Hosts of Sn in reduced deep-seated W skarn systems: A case study on the world-class scheelite skarn deposit, Zhuxi, South China

Tin (Sn) and tungsten (W) behave incompatibly in reduced magmatic systems and may become enriched in late highly-evolved melts. Nonetheless, Sn and W rarely concentrate in the same deposit. In deposits formed by Sn- and W-bearing granites, this separation may be due to the contrasting behavior of Sn and W during exsolution of a magmatic fluid or the scavenging of Sn by silicate minerals. We illustrate the separation of Sn and W for the world-class Zhuxi W skarn deposit (South China). Although tin orebodies have not yet been identified within the Zhuxi deposit, tiny (commonly