72 | 7.9 | 10.9 |
| Cu | <20 | <20 | <20 | <20 | <20 | <20 | 5.39 | 6.2 | 3.75 | 1.62 | 3.38 |
| Ni | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 6.68 | 6.77 | 3.68 | 0.99 | 1.31 |
| Sr | <20 | <20 | <20 | <20 | <20 | <20 | 86.7 | 123 | 60.5 | 31.5 | 37.2 |
| V | <1 | 6 | 2 | <1 | 1 | 1 | 27 | 46 | 13.4 | 3.7 | 3.9 |
| Zn | 10 | 70 | 60 | 20 | 40 | 40 | 49.8 | 54.5 | 57.3 | 45.4 | 50.5 |
| Bi | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.751 | 0.64 | 2.79 | 4.13 | 4.94 |
| Ce | 4.2 | 4.3 | 6.9 | 4.1 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 85.4 | 145 | 290 | 121.5 | 105 |
| Co | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 123 | 62.7 | 49.3 | 44.8 | 48.8 |
| Cs | 329 | 80.4 | 242 | 284 | 325 | 105.5 | 31.7 | 33.5 | 63.5 | 101.5 | 34.8 |
| Dy | 2.61 | 1.14 | 1.32 | 1.22 | 0.78 | 0.15 | 6.9 | 7.96 | 12.1 | 6.34 | 5.71 |
| Er | 0.48 | 0.38 | 0.43 | 0.44 | 0.13 | 0.1 | 3.7 | 4.47 | 5.06 | 2.76 | 2.31 |
| Eu | <0.03 | <0.03 | 0.03 | <0.03 | <0.03 | <0.03 | 0.939 | 1.24 | 0.838 | 0.319 | 0.325 |
| Ga | 92.6 | 108.5 | 90.7 | 78.5 | 104.5 | 63.2 | 18.1 | 17.9 | 23.5 | 24.1 | 25.4 |
| Gd | 1.01 | 1.05 | 0.63 | 0.91 | 0.94 | 0.18 | 7.56 | 9.58 | 16.5 | 8.06 | 7.18 |
| Ge | 7.8 | 5.6 | 6.1 | 7.2 | 8 | 7.5 | 0.13 | 0.19 | 0.29 | 0.15 | 0.16 |
| Ho | 0.16 | 0.15 | 0.15 | 0.16 | 0.09 | 0.02 | 1.24 | 1.505 | 1.94 | 1.01 | 0.878 |
| La | 2.01 | 1.81 | 3.21 | 1.83 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 54.8 | 89.7 | 148.5 | 57.2 | 50.8 |
| Lu | 0.09 | 0.07 | 0.08 | 0.07 | <0.05 | <0.05 | 0.435 | 0.552 | 0.528 | 0.298 | 0.264 |
| Nb | 55.7 | 52.8 | 70.4 | 30.1 | 44.4 | 37.6 | 23.3 | 22.4 | 31.4 | 36.1 | 40.4 |
| Nd | 1.71 | 2.12 | 2.62 | 1.81 | 1.37 | 0.4 | 44.1 | 68 | 117 | 49 | 42.3 |
| Pb | 5.4 | 10.3 | 4.5 | 11 | 9.3 | 8.1 | 49.3 | 41.8 | 72.1 | 61.3 | 66 |
| Pr | 0.45 | 0.46 | 0.69 | 0.5 | 0.42 | 0.15 | 11.6 | 18.6 | 34.9 | 13.4 | 11.7 |
| Rb | 4,520 | 2,570 | 4,550 | 3,510 | 4,370 | 1,560 | 372 | 366 | 564 | 629 | 662 |
| Sm | 1.2 | 1.03 | 1.89 | 1.09 | 1.92 | 0.48 | 8.78 | 12 | 23.4 | 10.7 | 9.48 |
| Sn | 734 | 987 | 580 | 651 | 573 | 1,210 | 8.18 | 6.45 | 23.7 | 35.9 | 32.7 |
| Ta | 232 | 96 | 221 | 64.8 | 126 | 32.3 | 4.11 | 2.97 | 5.61 | 7.11 | 7.71 |
| Tb | 0.28 | 0.24 | 0.26 | 0.24 | 0.19 | 0.02 | 1.1 | 1.345 | 2.22 | 1.145 | 1.075 |
| Th | 13 | 9.7 | 8.4 | 10.1 | 7.2 | 4.4 | 42.9 | 49.3 | 86.3 | 68.7 | 58.4 |
| Tl | 15.1 | 8.42 | 15.35 | 13.05 | 14.65 | 5.06 | 1.985 | 1.82 | 2.81 | 3.48 | 3.77 |
| Tm | 0.11 | 0.06 | 0.06 | 0.06 | 0.03 | 0.01 | 0.487 | 0.596 | 0.659 | 0.358 | 0.298 |
| U | 11.7 | 3.8 | 8.3 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 1.6 | 8.22 | 6.96 | 16.75 | 30.2 | 31.2 |
| W | 22.7 | 8.1 | 25.1 | 18.8 | 27.9 | 9.9 | 1,010 | 500 | 310 | 390 | 430 |
| Y | 19.4 | 7.6 | 9.4 | 12.7 | 6 | 2.1 | 34.5 | 42.1 | 55.5 | 29.2 | 22.9 |
| Yb | 1.27 | 0.56 | 0.74 | 0.78 | 0.22 | 0.07 | 3.07 | 3.73 | 3.82 | 2.14 | 1.875 |
Representative whole-rock geochemistry of Li-bearing pegmatites and granitic rocks in the Phang Nga area, Southern Thailand.
by XRF.
by ICP-MS.
FIGURE 6

