Characteristics of Major Types of Fluorite Deposits in China

With the accelerated upgrading of China's fluorine chemical industry, the gap in domestic fluorite resources is expected to widen in the future. Therefore, there is an urgent need to increase investment in the exploration of new fluorite mineral resources. Fluorite deposits occur either as independent vein-type fluorite-quartz orebodies or as associated or coexisting minerals in deposits of rare earth elements, barite, tungsten, tin, lead, zinc, iron, and other polymetallic ores. Accordingly, fluorite deposits can be classified into two types: independent vein-type fluorite deposits and associated/coexisting-type fluorite deposits. Currently, the fluorite resources developed and utilized in China mainly come from independent vein-type fluorite deposits.  

Based on differences in the origin of metallogenic hydrothermal fluids and major ore-controlling factors, fluorite deposits in China can be categorized into two major groups: meso-epithermal deposits and magmatic hydrothermal deposits. Taking both genetic and industrial types into consideration, they can be further divided into three main categories: hydrothermal filling-type, sedimentary reworking-type, and associated/coexisting-type.  

Hydrothermal filling-type deposits are the predominant type, mainly distributed in provinces such as Zhejiang, Fujian, and Jiangxi. The orebodies are controlled by fault zones, with their occurrence and morphology consistent with the fault zones. The main host rocks are Yanshanian magmatic rocks and pyroclastic rocks. The ore-forming materials primarily originate from magmatic hydrothermal fluids or heated groundwater. Sedimentary reworking-type deposits are mainly found in Inner Mongolia, Guizhou, Yunnan, and western Zhejiang. The fluorite orebodies exhibit a stratiform-like occurrence, consistent with the bedding of the strata, but are also disrupted and controlled by faults, resulting in significant variations in their occurrence and morphology. The ore-forming materials mainly derive from heated groundwater and thermal brines. Associated-type fluorite deposits are characterized by low fluorite grades but substantial resource volumes, allowing for comprehensive recovery and utilization. They are primarily distributed in regions such as Inner Mongolia, Hunan, and Yunnan. The ore-forming materials are mainly related to magmatic hydrothermal activities.  

Hydrothermal filling-type vein-like independent fluorite deposits, controlled by fault structures, are currently the main type of fluorite deposits being mined in China. The formation ages of vein-type fluorite deposits in China are primarily the Yanshanian period, followed by the Variscan and Caledonian periods. Most vein-type fluorite deposits in China are closely genetically related to mid-to-late Yanshanian granites and volcanic rocks, with the typical characteristic of fluorite orebodies occurring in intermediate-acid magmatic rocks and their surrounding host strata.