Within a suite of felsic-free, mica-rich alkaline ultramafic rocks of the Schryburt Lake carbonatite complex of northwestern Ontario, loparite and Ba-Fe hollandite occur in intimate association with perovskite. The host rocks have variable modal proportions of Mg-olivine, phlogopite, magnetite, ilmenite, apatite and carbonate (generally calcite) with minor Mg-salite. Thus, they correspond to ultramafic lamprophyres (i.e. aillikites), in the sense of Rock (1990) or the lamprophyric facies of the melilitite clan, in the sense of Mitchell (1993).

Perovskite is the principal titanate phase, forming both euhedral and anhedral grains, the latter showing evidence of marginal resorption. It exhibits complex zonal patterns due principally to variations in the light rare earth elements, Na and Nb. In the nomenclature suggested, they may be termed perovskite and cerian perovskite. Loparite forms as small euhedral overgrowths on corroded perovskite cores. Chemically they are essentially solid solutions of loparite, lueshite and perovskite. Consequently, they may be termed calcian-loparite, calcian niobian loparite, niobian calcian loparite, loparite and niobian loparite. Titanates of the hollandite group are rare accessory minerals whose composition closely approach that of the septatitanate BaFe2+Ti7O16.

The complex zoning of the perovskite grains has been attributed to the periodic introduction of carbonatite-derived fluids enriched in REE, Na and Nb into the silicate system during perovskite crystallization. Subsequent reaction of the early perovskite with F-bearing fluids leads to a localized environment enriched in Ti, Na, Nb and REE derived from both the fluid phase and the unstable perovskite. Loparite subsequently crystallizes from these micro-chemical environments.

Perovskite group minerals, general formula ABX3, from the intrusive ultramafic alkaline Gardiner Complex, East Greenland, range from almost pure CaTiO3 (perovskite, sensu stricto), to the rare earth element (REE) variety, loparite-(Ce). Chemical zonation in the perovskites (sensu lato), is described by the substitutions 2Ca2+ = (Na+ + REE3+) on the A-site and 2Ti4+ = (Fe3+ + Nb5+) on the B-site. Other trace elements detected include Th, Sr, Al, Si, Zr, Ta and Sn. Excellent agreement was found between the determinations of the REE by electron microprobe and neutron activation analysis. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns display enrichment in the light rare earths for perovskite, loparite, apatite, melilite and diopside. Mean perovskite/apatite partition coefficients from four of the Gardiner rocks were calculated as La = 10.4, Ce = 13.8, Nd = 13.9, Sm = 9.9, Eu = 7.7, Gd = 5.2, Tb = 5.6, Tm = 5.5, Yb = 2.7 and Lu = 1.6, indicating that perovskite concentrates all REE to a much greater extent than apatite. Light-REE enrichment occurs in both perovskite and apatite.

Th-rich (up to 18.4 wt% ThO2) loparite occurs as an accessory phase in foyaite pegmatites at Mt. Eveslogchorr, Khibina complex, Russia. It is associated with aegirine, astrophyllite, eudialyte, lorenzenite, lamprophyllite, magnesio-arfvedsonite and gerasimovskite. Loparite crystals are zoned from niobian loparite (core) to niobian thorian and thorian niobian loparite (rim). Th-enrichment is accompanied by a decrease in Na, LREE, Sr and increase in A-site vacancies. The most Th-rich composition approaches (Na0.39LREE0.19Th0.12Ca0.05Sr0.02)Σ0.77(Ti0.76Nb0.27)Σ1.03O3. The mineral is partly or completely metamict and after annealing gives an X-ray diffraction powder pattern similar to that of synthetic NaLaTi2O6 and naturally occurring loparite of different composition. For the Th-rich rim sample, the five strongest diffraction lines (Å) are: 2.72 (100) 110, 1.575 (60) 211, 1.925 (40), 1.368 (30) 220, 1.222 (20) 310; a = 3.867(2) Å. The X-ray diffraction patterns do not exhibit peak splitting or other diffraction lines typical of low-symmetry and ordered perovskite-type structures. Composition determinations, infrared transmission spectroscopy and X-ray diffractometry show that thorian loparite is partly replaced by betafite with LREE and Th as dominant A-site cations (‘ceriobetafite’). Some loparite samples also exhibit thin replacement mantles of belyankinite with high LREE2O3 and ThO2 contents. Both ‘ceriobetafite’ and belyankinite were formed due to metasomatic alteration of loparite.