Mineral resource potential and key exploration areas of JiangNan metallogenic belt*

The Jiangnan metallogenic belt, with an area of about 167,400 square kilometres, spans Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hunan provinces. Its main body is the same as the northern part of the original Qin-Hang metallogenic belt. Its geotectonics belongs to the plate bonding belt that is formed by the collision of the Yangtze and HuaXia ancient land in the Neoproterozoic. Since the Middle Proterozoic, the stratigraphic development of each era has been relatively complete in this region, the geological structure is complex, and the magma activity is frequent. The ore-forming geological conditions are superior. More than 1,280 important minerals such as coal, iron, copper and gold have been discovered, including more than 300 large and medium-sized mineral deposits. The copper, gold, tungsten, silver, lithium, phosphorus and uranium mineral resources in this area have great potential. The predicted resources in this area are 14 million tons of copper, 500 tons of gold, 4.3 million tons of tungsten and 8.5 million tons of lead and zinc, which have great prospects for prospecting. There are 13 key exploration areas in this metallogenic belt.