Major Breakthroughs in Geological Theory, Key Techniques and Exploration of Tight Oil in China

In recent years,U.S.tight oil exploration and development have achieved significant progress,with rapidly increasing production,which has significantly changed the U.S.A.energy supply pattern（Fig.1）.Compared with the North American marine to marginal marine-continental transitional facies,China’s tight oil（Fig.1）

Status of China's Geological Survey and Geological Environments in 2013

With the approach of the 45th World Earth Day,China＇s Ministry of Land and Resources issued the status of the Chinese geological survey and environments on 22nd April 2013.Regional geological survey in 2013 achieved new results-（why was oceanic in twice？） polar and oceanic expedition were fully completed,a national census of geography was begun,and the security capacity of mapping geographic information was enhanced.A new idea for integrated geological survey and scientific research was proposed to enhance marine geological surveys and to improve service capabilities.

Important Progress Made in the Study of Chinese Geological Carbon Sink Potential

From 2010 to 2012, geologists at the Institute of Karst Geology the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences carried out the ＂Chinese Geological Carbon Sink Projects Research＂. They did investigation and research work according to three aspects of carbon sink： karst, soil, and mineral, and achieved important results.

2015–2020 Geological Survey Program of China Geological Survey Bureau

On 1–5 September 2014,the China Geological Survey Bureau held a 2015–2020 Geology and Mineral Resources Investigation and Assessment Special Planning and Deployment Meeting to plan the next six years in order to invest nearly ten billion US dollars to implement 9 programs and 50 projects with the aim of developing geological survey work,and to play a leading role in ensuring sustained and stable development.

China Has Successfully Conducted its First Pilot Production of Natural Gas Hydrates

Natural gas methane and hydrates are a chemical compound of water molecules formed under low temperature and high pressure. The decomposition of 1 m^3 of natural gas hydrates can release about 0.8 m^3 of water and 164 m3 of natural gas. Thus, natural gas hydrates are characterized by their high-energy density and huge resource potential. It is estimated that the world＇s total natural gas hydrates resource amount is equivalent to twice the total carbon amount of the global proven conventional fuels and can meet the human energy requirement in the future for 1000 years. They are thus the first choice to replace conventional energy of petroleum and coal.

China's Shale Gas Geological Investigation and Prospecting Have Made Significant Progress

Since 2015, the China Geological Survey has implemented a major program of ＂Geology Survey of Land Energy Mineral Resources＂. Till now, a total of billions of RMB have been invested and seven engineering projects have been established, all of which has greatly enhanced the geological survey and exploration of China＇s continental shale gas in an attempt to overcome the oil and gas shortage.

Two Super-Large Gold Deposits Have Been Discovered in Jiaodong Peninsula of China

During 2015, gold prospecting in Laizhou City of Shandong Peninsula in China has achieved a major breakthrough. Deposits containing 470 and 389 tons of gold metal were discovered in the northern sea area of Sanshandao and the Shaling area, respectively. As a result, the gold prospective resources in the entire Jiaodong Peninsula have now exceeded 4000 tons, fully indicative of the super-large prospecting potential of the Jiaojia-type deposits.

Reserves of Natural Gas Hydrates Equivalent to 100–150 Billion m^3 Natural Gas Has Been Discovered in the Pearl Mouth Basin of the South China Sea

Scientists have suggested that combustible ice in global marginal seas,deep trough areas and ocean basins covers an area of 400million km2,and its total reserve is twice the amount of the global proven oil,coal and gas reserves,equivalent to 50 times the amount of conventional natural gas reserves.

Aftershock of the Wenchuan Earthquake in Sichuan Triggers Large Earthquake in Minxian County, Gansu

Because of the confining compression of the Pacific, Eurasian and Indian plates, the Chinese mainland is frequently stricken with earthquakes, especially in the Qinghai Tibet Plateau and surrounding areas and along the NS-trending tectonic zone from Yinchuan to Lanzhou, Chengdu, and finally to the Kunming tectonic belt （Fig. 1）. Historical records show that there are 14 earthquakes of 〉Ms 8 occurring in the two regions, eight of which occurred along the latter tectonic belt. The 2008 Wenchuan earthquake located on both the NS tectonic zone and the Longmenshan fault zone along the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

The World＇s Largest Conglomerate Type Oilfield Has Been Discovered in the Junggar Basin of China

The Junggar Basin in the northern part of Xinjiang is the second largest inland basin in China. It is located between the Altai and Tianshan Mountains, which is bounded by the Junggar bounded Mountain in the northwest, the Altai Mountains in the northeast and the North Tianshan Mountains in the south. It belongs to a triangular close inland basin, and extends 700 km in EW and 370 km in NS, covering an area of 38x104 km2. The elevation is about 400 m, high in the east （about 1000 m） and low in the west. The central basin is the Guerbantonggute desert, which accounts for 36.9% of the total basin area.

Great Breakthrough Achieved in Extraction of Lithium from Brine with High Magnesium to Lithium Ratios

With the worldwide rise in electric vehicles, the demand for lithium batteries is increasing day by day. In 2015, China＇s new energy vehicles developed rapidly, and the price of lithium carbonate rose from fifty or sixty thousand yuan per ton to 150 thousand yuan. In the past, lithium was often extracted from spodumene （LiAlSi2O6）, which is time consuming, laborious and expensive. Over the past decade, abundant lithium has been discovered in brackish and salt water lakes, which is an important way to obtain lithium resources.

