2017 was a year of breakthroughs and overcoming longstanding challenges in China’s geological exploration. As the mining sector showed signs of recovery and various mining activities became increasingly active, China’s geological prospecting efforts yielded one impressive success after another. As 2017 draws to a close, looking back on this year, building on the series of significant large- and extra-large mineral deposits discovered in 2016, we’ve seen an additional wave of world-class metal and non-metal deposits emerge this year—each one capable of sending shockwaves around the globe. The mining industry has compiled a list of the 15 most important world-class mineral discoveries made in China over the past two years. The list is provided below; feel free to add any further insights or updates!

1. Guizhou has discovered Asia’s largest manganese deposit, with proven manganese resources totaling 192 million tons.
2. Qinghai has discovered China’s first deep-pore brine potash deposit, with potash reserves totaling 150 million tons.
3. A large rock salt deposit worth hundreds of billions of tons has been discovered in Yan'an, adding 111.3 billion tons of new rock salt resources.
4. A super-large bauxite deposit has been discovered in northern Guizhou Province, with bauxite reserves exceeding 100 million tons.
5. A super-large lead-zinc deposit has been discovered in the Huo Shao Yun area of Hotan, Xinjiang, with proven lead and zinc reserves nearing 19 million tons.
6. Inner Mongolia has discovered the largest single-crystal graphite deposit in China, with graphite reserves exceeding 310 million tons.
7. A large niobium deposit has been discovered in the “Two Bamboo” region of Hubei Province, with predicted niobium resources exceeding 1 million tons.
8. China’s first copper deposit with reserves exceeding 10 million tons has been discovered in the Ali region of Tibet, adding 13.492 million tons of copper metal resources.
9. A super-large bauxite deposit has been discovered in Yanlong, Henan Province, with bauxite reserves totaling 240 million tons.
10. The Zhuxi Tungsten Mine in Fuliang, Jiangxi Province, has twice broken the world record, increasing its tungsten reserves to 3.443 million tons.
11. A super-large rare-earth deposit has been discovered in Pingnan, Guangxi, with rare-earth mineral reserves exceeding 200 million tons.
12. The Sanshan Island in Laizhou, Shandong Province, has discovered China’s largest gold deposit, with cumulative gold resources totaling 550 tons.
13. A super-large deposit of rare metals—beryllium, tin, and tungsten—has been discovered in the Cuona Cave area of Tibet, with total resources of tungsten, tin, and beryllium exceeding 800,000 tons.
14. A massive phosphate deposit has been discovered in Kaiyang, Guizhou Province, with phosphate reserves exceeding 800 million tons.
15. The Mahu Sag in the Junggar Basin has discovered the world’s largest conglomerate oilfield, with oil reserves totaling 1 billion tons.

01
Guizhou has discovered Asia’s largest manganese deposit, with proven manganese resources totaling 192 million tons.
 
In January 2016, the No. 103 Geological Team of the Guizhou Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources made a new discovery in the Xixibao key exploration area—part of the Tongren Songtao Manganese Ore Integrated Exploration Zone in Guizhou Province—of the Pujue (integrated) super-large manganese deposit. The detailed exploration resources of this manganese deposit (332+333), after being reviewed and approved by the Guizhou Provincial Institute of Land and Resource Planning and Surveying, reached 192 million tons. Combined with the 11 million tons of manganese resources discovered in the same area in 2011, the total resources of the hidden, super-large Pujue manganese ore district now amount to 203 million tons, ranking first in Asia and fifth worldwide. The potential economic value of these manganese deposits exceeds 100 billion yuan. This discovery represents another major breakthrough in mineral exploration by the Guizhou Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, following their earlier finding in 2013 of the Songtao Daotuo super-large manganese deposit in the Tongren Songtao Manganese Ore Integrated Exploration Zone.
The average thickness of the Pujue manganese deposit reaches 4.8 meters, and the average manganese grade of the deposit is about 20%.

