On May 16, the Ministry of Natural Resources released the “2016 National Geological Exploration Results Report.” According to the released findings, China’s investment in geological exploration in 2016 continued the downward trend observed in recent years, with funding decreasing by nearly one-third.

　　Geological exploration investment

　　In 2016, China's investment in geological exploration continued the downward trend observed in recent years, with 2012 serving as a turning point and marking a further decline.

　　Nationwide investment in geological exploration totaled 24.729 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 24.6%.

　　Funding sources: Central government finances amounted to 6.32 billion yuan, accounting for 25.6% of the total—down 10.6% year-on-year; local government finances totaled 8.182 billion yuan, representing 33.1% of the total—down 14.1% year-on-year; and social funding reached 10.227 billion yuan, constituting 41.3% of the total—down 36.8% year-on-year.

　　Funding allocation: Mineral exploration accounted for 16.984 billion yuan, representing 68.7% of the total and decreasing by 29.3% year-on-year; basic geological surveys totaled 3.489 billion yuan, or 14.1% of the total, down 13.7% year-on-year; hydrogeological, environmental geological, and geological hazard investigation and assessment amounted to 2.515 billion yuan, or 10.2% of the total, a decrease of 6.2% year-on-year; geological science and technology reached 1.419 billion yuan, or 5.7% of the total, down 15.8% year-on-year; and data services and informationization totaled 322 million yuan, or 1.3% of the total, declining by 10.1% year-on-year.

　　The top five provinces in terms of funding investment are, in order: Xinjiang (5.68 billion yuan), Inner Mongolia (2.699 billion yuan), Yunnan (1.03 billion yuan), Gansu (1.014 billion yuan), and Sichuan (945 million yuan).

　　1. Mineral exploration

　　In 2016, mineral exploration investment totaled 16.984 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 29.3%.

　　Funding sources: Central government finances amounted to 2.207 billion yuan, accounting for 13.0% and decreasing by 20.5% year-on-year; local government finances totaled 5.293 billion yuan, representing 31.2% and declining by 12.2% year-on-year; social funding reached 9.484 billion yuan, or 55.8%, down 37.7% year-on-year.

　　Investment sectors: Primarily focused on gold (3.355 billion yuan), copper (3.129 billion yuan), lead and zinc (1.748 billion yuan), coal (1.747 billion yuan), and iron (1.028 billion yuan), accounting for 64.8% of total investment. Compared to 2015, investments in molybdenum, phosphorus, tungsten, coal, iron, nickel, and copper declined significantly; investments in bauxite increased markedly; and investments in strategic emerging minerals such as rare, rare-earth, dispersed, graphite, and diamond rose sharply by 71.4% year-on-year.

　　The top five provinces in terms of funding investment are, in order: Xinjiang (4.862 billion yuan), Inner Mongolia (2.203 billion yuan), Yunnan (728 million yuan), Gansu (717 million yuan), and Shaanxi (657 million yuan).

　　A total of 7,944 project instances were implemented, a decrease of 21.6% year-on-year. Of these, 2,775 were new projects and 5,169 were续作 (renewed or continued projects). The total drilling volume reached 9.13 million meters, down 31.0% year-on-year. The top five provinces in terms of completed drilling volume, in order, are: Xinjiang (1.6226 million meters), Inner Mongolia (1.3029 million meters), Shandong (809,500 meters), Yunnan (423,100 meters), and Guizhou (391,000 meters).

　　2. Basic Geological Survey

　　Investment totaled 3.489 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 13.7%.

　　Funding sources: Central government finances amounted to 2.496 billion yuan, accounting for 71.5% and increasing by 1.6% year-on-year; local government finances totaled 976 million yuan, accounting for 28.0% and decreasing by 35.9% year-on-year; social funding reached 17 million yuan, accounting for 0.5% and decreasing by 73.4% year-on-year.

