Mining for gold after kicking out the pastoralists

The establishment of protected nature reserves is a time-tested method of asserting state authority over territories and peoples that were previously subject to weak control. Whether it is in the name of protecting tigers in India, forests in Central America or headwaters in Tibet, the creation of protected parks often come with coercive laws that limit the rights of people who live in and around the designated area.

Often state discourse on protecting parks portrays itself as benign environmental projects. However, on the dark side, protected parks and nature reserves frequently introduce mechanisms for social control and facilitate resource development and eco-tourism plans. It is little wonder that between 1980 and 2003, China has established 70 nature reserve parks in the Tibet Autonomous Region.


Figure 1) Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve, based on a 2004 Qinghai Forestry Bureau map.


One of the most controversial nature reserve areas of the Tibetan Plateau is the San Jiang Yuan Three Rivers Headwaters Nature Reserve (SNNR), formed in 2000 to protect the sources of the Mekong (Zachu), Yangtze (Drichu) and Yellow (Machu) rivers. At the heart of the controversy is the relocation and settlement of tens of thousands of pastoral nomads into camps reminiscent of those built for First Nations people in North America.

The socio-cultural disruption caused by these resettlement projects is so severe that Andrew Fischer from the Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University, recently raised the point that the locations of recent spate of Tibetan self-immolations correspond, “with a few exceptions”, to areas of intensive resettlement. (To digress a little: In the same issue of the journal of Cultural Anthropology, Emily Yeh and Tsering Shakya observed how the Tibetans represent homo sacers, a group of people that the state is allowed, by its unquestioning citizens, to use brute force and violence upon.)

This blog post, however, is more specific to the SNNR. It builds on the questions raised in a previous blog post in which the first publicly available map of SNNR was released. These questions concern around the strategic motives of establishing nature reserves, the problematic use of scientific discourses, and on China’s commitment to environmental protection in relation to its development goals. Specifically, this post provides new information and analysis, which show that conservation is secondary to resource development projects in the SNNR area.

CHANGING THE BOUNDARIES OF SNNR
The map of SNNR first published on this blog was mainly based on a map of SNNR published by the Qinghai Forest Bureau in 2004. The SNNR is composed of 18 subareas. Each subarea is divided into three zones: a Core Zone, a Buffer Zone, and a multiple-use Experimental Zone. What follows in the rest of this post is evidence that shows that the boundaries of at least one of the SNNR subareas have been changed. Available information indicates that the changes have been made, amongst other things, to allow gold mining in the region.

The Yuegu Zonglie (Tibetan: Yos gi slang leb chu, ཡོས་གི་སླང་ལེབ་ཆུ་) is one of the Wetland Conservation Subareas of SNNR. Located to the east of Kyaring and Ngoring lakes. This subarea covers the uppermost headwaters of the Yellow River, and is critical to the SNNR project, which aims to prevent ongoing deterioration of the sources of the Yellow River.

If we overlap the 2004 map on Google Earth image of the region, we can see trenches (marked with pins), indicating mineral prospecting, within the Buffer and Experimental Zones of Yuegu Zonglie subarea of the 2004 map. These trenches are protected environmental zones from where people were to be resettled. The policy assumption is that nomad’s herds were responsible for the deterioration of the grasslands there.


Figure 2) A Google Earth Image showing the 2004 boundaries of the SNNR and the locations of streams (turquoise) and evidence of prospecting (yellow).

The trenches in the north of Yuegu Zonglie subarea belong to Inter-Citic, a Canadian mining company. The proposed Dachang Mine, with its processing plant and tailings, would be 12 kilometers upstream from the Core Zone, and there is evidence of prospecting as close as 4 kilometers to the Core Zone. We can also see on Google Earth that the grasslands has been severely damaged by Inter-Citic’s exploration work, far beyond anything nomads’ herds could ever do. Inter-Citic’s 2004 technical report acknowledges that its Dachang prospects “appear to be within an environmentally sensitive area around the headwaters of the Yellow River.”

However, in 2009, Inter-Citic published another technical report with a map of SNNR, showing their Dachang property completely outside of SNNR. The 2009 technical report states “Dachang is located proximate to but outside of the Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve”, and “The location of the Dachang concession is north of the outermost boundary of the Sanjiangyuan EPZ as described in the Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve Environmental Protection and Development Plan approved by the State Council on January 26, 2005”. Between March 10, 2004, the date of the 2004 technical report, and January 26, 2005, the date of the approval for the SNNR plan, the SNNR boundaries that affected the Dachang gold project and nearby gold prospects were changed.


Figure 3) Inter-Citic’s map of the SNNR near the Dachang exploration site. The brown area at the top represents the Dachang property. The red dashed line represents the Core Zone, the pink dashed line represents the Buffer Zone, and the blue-black dashed line represents the Experimental Zone.

The new boundaries now exclude the sources of the Yellow River, where the gold mines are to be situated, from SNNR, and includes new rivers, which are not a part of watershed region that SNNR is supposed to protect. It appears the changes in boundaries are made in such a way that the total area under protection remains the same before and after the change.

The figure below shows the Inter-Citic SNNR map overlay showing the relation between Dachang, other prospecting projects, streams and rivers, and the 2004 and 2005 boundaries of the SNNR. The dashed lines are from the Inter-Citic map (2005), the solid lines are from the 2004 map. The Core Zone remained the same, but the Buffer Zone was reduced in the north and extended in the southwest, and the Experimental Zone was reduced in the north and extended in the west.



An examination of the extension of the Experimental Zone to the west of the Core Zone reveals that the river (drawn in turquoise in the figure above) to the west of the Core Zone flows north into the Tsaidam (Qaidam) basin. It does not flow into the Yellow River, the Yangtze or Mekong, the rivers protected by the SNNR. Extending the Experimental Zone in this direction has no bearing on protecting the headwaters of the Yellow River.

In contrast to the rivers that flow outside the protected watershed area, the rivers near Dachang and other gold prospects taken out of the SNNR flow directly into the Core Zone. The 2004 Buffer and Experimental Zones would have protected the Core Area from the inflow of industrial waste from the North, where Inter-Citic and the Qinghai No. 5 Geological and Mineral Exploration Institute plan to create an open pit mine and build an ore processing plant. These will require hundreds of workers and extensive supporting infrastructure, resulting in, needless to say, severe pollution of the Yellow River at its uppermost sources.

THE OTHER REALITY OF NATURE RESERVES IN TIBET
The documentation and analysis provided above demonstrates what happens in the name of protected nature reserves in Tibet in general and what is likely to happen more frequently in these protected areas in the future. For example, government reports announce discovery of major gold deposits in the area, and that there will be further changes to SNNR Experimental Zones to boost incomes in the region. The Songpan-Garze gold belt, within which Dachang is found, runs through another nature reserve in Qinghai Province, the Hoh Xil reserve, which was created to protect the Tibetan Antelope and other endangered wildlife. Recent reports also mention that geologists are currently carrying out exploration in the Hoh Xil reserve area, just to the west of the Dachang region.




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READ ON:

➢ To find out what you can do to help with the situation, visit Nomad Rights and Stop Mining Tibet websites.

➢ The most extensive discussion of the plight of the Tibetan nomads are on the Rukor blog.