TAS discrimination diagram (
Chondrite-normalized spider diagrams (Figure 7A) of both Li-bearing pegmatites and granites show the marked enrichment of large-ion lithophile elements (LILEs), such as Rb and K, with the depletion of Ba, Nb, and Ti. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns (Figure 7B) of both groups show similar patterns that are slightly high in light REEs (LREEs). Moreover, the chondrite-normalized spider diagrams and REE patterns of both groups are clearly comparable with those of typical S-type granitic rocks in WBG reported by
FIGURE 7

(A) Chondrite-normalized spider diagrams (chondrite values from Sun and McDonough, 1989) and (B) chondrite-normalized REE patterns (chondrite values from Sun and McDonough, 1989) of the Li-bearing pegmatites and related granitic rocks in the Phang Nga area, southern Thailand.
5 Discussion
5.1 Petrogenesis
The studied Li-bearing pegmatites and granites have porphyritic textures and significant amounts of biotite and muscovite, which are typical characteristics of the S-type granite in WBG (Nakapadungrat and Putthapiban, 1992;
The SiO2 and Na2O+ K2O–CaO plot (Figure 8A) of
FIGURE 8

Plots of (A) SiO2 and Na2O+ K2O−CaO diagram (after
FIGURE 9

Plots of (A) K/Rb and Nb/Ta and (B) K/Rb and Ta diagrams (after Yin et al., 2019) of the Li-bearing pegmatite and related granitic rocks in the Phang Nga area, southern Thailand.
FIGURE 10

Biotite mineral chemistry plots of (A) MgO and MgO/(FeO + MgO) diagram (after Zhou, 1986), (B) MgO and Al2O3 diagram (after
The crystallization pressure–temperature (P–T) conditions of the studied granitic rocks have been widely studied using mineral chemistry data of single minerals or coexisting minerals (e.g.,
In terms of crystallization pressures, the Al-in-biotite geobarometer of Uchida et al. (2007) was applied to calculate the crystallization pressure using the following equation: P (kbar) = 3.03 × TAl–6.53 (±0.33), where TAl is the total content in biotite based on O = 22. The calculation pressures of the granitic rocks related to the Li-bearing pegmatites were 3.49–4.25 kbar, with an average of 3.87 kbar (Table 2). In addition, the calculated pressures were widely used to estimate the equilibration depth of plutonic rocks (e.g., Stein and Dietl, 2001;
5.2 Tectonic implications
The tectonic setting of the study area (Phang Nga, southern Thailand) in the WBG as part of the SE Asia tin belt is implied by the combination of mineral chemistry and whole-rock geochemistry together with the findings of previous studies on the WBG. The geochemical plot of R1 (4Si-11(Na + K)-2(Fe + Ti)) and R2 (6Ca + 2 Mg + Al) diagrams (Figure 11A) suggest that the granitic rocks and the Li-bearing pegmatites relate to a syn-collision setting comparable with that of the WBG in Thailand reported by Nakapadungrat and Putthapiban (1992) and the WBG in Myanmar (
FIGURE 11

