The Yushui deposit

located in the middle part of the Late Paleozoic depression in eastern Guangdong province

is characterized by high-grade copper content in a small area. In this study

the geochemical characteristics of elements and their correlation in the ores are analyzed to provide evidence for the genesis of the Yushui copper deposit. The results show that copper content can reach a maximum of 59.22 % and is associated with a large amount of Ag (＞10 000 μg/g in maximum). There is a positive correlation between Ag and Cu

indicating that Ag and Cu share the same origin. The total amounts of REEs in the ores vary from 3.07 to 23 223.00 μg/g

partially reaching industrial grade

and show a pattern being rich in heavy REE enrichment and deficient in light REE. The total REEs is positively correlated with Y

P

Sb

Bi

Be and As in those samples of high REE contents

which suggests that the high REE contents may be caused by hydrothermal superposition. Combining the variation trend of Y/Ho and La/Ho

the negative anomaly in Eu and weakly negative anomaly in Ce

it can be deduced that the Yushui copper deposit is the sedimentary exhalative deposits and affected by the transformation of later-stage hydrothermal alternation.