➢ Readers may also contact the International Tibet Network and the Canada Tibet Committee for more information.

➢ In addition to the links provided above, you can read past Tibetan Plateau blog posts on topics concerning resettlement of Tibetan nomads here and here. Those interested in mining issues in Tibet must check out our database of mines in Tibet.

➢ All the data incorporated in this report is available online and for free. The Inter-Citic website has a lot of useful information. As well as numerous maps and reports it has a useful downloadable Google Earth .kml file. Once locating Dachang in Google Earth, closely checking the area, particularly to the southeast, will reveal numerous exploration trenches and placer mining sites, along with a few camps, etc. Additional data and technical reports can be found at SEDAR.


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REFERENCES

Cargill, D.G. (2004). DACHANG GOLD PROPERTY IN QUMALAI COUNTY, QINGHAI PROVINCE, PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA. Source: Inter-Citic website.

Gorman, P.W. et al. (2009). A TECHNICAL REPORT ON AN UPDATED MINERAL RESOURCE ESTIMATE, AND A PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS FOR THE DACHANG GOLD PROJECT, QINGHAI PROVINCE, PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, VOLUME 1 REPORT. Micron International Ltd. Source: Inter-Citic website.

Fischer, A. (2012). The Geopolitics of Politico-Religious Protest in Eastern Tibet. In Mcgranahan, C. and Litzinger, R. (Eds), Self-immolation as Protest in Tibet. Special issue, Cultural Anthropology. Accessed online on April 14, 2012.

Shakya, T. (2012). Transforming the Language of Protest. In Mcgranahan, C. and Litzinger, R. (Eds) Self-immolation as Protest in Tibet. Special issue, Cultural Anthropology. Accessed online on April 14, 2012.

Yeh, E. (2012). "Terrorism” and the Politics of Naming. In Mcgranahan, C. and Litzinger, R. (Eds) Self-immolation as Protest in Tibet. Special issue, Cultural Anthropology. Accessed online on April 14, 2012.


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Read more on this article...

Introduction to the Petroleum and Mineral Deposits of the Tibetan Plateau Preliminary Database and Map

Tibetan Plateau blog published a preliminary map and database of petroleum and mineral deposits of the Tibetan Plateau. The map and the database seek to provide an overview of publically available information regarding petroleum and mineral deposits on the Tibetan Plateau. We hope to be able to produce future versions of increasing completeness and accuracy. As improvements are completed they will be made available on the Internet for the public to view and download without charge. Our approach has sought to avoid excessive technicalities while giving sufficient information that the lay public can better assess the actually and potential economic, human rights, and environmental effects of resource exploration, extraction and processing on the Tibetan Plateau. For those that want more detailed information on the deposits or the geology of the region a list of academic references is provided. While we have attempted to include names of the companies working on the various deposits, detailed information about the governmental and/or corporate organizations will have to be obtained elsewhere.

The Tibetan Plateau
The Tibetan Plateau in the PRC consists of the high altitude (generally over 3500 m.) region predominantly Tibetan culturally and historically. It consists of Tibet Autonomous region (Xizang), Qinghai, parts of Gansu, western Sichuan, and the northwest corner of Yunnan. Traditional Tibetan names for these areas being U-Tsang, Amdo, and Kham. Outside China the Tibetan Plateau extends into Ladakh, Spiti, Sikkim and Northeast India, as well as Mustang in Nepal. These are not considered in this map.

The following two maps created by the Environment and Development Desk of the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala indicate the prefectures and counties of the Tibetan Plateau. The names given are those recognized by the Central Tibetan Administration.

The Databases
There are three databases in three Excel (.xls) spreadsheets: mineral deposits, salt lake and playa deposits, and petroleum deposits. The three databases have similar formats but have been separated as these different types of deposits are discovered and exploited differently.

Mineral deposits often require expensive exploration techniques, such as widespread stream, earth, and bedrock sampling, exploratory shafts, and diamond drilling. Both trenching and diamond drilling often leave surface modifications visible in Google Earth. Mines are either underground or open pit. They often can be recognized by the (blue roofed) buildings, evidence of exploration, a pit, and a tailings pond (an enclosed area where the waste material goes after processing the ore). Placer mining also often leaves visible traces such as pits and other damage to a river bed.

Salt lakes and playas (a deposit where the ancient salt lake has disappeared) are relatively easy to find and exploit. Tibetans have been exploiting salt lakes for salt, for trade and their own use, for hundreds of years. Basically all one needed to do is show up with a shovel and a means of getting the salt to the market. The relatively recent discovery that some salt lakes also include other valuable minerals like Lithium has added to the lakes' value. These additional minerals can be difficult to extract and could turn a simple, relatively clean operation into an environmental mess without proper application of environmental protection laws and technology. Officials are so often swayed by the opportunity to personally profit from a mining operation that it is unlikely that these will be applied. The Qiadam Basin in Qinghai contains a number of large salt lakes and playas, which have been exploited by the CCP since soon after the revolution.

Petroleum exploration is expensive, requiring large geological and geophysical surveys, and drilling at likely sites. It is carried by large organizations with deep pockets and close connections with the CCP, such as PetroChina. So far, on the Tibetan Plateau, the oil and gas have been found and extracted since the 1950's from the Qiadam Basin in Qinghai, but oil shale exploration is going on in TAR and China is currently looking forward to exploiting these deposits when oil prices get high enough to make it worthwhile.

"Opening Up the West"
Similar to the 19th century U.S. experience of occupying and assimilating the western region of North America through military intervention, subjection of the indigenous peoples, and immigration, in the late 1990s the PRC began a program of "Opening Up the West". This program included plans to build railways, roads, and airports in the western regions of China, the exploration and exploitation of mineral and petroleum resources, development of hydropower projects, and increased, mainly Chinese, tourism. These are supported on the plateau by a program to settle all nomads, forcing them to sell their stock and reside in villages built by the government, and immigration of Chinese workers to work at the mines, hydropower projects, and other construction projects. A thoroughgoing program of propaganda of suppressing outside observers, "patriotic reeducation", etc. while a presenting a "green" agenda and poverty aleviation as the motives to the world and the Chinese public is ongoing.

The plans have advanced considerable since the turn of the century. A railway from Golmud to Lhasa has been constructed, and other railways are in the works. Zangmu Hydropower Project, and many others are under construction throughout the plateau. The earlier small mines in Gyama have been consolidated into one large mine, and is presented as a model project, though it appears that considerable corruption of senior officials was involved. Many small mines operating, and mineral exploration projects are in progress on the plateau. Many of these are visible in Google Earth, or reported on in the media or Internet, even if there is no detailed written description of them available to the public. Primarily Chinese workers are employed on these projects. The local Tibetan population is poorly compensated for their loss of homes, pastures, farmland, or livestock. This type of behaviour is common in China, where CCP officials and their wealthy friends regularly push through mutually profitable projects at the expense of the people.

Hydropower and mining are intimately connected in the process of development. Electrical power is needed to operate mines, ore processing plants, smelters, and to provide some measure of comfort to attract immigrant workers. Mines provide the economic base to finance the hydropower projects, which are subsidized by Beijing.