　　Funding allocation: Regional geological surveys—1.093 billion yuan; regional geophysical surveys—290 million yuan; regional geochemical surveys—321 million yuan; remote-sensing geological surveys—127 million yuan; mineral prospective surveys—1.192 billion yuan; marine geological surveys—284 million yuan; other—182 million yuan.

　　The top five provinces in terms of funding investment are, in order: Xinjiang (549 million yuan), Inner Mongolia (376 million yuan), Tibet (329 million yuan), Gansu (197 million yuan), and Yunnan (158 million yuan).

　　A total of 1,145 project instances were implemented, a decrease of 5.3% year-on-year. Of these, 648 were new projects and 497 were续作 (renewed) projects.

　　3. Hydrogeological, Environmental Geological, and Geological Hazard Investigation and Assessment

　　Investment totaled 2.515 billion yuan, a decrease of 6.2% year-on-year.

　　Funding sources: Central government finance amounted to 978 million yuan, accounting for 38.9% and decreasing by 11.0% year-on-year; local government finance reached 1.348 billion yuan, accounting for 53.6% and increasing by 1.0% year-on-year; social funding totaled 189 million yuan, accounting for 7.5% and decreasing by 23.5% year-on-year.

　　Funding allocation: 916 million yuan for hydrogeological surveys, 763 million yuan for environmental geology surveys, 551 million yuan for geological hazard surveys and monitoring, and 285 million yuan for other work such as geothermal resource surveys.

　　The top five provinces in terms of funding investment are, in order: Xinjiang (243 million yuan), Hebei (188 million yuan), Shandong (162 million yuan), Shanxi (129 million yuan), and Sichuan (118 million yuan).

　　A total of 1,067 project instances were implemented, a decrease of 14.6% year-on-year. Of these, 862 were new projects and 205 were renewed projects.

　　4. Geological Technology

　　Investment totaled 1.419 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 15.8%.

　　Funding sources: Central government finances amounted to 317 million yuan, accounting for 22.3% and decreasing by 17.0% year-on-year; local government finances totaled 565 million yuan, accounting for 39.8% and decreasing by 12.0% year-on-year; social funding reached 537 million yuan, accounting for 37.9% and decreasing by 18.8% year-on-year.

　　Funding allocation: 623 million yuan for geological science research, 121 million yuan for innovation in technical methods, and 675 million yuan for the preparation of various reports.

　　A total of 2,146 project instances were implemented, a decrease of 9.3% year-on-year. Of these, 1,621 were new projects and 525 were续作 (renewals).

　　5. Geological Data Services and Informatization

　　Funds invested totaled 322 million yuan, primarily from the central government budget, a decrease of 10.1% year-on-year.

　　Main Work Progress

　　1. Status of mineral exploration rights establishment

　　As of the end of 2016, the total number of valid non-oil and gas exploration rights nationwide was 25,569, a decrease of 10.0% compared to the end of 2015. The registered exploration area totaled 458,800 square kilometers, down 16.5% from the end of 2015.

　　From the perspective of regional distribution, most exploration rights are concentrated in the western region. The five provinces with the largest number of exploration rights are: Xinjiang with 4,335, Inner Mongolia with 3,471, Yunnan with 2,026, Jiangxi with 1,852, and Sichuan with 1,567. Together, these five provinces (and autonomous regions) account for 51.9% of the nation's total exploration rights.

　　Looking at the distribution of mineral types: the majority are concentrated in 34 key mineral species, with a total of 21,607 exploration rights, accounting for 84.5% of the overall total. The five mineral species with the largest number of exploration rights are: gold mines (5,962), copper mines (4,984), lead-zinc mines (3,031), iron mines (2,425), and coal mines (1,508). Together, these five mineral species account for 70.1% of the nation’s total exploration rights.

　　From the perspective of mineral resource distribution: the resources are primarily concentrated in metallic minerals. Among these, non-ferrous metal exploration rights number 10,618, accounting for 41.6% of the national total; precious metal exploration rights total 6,628, representing 26.0% of the national total; ferrous metal exploration rights stand at 3,107, or 12.2% of the national total; energy mineral exploration rights amount to 2,268, comprising 8.9% of the national total; and non-metallic mineral exploration rights number 2,735, making up 10.7% of the national total.

