Tracing the genesis of the Zhibula skarn deposit, Tibet, using Co, Te, Au and Ag occurrence

•Mineralization at the Zhibula deposit can be divided into three stages.•Cobalt has two occurrences in Zhibula deposit.•Coeval Co, Te, Au, Ag and Cu mineralization occurred during the late retrograde stage.•The mineral occurrence of Zhibula deposit might be used as a general indicator of Co enrichment in skarn deposits.