The Contents of the Database
The database of deposits is in three .xls files, one for each of mineral deposits, salt lake and playa deposits, and petroleum deposits. The mineral deposit database is the real focus, but the others are important too. The minerals .xls file will be described.

The first column "Mapped?" simply indicates whether the deposit is on the map or not ("Y" or "N").

The second, third and fourth columns give the Name, Products, and Status of the deposit. There may be more than one Name given (e.g. "Deerni (Durngoi)").The Products are given in abbreviated form ("Au" rather than "Gold"). Status is one of ("Prospect", "Deposit", "Mine"). A Prospect is a deposit we are unsure about. A Deposit has known reserves for which there is good evidence. Either of these could be a mine but we don't know that at the time of publishing. A Mine is a deposit for which there is good evidence that it is being exploited. It may be small or large.

The next column, "Size", is a more complex measure of a deposit's significance. In general, we are treating Size as the amount of product the deposit contains (e.g. Cu 1.5 Mt), but more properly Size should take into account the Grade or the ore as well as how many tonnes have been proven (1% Cu X 50 Mt ore = 0.5 Mt Cu). The higher the Grade the cheaper the deposit is to exploit. The product is also important. For example, Gold is worth a lot more than Copper. 5 tonnes of gold is a Mine. 5 tonnes of copper is an Occurrence. Further, to give some indication of size where we don't have this information, the terms "Small", "Medium", and "Large" are used. The Geological Survey of Japan, along with their map of mineral deposits of Eastern Asia, has published a list of definitions for "Small, "Medium", and "Large" for different products. It classifies some deposits as Large that a practicing exploration geologist would consider small. For example, the Porphyry Copper deposits shown on the map, though Large by GSJ standards, are small by international mining standards (* PORPHYRY DEPOSITS, W.D. SINCLAIR, Geological Survey of Canada, 601 Booth Street, Ottawa)

The next three columns give the Province, Prefecture, and County of each deposit. Though inexact these give important location information. For example, we can tell who the local officials and administrators are, where the population lives relative to the deposit, what their source of incomes is, how many people there are, etc.. If coordinates are not currently available then this information also tells us where to look. Often Google Earth will reveal exploration or a mine once an approximate location is found. If nearby Chinese town/village names are also available then the Google Maps can help to give an even more precise location.

The following three columns give Latitude, Longitude, and Validity, a measure of the given location's accuracy: "GE", "vicinity", "estimated", and blank. A blank indicates we cannot give any supporting evidence that the location is correct, and currently are accepting a knowledgeable opinion. "Estimated" indicates the location is estimated from a map or other imprecise source, such as a Chinese academic article. These are rarely very precise as to deposit locations. "Vicinity" indicates the coordinates were given by a more or less reliable source of information, such as a journal article in the Western academic literature. "GE" indicates that in our opinion the given coordinates are exact (locates a point somewhere on the deposit), and if input to Google Earth will reveal the named deposit. The visible evidence may consist of a mine or signs of mineral exploration. Some cases are more certain than others. The coordinates are presented "as is". Corrections are welcome.

Some examples are:

The Yulong Mine showing the pit and blue roofed processing buildings. Coordinates are at the bottom left and the date of the image on the bottom right.

The Deerni Mine is an example of a much smaller operation than Yulong. Smaller mines are not difficult to find in Google Earth. Two photos showing the tailings pond and the processing plant were also found.

Qulong is a large (by Chinese standards), low grade Prophyry Copper-Gold deposit just east of Lhasa. The network of roads indicate the pattern of diamond drilling used to confirm the extent of the deposit.



The Chongjiang Porphyry Copper deposit is another example where in Google Earth the location of a deposit can be identified by the characteristic pattern of roads used for diamond drilling.

This map is from the 2003 Honglu Chinese website. Honglu was the Chinese company behind getting Continental Minerals involved in Xietongmen. It was also involved in arranging the Jiama Mine deal. The properties indicated were all listed several times with both Canadian and American securities regulators. Where we have no other information on the locations of the deposits these are examples of estimated locations.

The USGS has several large databases of mineral deposits around the world in the form of Google Earth kmz and kml files. Theseare several years old and do not use the latest available data. Where Google Earth has recent images available (obtained within the last few years), the coordinates given by the USGS, with a few exceptions, are found to be incorrect, but most likely in the vicinity of the named deposit. This claim is based on the experience of often being able to find in Google Earth a plausible deposit location in the vicinity of the USGS coordinates. The USGS kml and kmz databases may also fail sometimes by giving different coordinates for one deposit in different databases. In this case searching GE to locate the most plausible alternative is a necessity. Though the USGS website provides a site to send questions and requests for information, our experience is that when questions about accuracy of coordinates and inconsistency of kml databases about deposits on the Tibetan Plateau were made their China Specialist had no interest in correcting the errors in the USGS mineral deposit database. Though useful in a general way, the Geological Survey of Canada's kml database is sufficiently inaccurate with respect to coordinates that we stopped referring to it. A xls file can be downloaded from the Geological Survey of Japan. Though of interest, and doubtlessly the best data at the time, it wasn't particularly useful as well. Amateur deposit databases, such as that at mindat.org fared better, but like the USGS, GSC, GSJ databases are mainly based on coordinates given in academic articles, and are consequently only approximate. Despite this limitation, the USGS mineral deposit databases are invaluable. When used with Google Earth coordinates often can be corrected. Google Earth is constantly updating its database of satellite images and we believe in time every deposit of significance will be revealed by it.

Two examples of using Google Earth to investigate current issues.
1) Recent reports of extensive pollution from the area near Kumbum Gompa south of Xining in Qinghai were supported by GE images locating the large industrial area, a cement plant, and an open pit mine, all of which intersected the rivers on which the local population depended on and complained were being poisoned. The Google Earth views provide significant evidence of damage to the natural waterways.



2) In northern Yushu Prefecture, Qinghai, a large area called the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve, has been set aside, it is said, to protect the grasslands and the sources of the Yellow, Yangtze and Mekong Rivers. Nomads of the region have been forced to settle and sell their herds. A Canadian company Inter-Citic, in a Joint Venture with the Qinghai Geological Survey Institute, is carrying out exploration for gold on the northwest edge of this reserve, and they report having discovered a large deposit just outside the reserve. In Google Earth we can see their camp, and the damage they have done to the grasslands as the result of mineral exploration. There is a stream next to their camp, and if you follow it enters the reserve and, eventually, the Yellow River. The evidence given by GE images suggests that Inter-Citic is polluting the sources of the Yellow River. The area they are in should be in the reserve, if a reserve is necessary at all. Going 50 km to the east, in the heart of the reserve, exploration trenches are visible in GE, very similar to the trenches Inter-Citic has made to expose the bedrock for sampling. This raises the questions as to who is doing this exploration and why is it being permitted.



The next three columns give references. In those cases where they are not particularly solid, think of them as a thread that may lead somewhere useful.

Finally, where we could, owners of the deposit are given. We were not always able to do this in the time we had available, but these columns indicate the direction we are heading. Once a company is identified the people behind it can be identified, then the relations between them. Forbes recently published an article stating 90% of the 1000 richest people in China are either in the CCP or are very closely connected with it. This fact, along with well known high level of corruption of Chinese officials, may explain more than politics or culture.

