Specific features of supercontinent cycles in the metallogeny of tantalum

The metallogeny of tantalum through the geological history has been analyzed. A representative sampling contains mineral deposits of five types: pegmatitic, granitic, alkaligranitic, foidic, and carbonatitic ones. They were formed with a variable intensity during the time range from the Late Mesoarchean to Cenozoic. The most notable resources of tantalum are known in the deposits of the Rodinian cycle, as well as the Pangean and Colombian ones. All these cycles stand out against other ones by a leading role of the deposits associated with alkaline magmas of mantle origin. However, the concentrates of the highest quality to extract tantalum are obtained from the deposits in rare-metal pegmatites and lithium-fluorine granites produced by crustal magmas. Only the pegmatitic deposits are known for the Kenoran cycle in tantalum metallogeny. They contain a maximum amount of such high-quality resources.