History · Geology
About Yangla Copper Mine
The Yangla (羊拉) copper deposit in northwestern Yunnan (Deqen County, Diqing Prefecture) is one of China’s major modern porphyry-skarn Cu producers, part of the Sanjiang (Three Rivers) metallogenic belt along the Indo-Asian collision zone.
Geology
Mineralization is a hybrid porphyry-skarn system tied to Late Triassic to Early Jurassic granitoid intrusions cutting Permian-Triassic carbonates. Skarn-rich zones produce coarse garnet and diopside.
Notable Minerals
Chalcopyrite, pyrite, bornite, molybdenite, andradite-grossular garnet, diopside, calcite, quartz, occasionally specimen-grade scheelite from skarn zones.
Collector Notes
Yangla mainly contributes ore but also produces collector-grade chalcopyrite-bornite combinations and andradite-grossular garnets in skarn matrix. Often paired with Pulang (NW Yunnan) for the modern Yunnan porphyry collector story.
Minerals Produced Here
- Agate (玛瑙)
- Amethyst (紫水晶)
- Bornite (斑铜矿)
- Calcite (方解石)
- Chalcedony (玉髓)
- Chalcocite (辉铜矿)
- Chalcopyrite (黄铜矿)
- Citrine (黄水晶)
- Jasper (碧玉)
- Molybdenite (辉钼矿)
- Pyrite (黄铁矿)
- Quartz (石英 / 水晶)
- Rose Quartz (玫瑰石英)