Areas of Interest
There are several regions which standout with respect to certain types of deposits.
The Qiadam Basin in Haixi prefecture of Qinghai is noted for its numerous large salt lakes and its petroleum deposits. These have been exploited by the PRC since the 1950s.

Just to the north of the Qiadam Basin is a gold belt, the best known mine being Tanjianshan which a Joint Venture between Eldorado Gold Corp of Vancouver, Canada, Qinghai Number One Geological Brigade and Dachaidan Gold Mine (Qinghai).

To the south in Yushu Prefecture of Qinghai is the Songpan - Ganze Mobile Belt, which is associated with gold deposits. The belt extends across Qinghai from the Xoh Nature Reserve, into the Tibetan areas of Sichuan. The noted deposit in this region is the Dachang gold deposit which is owned by Inter-Citic (Canada) and the Qinghai Geological Survey Institute. Inter-Citic reports about 40 tonnes of reserves proven and inferred. Xinhua reports it has 195 tonnes confirmed and "will have proven reserves of 300 tonnes by 2015” ("China says Tibetan gold mine amongst largest in Asia", Phayul, August 30, 2011). While the quantities are exaggerated, and the logic sloppy, what this (Xinhua publishing a promotional article of this sort) does suggest is that the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve (SNNR) will be mined for gold at the very headwaters of the Yellow River. Similar gold deposits are expected to be found in the region. For example, 50 km. to the east, well within the SNNR, exploration trenches can be clearly seen.



A map published by Inter-Citic showing the locations of the Songpan-Ganze gold belt and the Dachang deposit.

In TAR several areas stand out with respect to particular minerals. Two of them, the Gangdese Porphyry Copper Belt extending east-west just north of the Yarlung Tsangpo in the region of Lhasa and the Yulong Porphyry Copper Belt extending north-south parallel to the Drichu from south Qinghai, through Qamdo into Yunnan, are clearly visible on the map. An additional Porphyry Copper belt may also exist in the Changtang.

A Lead-Zinc belt also follows the Nujiang. Chromium is found south the Yarlung Tsangpo in Shannon. There are a number of salt lakes in TAR but only Zabuye seems the only one to have been exploited profitably on any scale.

Information regarding Uranium deposits is a state secret in China. Two we know about are Zonglongde in Riwoche, Chamdo Prefecture, accidentally revealed in a China NetTV SEC filing, and No. 792 Uranium Mine in Thewo County, Gansu, reported in the media due to protests regarding its illegal reopening and resulting pollution. As well as Zonglongde, a number of other deposits in Chamdo mentioned in the China NetTV report are suspected to also be Uranium deposits: Yuqu, Panong, Qinong, and Gexiong. They were claimed to be deposits of minerals which are never extracted except as secondary products.

Internet Sources

ChinaMining

Hunter Dickinson (Continental Minerals, Shetongmon, Shigatse, TAR)

Eldorado (Tanjianshan, Haixi, Qinghai)

Geological Survey of Canada, World and Canadian Mineral Deposits

Geological Survey of Japan, Mineral Resources of East Asia

Google Earth Download

Inter-Citic (Dachang, Yushu, Qinghai)

Beijing Headman Mining Evaluation Firm

Huatailong, the company that operates the Gyama Mine
Mandarin Tools

mindat.org, mineralogical database

Phayul

Radio Free Asia

China Digital Times

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Corporate Filings Search

Canadian SEDAR

USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS)

USGS Mineral Resources On-Line Spatial Data


References
ACADEMIC ARTICLE LIST

If an article concerns a particular deposit, or collection of deposits, the primary name the deposit will follow the names of the authors and year. For example for the Jiama Mine it would look like (author, year, Jiama)

A

(An Yin and T. Mark Harrison, 2000, Himalayan Tibetan Orogen)
An Yin and T. Mark Harrison
GEOLOGIC EVOLUTION OF THE HIMALAYAN TIBETAN OROGEN
Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 2000. 28:211–80

B

(Bauer, K.; Childs, G., 2008)
Kenneth Bauer, Geoff Childs;
Demographics, Development, and the Environment in Tibetan Areas; 2008 - 04

C

(Chen Yongqing et al, 2008, Pulang)
Chen Yongqing, Huang Jingning, Liang Zhen
Geochemical Characteristics and Zonation of Primary Halos of Pulang Porphyry Copper Deposit, Northwestern Yunnan Province, Southwestern China
Journal of China University of Geosciences, Vol. 19, No. 4, p.371–377, August 2008

(Chengyou Feng et al, 2009, Tuolugou)
Chengyou Feng, Wenjun Qu, Dequan Zhang, Xingyan Dang, Andao Du, Daxin Li a, Hongquan She
Re–Os dating of pyrite from the Tuolugou stratabound Co(Au) deposit, eastern Kunlun Orogenic Belt, northwestern China
Ore Geology Reviews 36 (2009) 213–220

G

(X.X. Gu et al, 2002 et al, NW Sichuan Au)
X.X. Gu, J.M. Liub, O. Schulzc, F. Vavtarc, M.H. Zheng
Syngenetic origin for the sediment-hosted disseminated gold
deposits in NW Sichuan, China: ore fabric evidence
Ore Geology Reviews 22 (2002) 91– 116

(Guangming LI et al, 2006, Skarn Cu-Au±Mo Deposits)
Guangming LI, Kezhang QIN, Kuishou DING, Tiebing LIU, Jinxiang LI, Shaohuai WANG, Shanyuan JIANG and Xingchun ZHANG
Geology, Ar-Ar Age and Mineral Assemblage of Eocene Skarn Cu-Au±Mo Deposits in the Southeastern Gangdese Arc, Southern Tibet: Implications for Deep Exploration
RESOURCE GEOLOGY, vol. 56, no. 3, 315–336, 2006

(GUO Zu-jun et al, 2008, Qiangtang Petroleum)
GUO Zu-jun, LI Yong-tie, NAN Zheng-bing, YE He-fei
Relationship between deformation structure and petroleum accumulation and preservation, Qiangtang Basin, Tibet
PETROLEUM EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT Volume 35, Issue 5, October 2008

H

(HE Shuye et al, 2009, Yazigou)
HE Shuyue，LI Dongsheng，LI Lianglin，QI Lanying and HE Shoufu
Re—Os Age of Molybdenite from the Yazigou Copper(Molybdenum) Mineralized Area in Eastern Kunlun of Qinghai Province，and Its Geological Significance
Geotectonica et Metallogenia V. 33, No. 2, 236-242, May 2009

(Hou Zengqian et al, 2003, Dongqinnong)
Hou Zengqian, Wang Liquan, Khin Zaw, Mo Xuanxue, Wang Mingjie, Li Dingmou, and Pan Guitang;
Post-collisional crustal extension setting and VHMS mineralization in the Jinshajiang orogenic belt, southwestern China. Ore Geology Reviews 22, 177-199; 2003

(Hou Zengqian et al, 2003, Yulong etc.)
HOU ZENGQIAN, MA HONGWEN, KHIN ZAW, ZHANG YUQUAN, WANG MINGJIE, WANG ZENG, PAN GUITANG, TANG RENLI;
The Himalayan Yulong Porphyry Copper Belt: Product of Large-Scale Strike-Slip
Faulting in Eastern Tibet; 2003

