Abstract: The Marropino tantalum-niobium deposit in Mozambique is a typical representative of the Upper Ligonia pegmatite-type rare metal metallogenic belt in the Neoproterozoic Mozambique active belt in eastern Africa.Since the discovery of tantalum-niobium pegmatite in this area in 1958，intermittent min‐ ing has been carried out until 2013.Due to the reduction of resources，the increase of mining costs and lo‐ cal riots，the mining has been suspended so far. It is of great significance to find deep and edge resources to restore the mine. In order to study the geological characteristics of the deposit and point out the future prospecting direction，relying on the Morrua deposit in Mozambique，based on the field geological survey of the Marropino mining area and the analysis of the existing geological data in the study area，the geologi‐ cal characteristics of the Marropino pegmatite type tantalum-niobium deposit are summarized，and the prospecting prospect of the mining area is evaluated. Comprehensive analysis shows that the deposit was formed in the Pan-African orogenic movement and was obviously controlled by magmatic rocks and struc‐ tures. The ore-forming materials are mainly derived from the Pan-African granite body，and the Namama thrust belt provides the ore-conducting channel. The Pan-African granite magma has undergone multi-stage evolution. The fluid rich in volatiles and rare metal elements in the late stage is filled along the sec‐ ondary tensile fractures to form rare metal pegmatite containing tantalum，niobium and lithium，which con‐ stitutes a 'trinity' metallogenic system of magma-structure-mineralization. The ore body occurs in the LCT type granite pegmatite，which is veined and lenticular. The surrounding rock is hornblende schist，which belongs to the granite pegmatite type tantalum niobium deposit. Combined with the analysis of metallogenic geological characteristics，ore-controlling factors and prospecting indicators，the deep edge and periphery of the mining area have good prospecting prospects. This study results have certain guiding significance for further prospecting work in the mining area and surrounding areas with similar metallogenic geological con‐ ditions in the future.

Key words: Marropino deposit, pegmatite type tantalum-niobium ore, characteristics of the deposit, ore-forming mechanism