　　In 2016, a total of 1,165 non-oil and gas exploration rights were granted nationwide, an increase of 22.9% over the previous year. The total area covered by these grants was 27,462.27 square kilometers, up 7.2% year-on-year. The total contract value for these grants reached 10.986 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 701.9%. Among them, 355 exploration rights were awarded through public bidding, auction, and listing procedures, with a total contract value of 789 million yuan.

　　2. Mineral exploration

　　A total of 140 new mineral deposits have been discovered nationwide, including 41 large-scale deposits, 41 medium-scale deposits, and 58 small-scale deposits. The top five mineral types in terms of the number of newly discovered deposits are as follows: gold (12 sites), lead-zinc (11 sites), coal (10 sites), iron (8 sites), and copper (7 sites).

　　A total of 496 mineral deposits nationwide have completed the phased exploration stage, including 43 preliminary surveys, 157 general surveys, 205 detailed surveys, and 91 exploratory surveys. The top five mineral types in terms of the number of deposits that have completed the phased exploration are: coal (71 deposits), gold (67 deposits), lead-zinc (56 deposits), copper (29 deposits), and iron (25 deposits), respectively.

　　The newly discovered resources of major mineral types (333 and above) include: 20.4 billion tons of coal, 323 million tons of iron ore, 475,600 tons of copper, 280 million tons of manganese ore, 265 million tons of bauxite, 1.9033 million tons of lead and zinc, 107,900 tons of tungsten (WO3), 61,700 tons of molybdenum, 235 tons of gold, 2,430 tons of silver, 545 million tons of phosphate rock, and 29.026 million tons of graphite.

　　Coal

　　Ten new mineral exploration sites have been discovered (two large, two medium, and six small). A total of 71 mineral exploration sites have completed the phased exploration stages (8 preliminary surveys, 9 general surveys, 19 detailed surveys, and 35 exploratory surveys).

　　The Nao Mao Lake exploration area in the Santanghu Coalfield of Xinjiang has added 9.6 billion tons; the Mo Hu Tai West area in the Heshitulogai Coalfield has added 4.7 billion tons; the eastern part of the Nao Mao Lake mining district in Yiwu County has added 2.9 billion tons; the Huangcao Lake exploration area in Qitai County, Jun Dong Coalfield, has added 2.2 billion tons; the No. 1 mine in the Wicaiwan mining district of Jimusar County, Jun Dong Coalfield, has added 800 million tons; and the Kongsala area in Changji City has added 600 million tons. In Fugu County, Shaanxi Province, the Majialiang—Fangziping area has added 3.2 billion tons; and in the Licheng County, Qinshui Coalfield of Shanxi Province, the Lihou exploration area has added 260 million tons.

　　Iron ore

　　Eight new mineral deposits have been discovered (one medium-sized and seven small-sized). Twenty-five mineral deposits have completed the phased exploration stages (nine at the reconnaissance stage, ten at the detailed investigation stage, and six at the exploration stage).

　　In the Danzhuang area of Dong'a County, Shandong Province, an additional 210 million tons of iron ore have been discovered. In the Zhangjiawa mining district of Laiwu City, an additional 107 million tons of iron ore have been found in the deep and peripheral areas. In Beitunbei, Qian'an City, Hebei Province, an additional 23 million tons of iron ore have been discovered in the deep and peripheral areas of the North Iron Mine.

　　Copper mine

　　Seven new mineral deposits have been discovered (one medium-sized and six small-sized). Twenty-nine mineral deposits have completed the phased exploration stages (two preliminary surveys, 11 general surveys, 10 detailed surveys, and 6 exploratory surveys).

　　The Wushan mining area in Ruichang City, Jiangxi Province, has discovered an additional 550,000 tons of copper.