(Hou Zengqian et al, 2003, Yulong belt)
Hou Zengqian, Ma Hongwen, Khin Zaw, Zhang Yuquan, Wang Mingje, Wang Zeng, Pan Guitang, Tang Renli
The Himalayan Yulong Porphyry Copper Belt: Product of Large-Scale Strike-Slip Faulting in Eastern Tibet
Economic Geology Vol. 98, 2003, pp. 125–145

(Z.Q. Hou et al, 2004, Adakitic intrusives S Tibet)
Z.Q. Hou, Y.F. Gao, X.M. Qu, Z.Y. Rui, X.X. Mo
Origin of adakitic intrusives generated during mid-Miocene east-west extension in southern Tibet
Earth and Planetary Science Letters 220 (2004) 139-155

(Zengqian Hou et al, 2007, Sanjiang metallogenesis)
Zengqian Hou, Khin Zaw, Guitang Pan, Xuanxue Mo, Qiang Xu, Yunzhong Hu, Xingzhen Li
Sanjiang Tethyan metallogenesis in S.W. China: Tectonic setting, metallogenic epochs and deposit types
Ore Geology Reviews 31 (2007) 48–87

(Hou Zengqian, 2007, Yulong)
Hou Zengqian, Xie Yuling, Xu Wenyi, Li Yinqing, Zhu Xlangkun, Khin Zaw, G, Beaudoin, Rui Zongyao, HUang Wei, Luobu Ciren
Yulong Deposit, Eastern Tibet: A High-Sulfidation Cu-Au Porphyry Copper Deposit in the Eastern Indo-Asian Collision Zone
International Geology Review, Vol. 49, 2007, p. 235–258.

(HOU Zeng-qian et al, 2006, Tibetan Plateau Metallogeneses)
HOU Zeng-qian, MO Xuan-xu, YANG Zhi-ming, WANG An-jian, PAN Gui-tang, QU Xiao-ming, NIE Feng-un
Metallogeneses in the collisional orogen of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau：Tectonic
setting, tempo-spatial distribution and ore deposit types
GEOLOGY IN CHINA Vol．33．No．2, Apr，2006

(Zengqian Hou et al, 2007, Sanjiang Metallogenesis)
Zengqian Hou, Khin Zaw, Guitang Pan, Xuanxue Mo, Qiang Xu, Yunzhong Hu, Xingzhen Li;
Sanjiang Tethyan metallogenesis in S.W. China: Tectonic setting, metallogenic epochs and deposit types; 2007

(Zengqian Hou et al, 2008, Gangdese porphyry copper belt)
Zengqian Hou, Zhiming Yang, Xiaoming Qu, Xiangjin Meng, Zhenqing Li, G. Beaudoin, Zongyao Rui, Yongfeng Gao, Khin Zaw;
The Miocene Gangdese porphyry copper belt generated during post-collisional extension in the Tibetan Orogen; 2008

(Zengqian Hou et al, 2009, REE Belt)
Zengqian Hou, Shihong Tian, Yuling Xie, Zhusen Yang, Zhongxin Yuan, Shuping Yin,
Longsheng Yi, Hongcai Fei, Tianren Zou, Ge Bai, Xiaoyu Li
The Himalayan Mianning–Dechang REE belt associated with carbonatite–alkaline
complexes, eastern Indo-Asian collision zone, SW China
Ore Geology Reviews 36 (2009) 65–89

(Zengqian Hou & Nigel Cook, 2009, Tibet Metallogenesis)
Zengqian Hou, Nigel J. Cook
Metallogenesis of the Tibetan collisional orogen: A review and introduction
to the special issue
Ore Geology Reviews 36 (2009) 2–24

(Hu Rui-Zhong, 2002, Carlin Au)
Hu Rui-Zhong, Su Wen-Chao, Bi Xian-Wu, Tu Guang-Zhi, Albert H. Hofstra
Geology and geochemistry of Carlin-type gold deposits in China
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J

(Jiajun Liu, 2002, Sichuan Au Deposits)
Jiajun Liu, Minghua Zheng, Jianming Liu, Xuexiang Gua,
Yufeng Zhou, Caixia Feng
Mechanical transport of metallogenic materials in endogenic hydrothermal solutions: evidence from the microspherules in micro-disseminated gold deposits, northwestern Sichuan, China
Ore Geology Reviews 22 (2002) 1 –16

(Jiankang Li et al, 2006, Jiajika)
Jiankang Li, Denghong Wang, Dehui Zhang, and Xiaofang Fu;
The Source of ore-forming Fluid in Jiajika Pegmatite Type Lithium Polymetallic Deposit, Sichuan Province. Acta Petrologica et Mineralogica [Yanshikuang Wuxue Zazhi] 25(1), 45-52; (2006)

(Jingwen Mao et al, 2002, Zhebo)
Jingwen Mao, Yumin Qiu, Goldfarb, R.J., Zhaochong Zhang, Garwin, S., and Ren Fengshou ;
Geology, distribution, and classification of gold deposits in the western Qinling belt, central China. Mineralium Deposita 37(3/4), (2002)

(Jinxiang Li et al, 2011, Duolong Bangongco)
Jinxiang Li, Kezhang Qin, Guangming Li, Bo Xiao, Junxing Zhao, Lei Chen
Magmatic-hydrothermal evolution of the Cretaceous Duolong gold-rich
porphyry copper deposit in the Bangongco metallogenic belt, Tibet: Evidence
from U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology
Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 41 (2011) 525–536

K

(Khin Zaw et al, 2007, Deposit types of S. China)
Khin Zaw, Stephen G. Peters, Paul Cromie, Clive Burrett, Zengqian Hou
Nature, diversity of deposit types and metallogenic relations of South China
Ore Geology Reviews 31 (2007) 3–47

L

(Lafitte, G, 2007)
Gabriel Lafitte;
Current State of Mining in Tibet; 2007

(LI Guangming et al, 2005 ,Gangdese belt dating)
LI Guangming, RUI Zongyao, WANG Gaoming, LIN Fangcheng, LIU Bo, SHE Hongquan, FENG Chengyou, QU Wenjun
Molybdenite Re-Os dating of Jiama and Zhibula polymetallic copper deposits in Gangdese metallogenic belt of Tibet and its significance
MINERAL DEPOSITS May 2005

(LI Jian-kang et al, 2006, Jiajika)
LI Jian-kang, WANG Den-hong, ZHANG De-hui and FU Xiao-fang
The source of ore-forming fluid in Jiajika pegmatite type lithium polymetallic deposit，Sichuan Province
ACTA PETROLOGICA ET MINERALOGICA, Vol 25, No 1, Jan．2006

M

(MA Hui—ying, 2009. Xiaowolong)
MA Hui—ying，LIU Ji-shun，YIN Li—jun，LIU De-li，YANG Li—gon
Geological feature and exploration sign of Xiaowolong tin-iron—tungsten polymeallic deposit in Dulanxian in Qinghai province
MINERAL RESOURCES AND GEOLOGY V01．23，NO．4 Aug．2009

(Steffen Mischke, 2010, Qaidam Basin)
Steffen Mischke, Zhencheng Sun, Ulrike Herzschuh, Zizhen Qiao, Naida Sun
An ostracod-inferred large Middle Pleistocene freshwater lake in the presently
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Quaternary International 218 (2010) 74–85

