Major zircon deposit found in Xinjiang

China has made a breakthrough in its mineral exploration efforts after a major zircon sand deposit was discovered in Baicheng county, Aksu prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

The Ministry of Natural Resources announced the discovery, with confirmed resources equivalent to those of more than 40 large zircon deposits and associated hafnium resources reaching a super-large scale, at a news conference in Beijing on Saturday.

The discovery marks a major breakthrough in China's efforts to secure supplies of zircon, a mineral of which the country has relatively scarce resources. Around 70 percent of the world's zircon reserves are concentrated in Australia, while China accounts for less than 1 percent. The new find is expected to significantly strengthen the country's resource security.

Zirconium, a silvery-gray transition metal, has a high melting point, excellent corrosion resistance and a low neutron absorption cross-section. These properties make it an important material for nuclear reactor fuel rod cladding and high-temperature alloys used in aerospace applications. Hafnium, which is commonly found alongside zirconium, has a high density and melting point. It is used in nuclear reactor control rods, rocket engines and spacecraft heat shields.

Zhu Yilin, chief engineer of the Xinjiang department of natural resources, said the discovery was the culmination of nearly two decades of sustained exploration.

Between 2006 and 2019, geologists reanalyzed historical geochemical survey data from the Tianshan region, and identified multiple zircon anomalies and promising exploration targets.

According to Zhu, the regional government has allocated 35.19 million yuan ($5.28 million) to five zircon exploration projects since 2024, which led to the breakthrough following extensive fieldwork.

"We will intensify exploration in promising zircon belts in Aksu, expand project deployment, strengthen metallogenic research and improve exploration technologies, with the aim of achieving further breakthroughs," Zhu said.

He added that efforts would also be made to accelerate the transfer of mining rights through public bidding, encouraging rights holders to expand reserves and increase production.

The discovery is among the major achievements of China's latest round of mineral exploration in the inaugural year of the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30).

Other significant discoveries have also been made across the country. The discovery of a major copper-gold deposit in the Chating region of Xuancheng, Anhui province, was announced by the Ministry of Natural Resources in September. The exploration project completed nearly 100,000 meters of drilling in just four months. Meanwhile, Guizhou province reported the discovery of its first fully concealed, high-grade, thick and super-large lead-zinc deposit in Bijie.

To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the country's mineral resources and strengthen resource security, the ministry has also launched a new round of resource reassessment during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, targeting associated and low-grade minerals, as well as strategic mineral resources that were previously difficult to exploit but may now be economically recoverable with advances in technology.

limenghan@chinadaily.com.cn