Titanite is widely used in geochronology and petrogenetic studies, yet its behaviour during fluid-mediated alteration remains insufficiently constrained. This study investigates titanite alteration and element redistribution in the Mesoproterozoic Kabeliai granitoids (southern Lithuania) to evaluate their response to magmatic and hydrothermal processes. Petrography, EPMA, LA-ICP-MS, U-Pb geochronology, and mass balance modeling were combined to characterise titanite textures, chemistry, and isotopic evolution. Three titanite types were distinguished. Type 1 titanite preserves magmatic compositions and yields U-Pb ages of 1508 ± 19 (MSWD = 0.91; 2σ) and 1527 ± 9 Ma (MSWD = 0.54; 2σ), consistent with late magmatic crystallisation. Type 2 titanite represents a transitional fluid-altered stage, characterised by a porous texture. Type 3 titanite is interpreted to record hydrothermal recrystallisation, trace element depletion (Y, REE, Nb, Zr), and U-Pb resetting, with ages of 1454 ± 14 Ma (MSWD = 0.48; 2σ) and 1475 ± 23 Ma (MSWD = 0.63; 2σ) partially overlapping molybdenite mineralisation at ca. 1486 Ma. Mass balance modeling indicates that alteration was dominated by coupled albitisation and chloritisation, and by the redistribution of Ca, Si, and REE. In contrast, Ti remained relatively immobile at the rock scale and was locally redistributed among secondary phases via dissolution–reprecipitation. These results suggest that different titanite domains may preserve distinct stages of magmatic and hydrothermal evolution and highlight the importance of microstructural context when interpreting U-Pb ages in altered granitoid systems.

This study analyzes clay sources, ceramic paste recipes, and technological choices in Neolithic pottery from west Lithuania, where local hunter–fisher–gatherer groups encountered incoming communities of the Globular Amphora (GAC) and Corded Ware cultures (CWC) during the fourth to third millennium BCE. Thirty sherds from coastal Šventoji and the inland Biržulis region were analyzed by optical microscopy and SEM–EDS, revealing that most ceramic pastes comprise variegated hydromicaceous clay with quartz and feldspar. In Narva Culture pottery, vessels from the Biržulis region (Daktariškė 5) are dominated by fine-grained clay, whereas Šventoji examples are more variegated and diatom-bearing; both assemblages show organic inclusions (mussel shell, bone, charred plant material) and very low firing temperatures (<650 °C). GAC exhibits cross-site coherence, characterized by crushed, deformed, cataclastic muscovite granite in fine lacustrine clay and low firing temperatures (~650–750 °C). CWC from Daktariškė 5 geochemically clusters with Narva and hybrid-type pottery, while CWC at Šventoji aligns with GAC; both show low firing temperatures (~650–750 °C). Ceramic pastes contain argillaceous clasts partly diffused or intertwined with the main matrix; only a few show traits typical of grog. All pottery was made from local Quaternary glacial sediments, with cultural traditions and environmental context shaping clay selection and manipulation.