02
Qinghai has discovered China’s first deep-pore brine potash deposit, with potash reserves totaling 150 million tons.
 
In July 2016, two deep brine potash exploration projects funded by the Central Geological Exploration Fund—the survey of deep brine potash deposits in Dalangtan, northeast of Mangya Town, Qinghai Province, and the preliminary exploration of deep brine potash deposits in Kunteyi, Lenghu Town, Qinghai Province—entered their final stages after more than three years of exploration. Following successful expert review and acceptance of these two deep brine potash exploration projects in Qinghai Province, China’s first deep brine potash deposit has now been discovered. Specifically, the Dalangtan deep brine potash survey project has preliminarily identified, within a depth range of 200 to 1,500 meters, potash resources of 156.37 million tons of potassium chloride (categories 333+334), equivalent to 15% of the proven reserves in the Qaidam Basin, with an average potassium chloride grade of 0.5%. In addition, the project has also confirmed associated sodium chloride resources of 6.79191 billion tons (categories 333+334) and co-occurring magnesium chloride resources of 543.28 million tons (categories 333+334).
Engineering exploration has revealed that the deep brine potash deposit in the Beiaoling Depression of Dalangtan features thick mineral-bearing gravel layers, with an average thickness of 589.65 meters and a maximum total thickness of 891.48 meters per borehole. Some boreholes have yet to penetrate the mineral-bearing layer completely. The water inflow is substantial, with an average daily discharge of 5,321.16 cubic meters and a maximum daily discharge of 9,231 cubic meters per borehole. The highest potassium chloride grade observed in a single borehole reached 0.69%.
The review experts believe that this achievement marks a milestone in China’s history of potash exploration. First, it has revealed the enormous potential of deep brine potash deposits in the Qaidam Basin; second, it has achieved a breakthrough in the types of potash resource exploration; and third, it provides valuable insights for conducting deep-brine potash exploration in other basins across China. The substantial potential of deep-brine potash deposits in the Qaidam Basin holds promise for alleviating China’s long-standing severe shortage of potash resources.

03
A large rock salt deposit worth hundreds of billions of tons has been discovered in Yan'an, adding 111.3 billion tons of new rock salt resources.
 
In August 2016, the Provincial Department of Land and Resources reported that, as part of the Strategic Action for Mineral Exploration Breakthroughs, a super-large rock salt deposit had been discovered for the first time in the Yan'an region. The newly identified rock salt ore reserves amount to 111.3 billion tons—equivalent to the scale of 90 large-scale rock salt deposits. This deposit currently holds the largest single-reserve volume among all proven rock salt deposits nationwide, filling the previous gap in the absence of rock salt deposits in the Yan'an region. Preliminary assessments indicate that its potential economic value exceeds 4 trillion yuan.
This achievement was obtained during the exploration phase of the second batch of large-scale provincial geological exploration fund projects approved by the Provincial Department of Natural Resources and Land. In addition to filling the gap in the absence of rock salt deposits in the Yan'an region, the project has also, for the first time, identified favorable conditions for potash formation along the southern margin of the Ordovician rock salt basin in northern Shaanxi. Locally, there is a strong likelihood of discovering potassium-rich areas, providing a solid basis and direction for further exploration in northern Shaanxi of China’s scarce potash mineral resources.

04
A super-large bauxite deposit has been discovered in northern Guizhou Province, with bauxite reserves exceeding 100 million tons.
 
In September 2016, the Guizhou Provincial Bureau of Nonferrous Metals and Nuclear Industry Geological Exploration reported that a super-large bauxite deposit with reserves exceeding 100 million tons had been discovered in Daozhen Autonomous County. This deposit is another super-large bauxite occurrence discovered in Guizhou Province over the past 30 years. The newly discovered Xinmin bauxite mining area is located within Daozhen Autonomous County and falls within the “Wuzhengdao” national-level key integrated exploration zone under the National Geological Prospecting Action Plan. Bauxite is a bulk mineral resource of critical importance to China and also a key advantageous resource for Guizhou Province. It is estimated that this deposit has a potential economic value of approximately 20 billion yuan.

05
A super-large lead-zinc deposit has been discovered in the Huo Shao Yun area of Hotan, Xinjiang, with lead and zinc reserves nearing 19 million tons.
 
On September 2016, after six years of exploration and evaluation by geological experts, the Xinjiang Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources announced on the 25th that a world-class, super-large lead-zinc deposit—containing nearly 19 million tons of reserves—had been discovered in the Huoshao Yun area within Hetian County, Hetian Region, Xinjiang. This deposit is currently China’s largest lead-zinc mine in terms of resource reserves.
The Huo Shao Yun lead-zinc deposit was initially discovered in 2011 by the Eighth Geological Team of the Xinjiang Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources in the heart of the Karakoram Mountains, within the territory of Hetian County. The mining area is located in a high-altitude, uninhabited region at an elevation of over 5,500 meters, covering an area of 6.6 square kilometers. The Huo Shao Yun lead-zinc deposit has been explored to yield a total zinc and lead metal content of 18.9496 million tons, including 18.8737 million tons that are suitable for industrial extraction—accounting for 99.6% of the total reserves. The deposit boasts an average grade of 4.58% lead, 23.92% zinc, and 28.51% combined lead and zinc, making it a rare, high-grade deposit among world-class lead-zinc deposits. It is China’s largest lead-zinc deposit and ranks seventh globally. The Huo Shao Yun lead-zinc deposit is characterized by simple and well-defined ore body morphology, gently dipping and steadily extending ore bodies, shallow burial depth, large deposit scale, and high ore grades—all of which contribute to its excellent economic development potential and make it ideally suited for open-pit mining. The Huo Shao Yun lead-zinc deposit not only possesses enormous socio-economic value but also holds significant theoretical research value.

