The China Geological Survey (CGS) say they’ve found vast metal reserves on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, known as the ‘roof of the world’, and when exploited they’ll greatly relieve the present strain on the country’s limited resources.

A seven-year survey was carried-out by the CGS and the results were released yesterday. The work was undertaken to gauge the area's resources and tourism potential. Over 600 potential sites for new mines were found.

 

It’s estimated the plateau has reserves of 30-40 million tons of copper, 40 million tons of lead and zinc and several billion tons of iron ore. A series of rich iron seams were discovered in Nixiong, near the Plateau's center, with estimated reserves of up to 500 million tons.

 

The type of ore found can be refined directly without prior treatment and is prized by steel producers. If proven, the Nixiong seams would be China's first substantial find of a rich iron ore supply.  

 

The plateau, which straddles six provinces and autonomous regions in southwest China, stands an average of 4,300 meters above sea level. Harsh conditions at that altitude means more than half the 2.6 million square kilometer plateau area has yet to be surveyed, said Zhuang Yuxun, director of the Department of Geological Investigation of the CGS.

 

It took over 1,000 specialists from 24 geological survey teams seven years to produce the results. Using remote sensing equipment combined with a lot of hiking, the experts have produced 110 regional geological maps on a 1:250,000 scale. The maps are the first to detail the plateau's mineral resources and potential tourism spots.

 

"The survey represents an historical step in our understanding of the geology of China," said Zhang Hongtao, deputy director of the CGS. He pointed out that most developed countries had completely surveyed their territories to a scale of 1:50,000.

 

"We’ll speed up the surveying process to more accurately locate these minerals," said Zhang. "Once mines are developed, they’ll greatly relieve the strain on China's existing resources."

 

Despite the promise of rich rewards from mining in the area, Zhang called for a gradual development warning that blind exploitation could permanently damage the plateau's fragile ecosystem. "We suggest a gradual development with natural restoration plans drawn up before industrial exploitation begins," he said.

 

The survey also unearthed thousands of fossilized sea creatures confirming the plateau was once a seabed. Zhang said the fossils could prove invaluable for understanding the geological transformation.

 

The area is currently thought to have been seabed over 100 million years ago which was forced upwards by movement of the earth's crust.

 

"It’s likely that a major theory geo-science breakthrough will come from finds on the plateau," said Li Tingdong, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

(China Daily February 13, 2007)