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  3. Global assessment of undiscovred copper resources

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Paleozoic island- and continental arcs formed by Paleo-Asian ocean subduction beneath the North China craton, and Permo-Triassic rocks formed by collision of the North China and Tarim cratons with Eurasia
Tract ID 142pCu8501
Country China-Mongolia
Commodity Cu
Study area name Central Asia Orogenic Belt
Tectonic setting continental margin
Deposit type porphyry copper
Grade-tonnage model General porphyry copper model (Singer and others, 2008)
Geologic age
Geologic feature age Paleozoic through Triassic
Generalized age Paleozoic
Oldest rocks age 542Ma
Youngest rocks age 199.6Ma
Age range 342.4Ma
Identified Cu resources 250,000metric tons
Known prospects 6
Mean Cu (t/sq km) 88t/sq km
Map scales used 1M

Results of the assessment

Assessment date 2013
Estimators Alexeiev, D. (Russian Academy of Sciences); Bookstrom, Arthur A.(USGS); Frost, Thomas P. (USGS); Hammarstrom, Jane M. (USGS); Light, Thomas D. (USGS); Ludington, Steve (USGS); Mihalasky, Mark, J. (USGS); Panteleyev, Andre (XDM Geological Consultants)
Assessment depth 1km
Quantitative assessment Yes

Estimated number of deposits

Number of deposits Confidence level
1 90%
2 50%
15 10%
15 5%
15 1%
Mean estimated deposits 5.53 ±5.38 (0.97%)
Probability of mean 0.32
Probability of no copper 0.07

Estimated deposit density

Known
deposits		 Total
deposits		 Area
(sq km)		 Deposit density
per 100,000 sq km
1 6.53 250,099 3

Mean estimated tonnage

Copper 22,000,000
Molybdenum 600,000
Gold 540
Silver 7,500
Ore 4,500

Undiscovered copper resource

Confidence level 90% 50% 10% 5%
Tonnage 190,000 7,600,000 60,000,000 90,000,000

Economic analysis

Fraser country China, Mongolia
Fraser type 0.08%
Fraser high 0.91%
Typical cost 0%
High cost 1%
Infrastructure setting High cost
Comments on depth shallow
Expected depth distribution
0 - 250m 0.35
250m - 500m 0.25
500m - 1km 0.45
Economically recoverable resources
Copper 12,000,000t
Molybdenum 250,000t
Gold 210t
Silver 3,900t
Probability no econ recoverable 0.42
Econ NPV 2,100x $1M
Exp dollars 5.76x $1M/100,000 sq km
Exp value class Low

Bibliographic references

General Mihalasky, Ludington, Hammarstrom, and others (2015)
Economic Robinson and Menzie (2012)
Mihalasky, M.J., Ludington, Steve, Hammarstrom, J.M., Alexeiev, D.V., Frost, T.P., Light, T.D., Robinson, G.R., Jr., Briggs, D.A., Wallis, J.C., and Miller, R.J., with contributions from Bookstrom, A.A., Panteleyev, Andre, Chitalin, Andre, Seltmann, Reimar, Guangsheng, Y., Changyun, L., Jingwen, M., Jinyi, L., Keyan, X., Ruizhao, Q., Jianbao, S., Gangyi, S., and Yuliang, D., 2015, Porphyry Copper Assessment of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and eastern Tethysides—China, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and India: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–X, 106 p. and spatial data, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090X.Robinson, G.R., Jr., and Menzie, W.D., 2012, Economic filters for evaluating porphyry copper deposit resource assessments using grade-tonnage deposit models, with examples from the U.S. Geological Survey global mineral resource assessment (ver 1.2, March 2014): U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–H, 21 p., http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/h/.

Deposits and prospects associated with this tract

Name Type State Country Development Details
Bainaimiao prospect Nei Mongol China Prospect Details
Baishantang prospect Gansu China Prospect Details
Chehugou deposit Nei Mongol China Producer Details
China One prospect Nei Mongol China Prospect Details
Dakouzi prospect Gansu China Prospect Details
Gongpoquan prospect Gansu China Prospect Details
Oblaga prospect Nei Mongol China Prospect Details