06
Inner Mongolia has discovered the largest single-crystal graphite deposit in China, with graphite reserves exceeding 310 million tons.
 
In October 2016, a super-large single deposit of crystalline graphite was discovered in the Gaolitu Mining Area of Urad Middle Banner, Bayannur City. After undergoing evaluation and filing, the deposit was confirmed to hold crystalline graphite ore reserves exceeding 310 million tons—a scale that remains rare within China.
The crystalline graphite monomer ore body discovered in the Gaolitu mining area is 2,100 meters long and has a maximum controlled depth of 703 meters. The ore is composed of crystalline graphite intermixed with biotite schist. The resource amount of crystalline graphite ore in this deposit is 3,159.572 million tons, with a mineral content (fixed carbon) of 15.8088 million tons and an average grade of approximately 5%. All these figures represent newly identified mineral resources. Currently, Inner Mongolia Jincail Mining Co., Ltd. holds the exploration rights to this deposit.

07
A large niobium deposit has been discovered in Hubei’s “Two Bamboo” region, with predicted niobium resources exceeding 1 million tons.
 
In November 2016, significant breakthroughs were made in the exploration for niobium-gold deposits in the Zhushan-Zhuxi area of Hubei Province, with the discovery of three new niobium mineralization zones, one of which represents a large-scale niobium deposit.
After three years of field geological surveys, the Hubei Provincial Institute of Geological Survey has identified three niobium mineralization zones with relatively stable surface extensions and thicknesses ranging from 5 to 265 meters. These zones are characterized by large scale, low grade variability, and excellent continuity. Particularly encouraging for the geologists is that in the Yanwugou-Qingyanggou area of Zhuxi County, they have excavated 11 exploration trenches, all of which have revealed industrial-grade ore bodies with thicknesses ranging from 17.49 to 143.47 meters. One completed borehole has already intersected an ore body measuring 129.14 meters thick, and preliminary estimates suggest that the niobium resource reserves exceed 1 million tons.
Niobium is widely used in industries such as metallurgy, aerospace, electronics, chemicals, and medical devices. It is a rare metallic mineral essential for the development of China’s strategic emerging industries. Currently, global annual niobium consumption has reached over 20,000 tons.

08
China’s first copper deposit with reserves reaching over 10 million tons has “emerged” in the Ali region of Tibet, adding 13.492 million tons of copper metal.
 
In December 2016, two detailed exploration projects—the Rongna ore section of the Tiegelongnan mining area and the Naro mining area—in Gaize County, Ali Prefecture, Tibet, organized and implemented by Chinalco Mineral Resources Co., Ltd., were reviewed and approved by the Beijing China Mining Association Consulting Center. The projects collectively confirmed reserves of 13.492 million tons of copper metal, with Class 332 reserves accounting for more than 70% of the total.
While submitting 13.492 million tons of copper metal, the two detailed exploration projects also reported 119.5 tons of associated gold and 3,482.7 tons of associated silver. As of now, exploration work has confirmed that the ore bodies at both the Rongna and Naro projects remain open and unconfined. Although drilling operations have encountered copper mineralization exceeding 800 meters in thickness, they have not yet penetrated the ore bodies, and the boundaries of these ore bodies at greater depths remain undetermined. This indicates that the Duolong mining district still has enormous potential for further expansion of its resource base.
The Duobu and Bolong mining districts have previously discovered copper reserves exceeding 7 million tons, bringing the total copper reserves in the entire mineral cluster to over 20 million tons. According to available data, there are currently 24 world-class super-copper deposits globally, each with copper reserves exceeding 20 million tons. The completion of reserve assessments for the Rongna and Naro mining districts of Chinalco signifies that the Duolong mineral cluster has become China’s first world-class super-copper deposit cluster, ranking 25th on the global list of such super-copper deposits. The achievement of breakthroughs in exploration within the Duolong mineral cluster demonstrates that China not only possesses world-class large-scale mines but also world-class super-large-scale mines.