P

Stephen G. Peters, Warren J. Nokleberg, Jeff L. Doebrich, Walter J. Bawiec, Greta Orris, David M. Sutphin, and David R. Wilburn
Geology and Nonfuel Mineral Deposits of Asia and the Pacific
Open-File Report 2005 –1294C, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey

(Stephen G. Peters et al, 2005, USGS Mineral Deposits of Asia)

(SHE Hongquan et al, 2005, Gangdese skarn)
SHE Hongquan, FENG Chengyou, ZHANG Dequan, PAN Guitang, LI Guangming
Characteristics and metallogenic potential of skarn copper-lead-zinc polymetallic deposits in central eastern Gangdese
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Q

(Qu Xiaoming et al, 2007, Gangdese Porphyry Genesis)
Qu Xiaoming, Zengqian Hou, Khin Zaw, Li Youguo
Characteristics and genesis of Gangdese porphyry copper deposits in the southern Tibetan Plateau: Preliminary geochemical and geochronological results
Ore Geology Reviews 31 (2007) 205–223

R

S

(SHE Hong—quan et al, 2007, Ulan Uzhur)
Geological characteristics and genesis of the Ulan Uzhur porphyry copper deposit in Qinghai
SHE Hong—quan, ZHANG De—quan, JING xiang—yan, GUAN Jun,
ZHU Hua—pin, FENG cheng—you, LI Da一xin
GEOLOGY IN CHINA V01．34．No．2 Apr., 2007

(Shen Yongsheng et al, 2009, Hongshuihe)
SHEN Yong—sheng，WANG Xu—chun，ZHANG Yu·jie
Study on genesis and geological characteristics of Hongshuihe iron deposit in Qinghai province
MINERAL RESOURCES AND GEOLOGY V01．23，No．4 Aug．，2009

Shenghao Yan et al, 2003, Meiduo)
mindat

(SHE Hong—quan et al, 2007, Ulan Uzhur)
Geological characteristics and genesis of the Ulan Uzhur porphyry copper deposit in Qinghai
SHE Hong—quan，ZHANG De—quan，JING xiang—yan，GUAN Jun，
ZHU Hua—pin，FENG cheng—you，LI Da一xin
GEOLOGY IN CHINA V01．34．No．2 Apr．，2007

(Sihong Jiang et al, 2009, Mayum)
Sihong Jiang, Fengjun Nie, Peng Hu, Xinrong Lai, Yifei Liu
Mayum: an orogenic gold deposit in Tibet, China
Ore Geology Reviews 36 (2009) 160–173

(Singer, D.A. et al, 2008, Porphyry Cu Deposits)
Singer, D.A., Berger, V.I., and Moring, B.C.:
Porphyry copper deposits of the world: Database and grade and tonnage models, 2008. US Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008-1155; (2008)

T

(Taihe Zhou et al, 2002, Gold deposit in China)
Taihe Zhou, Richard J. Goldfarb, G. Neil Phillips
Tectonics and distribution of gold deposits in China – an overview
Mineralium Deposita (2002) 37: 249–282

(TANG Gao-lin et al., 2006, Liwu)
TANG Gao-lin,WANG Fa-qing,QOU Lin-lin;
Geological Characteristics and Prospecting Perspective of the Liwu Copper Deposit in Sichuan,WS China; 2006 - 04

V

(A. Vengosh, 1995, Qaidam Basin)
A. Vengosh, A.R. Chivas, A. Starinskyb, Y. Kolodnyb, Zhang Baozhenc, Zhang Pengxi
Chemical and boron isotope compositions of non-marine brines from the Qaidam Basin, Qinghai, China
ChemicalGeology 120 (1995) 135-154

W

(R.L. Wang, 2002, Zabuye)
R.L. Wang, S.C. Scarpitta, S.C. Zhang, M.P. Zheng
Later Pleistocene/Holocene climate conditions of Qinghai-Xizhang Plateau (Tibet) based on carbon and oxygen stable isotopes of Zabuye Lake sediments
Earth and Planetary Science Letters 203 (2002) 461-477

(WANG Gui-hong et al, 2008, N Qaidam Basin)
WANG Gui-hong, MA Da-de, ZHANG Qi-quan, LI Jun
Basin-mountain tectonic pattern and hydrocarbon exploration domain in north margin of Qaidam Basin
PETROLEUM EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT Volume 35, Issue 6, December 2008

(Wang Jun, Zhang Jun, 2001, Mazhala)
Wang Jun, Zhang Jun
Metallogenic character and prospecting direction of the Mazhala gold-antimony deposit, southern Tibet
Gold Geology Vol. 7, No. 3, Sep. 2001

(WEI Lejun, 2002, Dongco)
WE1 Lejun, ZHENG Mianping, LIU Xifang, CAI Keqin, NIE Ben
Discovery of Borax-bearing Mirabilite Beds in Dong Co, Northern Tibet, and Its Palaeoclimatic Significance
Vol. 76 No. 3 ACTA GEOLOGICA SINICA Sept. 2002

(Wenxin Xu et al, 2000, Tongyugou)
Wenxin Xu, Minyang Chen, Chunyong Pang, and Heng Li : Pb Isotope Study of Some Nonferrous Metallic Deposits in China. Acta Geologica Sinica 74(2), 316-320; (2000)

(Weiguang Zhu et al, 2001, Xiacun)
Weiguang Zhu, Chaoyang Li, and Hailin Deng;
Sulfur and lead isotope geochemistry of the Xiacun silver-polymetallic ore deposit in Sichuan Province. Acta Mineralogica Sinica 21(2), 219-224; (2001)

(WU Xiaoxia et al, 2007, Galinge)
WU Xiaoxia, BAO Guangying, YI Youchang, ZHANG Fenying
The Study on the Genesis and Geological Characteristics of Galinge High - Grade Iron Deposit of Qinghai Province
Gold Science and Technology V. 15, No. 4, Aug. 2007

(Wenyi Xu et al, 2009, Xiongcun)
Wenyi Xu, Fengchu Pan, Xiaoming Qu, Zengqian Hou, Zhusen Yang, Weishi Chen,
Dan Yang, Yanhe Cui
Xiongcun, Tibet: A telescoped system of veinlet-disseminated Cu (Au) mineralization and late vein-style Au (Ag)-polymetallic mineralization in a continental collision zone
Ore Geology Reviews 36, 174–193; (2009)

X

(Xiang Huang et al, 2010, Jiama)
Xiang Huang, Mika Sillanp, Egil T. Gjessing, Sirpa Peräniemi, Rolf D. Vogt;
Environmental impact of mining activities on the surface water quality in Tibet:
Gyama valley; 2010 - 05

(Xiangjin Meng et al, 2007, Luobadui)
Xiangjin Meng, Zengqian Hou, Peisheng Ye, Zhushen Yang, Zhenqing Li, and Yongfeng Gao;
Characteristics and ore potentiality of Gangdese silver-polymetallic mineralization belt in Tibet. Mineral Deposits 26(2), 153-162; (2007)
(Xiaoliang Feng et al, 2007, Liwu)

