History · Geology
About Lanping Pb-Zn-Cu Field
The Lanping (兰坪) Pb-Zn-Cu basin in northwestern Yunnan is the world’s largest sandstone-hosted polymetallic deposit, with the Jinding (金顶) ore body alone holding hundreds of millions of tonnes of Pb-Zn ore. The field is also a critical Chinese source of strontium, barium, and silver.
Geology
Mineralization is hosted in Mesozoic-Cenozoic clastic sedimentary rocks of the Lanping-Simao basin, with low-temperature hydrothermal fluids depositing Pb-Zn-Cu sulfides + extensive carbonate-sulfate gangue. The deposit type is intermediate between SEDEX and MVT.
Notable Minerals
Galena, sphalerite, tetrahedrite-tennantite, chalcopyrite, barite (huge pale-green tabular crystals), celestite, strontianite, witherite, calcite, and gypsum.
Collector Notes
Lanping produces Asia’s most spectacular tabular barite plates and is a major source of celestine/strontianite collector specimens. Pair with Fankou (Guangdong) and Huize (Yunnan) for a complete Chinese Pb-Zn collector display.
Minerals Produced Here
- Barite (重晶石)
- Calcite (方解石)
- Celestite (天青石)
- Chalcopyrite (黄铜矿)
- Chrysocolla (硅孔雀石)
- Covellite (铜蓝)
- Galena (方铅矿)
- Sphalerite (闪锌矿)
- Strontianite (碳酸锶矿)
- Tetrahedrite (黝铜矿)
- Witherite (碳酸钡矿)