09
A super-large bauxite deposit has been discovered in Yanlong, Henan Province, with bauxite reserves totaling 240 million tons.
 
On January 19, 2017, the fieldwork for the Henan Yanlong Coalfield Deep Alumina (Clay) Ore Exploration Project, implemented by the Fourth Geological Exploration Institute of the Henan Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, was fully completed. A total of 273 boreholes were drilled across the entire exploration area, with a total drilling length exceeding 100,000 meters. The exploration area delineated six bauxite ore bodies, and the estimated and submitted bauxite resource reserves amount to 240 million tons, with an average thickness of 3.21 meters. The deposit size has reached the scale of a super-large deposit, demonstrating promising exploration prospects.
The census also identified other mineral resources. According to estimates, the reserves of fireclay ore amount to 54 million tons, with 21 coexisting fireclay ore bodies delineated; the reserves of bauxite ore total 170 million tons, with 39 bauxite ore bodies identified; and the reserves of pyrite ore reach 181 million tons, with 8 pyrite ore bodies delineated. The reserves of fireclay, pyrite, and bauxite all meet the scale criteria for large-scale deposits and possess high potential for comprehensive utilization.

10
The Zhuxi Tungsten Mine in Fuliang, Jiangxi Province, has twice broken the world record, increasing its tungsten reserves to 3.443 million tons.
 
In January 2016, geological workers in Jiangxi Province discovered the Zhuxi tungsten-copper deposit—a super-large deposit—in Fuliang County. The deposit contains 2.86 million tons of tungsten trioxide resources classified as 333+334, setting a new world record for tungsten ore reserves and making it the largest tungsten-copper deposit ever discovered. Its resource volume is 2.7 times that of the previously largest tungsten deposit—the Dahu Tang tungsten mine. This discovery marks another world-class super-large tungsten-copper deposit identified by Jiangxi Province following the confirmation of the Dahu Tang super-large tungsten deposit in northern Jiangxi.
On March 1, 2017, the “Survey Report on the Tongwu—Bishuwo Copper and Polymetallic Deposits in Fuliang County, Jiangxi Province,” a project undertaken by the Jiangxi Provincial Bureau of Geological and Mineral Exploration and Development and managed by the Central Geological Exploration Fund Management Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources, passed the expert review. The review results confirmed that the Zhuxi Tungsten Mine has newly discovered tungsten trioxide resources totaling 5.785 million tons. This marks a 20% increase in the size of the Zhuxi Tungsten Mine—the world’s largest tungsten mine to date—raising its total tungsten trioxide resource reserves from the original 2.86 million tons to 3.4433 million tons and once again setting a new world record for tungsten ore reserves.

11
A super-large rare-earth deposit has been discovered in Pingnan, Guangxi, with rare-earth mineral reserves exceeding 200 million tons.
 
In March 2017, a reporter learned from the Autonomous Region’s Department of Land and Resources that, after four years of exploration, Guangxi had discovered a super-large rare-earth deposit in the Dazhou mining area of Pingnan County.
The prospecting survey of rare earth deposits in the Dazhou Mining Area of Pingnan County was the third large-scale geological and mineral exploration project undertaken by Guangxi in 2010, and was carried out by the Sixth Geological Team of Guangxi. The survey work commenced in April 2011 and was extended twice—in 2011 and 2013—and the final report was submitted in June 2015. A total of 16 weathered crust ion-adsorption type rare earth ore bodies were delineated, and a substantial reserve of industrial-grade rare earth minerals was discovered, reaching the scale of an extra-large rare earth deposit. The proven rare earth mineral resources are sufficient to support mining operations at a mine capable of processing 2 million tons of ore per year for more than 100 years.

12
The Sanshan Island in Laizhou, Shandong Province, has discovered China’s largest gold deposit, with cumulative gold resources totaling 550 tons.
 
In March 2017, a world-class giant single-body gold deposit—the “Xiling Gold Mine in the Sanshandao Mining Area”—was discovered within Yantai, Shandong Province, and was identified by Shandong Gold Group.
The ore body of the Xiling gold deposit in the Sanshan Island mining area has a strike length exceeding 2,000 meters, with local thicknesses of individual ore bodies reaching up to 67 meters. To date, proven gold reserves stand at 382.58 tons, with an average grade of 4.52 grams per ton. This discovery was officially registered with the Shandong Provincial Department of Natural Resources on March 8, 2017, marking its formal transition into the exploration phase. Through intensified drilling and densification efforts, it is expected that within two years, cumulative gold resources will exceed 550 tons, with a potential economic value surpassing 150 billion yuan. The deposit covers an area of 18 square kilometers, yielding an average economic value of 8.3 billion yuan per square meter, making it the largest single gold deposit ever recorded in China's history. If operated at a production scale of 10,000 tons per day, the mine could sustain full-capacity production for 40 consecutive years.
The Xiling gold deposit is located in the Laizhou-Zhaoyuan area of northwestern Shandong Province, a region that is China’s most important concentration area for gold deposits and also a nationally designated integrated exploration zone. This area ranks first in China in both gold reserves and gold production, making it one of the few exceptionally large gold-rich regions in the world.

