Exploration unearths critical mineral deposits

China's Ministry of Natural Resources recently identified high-purity quartz as the country's 174th mineral type, as multiple ore deposits have been discovered in the country, the ministry announced on Thursday. These discoveries are expected to reduce the country's heavy reliance on imports.

This newly recognized mineral ore can achieve a silicon dioxide purity of at least 99.995 percent after processing and purification. The impurity levels, inclusion content and particle size are suitable for high-tech applications such as semiconductors and photovoltaics.

"High-purity quartz is notable for its resistance to heat and corrosion, low thermal expansion, excellent insulation and light transmission properties. It is a foundational material for strategic emerging industries like semiconductors and photovoltaics, and plays a crucial role in enhancing national high-tech competitiveness," said a spokesperson from the Ministry of Natural Resources.

China is a major consumer of high-purity quartz sand and the world's largest importer of the material. In recent years, China's imports of high-purity quartz have accounted for approximately 70 percent of the global total. As the country relies heavily on imports from foreign markets such as the United States and Norway, it makes market stability susceptible to trade policies and therefore introduces significant uncertainty.

As part of a new strategic mineral exploration initiative, China has discovered several high-purity quartz deposits in regions such as East Qinling Mountains in Henan province and Altay in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Meanwhile, Chinese enterprises and research institutions have made significant advancements in mineral assessment, resource exploration, deep purification and targeted impurity removal, marking a critical step toward the industrialization of high-purity quartz sand production using domestic resources.

Mao Jingwen, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, told China Central Television, that "high-purity quartz is a scarce mineral, and China has been heavily reliant on imports. The establishment of this new mineral type will facilitate the high-quality development of related emerging industries and enhance the resilience and security of industrial and supply chains."

"Future efforts will prioritize theoretical research in mineralization, as well as exploration and assessment technologies and separation and purification techniques. Emphasis will also be placed on surveying and evaluating resources, with key exploration projects designated to determine high-purity quartz resource reserves," Huang Xuexiong, director of the department of mineral resources protection and supervision at the Ministry of Natural Resources, was quoted as saying by CCTV.

In addition to high-purity quartz, the latest strategic mineral exploration efforts have significantly increased the national reserves of 12 minerals, including copper, gold, gallium, germanium and indium.

The exploration has also effectively alleviated resource shortages of bulk minerals such as copper, aluminum and iron, providing robust support for China to become a manufacturing powerhouse.

In Hainan province and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, new zirconium resources totaling 85,000 metric tons and hafnium resources exceeding 1,000 tons have been identified, effectively ensuring the security of industrial and supply chains for China's emerging industries, such as new energy and new materials.

Regarding energy minerals, new discoveries continue to be made in the exploration of conventional oil, gas and uranium deposits, according to the ministry.