Since the launch of the new round of the Strategic Action for Mineral Exploration Breakthroughs, Shandong Province has added 465 tonnes of gold resources.

On July 5, the province’s high-level expert forum on the new round of the Strategic Action for Mineral Exploration Breakthroughs was held in Jinan. According to a reporter’s interview, since the state launched this new round of the Strategic Action in 2021, our province has added 465 tons of gold resources, 62 million tons of high-grade iron ore, 600,000 tons of rare earths, and 1.78 million tons of crystalline graphite.

In accordance with the work plan for the province’s new round of strategic initiatives to achieve breakthroughs in mineral exploration, the province has identified and delineated four foundational survey areas—namely, the western Shandong iron ore district, the southwestern Shandong rare‑earth district, the Jiaodong gold district, and the northern Jiaodong crystalline graphite district—and is carrying out basic geological surveys of mineral resources. Focusing on the province’s major metallogenic belts and key mineral clusters, 17 priority survey areas have been selected for conducting mineral resource investigations and evaluations. Furthermore, centered on strategic minerals such as gold, iron, copper, rare earths, and crystalline graphite, 18 key exploration districts have been prioritized. The province aims that by 2025, the level of basic geological surveys across the region will continue to improve; significant new advances will be made in the exploration of strategic minerals including gold, iron, copper, rare earths, crystalline graphite, and uranium; and it is expected that more than 25 new prospective exploration targets will be delineated and over 15 new mineral deposits will be discovered.

According to reports, our province is rich in mineral resources, with 148 identified mineral types and 93 of them having confirmed reserves. Seventy-four of these minerals rank among the top ten nationwide, including 14 strategic minerals such as oil, gold, iron, and rare earth elements. The province currently has 969 mining enterprises, producing over 400 million tons of ore annually, and its gold output has remained the highest in the country for 48 consecutive years.

During the previous round of the Strategic Action for Mineral Exploration Breakthroughs (2011–2020), our province added 2,957.62 tonnes of gold resources, 2.817 billion tonnes of iron ore, and 1.776 billion tonnes of coal, surpassing the targets set by the state. As a result, the Jiaodong region has risen to become the world’s third-largest gold‑mining district. “Shandong enjoys significant advantages in mineral exploration, particularly for gold. The province has made substantial advances in mining, beneficiation, and metallurgical technologies; in fact, it has already achieved the extraction of concealed or deeply buried deposits at depths exceeding 2,000 meters, setting an important example for deep‑level exploration nationwide,” said Academician Zhai Mingguo of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Since the launch of the new round of strategic initiatives to achieve breakthroughs in mineral exploration, Shandong Province has seen significant increases in the proven reserves of gold, iron ore, rare earths, and crystalline graphite. In March this year, the Sixth Geological and Mineral Exploration Team of Shandong discovered a large gold deposit in Rushan, with proven resources approaching 50 tonnes. In May, Shandong Gold Group identified China’s largest single gold deposit in Laizhou, preliminarily confirming an additional 200 tonnes of resources, bringing its total to 580 tonnes and further solidifying the Jiaodong region’s position as the world’s third-largest gold‑mining district.

“Based on early-stage mineral exploration and assessments of mineral resource potential, our province still holds substantial untapped potential for the exploration of strategic minerals. Among the 36 strategic minerals, nine—such as coalbed methane, shale gas, manganese, and antimony—have been identified but remain unproven in terms of reserves; significant prospects exist for deep‑level exploration of major resources like gold, iron, and coal; and numerous geophysical and geochemical anomaly zones associated with emerging energy and new‑material minerals, including uranium and lithium, remain unverified. Furthermore, exploration for clean energy sources such as geothermal resources requires further intensification,” said Zhao Xiaohui, Director of the Provincial Department of Natural Resources. He added that the next phase will see increased efforts in deep‑level exploration and detailed prospecting, with a focus on breaking new ground in identifying additional mineral deposits and boosting reserve growth and production.