　　Lead-zinc ore

　　Eleven new mineral exploration sites have been discovered (two large, one medium, and eight small). Fifty-six mineral exploration sites have completed the phased exploration stages (eight preliminary surveys, 23 general surveys, 17 detailed surveys, and eight exploratory surveys).

　　In Qixia District, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, the Qixia Mountain lead-zinc mine has added 468,100 tons of lead and 719,200 tons of zinc. In Nongtun Lead-Zinc Mine, Daxin County, Guangxi Province, the newly discovered reserves include 515,000 tons of zinc and 58,900 tons of lead. In Duocaima Lead-Zinc Mine, Anduo County, Nagqu, Tibet, the newly discovered reserves amount to 420,000 tons of lead and zinc.

　　Bauxite

　　Two new mineral deposits have been discovered (one large and one medium-sized). Thirteen mineral deposits have completed the phased exploration stages (one preliminary survey, five general surveys, six detailed surveys, and one exploration).

　　The Jiwanggou mining area in Fenxi County, Shanxi Province, has added 82.85 million tons, and the Qiuyan mining area has added 11.11 million tons.

　　Tungsten ore

　　Two new mineral deposits have been discovered (one large and one medium-sized). Twelve mineral deposits have completed the phased exploration stages (one preliminary survey, six general surveys, and five detailed surveys).

　　In Fuliang County, Jiangxi Province—Bishuwo in Leping City, an additional 5.785 million tons of tungsten (WO3) have been discovered; in Chongren County, the Juyuan Tungsten Mine has seen an additional 120,000 tons of tungsten (WO3) discovered.

　　Tin mine

　　Two newly discovered mineral deposits (both small-scale). Seven mineral deposits have completed the phased exploration stage (two at the prospecting stage, four at the detailed exploration stage, and one at the detailed exploration stage).

　　The Xianghualing tin mine in Linwu County, Hunan Province, has discovered an additional 60,000 tons of tin resources through follow-up exploration.

　　Manganese ore

　　Two newly discovered mineral deposits (both large-scale). Seven mineral deposits have completed the phased exploration stages (1 preliminary survey, 3 general surveys, 1 detailed survey, and 2 exploratory surveys).

　　In Songtao County, Guizhou Province, an additional 106 million tons of manganese ore have been discovered at the Taoziping Manganese Mine, while the Gaodi Manganese Mine has seen an additional 117 million tons of manganese ore. In Wucha County and Aktao County, Xinjiang, the Malkansu deposit has revealed an additional 30 million tons of manganese ore.

　　Gold mine

　　Twelve new mineral deposits have been discovered (one large, seven medium-sized, and four small). A total of 67 mineral deposits have completed the phased exploration stages (five preliminary surveys, 22 general surveys, 34 detailed surveys, and six exploratory surveys).

　　An additional 42 tons of gold have been discovered in the Luanjiahe area of Zhaoyuan City, Shandong Province.

　　Silver mine

　　Two new mineral deposits have been discovered (one large and one medium-sized). A total of 19 mineral deposits have completed the phased exploration stages (3 preliminary surveys, 7 general surveys, 7 detailed surveys, and 2 exploratory surveys).

　　An additional 956 tons of silver have been discovered in the Nagen Kangchel Gou area of Dulan County, Qinghai.

　　Rare, rare-earth, and dispersed minerals

　　Four new mineral deposits have been discovered (all of medium size). Twenty-one mineral deposits have completed the phased exploration stages (7 preliminary surveys, 4 general surveys, 9 detailed surveys, and 1 exploration).

　　In the Aketas lithium mine in Hetian County, Xinjiang, exploration has revealed additional reserves of 85,700 tons of lithium (Li2O), 1,387 tons of niobium (Nb2O5) and tantalum (Ta2O5), and 2,434 tons of beryllium (BeO). In the Dazhou mining area of Pingnan County, Guangxi, exploration has uncovered an additional 530,000 tons of rare earth elements.

