REE Geochemistry of Fluorite from the Maoniuping REE Deposit, Sichuan Province, China: Implications for the Source of Ore‐forming Fluids

Abstract: Fluorite is one of the main gangue minerals in the Maoniuping REE deposit, Sichuan Province, China. Fluorite with different colors occurs not only within various orebodies, but also in wallrocks of the orefield. Based on REE geochemistry, fluorite in the orefield can be classified as the LREE‐rich, LREE‐flat and LREE‐depleted types. The three types of fluorite formed at different stages from the same hydrothermal fluid source, with the LREE‐rich fluorite forming at the relatively early stage, the LREE‐flat fluorite in the middle, and the LREE‐depleted fluorite at the latest stage. Various lines of evidence demonstrate that the variation of the REE contents of fluorite shows no relation to the color. The mineralization of the Maoniuping REE deposit is associated spatially and temporally with carbonatite‐syenite magmatism and the ore‐forming fluids are mainly derived from carbonatite and syenite melts.