BACKGROUNDThe Nanyangtian scheelite deposit is an important skarn scheelite deposit in Yunnan Province, which is located in Laojunshan W-Sn deposit area, Southeast Yunnan. Due to its complex geological background and multi-stage metallogenic characteristics, its mineralization age and genesis remain controversial.

OBJECTIVESTo explore the metallogenic age, genesis and material origins of two types of scheelite deposits in order to explore formation patterns.

METHODSMolybdenum Re-Os isotope dating was used to constrain the age, whereas in situ trace element and in situ Sr isotopes of scheelite were used to determine the composition of trace elements and Sr isotopes in scheelite.

RESULTSThe Re-Os isochron age of molybdenite associated with scheelite in the feldspar-quartz mineral vein of Nanyantian was 151.0±1.3Ma, younger than the age of skarn mineralization, indicating a later mineralization event. The skarn-type scheelite was enriched in light rare earth elements with negative Eu anomaly (δEu=0.46). The average content of ∑REE, Mo and Sr in skarn scheelite were 65.60, 240.16 and 883.43μg/g, respectively. Feldspar-quartz vein-type scheelite showed a flat rare earth pattern with positive Eu anomaly (δEu=2.8) and average content of ∑REE, Mo and Sr were 194.40, 16.01 and 129.26μg/g, respectively. respectively. The skarn scheelite had a relatively low and uniform ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr value of 0.71319 to 0.71491, indicating that the ore-forming fluids were mainly magmatic-hydrothermal in origin, whereas feldspar-quartz vein type scheelite had a wide ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr range of 0.71537 to 0.72803, with an average of 0.72079, characteristic of metamorphic fluids.

CONCLUSIONSThe differences in trace and rare earth element contents between two types of mineralization indicate that they have different fluid sources. The negative Eu anomaly of the skarn-type scheelite indicates a high oxygen fugacity environment, whereas the feldspar-quartz vein-type scheelite is formed in a reductive environment in terms of positive Eu anomaly. Sr isotopes of two different types of scheelite display a feature of binary mixing, indicating that feldspar-quartz vein-type scheelite has a superimposed transformation effect on skarn-type scheelite, and the strong metasomatism of ore-forming fluids and surrounding rocks is the key to the formation of scheelite.