China discovers world's deepest sandstone-type industrial uranium mineralization

BEIJING, July 20 (Xinhua) -- China has discovered the world's deepest sandstone-type industrial uranium mineralization at a depth of 1,820 meters in the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, according to the China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA).

This discovery sets a new global record for the deepest sandstone-type industrial uranium mineralization ever found, signifying China's world-leading position in deep-earth sandstone uranium resource exploration.

Uranium exploration aims to locate and identify uranium deposits of industrial value, assessing their resource potential and development prospects. Industrial uranium mineralization serves as a direct and reliable indicator for discovering industrial uranium deposits.

The mineralization discovered this time represents China's first finding of thick industrial uranium mineralization within the reddish, variegated strata of a previously unexplored area in the heart of the desert within the Tarim Basin. It fills a gap in mineral prospecting within China's largest desert-covered region.

This breakthrough signifies that China's uranium exploration has surpassed theoretical limitations regarding the formation of sandstone-type uranium ore. It has established a green, efficient exploration technology system specifically suited for desert-covered areas, which has enabled breakthroughs in prospecting new areas, stratigraphic layers, deposit types, and unprecedented depths.

The discovery plays an exemplary and leading role in sandstone uranium exploration and will significantly enhance China's capability and expertise in uranium resource exploration in desert regions, said the CAEA.