(Xiaofeng Li, 2007, Daduhe Au)
Xiaofeng Li, Jingwen Mao, Chunzeng Wang, Yasushi Watanabe
The Daduhe gold field at the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau: He, Ar, S, O, and H isotopic data and their metallogenic implications
Ore Geology Reviews 30 (2007) 244–256

Xiaoliang Feng, Mingjie Wang, Chengmin Wen, and Huihua Zhang;
The Preliminary Study of the Exploration Potential of the Liwu Copper Deposit and Its Surrounding Areas, Western Sichuan. Sedimentary Geology and Tethyan Geology [Chenji Yu Tetisi Dizhi] 28(1), 9-13; (2007)

(Xiaoming Qu, 2006, Hongbo Xin, Gaerqiong)
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Ages and tectonic environment of the Bangong Co porphyry copper belt in western Tibet, China. Geological Bulletin of China 25(7), 792-799; 2006

(Xinyou Zhu et al, 2006, Xitieshan)
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Study of two types of ore bodies in Xitieshan lead-zinc SEDEX deposit, Qinghai Province. Mineral Deposits 25(3), 252-262.(2006)

(Xiugen Fu et al, 2009, Shengli Oil Shale)
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Concentrations and modes of occurrence of platinum group elements in the
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(Xiugen Fu et al, 2010, Changshe Oil Shale)
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REE geochemistry of marine oil shale from the Changshe Mountain area, northern Tibet, China
International Journal of Coal Geology 81 (2010) 191–199

(Xiugen Fua, 2011, Shengli Oil Shale)
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Geochemistry and origin of rare earth elements(REEs) in the Shengli River oil shale, northern Tibet, China
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Y

Yang Jingsui, Shi Rendeng, Wu Cailai, Wang Xibin
Dur'ngoi Ophiolite in East Kunlun, Northeast Tibetan Plateau: Evidence for Paleo-Tethyan Suture in Northwest China
Journal of Earth Science, Vol. 20, No. 2, p. 303–331, April 2009

(Yang Jingsui, 2009, Dur'ngoi Ophiolite)

(Wenbo Yang et al, 1995, Dabusun)
Wenbo Yang, Ronald J. Spencer, H. Roy Krouse, Tim K. Lowenstein, E. Casas
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(YAO Peng et al, 2002, Jiama Qulong)
YAO Peng ,WANG Quan-hai,LI Jin-gao;
Ore and ore resource prospects of the Jiama-Qulong ore concentration area,Tibet; 2002 - 02

(Yuwang Wang, 2000, Deerni)
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Marine and Petroleum Geology 25 (2008) 344–356

(YU Pu—sheng et al, 2007, N. Plateau Mineral Belts)
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Division of Metallogenic Belts in the Northern Qinghai—Tibet Plateau
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(Zhang Lin et al, 2009, Gaerqiong)
ZHANG Lin，XIAO Yuan-fu，HU Tao
Geological Characteristics and Analysis of Ore-forming Conditions for Copper Deposits of Gaer-qiong in Tibet
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(ZHANG Chun-lin et al, 2008, Gas Hure)
ZHANG Chun-lin, GAO Xian-zhi, LI Yan-fei, MA Da-de
Petroleum migration in the Gas Hure Oilfield, Qaidam Basin, NW China
PETROLEUM EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT Volume 35, Issue 3, June 2008

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Zhang Dequan, She Hongquan, Feng Chengyou, Li Daxin, Li Jinwen;
Geology, age, and fluid inclusions of the Tanjianshan gold deposit, western China:
Two orogenies and two gold mineralizing events; 2009 - 06

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ZHOU Shixin and PENG Dehua
Geochemical Characteristics and Origin of Natural Gases in the Qaidam Basin, China
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Zhang Ying, Li Zhisheng, Wang Dongliang, Wang Xiaobo
Geochemical characteristics and play targets of gas in eastern Qaidam Basin, NW China
PETROLEUM EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT Volume 36, Issue 6, December 2009 Online English edition of the Chinese language

(ZHENG YouYe et al, 2007, Zhunuo)
ZHENG YouYe, ZHANG GangYang, XU RongKe,GAO ShunBao, PANG YingChun, CAO Liang, DU AnDao & SHI YuRuo
Geochronologic constraints on magmatic intrusions and mineralization of the Zhunuo porphyry copper deposit in Gangdese, Tibet
Chinese Science Bulletin, November 2007, vol. 52, no. 22, 3139-3147

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Zhiming Yang, Zengqian Hou, Noel C. White, Zhaoshan Chang, Zhenqing Li, Yucai Song;
Geology of the post-collisional porphyry copper–molybdenum deposit at Qulong, Tibet; 2009 - 03

(Zhusen Yang et al, 2009, TAR Sb)
Zhusen Yang, Zengqian Hou, Xiangjin Meng, Yingchao Liu, Hongcai Fei, Shihong Tian,
Zhenqing Li, Wei Gao
Post-collisional Sb and Au mineralization related to the South Tibetan detachment
system, Himalayan orogen
Ore Geology Reviews 36 (2009) 194–212

(Zigui Yan, 2006, Gala)
Zigui Yan ;
Geological Characteristics of Gold Deposits in Ganzi-Litang Fault Zone and Preliminary Discussion on Their Ore-Control Factors. Contributions to Geology and Mineral Resources Research [Dizhi Zhaokuang Luncong] 21(s), (2006)

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Sharing data on mining in Tibet

Here is a set of data on mining in Tibet that hopefully will be useful to some of the readers. This data is the most comprehensive and up-to-date publicly available information on the topic. If you have any additions and corrections to suggest, please let us know.

Also, see some recent Google Earth images (taken September 2010) at the bottom of this blog post for evidence of extensive mining exploration being conducted within the Three Rivers Headwaters Nature Reserve area, specifically near Chumarleb or Dachang Mines.

First, a map of Mining in Tibet.


Here are three spreadsheets with details on the information provided on this map and more, including information sources that you may refer to yourself.

First, a spreadsheet on Mining in Tibet.

Second, on Mining Tibet's Salt Lakes.

And third, on Mining for Petroleum in Tibet.

Now, let's move on to recent Google Earth images that clearly show mineral prospecting trenches (straight lines) in and around Chumarleb (ཆུ་དམར་ལེབ་) county. There are a lot of information on these mines online if you do a search on "Dachang mine". All the images below have latitude and longitude coordinates at the bottom if you want to check for more surprises.

First a larger regional image. Notice that the area is close to the two famous lakes, Kyareng (མཚོ་སྐྱ་རེངས་) and Ngoreng (མཚོ་སྔོ་རེངས་), situated at source of Machu (མ་ཆུ་ / Yellow) River. On the opposite corner are a bunch of orange and blue dots stacked on top of each other. These colored dots, and I believe the trenches as well, are the works of Inter-Citic, a "Canadian public company."



Now a closeup of the trenches. Trenches are dug in straight lines so their findings can be uploaded into the database. After digging the trenches, they also drill into the ground to see what's deeper inside. Computers then estimate what's (how much gold, for example) in between the points.





Here are two images that prove recent drilling activity in these trenches. The first one taken on August 8, 2010 shows the trench (ignore the yellow pin "Drill" marker. The second image below, which was taken a month after that (September 7, 2010), show machines, a shed and a vehicle, indicating active drilling activity.