Plots of (A) R1 (4Si-11(Na + K)-2(Fe + Ti)) and R2 (6 Ca + 2 Mg + Al) tectonic discrimination diagrams (after
The LILE enrichment (including Rb, Ta, and K) in the chondrite-normalized spider diagram (Figure 7A) and the depletion of Ba, Nb, Ti, and Yb indicate an S-type-granite–related collision (
Geochronological reports indicate collisional events during the Late Cretaceous and Paleocene to the Eocene (Nakapadungrat and Putthapiban, 1992;
5.3 Lithium deposit and potential
The combined field occurrence, petrography, mineral chemistry, and geochemistry data indicate that the granitic rocks and related Li-bearing pegmatites in the Phang Nga, southern Thailand, have a close relationship, as reflected by the highly fractional crystallization trend in the plots of Ba–Rb–Sr (Figure 8C), Nb/Ta vs. K/Rb (Figure 9A), and Ta vs. K/Rb (Figure 9B). This probably indicates that the Li-bearing pegmatites are part of the late stages of the highly fractionated granitic magma in the study area (Yin et al., 2019). The close relationship of the Li-bearing pegmatites and highly fractionated granitic rocks, such as tourmaline–muscovite granite, was also mentioned in a study on the Nok Hook mine, Khao Kata Khwam area (Figure 1B) (Suwimonprecha, 1989; Nakapadungrat and Maneenai, 1993). This relationship is strongly consistent with those of highly fractionated granites and Li-bearing pegmatites in several areas, such as the Dahutang deposit, South China (Yin et al., 2019), Separation Lake area, Ontario, Canada (Tindle and Breaks, 2000), Gonçalo, central Portugal (Neiva and Ramos, 2010), and Maine, United States (
For the Li grade, the Li content of the Li-bearing pegmatites was 0.43% Li (0.17%–0.65% Li) in this study, comparable with those of other Li-bearing pegmatites in the world (Table 7; Figure 12). According to the overall Li deposits in the world (Table 7; Figure 12), high Li grades are found in spodumene pegmatite deposits, such as the Tastyq deposits in Russia (1.86% Li;
TABLE 7
| Country | Deposits | Lithium grade (%Li) | Type of deposit | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand | (1) Thailand: Phang Nga | 0.43 | Lepidolite granite | This study |
| Vietnam | (2) Vietnam: La Vi, Quang Ngai | 0.51 | Lepidolite granite | |
| China | (3) China: Jiajika | 0.59 | Spodumene pegmatite | Research In China (2009) |
| China | (4) China: Koktokay no.3 | 1.25 | Spodumene-Lepidolite pegmatite | |
| China | (5) China: Bailongshan | 0.7 | Spodumene pegmatite | Wang et al. (2021) |
| China | (6) China: Qiongjiagan | 0.6 | Spodumene pegmatite | Qin et al. (2021) |
| China | (7) China: Jiangxi | 0.77 | Amblygonite pegmatite | Wang et al. (2020) |
| China | (8) China: South Fulugou | 0.88 | Spodumene pegmatite | |
| China | (9) China: Kalaka | 0.43 | Spodumene pegmatite | Teng and Gao (2019) |
| China | (10) China: Aktas | 0.7 | Spodumene pegmatite | Teng and Gao (2019) |
| Kazakhstan | (11) Kazakhstan: Kalba | 0.95 | Spodumene pegmatite | Oitseva et al. (2017) |
| America | (12) United States: Kings Mountain | 0.70 | Spodumene pegmatite | |
| America | (13) United States: Bessemer City | 0.67 | Spodumene pegmatite | |
| Canada | (14) Canada: Whabouchi | 0.54 | Spodumene pegmatite | |
| Canada | (15) Canada: Georgia Lake | 0.53 | Spodumene pegmatite | |
| Canada | (16) Canada: Separation Rapids | 0.61 | Spodumene pegmatite | Sweetapple (2000) |
| Canada | (17) Canada: Tanco | 0.64 | Spodumene-Petalite pegmatite | Stilling et al. (2006) |
| Canada | (18) Canada: James Bay | 0.58 | Spodumene pegmatite | SRK Consulting (2010) |
| Canada | (19) Canada: Quebec Lithium | 0.23 | Spodumene pegmatite | |
| Australia | (20) Australia: Greenbushes | 1.05 | Spodumene pegmatite | |
| Australia | (21) Australia: Mt. Cattlin | 0.67 | Spodumene pegmatite | (www.galaxyresources.com.au) |
| Australia | (22) Australia: Kathleen Valley | 0.65 | Spodumene pegmatite | |
| Australia | (23) Australia: Pilgangoora | 0.58 | Spodumene pegmatite | |
| Australia | (24) Australia: Mt. Marion | 0.64 | Spodumene pegmatite | |
| Zimbabwe | (25) Zimbabwe: Bikita | 0.65 | Spodumene-Petalite pegmatite | |
| Zimbabwe | (26) Zimbabwe: Kamativi belt | 0.28 | Spodumene pegmatite | Sinclair (1996) |
| Congo | (27) Congo: Manono-Kitolo | 0.6 | Spodumene pegmatite | Sinclair (1996) |
| Mali | (28) Mali: Goulamina | 0.69 | Spodumene pegmatite | |
| Namibia | (29) Namibia: Rubicon and Helikon | 1.4 | Lepidolite-Petalite pegmatite | |
| Portugal | (30) Portugal: Fregeneda-Almendra | 0.3 | Spodumene-Lepidolite-Petalite pegmatite | |
| Finland | (31) Finland: Ullava Länttä | 0.43 | Spodumene pegmatite | |
| Russia | (32) Russia: Kolmozero | 0.53 | Spodumene pegmatite | |
| Russia | (33) Russia: Vishnyakovskoe | 0.49 | Spodumene-Petalite pegmatite | Seltmann et al. (2010); Zagorsky et al. (2014) |
| Russia | (34) Russia: Goltzovoe | 0.37 | Spodumene-Petalite pegmatite | Seltmann et al. (2010); Vladimirov et al. (2012) |
| Russia | (35) Russia: Zavitinskoye | 0.37 | Spodumene pegmatite | Seltmann et al. (2010); Melentiev et al. (2022) |
| Russia | (36) Russia: Alakha | 0.46 | Lepidolite pegmatite | |
| Russia | (37) Russia: Tastyq | 1.86 | Spodumene pegmatite |
Overview of the Li grade from Li-pegmatites in the main lithium deposits in the world.
FIGURE 12