　　Graphite

　　Five new mineral exploration sites have been discovered (four large-scale and one small-scale). Twelve mineral exploration sites have completed the phased exploration stages (two preliminary surveys, four general surveys, five detailed surveys, and one exploration).

　　In the Chagan Wendori mining area of Damu Banner, Inner Mongolia, an additional 5.25 million tons of graphite have been discovered. In Lingdong District, Lingxi Subdistrict of Shuangyashan City, Heilongjiang Province, an additional 4.32 million tons of graphite have been found, while the Liangzhongchang Farm in Mishan City has uncovered an additional 2.4721 million tons of graphite. In Aobaoshan County, Subei County, Gansu Province, an additional 1.2 million tons of graphite have been discovered.

　　3. Basic Geological Survey

　　Regional geological survey: Completed a 1:50,000 regional geological survey covering 202,000 square kilometers; and a 1:250,000 regional geological survey covering 12,000 square kilometers.

　　Regional geophysical survey: Completed a 1:250,000 regional gravity survey covering 15,000 square kilometers, a 1:50,000 gravity measurement covering 12,000 square kilometers, and 1:50,000 airborne geophysical surveys totaling 495,000 line-kilometers.

　　Regional geochemical surveys have been completed, covering 27,000 square kilometers at a scale of 1:50,000, 20,000 square kilometers at a scale of 1:250,000, and 220,000 square kilometers at a scale of 1:250,000 for land quality geochemical surveys. These surveys provide support for poverty alleviation efforts and serve the development of eco-agricultural industries. In areas such as Qingxi Village in Ganzhou County, Jiangxi Province; Qingtang Village in Ningdu County; Meijiao Village in Xingguo County; Hefeng Village in Yudu County; Shanglin County in Guangxi Province; Ping'an District in Haidong City, Qinghai Province; and Puge County in Sichuan Province, high-quality specialty agricultural products are being cultivated by leveraging selenium-rich soils.

　　Mineral geological survey: Completed a 1:50,000 mineral geological survey covering 169,000 square kilometers and delineated over 500 prospective mineral exploration targets.

　　Basic geological survey of the ocean. For the first time, systematic naming has been assigned to physical features on the seabed of the South China Sea; 245 large- and medium-sized geographic entities have received approval from the State Council. Emphasis has been placed on conducting marine regional geological surveys covering 13 map sheets, including those in Ledong Li Autonomous County and Sansha City. A comprehensive geological survey of the coastal zone has also been carried out, providing crucial foundational data support for major infrastructure projects, the development of the marine economy, and innovation in marine geoscience theories.

　　4. Hydrogeological, Environmental Geological, and Geological Hazard Investigations

　　Hydrogeological survey: Completed a 1:50,000 hydrogeological survey covering 45,000 square kilometers. Actively supporting poverty alleviation efforts, we have completed 153 combined exploration and extraction wells in regions including Yimeng Mountain, Dabie Mountain, Shaan-Gan-Ning, and Wumeng Mountain, thereby resolving drinking water difficulties for over 160,000 people. Additionally, high-quality mineral water resources have been newly discovered in Fuping County, Hebei Province, and Xingguo County, Jiangxi Province, effectively boosting local industrial development.

　　Environmental geological surveys. We completed environmental geological surveys at a scale of 1:50,000 covering an area of 57,000 square kilometers. We released the “Geological Survey Report Supporting the Coordinated Development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei,” which provided timely geological support for the planning and construction of Beijing’s sub-center city, the new capital airport, the Winter Olympics venues, high-speed railways, and the Tianjin Binhai New Area. We also released the “Geological Survey Report Supporting the Development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.” Furthermore, we prepared the “Overall Implementation Plan for Urban Geological Surveys and Application Services in Greater Xi’an” to support the integrated development of Xi’an and Xianyang, thereby bolstering the implementation of the “Three Major Strategies.” In Pingguo County, Guangxi, a “National Standardized Demonstration Zone for Pitaya Cultivation in Rocky Desertification Areas” has been established, achieving effective rocky desertification control, environmental protection, and increased incomes for local farmers. In Ningdu County, Xingguo County, and Xunwu County in Jiangxi Province, as well as in Mabian Yi Autonomous County in Sichuan Province, numerous new geological heritage sites featuring Danxia landform landscapes have been discovered, driving the development of locally distinctive tourism industries.