13
A super-large deposit of rare metals—beryllium, tin, and tungsten—has been discovered in the Cuona Cave area of Tibet, with total resources of tungsten, tin, and beryllium exceeding 800,000 tons.
 
In July 2017, a large gneissic dome structure was identified in the Cuonadong area, located south of the Zaxikang ore concentration district in the eastern segment of the Himalayan Metallogenic Belt in Tibet. The highly differentiated leucocratic granites within the dome exhibit multi-stage intrusion characteristics, and thick skarn-type deposits containing rare metals—beryllium, tin, and tungsten—were discovered at the periphery of the dome.
Through sparsely distributed surface engineering control, we have identified one new deposit of rare metals—beryllium, tin, and tungsten—that reaches a super-large scale. This discovery reveals that, in addition to lead-zinc-gold-antimony deposits, the Himalayan metallogenic belt in Tibet also holds enormous potential for rare metal resources such as beryllium, tin, and tungsten.
The resource potential in the Cuonadong dome area, located in the southern part of the Zaxikang ore concentration district, is projected to exceed 500,000 tons of beryllium and 300,000 tons of tin-tungsten. Furthermore, prospective exploration targets have been identified for further exploration efforts.

14
A massive phosphate deposit has been discovered in Kaiyang, Guizhou Province, with phosphate reserves exceeding 800 million tons.
 
In July 2017, according to information from the land resources authorities, a massive phosphate deposit was discovered in Kaiyang County, Guizhou Province. The proven reserves of this phosphate deposit amount to 801 million tons—equivalent to twice the total output of China’s currently largest phosphate mine—the Kaiyang Phosphate Mine—over a period of 22 years. This also represents the largest single discovery of high-grade phosphate resources since the founding of New China.
The newly discovered phosphate deposit is located on the eastern flank of the Yangshui mining area in Kaiyang Phosphate Mine. It is hosted within the Lower Sinian System and belongs to a marine sedimentary type of phosphorite. The ore-bearing strata cover an area of nearly 50 square kilometers, with an average thickness of 5.49 meters. The average quality of the ore is classified as Grade I, high-quality phosphate rock.
China ranks second in the world in terms of phosphate rock reserves, yet its reserves of high-grade phosphate rock are relatively low. According to available data, as of 2007, China’s proven phosphate rock reserves totaled 17.6 billion tons; however, reserves of rich phosphate ore with a P2O5 content of 30% or higher amounted to only 1.66 billion tons. The discovery of such a massive, ultra-large deposit—featuring exceptionally high ore grades exceeding 30%—in the deep part of the Kaiyang Phosphate Mine is of great significance for bolstering China’s reserves of high-grade phosphate resources.

15
The world’s largest conglomerate oilfield has been discovered in the Mahu Sag area of the Junggar Basin, with oil reserves totaling one billion tons.
 
In November 2017, China National Petroleum Corporation’s Xinjiang Oilfield Company announced that, after more than a decade of sustained research and development, a massive oil field—known as the Mahu Conglomerate Oilfield—containing over 10 billion tons of crude oil had been discovered in the Mahu Depression of the Junggar Basin. This is the largest conglomerate oilfield ever discovered worldwide.
In 1955, well No. 1 in Karamay, located along the northwest margin of the Junggar Basin’s fault zone, erupted a black oil flow, marking the discovery of China’s first major oilfield—the Karamay Oilfield. After half a century of development, the field has seen no significant breakthroughs for many years. Since 2005, PetroChina Xinjiang Oilfield Company has once again focused its attention on the adjacent Mahu Depression. After more than a decade of intensive scientific research and technological攻关, they have now discovered this world-class mega-oil province. Tang Yong said: “The Karamay Oilfield is facing the predicament of dwindling resources. Now, we’ve discovered another oilfield in Mahu—this one boasts reserves on the order of 10 billion tons. In effect, we’ve found another Karamay Oilfield. Currently, it’s the world’s largest conglomerate reservoir oilfield.”