Pegmatites in Nasarawa area of Central Nigeria lie within a fracture-controlled east-north-east trending rare metal pegmatite belt closely associated with late Pan African peraluminous granites in Nigeria. Trace elements of feldspars and muscovites of pegmatites in Nasarawa area of Central Nigeria were analyzed to determine the rare metals mineralization potentials of the pegmatites. The minerals show fractionation even within units of complex mineralized pegmatites as indicated by the wide ranges of K/Rb in Na-feldspars (albites), muscovites and K-feldspars and the wide range of K/Tl in the latter two minerals. Cs, Rb and Tl and the rare earth elements (REEs) Ce, La, Pr and Y are enriched in the K-bearing muscovites and K-feldspars; K-feldspars have the highest average values of Tl, Ce, La, Pr and Y while the muscovites have the highest average values of Sn, Nb, Ga, F and Zn. Average values of Ta, Sr, Ba, W and Zr are highest in the albites, which also have the lowest average Nb/Ta ratio. This is an indication that these elements are enriched along late Na-rich rare metal mineralizing fluids. The rare alkalis Rb and Cs and Tl are positively correlated with the rare lithophile elements (Ta, REEs, Pb, Bi and Y), in both the pegmatite K-feldspars and muscovites, strongly positively correlated with Sn in the muscovites but negatively correlated with Nb in the minerals. In the pegmatitic albites, Nb has very strong positive correlations with Ta (0.868) and Zr (0.847), which is indicative of the incorporations/ substitution of these elements in the crystal lattice of the ore minerals. There is a general enrichment of the rare elements towards the middle and inner zones of the complex mineralized pegmatites. Fluorine, phosphorus and boron-rich fluids played significant roles in the magmatic complexation/fractionation and concentration of Sn-Ta-Li-Cs-Be in the albitized zones of the highly evolved pagmatites. K/Rb versus Cs in the K-feldspars classify the pegmatites into barren, Be-, Li-Be, and Li-Cs-Be-Ta types. Comparably low Nb/Ta ratios in the late albites and amblygonites indicate the paragenesis of these minerals with the tantalum ores in the middle/inner zones of the complex mineralized pegmatites. While the Be-, and Li-Be-types are highly prospective for gem tourmaline, beryl and columbite; the most evolved pegmatites in this area are good candidates for tantalite, amblygonite-montebrasite, and probably pollucite prospecting/mining.
