Cathodoluminescence and Trace Element Composition of Scheelite from the Middle‐Lower Yangtze River Metallogenic Belt (MLYB): Implications for Mineralization and Exploration

Abstract

AbstractThe Middle–Lower Yangtze River Metallogenic Belt (MLYB) is known to contain abundant copper and iron porphyry‐skarn deposits, with an increasing number of tungsten deposits and scheelite in Fe–Cu deposits being discovered in the MLYB during recent decades. The ore genesis of the newly‐discovered tungsten mineralization in the MLYB is poorly understood. We investigate four sets of scheelite samples from tungsten, iron and copper deposits, using CL imaging and LA–ICP–MS techniques to reveal internal zonation patterns and trace element compositions. The REE distribution patterns of four studied deposits show varying degrees of LREE enrichment with negative Eu anomalies. The oxygen fugacity of ore‐forming fluid increased in Donggushan, while the oxygen fugacity of ore‐forming fluid decreased in Ruanjiawan, Guilinzheng and Gaojiabang. The scheelites from the Donggushan, Ruanjiawan, Guilinzheng and Gaojiabang deposits show enrichment in LREEs and HFSE, with Nb/La ratios ranging from 1.217 to 52.455, indicating that the four tungsten deposits are enriched in the volatile fluorine. A plot of (La/Lu)N versus Mo/δEu can be used to distinguish quartz vein type, porphyry and skarn tungsten deposits. This study demonstrates that scheelite grains can be used to infer tungsten mineralization and are effective in identifying magmatic types of tungsten deposits in prospective mining sites.