China's Ministry of Natural Resources has confirmed a massive increase in the reserves of gold, nickel, along with rhenium, following a re-examination of minerals across the country, while government agency Xinhua shared this information on Saturday. Around two thousand survey personnel from twenty-seven provinces were involved in this investigation. China has secured a massive treasure trove of precious metals. China has found reserves of several rare and precious metals including gold, nickel, and rhenium. According to a report by China's state news agency Xinhua, mineral reserves across the country have been reassessed from scratch, while following this investigation, China's strategic resources have surged heavily. These include extremely precious minerals such as gold, nickel, and rhenium. Data from China's Ministry of Natural Resources shows that this new investigation has multiplied the country's mineral strength.
Record Growth in Reserves from Gold to Rhenium
Citing ministry data, Xinhua stated that China's existing rhenium reserves have recorded an increase of more than two hundred percent. Rhenium isn't an ordinary metal. It's used to make extreme temperature-resistant super-alloys, which are used to manufacture essential jet engine parts. Meanwhile, gold reserves have increased by an amount equivalent to fifty large mines. China has also achieved major success in the case of nickel. Its reserves have increased by an equivalent of thirty large mines, while in addition, reserves of gallium, indium, tantalum, and vanadium have also increased. All four of these minerals have seen an increase equivalent to ten large mines each. This success has come from re-examining mines that were previously considered low quality or difficult to use.
Year-Long Campaign and Examination of Over Eighteen Hundred Mines
This was no small survey. In this project lasting a full year, complete focus was placed on seventeen strategic minerals of China. During this time, more than one thousand eight hundred operational mines across the country along with large to medium-sized mining areas were scoured. To complete this entire campaign, more than one hundred institutions worked together. Around two thousand survey employees in twenty-seven provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities of China worked day and night to gather these data. Such a huge treasure has come to light only through the new evaluation of by-products buried in old mines.
New Discovery in Xinjiang Will Reduce Foreign Dependence
Apart from this nationwide investigation, China has also achieved a brand new success. According to Xinhua, the country's first paleofluvial-lacustrine zircon placer, meaning zircon deposited in the sediment of an old river or lake, has been discovered in the Bayingol region of Xinjiang province. This new discovery can Notably increase the domestic supply of zircon within China. China has long been heavily dependent on imports from foreign countries for zircon. Zircon is the very mineral from which zirconium is obtained. Zirconium is used in making fuel-rod cladding or protective layers for nuclear reactors. At the same luar, it's also extremely useful in making high-temperature resistant aerospace alloys.