Abstract:Tin is a critical metal resource. There are still many detailed questions about the mechanism of its enrichment and mineralization that remain unanswered. Under the background of new round of breakthrough strategic actions in mineral exploration, there is an urgent need to innovate mineralization theories to guide exploration practices. Previous studies have shown that tin mineralization is usually associated with highly differentiated granites that are reducible. Among them, as the main carrier mineral of tin, biotite dominates the abnormal enrichment of tin in magma source areas through partial melting, magma crystallization differentiation and evolution, and magma hydrothermal conversion. In this paper, the latest research progress in the mineral chemistry of biotite related to tin mineralization has been systematically reviewed, important participation of biotite in various stages of tin mineralization has been emphasized, main applications of biotite composition in tracing magma physicochemical parameters and mineralization specificity have been summarized. It is regarded that biotite may be served as an ideal mineral probe for deciphering tin mineralization codes. In the future, it is necessary to strengthen the multi-scale fine mineralogical research on biotite in tin bearing granite, and comprehensively analyze the key controlling factors for the formation of tin deposits through in-situ micro area analysis and microstructure interpretation. On this basis, the indicators for discriminating magma mineral content based on biotite composition can be summarized in order to provide a basis for guiding mineral exploration and prospecting.
