Characteristics of REEs and trace elements in scheelite from the Zhuxi W deposit, South China: Implications for the ore-forming conditions and processes

The Zhuxi W deposit in Jiangxi, South China, with a resource of 2.86 Mt W and an average grade of 0.54% WO3, is the largest W deposit in the world. The deposit occurs at the contact between a late Mesozoic granitic intrusion and Carboniferous – Permian carbonate rocks and Neoproterozoic metamorphic rocks. The ores are divided into three types: skarn ore (dominant), sulfide ore and greisen ore. Based on occurrences and petrographic relationships,...