Overview of the Li grade of the Li-bearing pegmatites in the Phang Nga area, southern Thailand, and lithium deposits in the world. The details of the Li grades of the lithium deposits are presented in Table 7.
6 Conclusion
The Li-bearing pegmatites and related granitic rocks in the Phang Nga area, southern Thailand, can elucidate geological processes for petrogenesis, tectonic implications, and Li-mineralization together with the Li potential in Thailand as follows.
1. The Li-bearing pegmatites are characterized by lepidolite pegmatite and relate to the granitic rocks including porphyritic biotite–muscovite granite, biotite granite, and muscovite–tourmaline granite.
2. The geochemical characteristics of both the Li-bearing pegmatites and related granitic rocks indicate a peraluminous S-type granite affinity.
3. The enrichment of LILEs (e.g., Rb and K) and the depletion of Ba, Nb, and Ti together with the slightly high LREE contents indicate that the studied rocks were emplaced from a collisional setting.
4. The Li-bearing pegmatites that evolved from highly fractionated S-type granitic rocks are comparable with the WBG in Thailand, which took place during the West Burma and Sibumasu collision during the Cretaceous to Eocene.
5. The crystallization P–T conditions of the granitic rocks related to Li-bearing pegmatites were 3.49–4.25 kbar and 622°C–675°C, respectively, with an emplacement depth of 13–15 km.
6. The Li-bearing pegmatites, being among the Sn–W pegmatite deposits in southern Thailand, SE Asia tin belt, evolved from granitic rocks.
7. The Li-bearing pegmatites contained an average Li grade of 0.43% Li (0.17%–0.65% Li), which is similar to those of several well-known Li-bearing pegmatites in the world.
Statements
Data availability statement
The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/supplementary material, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.
Author contributions
AF contributed to the research initiation, field investigation, sample collection, laboratory studies, data collection, discussion, manuscript preparation, and revision. JT contributed to the laboratory studies and data collection. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.
Funding
This research was funded by the Thailand Science Research and Innovation Fund Chulalongkorn University [CU_FFB65_ind (3)_108_23_38].
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, for the laboratory studies, the Pan Asia Metal (Thailand) Company Limited, and Mr. Sakda Thorraneethip for the support regarding the samples and accessible study site. The authors would like to thank the Department of Primary Industries and Mines and Miss Alissara Prasertying for the valuable discussions.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Publisher’s note
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Summary
Keywords
lithium, lepidolite, pegmatite, granite, Thailand, tin belt, Southeast Asia (SE Asia)
Citation
Fanka A and Tadthai J (2023) Petrology and geochemistry of Li-bearing pegmatites and related granitic rocks in southern Thailand: implications for petrogenesis and lithium potential in Thailand. Front. Earth Sci. 11:1221485. doi: 10.3389/feart.2023.1221485
Received
12 May 2023
Accepted
07 June 2023
Published
22 June 2023
Volume
11 - 2023
Edited by
Basilios Tsikouras, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Brunei
Reviewed by
Georgia Pe-Piper, Saint Mary’s University, Canada
Sergey Khromykh, V. S. Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy (RAS), Russia
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© 2023 Fanka and Tadthai.
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*Correspondence: Alongkot Fanka, alongkot.f@chula.ac.th
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