OREANDA-NEWS. February 27, 2012. The Bureau of Geology and Mineral Exploration said on February 24 it discovered nine mineral deposits in Anhui province in 2011, with proven reserves worth about 600 billion yuan (USD 95 billion).

The bureau carried out 502 geological exploration projects last year, unearthing nine ore deposits containing copper, molybdenum, tungsten, uranium or iron.

Anhui province has achieved breakthroughs in mineral exploration over the last few years, proving up large ore deposits such as an iron deposit in Lujiang county, a tungsten deposit in Qimen county and Chizhou county's molybdenum deposit.

A molybdenum ore mine was prospected in Shapinggou, Jinzhai county last year, claiming to be the world's second and No. 1 in Asia with over 2.2 million tons of reserves. It has been China's largest ore deposit since the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949 and is also the first large deposit discovered in the eastern section of the Mountain Dabie.

Three medium or large sized deposits are expected to be prospected in counties of Ningguo, Jixi and Qimen, the bureau said.