　　Geological hazard investigation: We completed a 1:50,000-scale geological hazard survey covering 21,000 square kilometers. We further refined the national geological hazard information system and service platform, achieving four-level data interconnection and updates—spanning from the national to provincial, municipal, and county levels. Throughout the year, we successfully issued early warnings for more than 670 geological hazards, preventing casualties among 24,000 people and averting direct economic losses totaling approximately 700 million yuan. We conducted emergency investigations into major sudden geological hazards such as the Taining debris flow in Fujian, the Lishui landslide in Zhejiang, and the Yecheng debris flow in Xinjiang. We also carried out InSAR-based monitoring and surveys of land subsidence in key regions including the North China Plain and the Fenwei Basin, providing support for joint meetings on land subsidence prevention and control in areas such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the Yangtze River Delta.

　　5. Geological Technology

　　Three research achievements received the 2016 National Science and Technology Awards, including one Second Prize in Natural Sciences and two Second Prizes in Scientific and Technological Progress.

　　A study on the large-scale mineralization dynamics model during the Yanshan Period within the intra-plate region in eastern China has revealed that intra-plate mineralization is controlled by the interactions among multiple tectonic blocks along the plate margins. The study has identified specific spatial patterns associated with large-scale metal enrichment, established deposit models at the scale of eight ore concentration zones, and developed a dynamic model for intra-plate mineralization during the Yanshan Period in eastern China. The airborne geophysical exploration technology system has filled several domestic gaps, significantly improving the resolution, detection depth, and efficiency of airborne geophysical exploration systems, enabling rapid and detailed exploration and effectively addressing key technical challenges in this field. The deep exploration and mineral discovery breakthroughs in the eastern segment of the Dabie Mountains have been closely focused on overcoming three major challenges: advancing deep exploration technologies, clarifying deep-seated ore-controlling factors, and achieving breakthroughs in deep mineral exploration. As a result, new progress has been made in both mineralization theory and exploration technologies, leading to significant breakthroughs in deep mineral exploration.

　　Paleontological research has achieved new breakthroughs. Fossil remains of the earliest large multicellular organisms on Earth have been discovered—numerous decimeter-scale carbonaceous macrofossils were first identified in the middle part of the Gaozhuang Formation in the Yanshan region of North China. This discovery holds significant value for studying the evolution of the early Earth’s environment and the origins of life. In the Zhaojue area of Sichuan, Cretaceous dinosaur footprint fossils have been unearthed, providing empirical evidence that supports the hypothesis that dinosaurs evolved into birds through a miniaturization process. Moreover, this is the world’s first documented coexistence of small and large dinosaur footprints (Jialingpus)—a remarkable find that carries profound implications for the study of footprint assemblages and paleoethology. In the Liaoxi region, new specimens of the genus Archaeopteris have been discovered, and recent advances have been made in bone tissue analysis. The identification of new specimens of Archaeopteris jinshanensis has provided more detailed skeletal morphological information about this species, expanded the known stratigraphic distribution of the genus, and significantly enhanced the diversity of pterosaur fauna in this region.

　　A breakthrough has been achieved in seismic exploration of the Mesozoic–Paleozoic marine strata in the southern Yellow Sea, overcoming previous technical bottlenecks. A seismic exploration technology for deep marine Mesozoic–Paleozoic oil and gas resources in the southern Yellow Sea Basin has been developed, characterized by "high fold coverage, abundant low-frequency components, and strong source energy." This technology has successfully addressed the challenging problem of deep-sea seismic exploration beneath the strong impedance interface masking layer, achieving key technological innovations and reaching an internationally leading level.