China's Technologies for Exploration and Mining of Uranium Deposits Have Stepped into the World's Top Team

On June 2011, the Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology, an Institute within the China National Nuclear Corporation （CNNC）, and the Department of Geology ＆ Mining CNNC carried out a project Scientific Drilling.for Deep Metallogenic Research in the Xiangshan Large Uranium Ore Field. A year later on June 21, the project, representing the first scientific drilling of China＇s uranium, was officially launched, and successfully completed on June 17, 2013. A 2818.88 m of drilling depth has broken the previous record 1200 m of exploration depth.

Luoping Biota:Representative of the Third Biological Radiation

The third biological radiation refers to the Middle Triassic biological radiation in the world.In 2007,the China Geological Survey during field investigations of the project “Regional Geological Survey in Datong,Guishan,Luoping County and Pengzha at a scale of 1∶50000 in Yunnan Province”first discovered and named the Luoping Biota （Fig.1）.

Roof of the World

First Joint meeting of the Geological Society of China （GSC） and the Geological Society of America （GSA） Brought together by the GSA International Section Chengdu, China in 17-19 June 2013. The abstracts are available online and can be downloaded for free.

Breakthrough in the China's Separation Technology for Extraction of Rare Earth Elements

Separation technology of rare earth elements （REEs）, as the critical step in the separation process, had long been fraught with technical difficulty. A research project conducted by Baotou Shibo Rare Earth Extraction ＆ Equipment Co. Ltd., Baotou REE Research Institute, and Baotou Steel ＆ REE Group Hi-Tech Co. Ltd （Inner Mongolia）, has successfully solved the problem using a centrifugal extractor and advanced techniques to achieve a key breakthrough.

Distribution and Collection of China's Dinosaurs

It is estimated that the world has discovered more than1000 species and 800 genera of dinosaurs.Chinese scientists have named more than 170 species of dinosaurs,with 17 genera and 44 species of dinosaur egg fossils,35genera and 39 species of dinosaur footprints,since their first discovery in China in 1902.

Beiya Gold Deposit,Heqing County,Yunnan——One of China's Ten Biggest Gold Deposits

The Beiya gold polymetallic ore district covers an area of 22.06 km2 and is located 47.5 km away in the direction 172° from Heqing county seat of northwestern Yunnan. Its geographical coordinates are 100° 11 ′15″-100° 13′00″ E and 60°07′30″26°10′30″ N. Since its discovery in 1999 until November 31st 2013, it has had accumulative proven （111b＋122b＋331 ＋332＋333） gold metal amounts of 258.475 t at an average grade of 2.61 g/t. This deposit contains 88.98 million tons of paragenetic and associated iron ores, with TFe grade varying from 9% to 36%; metal amounts are： gold 27 t; copper 0.6188 million tons; silver 5439 t; lead 1.35 million ton; zinc 0.31 million ton; and sulfur content is 10.09 million ton. Beiya is one of the top ten largest gold deposits discovered in recent years in China.

Metallic Reserves of Submarine Manganese Nodules to be Estimated and Harnessed Prudently: Evidence from China's Jiaolong Manned Submersible

Since the discovery of oceanic manganese nodules during the expedition of the British ocean-going ship Challenger from 1872 to 1876, research and development for seabed manganese nodules have never ceased owing to the huge economic inducements. Manganese nodules are the black or dark brown, spherical or massive Mn-bearing ores, deposits of which are found on the sea bottom. The nodules are a mixture of silicate and insoluble potassium permanganates （also with sub-Ti, Fe and Na permanganates） that contain more than 30 kinds of metallic elements, among which those of greatest economic interest are Mn （27-30%）, Ni（1.25-1.5%）, Cu（1- 1.4%）, Co（0.2- 0.25 %）, Fe, Si, and AI, with minor amounts of Ca, Na, K, Ti, B, H and O.

The Newly Discovered Super-Large Wulashan-Hademengou Gold Metallogenic Belt in Inner Mongolia,China Has Gold Reserves of Over 100 Tons

The Wulashan-Hademengou gold ore district in Baotou city, Inner Mongolia, is a further newly discovered super-large gold metallogenic belt in northern China. The accumulated proven gold metal amount is 84.46 t, with an average grade of 3.53 g/t and a gold metal amount of 63.16 t, with an average grade of 3.30 g/t. The potential reserves are over 100 t.

Introduction to “Metallogenesis of Continental Collision”

There is a general consensus that Plate Tectonics can explain metallogenesis based on the collisions between oceanic and continental crust. For instance, the large-sized porphyry copper deposits that occur along the Cordillera of the Andes around the east coast of the Pacific, and in the Phillipines, Malaysia and Indonesia along the western coast of the Pacific that sit upon the massive Pacific plates. They are considered to be typical of deposits resulting from collision between the oceanic and continental crust. Many experts, however, have long held a negative view about whether the collision between continental crusts can lead to metallogenesis. In recent years, Chinese geologists have proposed a new concept for ＂Continent-Continent Collision Metallogenesis＂ after many years of studying in the Qinghai--Tibet Plateau. Here we give a brief introduction to this idea.