Mineral Resources in Xinjiang

Good geological conditions

Xinjiang is located in the North Asia orogenic region at the hinterland of the Eurasiancontinent; the geological structures are complex, so it is good for mineralization. Two of the world’s three giant mineralization areas pass through Xin jiang, and 16 of the 32 significant mineralization belts of the ad jacent countries extend to Xinjiang, having the geological conditions of finding large and super large mineral deposits.

Species are complete and widespread

138kinds of minerals have been found in Xin jiang, accounting for 80.7% of the 171kinds that have been discovered in China;96 species (124 kinds of subspecies) have identified the reserves, among which,6 are energy mineral resources,32 are metallic minerals, and 58 of nonmetallic minerals (86 kinds of subspecies). More than 5,000 mineral deposits(spots) have been found in Xinjiang, widely distributing in the “three mountains and two basins”; Energy and salt minerals distribute in the basins and metallic minerals in the three mountain systems.

Large amount of predicted resources

The amount of predicted resources of oil, gas and coal respectively account for over 30%,34% and 40% of the total onshore resources in China. The amount of identified resources only account for less than 10% of the amount predicted, so the development potential is huge. The predicted amounts of ma jor mineral resources are as follows: 20.9 billion tons of oil,11 trillion m³ of natural gas,2.19 trilion tons of coal,9.089 billion tons of iron,61.58million tons of copper,17.57 million tons of nickel,31.59 million tons of lead,63.96 million tons of zinc,3,514 tons of gold,3.49 million tons of tungsten,1.19 million tons ofantimony,1.52 million tons of rare earth 0.36 million tons of lithium,5,700 tons of beryllium,793 million tons of potash,184 million tons of nitratine,12.22 million tons of potassium saltpeter,6.47 billion tons of bentonite,1.523 billion tons of phosphate, and 10 billion m³ of facing stone.

Good ore quality

The reserves of high-grad iron ore deposit account for 36.65% of the total iron ore reserves in Xinjiang. The coal is mainly the high-quality coal of low sulfur, low phosphorus, low ash, and high calorific value, and the coking coal accounts for 9.16% of the proven coal reserves in Xinjiang. Rich chromium ore accounts for 58% of the total chromium reserves in Xinjiang, which is a rare mineral raw material for the production of high-quality refractory material. The copper-nickel ore grade of Xin jiang reaches 3%~6%, and it is rare in China. The ore-bearing rate of Vermiculite is 59%, and the rich ore accounts for 73% of the total reserves with high swelling ratio. Bentonite is mainly the sodium-based soil with high pulping rate, which is the only high quality bentonite in China that meets the international standards. Xinjiang also has a number of high-quality copper, high-grade refractory of chromite and high-quality bentonite, muscovite, vermiculite, andalusite, and potassium and other minerals.

The relatively complete mineral resources

Energy mineral species that is necessary for the economic development of Xinjiang is complete with a large volume. The most important energy minerals of oil, natural gas and coal are dominant in Xin jiang. The iron ore, manganese ore, chrome ore, flux limestone, dolomite and coking coal that are needed in the iron and steel industry are complete. There are also many minerals for the development of non-ferrous metals industry, such as copper, nickel, lead, zinc and rare metal lithium, beryllium, niobium, tantalum, cesium, and metallurgical auxiliary materials. There is halite, mirabilite and sylvine for the development of salt chemical engineering. Various non-metallic minerals provide the supporting minerals for the development of building materials industry and cercamics, papermaking, salt industry, and arts and crafts and other light industries. The complete mineral resources have laid a strong foundation for the comprehensive development of industry in Xinjiang.

The high per capita amount of mineral resources

For the potential value of the recoverable deposits of main minerals, the per capitaamount in Xin jiang is about four times that of China’s per capita level; the energy abundance in Xinjiang is 4,500 tons of standard coal per person, which is 6.5 times higher than the average level of China.

Unique minerals

There are unique minerals in Xinjiang, such as Hotan jade, chili saltpeter, kali saltpeter,soaprock, and opoka.

hancheng

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