Metallogenic regularity and prospecting direction of tungsten deposits in Shangri-La area,NW Yunnan Province,China

The Shangri-La area, NW Yunnan province, has become an important Cu-Mo exploration and development base in China. The Yanshanian intrusions longitudinally cross the Yidun terrane, Gantze-Litang suture zone, and western margin of the Yangtze Block from north to south, accompanied by W-Mo polymetallic mineralization in the region. Several large-/medium-sized tungsten deposits are discovered in this belt, e.g., the Xiuwacu and Mahuaping deposits. The tungsten metallogenesis is genetically-spatially related to the coeval granitoids, and the deposits are characterized by low residual gravity anomaly, week positive magnetic anomaly, W-Sn-Mo-Bi anomaly association, and W-Sn natural placer abnormal. Basing on the systematic studies of the typical Xiuwacu and Mahuaping deposits, this study aims to comprehensively analyse the potential quartz-vein type, skarn type, hydrothermal type tungsten polymetallic deposits by means of anomalies of regional gravity, aeromagnetism, geochemistry and placer.The prospecting direction of tungsten in the region is discussed.