Major uranium deposit discovered in Northwest China

China has discovered a super-large uranium ore deposit, significantly increasing the country's uranium resources and enhancing the security of its uranium resource supply, China Geological Survey announced on Friday.

Since 2021, China has stepped up uranium exploration nationwide, discovering a super-large uranium ore deposit in the Jingchuan area of the Ordos Basin. The basin is located in the central-western region of China and is rich in natural gas, coalbed methane, coal, and petroleum resources, according to the CGS, an institution of the Ministry of Natural Resources.

The super-large uranium ore deposit, discovered in the aeolian sandstone of the basin, is the world's first uranium deposit found in such a geological setting, adding a new type of uranium ore to the known classifications, the CGS said.

Aeolian sandstone is widely distributed in China, including about 200,000 square kilometers in the Ordos Basin and many areas in Tarim Basin and Junggar Basin in northwestern China, and Songliao Basin in northeastern China.