　　Highly efficient and rapid multi-parameter analytical techniques for organic pollutants have entered the world’s leading ranks. Using the dual-electrode method, we have successfully achieved rapid on-site detection of carbonate and bicarbonate ions in groundwater, and have proposed and established new theories and methods for rapid detection. We have independently designed and built an automated online rapid detection system for organic pollutants in groundwater, enabling the rapid analysis of more than 300 priority-controlled and emerging organic pollutants across over a dozen different categories.

　　New progress has been made in comprehensive disaster reduction technologies for geological hazards. We have developed integrated air-space-ground information acquisition and transmission equipment for major geological hazards, monitoring and early-warning devices for geological hazards in high-altitude, foggy, and mountainous regions, and fiber-optic sensing-based monitoring and early-warning equipment for geological hazards. As a result, we have established a real-time, automated, and intelligent monitoring, early-warning, and emergency response analysis platform for major geological hazards. We have also developed technical equipment and process flows related to emergency management of geological hazards, including large-diameter air-percussion hammer casing-drilling tools. Furthermore, we have created simulation systems for landslide processes and risk assessment, as well as a comprehensive risk assessment system for earthquake-induced geological hazard chains. We have established a hydro-mechanical coupling model for landslide instability in areas affected by typhoons and heavy rainfall. Additionally, we have developed national standards for identifying and classifying mountain flood hazards and a corresponding zoning system for prevention and control measures.

　　6. Geological Data Services and Informatization

　　Socialized services for geological data are steadily advancing. The National Geological Data Archive, the Physical Geological Data Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources, and 31 provincial archives have carried out a variety of promotional and service activities centered around World Earth Day on April 22nd, showcasing their collections of geological data. To commemorate the centenary of geological surveys, the National Geological Data Archive successfully organized two exhibitions: “Tracing the Path Through Mountains and Forests—A Century of Internship Reports by China’s First Batch of Geology Students” and “Centennial Exhibition of Geological Maps,” both of which have attracted widespread attention. At the 2016 International Mining Congress, 1,200 previously classified 1:50,000-scale geological maps were released; the number of geological borehole data points made publicly available online has exceeded 600,000. In total, the National Geological Data Archive, the Physical Geological Data Center, and the 31 provincial archives provided in-person services to 30,400 visitors and delivered data services 118,000 times. Units entrusted with the custody of geological data—including oil and gas data—provided in-person services to 7,944 visitors, including 4,137 visits for access to original geological data and 3,807 visits for access to physical geological samples, with a total of 14,200 instances of providing original geological data.

　　The foundation for geological data management continues to be strengthened. In 2016, geological data repositories at all levels across the country collectively received 10,659 types of completed geological datasets, representing a 3.6% year-on-year increase in the total volume of such datasets. Among these, Shanghai, Chongqing, Shandong, Inner Mongolia, and Qinghai saw relatively large reception volumes, with 1,571, 935, 738, 486, and 425 types of datasets received, respectively. Nationwide, a total of 2,725 types of primary geological datasets were received. Among them, provinces (autonomous regions) including Qinghai, Sichuan, Chongqing, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Guizhou, Jiangxi, Shanxi, Anhui, Hubei, Liaoning, and Hunan each received more than 100 types of such datasets.

　　The prototype system of the Geological Cloud has been preliminarily completed. A demonstration project has been launched, leveraging the Geological Cloud to conduct geological surveys in the Altyn Metallogenic Belt, exploring a new model for geological surveys under the “Internet Plus” framework, and initially establishing the architectural framework for the Geological Cloud (geological big data) system. An oil-and-gas management system and an interconnected website cluster based on the Geological Cloud have been developed, and the business management system has been fully deployed and applied across all operational areas. The “Geological Survey Supercomputing Platform” was promoted and released at the 18th China International Mining Conference, providing geoscientific exploration industry users with shared services for computing resources, storage resources, and specialized software.