Mahuaping Be–W–F Mine, Shangri-La County, Dêqên Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan, Chinai

Regional Level Types
Mahuaping Be–W–F Mine	Mine
Shangri-La County	County
Dêqên Autonomous Prefecture	Prefecture
Yunnan	Province
China	Country

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The Mahuaping vein-type Be–W–F deposit is hosted within metasedimentary rocks and exhibits unique geological features. It is spatially constrained along the axis of a regional fold and formed under relatively low-temperature conditions, with no apparent igneous intrusions exposed at the surface in the vicinity of the mineralization. A distinctive aspect of the Mahuaping deposit is the co-occurrence of Be, W, and F mineralization, with significant reserves reported at 41,700 tons of Be (0.24 wt% BeO), 72,700 tons of W (0.82 wt% WO3), and 2,368,100 tons of CaF2 (16.95 wt% CaF2). Large-scale mineralization at Mahuaping occurs primarily along the contact zones between Ordovician clastic rocks and Silurian carbonate rocks. The deposit spans elevations from 2200 m and 4200 m and comprises 33 individual ore bodies. These ore bodies can be categorized into three main types based on their mineral assemblages and host rocks: 1) scheelite-fluorite-beryl-muscovite veins (1–5 cm wide) within marbles in the western part, 2) wolframite-beryl-muscovite-quartz veins (10–100 cm wide) in clastic rocks in the eastern part, and 3) beryl (euclase)-scheelite-wolframite-fluorite mineralization along localized contact zones between limestones and clastic rocks.

The veins exhibit distinct zoning with a marginal zone of fine-grained muscovite and quartz and a core of coarse-grained muscovite and quartz. In contrast, in the contact zone there is no zonation and the mineralization is dominated by fine-grained muscovite and quartz. Only zones with fine-grained muscovite also have ore minerals. Although vein-type mineralization in the limestones and the slates, as well as mineralization in the contact zone, were generated by the fluids that migrated along the detachment fault, the three types of mineralization have contrasting assemblages or ore minerals. Veins in limestone carry the ore minerals scheelite, beryl, and fluorite, whereas veins in slate mainly carry wolframite. In the contact zone, there is scheelite and wolframite.

Mahuaping Be-W-F deposit have been divided into two distinct ore-forming stages.
Stage I: This stage is dominated by wolframite, beryl, muscovite, scheelite, fluorite and quartz with minor pyrite and sericite.
Stage II: This stage is marked by abundant fluorite, muscovite, quartz, calcite and minor sulfides. Fluorite, a typical halide mineral and one of the most common ore minerals in the Mahuaping W-Be deposit, is typically purple, subhedral, and occurs in aggregates. It commonly forms veins that cross-cut quartz and replace or cross-cut early minerals such as beryl.

Commodity List

This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.

Mineral List

11 valid minerals.

Rock Types Recorded