China has discovered the world’s deepest sandstone-hosted industrial uranium deposit at a depth of 1,820 meters beneath the Tarim Basin in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, authorities announced on Friday.
The China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) hailed the find as a significant breakthrough in the country’s mineral exploration efforts. This marks the first time such a thick and extensive industrial uranium mineralization has been found in the red variegated layer of the vast desert-covered hinterland of the Tarim Basin, filling a critical gap in China’s resource exploration.
According to nuclear scientists, the discovery indicates that China has developed a green and efficient detection technology system suited for locating sandstone-type uranium mines in desert regions. This advancement is expected to greatly enhance the nation’s uranium resource exploration capabilities and lay a solid foundation for the industry’s steady development.
“We predicted the mineralization prospects of the Tarim Basin at various scales,” said Qin Mingkuan, principal investigator at the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). “Based on these predictions, we conducted remote sensing, geophysical, geochemical, and other explorations in key prospective areas. Through deep drilling verification, we finally discovered thick industrial uranium mineralization in the heart of the Tarim Basin desert. This discovery is significant and holds great value and prospects.”
Industrial uranium mineralization serves as a direct and reliable clue for finding industrial uranium deposits, essential for nuclear energy development. This find not only boosts China’s uranium reserves but also demonstrates the country’s growing expertise in resource exploration and technology innovation.
