Genesis of the Nanyangtian scheelite deposit in southeastern Yunnan Province,China: evidence from mineral chemistry,fluid inclusions,and C–O isotopes

The Nanyangtian skarn-type scheelite deposit is an important part of the Laojunshan W–Sn polymetallic metallogenic region in southeastern Yunnan Province,China. The deposit comprises multiple scheelite ore bodies;multilayer skarn-type scheelite ore bodies are dominant,with a small amount of quartz vein-type ore bodies. Skarn minerals include diopside, hedenbergite, grossular, and epidote. Three mineralization stages exist: skarn, quartz–scheelite, and calcite. The homogenization temperatures of fluid inclusions in hydrothermal minerals that formed in different paragenetic phases were measured as follows:221–423℃ (early skarn stage), 177–260℃ (quartz–scheelite stage), and 173–227℃ (late calcite stage). The measured salinity of fluid inclusions ranged from 0.18% to16.34% NaCleqv(skarn stage), 0.35%–7.17% NaCleqv(quartz–scheelite stage), and 0.35%–2.24% NaCleqv(late calcite vein stage). Laser Raman spectroscopic studies on fluid inclusions in the three stages showed HO as the main component, with Npresent in minor amounts. Minor amounts of CHwere found in the quartz–scheelite stage. It was observed that the homogenization temperature gradually reduced from the early to the late mineralization stages; moreover, δCvalues for ore-bearing skarn in the mineralization period ranged from -5.7‰ to-6.9‰ and the corresponding δOvalues ranged from 5.8‰ to 9.1‰, implying that the ore-forming fluid was mainly sourced from magmatic water with a minor amount of meteoric water. Collectively, the evidence indicates that the formation of the Nanyangtian deposit is related to Laojunshan granitic magmatism.