AbstractMost chrysotile deposits occur in ultramafic rocks of the ophiolite suite. The chrysotile deposits discussed in the present paper were formed through metasomatism and infilling‐crystallization in a continental serpentinization environment after plate convergence, where ultramafic rocks were replaced by hydrothermal solutions consisting mainly of deep‐circulating heated water derived from atmospheric precipitation. The critical state for the formation of asbestos in ultramafic rock bodies might be reached by superposition of multiple stages of serpentinization. Favourable fracture systems and relatively stable geological environment are important conditions for forming chrysotile deposits. Three subtypes of chrysotile deposits could be formed in different tectonic settings and under different minerogenic geochemical conditi