Tungsten is a characteristic element of the South China-type massive sulphide deposits that were formed on the continental crust. The high contents of tungsten in these deposits are attributed to the primary enrichment of this element in the basement sequences of the region, providing an indication of the tungsten-enrichment in the continental crust. Tungsten in the basement sequences was mobilized and transported to the massive sulphides by a combination of different geological processes such as terrigenous sedimentation, submarine hydrothermal deposition and magmatic hydrothermal superimposition.