The trenches can be seen as far as 50 km SE of the main mining sites, just near the Kyareng Lake.


You can also see the main camp of the miners, most probably of Inter-Citic.


There is also some interest whether there is "rare earth" in Tibet. So far we didn't find any rare earth mines in Tibet, although there are four mines in Southeast Sichuan Province. Here are two scientific papers with maps that describe rare earth elements in Tibet.

Hou, Z. & Cook, N.J. (2009). Mettalogenesis of the Tibetan collisional orogen: A review and introduction to the special issue. Ore Geology Reviews, 36 (2009) 2-24.

Hou, Z., Tian, S., Xie, Y., Yang, Z., Yuan, Z, Yin, S., Yi, L. Fei, H., Zou, T., Bai, G., & Li, X. (2009). The Himalayan Mianning-Dechang REE belt associated with carbonatite-alkaline complexes, eastern Ind0-Asian collision zone, SW China. Ore Geology Reviews, 36 (2009) 65-89.

If any of you have information about exploration of rare earth elements in Tibet, please let us know.

THanks!
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Canada and Crime Against the Tibetan People

The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) of His Holiness the Dalai Lama has issued a statement on mining in Tibet. The statement was issued at a roundtable discussion that was held in London on 22-23 September 2009, on the Shethongmon mine project. Shethongmon is a rural area in South-western Tibet, about 250 kilometres west of Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet. The roundtable meeting was organized by TibetInfoNet, which is also a consultant for Continental Minerals, the Canadian company invested in the project.

According to the statement, the CTA is against any such mining project in Tibet. The statement, however, does not mention how grave these investments are. Despite having its pleas and moral suasions repeatedly ignored by Canadian mining companies, the exile Tibetan leadership continues to engage in these discussions. For the purposes of this blog, instead of writing about these exchanges I think it is better to highlight the crimes and injustices these mining projects perpetuate.

The CTA statement cites three major mining related protests in Tibet that occurred in 2009. It failed to mention that a protest actually took place against the Shethongmon mining project on 19th June 2006. According to reliable sources, soon after the protest, disciplinary officials of the Party started "education campaigns" in the villages, telling farmers that mining is good for them and that dissenting opinions will not be tolerated.

Local protests against mining are not new in Tibet. Farmers in not-very-distant area of Meldo Gungkar, for example, have been protesting in their area since 1991 (see chapter 6 of CTA's report, Tibet: Environment and Development Issues 2000). Even as recent as two months ago, there were reports of clashes between local Tibetans and Chinese miners at the Meldo Gungkar's Gyama mine site. And two weeks ago, this intensely disputed mine was bought by another Vancouver based company named Jinshan.

As usual, here's a question for readers: How is Canada able to gain such deals in Tibet? Canada is the only Western country with significant investments in mining in Tibet. Any informed person would know that such deals must include heavy corruption and deep connections with the Party.

It must be noted here that all Tibetans are NOT against mining. Apart from Tibetans profiting from Chinese rule, there are also some progressive and business minded Tibetans in exile who think mining could be beneficial for Tibetans. The issue is not mining. It is about how decisions are made. It is about the problematic hierarchy of interests/considerations (economic vs ecological, state-political vs local-cultural, etc.) that fuel these decisions. It is about who makes these decisions, who gets the benefits and who loses.

Local Tibetans affected by the Shethongmon mine will likely be given some compensation. The profits will go to the company and the Chinese authorities. It is estimated that about 200 to 300 million US dollars would be paid by the company from their net profit to the government as Corporation Tax (at 35 %), which is the international norm. The company's conservative estimate of the expected return rate is 2.5 times the capital investment.

Foreign companies mining in Tibet are engaging in a kind of legalized robbery. Stealing can be lawful when lawmakers are colonial masters. The application of principles of corporate social responsibility ought to first look at more fundamental questions such as "Who are the legitimate owners of Tibet's gold and other mineral resources?" "What are the rights of an indigenous people (or nation) to their land?" These are not academic or philosophical questions. Canadians need not look far but into their own constitution (Section 35 of the 1982 Constitution Act) for general guidance.


++++++++++++
For background information on Shethongmon project, visit Continental Minerals' website. TibetInfoNet has published some reports on the project which can be read here and here. There is a campaign against these projects lead by Students for a Free Tibet and Canada Tibet Committee. Visit their website.

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Update: Mining protest over Ser Ngul Lo

Earlier, I posted about a news report on a standoff between local Tibetans and police over a mining project. The protesters were demanding that a Chinese mining company stop its activities and plans on a sacred site, Ser Ngul Lo. Radio Free Asia has an update that the Tibetans have succeeded in stopping the mining project. There is hope.

[End of update].

I don't know how to remove this automated link: Read more on this article...

Ready to die defending sacred mountain

"Hundreds of Tibetans are facing off against armed security forces at Ser Ngol Lo, site of a planned gold mine in Tsangshul sub-district (Lhara Village, Markham County, Chamdo Prefecture) which natives consider a sacred mountain." Read more here: here.

Read the original news source from Radio Free Asia. Read more on this article...

Qinghai edict on the ban on mining of gold powder

While going through Tibetan language blogs, I came across a notice issued by the Qinghai Provincial Government on the ban on mining of gold powder. The blog was posted on January 30, 2009. I don't know when the edict was issued, nor have I seen the text of the original Chinese source. Some readers may still find the document of interest, so here are screen shots of the original document (only) along with an English translation of the text. This document proves that the government acknowledges there are mining problems in Qinghai, specifically in Drito and Zato counties of the Three Rivers Headwaters Nature Reserve. It is also interesting to note that mining (or collecting) gold powder is not banned completely. The ban is mainly for miners from other provinces.





Edict on the Ban on Mining of Gold Powder issued by the Qinghai Provincial Government

The ecological system of the Tibetan plateau is so fragile that it cannot be restored after it has been damaged. Therefore, in order to protect the natural environment around the [headwaters] of the three rivers and maintain sustainable development in the three river basins, the provincial Government of Qinghai has issued [the following] edict.

One
All the mining areas in the Dokha and Kyikha valleys of Padma county and Dzatod in the Khridu county run by prospectors from outside provinces should be closed immediately.

Two
The Forestry Department, Environmental Protection Bureau, Department of Animal Husbandry and Legal Department in different levels in the region must launch a campaign on the protection of the natural resources and promote awareness of environmental protection among the local people.

Three
All the local governments [are responsible for posting billboards about] environment protection along the highways.

Four
Town governments are responsible for preventing its people from digging gold powder and for providing advice and helping them to establish certain environmental protection regulations in accordance with their cultural tradition.

Five
Different levels of government in the region should actively engage with the protection task and not only lead the local people toward the path of economic development but also encourage them to enhance their living standard through greater agricultural and pastoral production as well as other small industries.

Six
Mining areas in Dokha and Kyikha of Padma County and Dzatod in Khritod county should be managed according to the environmental protection law designated by the regional government.

Seven
The legal branch offices responsible for natural resource management at different levels of government in the region must impose rules on the prevention of digging natural resources and those who violate the law should be punished according to the Management Regulation of Natural Resources of Qinghai Province and other regulations issued by the government.
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