China discovers significant copper and gold deposits in Anhui

China has made a major breakthrough in copper and gold exploration in the Chating region of Xuancheng, Anhui province, with the discovery expected to establish a large-scale resource base in East China, the Ministry of Natural Resources said on Tuesday.

Located in the hinterland of the Yangtze River Delta, the Chating deposit is a copper-gold deposit newly discovered in China in recent years with the potential to reach super-large scale.

The main ore body in the mining area measures around 1.2 kilometers in length and 1.1 km in width, with the maximum apparent thickness of the ore body in a single borehole reaching 1,371 meters, according to the ministry.

Preliminary estimates indicate that the potential copper resources exceed the scale of several large copper mines, each with over 500,000 metric tons, while the potential gold resources surpass those of more than a dozen large gold mines, each with over 20 tons. The deep ore bodies have not yet been fully explored, leaving significant room for upward revision of resource reserves.

Additionally, associated beneficial components such as silver and sulfur can be comprehensively recovered and utilized, and the site is expected to become a super-large copper-gold production base in East China once developed, the ministry said.

In 2008, the Anhui provincial natural resources bureau began allocating fiscal funds to conduct geological surveys of the Chating copper-gold deposit. A survey report was submitted in 2018, and in September 2025, the exploration rights for the Chating copper polymetallic mineral exploration in Xuanzhou district, Anhui, were publicly listed for transfer. The mining rights were successfully bid for 8.6 billion yuan ($1.27 billion) in October 2025.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Natural Resources stepped up the implementation of the new round of mineral exploration breakthrough strategic action, and included the Chating copper-gold deposit exploration among key exploration projects for 2026, optimizing policies and strengthening coordination to organize a series of exploration campaigns and push for a strong start to work during the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period.