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  3. Global assessment of undiscovred copper resources

Tethyan Gangdese

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Late Triassic, Yanshanian (Jurassic and Cretaceous) and early Tertiary igneous rocks in southwestern China that were formed during subduction of the Tethyan ocean below the southern margin of Asia
Tract ID 142pCu8706
Country China-India-Pakistan
Commodity Cu
Study area name Central Asia Orogenic Belt
Tectonic setting mixed
Deposit type porphyry copper
Grade-tonnage model General porphyry copper model (Singer and others, 2008)
Geologic age
Geologic feature age Late Triassic through Cretaceous
Generalized age Mesozoic
Oldest rocks age 228.7Ma
Youngest rocks age 65.5Ma
Age range 163.2Ma
Known prospects 4
Mean Cu (t/sq km) 97t/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%
4 50%
18 10%
18 5%
18 1%
Mean estimated deposits 7.23 ±6.33 (0.88%)
Probability of mean 0.33
Probability of no copper 0.07

Estimated deposit density

Known
deposits		 Total
deposits		 Area
(sq km)		 Deposit density
per 100,000 sq km
7.23 289,647 2

Mean estimated tonnage

Copper 28,000,000
Molybdenum 770,000
Gold 710
Silver 8,800
Ore 5,700

Undiscovered copper resource

Confidence level 90% 50% 10% 5%
Tonnage 320,000 13,000,000 73,000,000 110,000,000

Economic analysis

Fraser country China, India, Pakistan
Fraser type 0%
Fraser high 0%
Typical cost 0%
High cost 1%
Infrastructure setting High cost
Comments on depth default
Expected depth distribution
0 - 250m 0.25
250m - 500m 0.25
500m - 1km 0.5
Economically recoverable resources
Copper 14,000,000t
Molybdenum 300,000t
Gold 240t
Silver 4,200t
Probability no econ recoverable 0.41
Econ NPV 2,400x $1M
Exp dollars 5.48x $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
Duolong prospect Xizang China Prospect Details
Garqiong prospect Xizang China Prospect Details
Ri'a prospect Xizang China Prospect Details
Shesuo prospect Xizang China Producer Details