Overview of dispersed metals resources in China

China has abundant dispersed metals resources and occupies an important strategic position in the world. The survey data from 542 mining areas （including 759 mineral deposits/points） in China shows that China has identified 1.0282 million tons of dispersed metals resource reserves, including 446 500 tons of gallium, 13 900 tons of germanium, 25 200 tons of indium, 29 600 tons of thallium, 893 tons of rhenium, 471 200 tons of cadmium, 25 600 tons of selenium, and 15 300 tons of tellurium. China’s dispersed metals resources have the following characteristics: ①widely distributed, but mainly concentrated in the Southwest China, Central Southern China, and North China. Yunnan Province, Henan Province, Guangxi Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Shanxi Province, Guizhou Province and Guangdong Province are rich in dispersed metals resources; ②there are very few independent dispersed metals deposits, but the resource reserves is 6.64% in the total dispersed metals resources resource reserves in China; ③the scale of dispersed metals deposits is mainly small and medium-sized, but the resources reserves in large and ultral large mineral deposits is more than 80% in the total resources reserves in China; ④the dispersed metals mainly associated with lead-zinc polymetallic mines, bauxite mines, and coal mines, the dispersed metal resources reserves in the three types of mineral deposit is about 80% in the total dispersed metals resources reserves in China; ⑤the overall comprehensive utilization rate is relatively low. Gallium, germanium, and thallium resources reserves is sufficient, but selenium, tellurium, rhenium, indium, cadmium resources reserves are relatively scarce in China.