Summary

“Deepening” means shifting to resource exploration. It is a strategic scientific and technological challenge that China must address as it pushes forward with resource exploration into the Earth’s deep interior.

Mineral exploration relies on innovation in ore-forming theories, which is a prerequisite for conducting deep-sea mineral exploration. Meanwhile, exploration technologies are the key to realizing deep-sea mineral exploration.

The deep-seated controlling factors behind the formation of large-scale ore clusters and giant ore deposits represent a new frontier in mineralization research on the Chinese mainland.

As the discovery rate of near-surface mineral deposits declines rapidly, exploring deeper into the Earth to uncover additional resources has become a global trend in the development of the mining industry. At the beginning of this century, major Western mining nations and academic institutions have already taken action, implementing measures across scientific research, technological development, and talent cultivation to address the challenges posed by deep-earth resource exploration. Canada established the “Canadian Mining Innovation Council,” aiming to achieve breakthroughs in deep-earth mineral exploration through advances in both theoretical and technological innovation. The council also seeks to enhance the mining industry’s sustained innovative capacity by fostering high-quality talent, promoting collaborative research, and driving cultural innovation. The Australian government... 2012 The “National Mineral Exploration Strategy” was officially released this year, and the “Deep-Exploration Technology Cooperation Research Center” was also established. The primary goal is to develop deep-exploration technologies and achieve sustainable development of the mining industry through technological advancements.

China’s exploration of mineral resources has undergone decades of development. , Currently, exploration is also expanding into deeper regions. Taking the metallogenic belt along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River as an example, discoveries made in recent years include: 10 The vast majority of large-scale ore deposits are located in... 500 Below the meter level. Replacing “depth” with resources—meaning that resource exploration must move deeper—has become a major challenge facing China’s mineral exploration efforts.

Deep mineral exploration relies on innovations in ore-forming theories and advanced deep-probing technologies.

How can we carry out deep-sea mineral exploration? There are essentially two key aspects: first, innovating ore-forming theories; and second, developing deep-sea exploration technologies.

Deep-process-induced ore-forming systems are established and subsequently controlled and modified by these processes. Magmatic activity, deep-seated major faults, and a network of shear zones serve as the structural framework of ore-forming systems, governing the initiation and evolution of ore-forming processes in the shallow crust ( 10 The appropriate structural settings at the kilometer scale constitute the spatial framework for ore formation. Enhancing our understanding of the entire ore-forming process is a prerequisite for conducting deep-sea mineral exploration. To achieve this, we need to carry out multi-scale investigations across ore belts, ore clusters, and large-scale ore fields, coupled with comprehensive mapping and research integrating regional geochemistry, mineralogy, and other relevant disciplines, thereby strengthening our knowledge of the formation, evolution, and spatiotemporal distribution of ore-forming systems.

Exploration technology is key to achieving a deeper understanding of mineralization. Recently, 10 Over the years, the development of detection technologies in both fields has been remarkable.

One key area is the integrated airborne geophysical exploration technology—represented by airborne gravity gradient and deep-depth airborne electromagnetic techniques—which has brought “revolutionary” changes to global deep-earth mineral exploration. Airborne gravity and gradient measurements, airborne magnetic field and gradient measurements, helicopter-borne and fixed-wing time-domain airborne electromagnetic exploration technologies, and airborne gamma-ray spectrometry have become the dominant techniques in modern resource exploration. These technologies are transforming the traditional resource exploration paradigm, which was previously dominated by ground-based methods, toward a modern exploration model centered on airborne geophysical surveys. Not only have they achieved breakthroughs in exploration depth, but they have also enabled coverage of mineral exploration in regions that were previously “difficult to access.”

Another area is deep-sea mineral exploration technology, exemplified by three-dimensional distributed electromagnetic detection techniques and seismic methods for metallic ore deposits, which have become essential for exploring deep underground resources ( 2000 The primary technology for direct exploration of ore deposits is widely applied, greatly enhancing exploration efficiency. In terms of data processing and interpretation techniques, fully three-dimensional gravity, magnetic, and electromagnetic inversion and interpretation, lithological mapping, and integrated modeling technologies have significantly improved the accuracy of deep-resource exploration and have already achieved... 2000 Even greater depth detection capability.

Sound the call to "March Toward the Deep Interior of the Earth"!

Compared with foreign countries, China still has a significant gap in both deep mineralization theories and exploration technologies. We must “rely on domestic resources and ensure resource security” and strengthen research in the following areas:

Strengthen exploration and research on the metallogenic background of giant ore-forming belts. The goal is to detect structures at the crustal or lithospheric scale, clarify the three-dimensional structure of ore-forming systems, and elucidate their formation and evolutionary mechanisms. By integrating deep structural exploration, dynamic processes of crustal evolution, and ore-forming systems, we aim to gain a macroscopic understanding of the deep-seated controlling factors behind the formation of large-scale ore clusters and giant ore deposits—a new frontier in China’s continental metallogenic research.

Deepen research on mineralization environment exploration and alteration mineral mapping. The goal is at the ore cluster scale. 5 kilometer ~10 Research on the fine-scale structural characteristics—particularly the spatial distribution and interrelationships of faults, stratigraphic units, and igneous rocks—is a direct factor controlling the formation of endogenic ore deposits. At the same time, studying the tectonic controls and physicochemical conditions at the “terminal” stage of ore-forming systems represents an important technical approach for understanding the ore-forming processes and the “localization” of deep-seated ore bodies.

Develop deep-probing technologies to track the deep extensions of ore bodies. Accelerate the development of new technologies and integrated information systems—including airborne gravity gradient measurement, helicopter-borne and fixed-wing airborne electromagnetic exploration, seismic techniques for metallic mineral deposits, three-dimensional electromagnetic exploration, and three-dimensional magnetic and gravity lithological mapping—as well as methods for target area prediction. These should be promptly applied to deep-resource evaluation and mineral exploration practices.

General Secretary Xi Jinping this year 5 Moon 30 At the National Conference on Scientific and Technological Innovation held today, it was pointed out: “In theory, the mineralization space available within the Earth is distributed from the surface down to underground.” 1 Ten thousand meters—currently, the exploration and mining depths at the world’s leading advanced levels have reached... 2500 Rice ~4000 Rice, while most in our country are smaller. 500 “Going deep into the Earth’s interior is a strategic scientific and technological challenge that we must address.” This signifies that China has officially issued the call to “advance into the Earth’s deep interior” for resource exploration. All geoscientists must seize this opportunity and make their due contributions to ensuring our country’s resource security.

(Affiliation of the author: Center for Deep Earth Exploration, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences)