Application of GIS in Mineral Resource Prediction of Synthetic Information

This paper introduces the fommtion mechanism and synthetic information prediction of large and superlarge deposits in Shandong Province by analyzing and studying on the GIS platform.The authors established a prospecting model of synthetic information from large and superlarge gold deposit concentration region, and the multi-source spatial database from concentration region of deposits and anomalies. On the basis of the spatial database, a target map layer, a model map layer and a predictive map layer were set up. Based on these map layers, geological variables of the model unit and predictive unit were extracted, then launched location and quantitative prediction of the gold deposit concentration region. The achievement of predicting large and superlarge deposits by the GIS platform has enabled the authors to design automation (or semi-automatic) interpretation subsystems, namely geophysics, geo-chemistry, geologic prospecting and comprehensive prognosis, and a set of the applicable GIS sofeware for mineral resmwcm prognosis of synthetic infornmtion.     

Simpson’s Paradox in Natural Resource Evaluation

Reversals of statistical relationships, when two or more groups of data in a cross tabulation are aggregated, were first revealed more than a century ago. The reversal was later named Simpson’s paradox after his reversal examples in a seminal paper drew the attention of the statistical community. However, almost all the published cases have been in sociology and biomedical statistics. Does Simpson’s reversal occur in geosciences? Various examples from petroleum geology and reservoir modeling will be shown in this paper. Boundary conditions for such a reversal will be discussed under a broader framework of sampling analysis. Ecological inference bias, change of support problem, modifiable areal unit problem, and reference class problem will be discussed in relation to the Simpson’s paradox in the framework of spatial statistics. It will be demonstrated that the traditional interpretation of the paradox as a result of disproportional sampling based on a contingency table is not always true in the framework of spatial statistics, and the reversal while theoretically benign is inferentially treacherous. Therefore, emphasis will be on the discussion of combining statistical and scientific inferences in geologic modeling and hydrocarbon resource evaluation under various sampling schemes or support effect with or without a Simpson’s reversal.     

Status of China’s Mineral Resources in 2013

正On 22nd April 2014,with the approach of the 45th World Earth Day,China’s Ministry of Land and resources issued the status of China’s mineral resources in 2013.The first task of the prospecting breakthrough strategy action implemented in the last five years has been completed,and China’s security capacity for mineral resources has been significantly improved.In the     

Status of China’s Land Resources in 2013

正On 22nd April 2014,with the approach of the 45th World Earth Day,the Chinese Ministry of Land and Resources announced the status of China’s land resources in 2013,putting forward the implementation of strict farmland protection measures to ensure the 1.8 billion acres of arable land.This laid a solid foundation for achieving a"ten even increase"of     

Development and Utilization of the World’s and China’s Bulk Mineral Resources and their Supply and Demand Situation in the Next Twenty Years

Bulk mineral resources of iron ores, copper ores, bauxite, lead ores, zinc ores and potassium salt play a pivotal role on the world’s and China’s economic development. This study analyzed and predicted their resources base and potential, development and utilization and their world’s and China’s supply and demand situation in the future 20 years. The supply and demand of these six bulk mineral products are generally balanced, with a slight surplus, which will guarantee the stability of the international mineral commodity market supply. The six mineral resources(especially iron ores and copper ores) are abundant and have a great potential, and their development and utilization scale will gradually increase. Till the end of 2014, the reserveproduction ratio of iron, copper, bauxite, lead, zinc ores and potassium salt was 95 years, 42 years, 100 years, 17 years, 37 years and 170 years, respectively. Except lead ores, the other five types all have reserve-production ratio exceeding 20 years, indicative of a high resources guarantee degree. If the utilization of recycled metals is counted in, the supply of the world’s six mineral products will exceed the demand in the future twenty years. In 2015–2035, the supply of iron ores, refined copper, primary aluminum, refined lead, zinc and potassium salt will exceed their demand by 0.4–0.7 billion tons(Gt), 5.0–6.0 million tons(Mt), 1.1–8.9 Mt, 1.0–2.0 Mt, 1.2–2.0 Mt and 4.8–5.6 Mt, respectively. It is predicted that there is no problem with the supply side of bulk mineral products such as iron ores, but local or structural shortage may occur because of geopolitics, monopoly control, resources nationalism and trade friction. Affected by China’s compressed industrialized development model, the demand of iron ores(crude steel), potassium salt, refined lead, refined copper, bauxite(primary aluminum) and zinc will gradually reach their peak in advance. The demand peak of iron ores(crude steel) will reach around 2015, 2016 for potassium salt, 2020 for refined lead, 2021 for bauxite(primary aluminum), 2022 for refined copper and 2023 for zinc. China’s demand for iron ores(crude steel), bauxite(primary aluminum) and zinc in the future 20 years will decline among the world’s demand, while that for refined copper, refined lead and potassium salt will slightly increase. The demand for bulk mineral products still remains high. In 2015–2035, China’s accumulative demand for iron ores(crude steel) will be 20.313 Gt(13.429 Gt), 0.304 Gt for refined copper, 2.466 Gt(0.616 Gt) of bauxite(primary aluminum), 0.102 Gt of refined lead, 0.138 Gt of zinc and 0.157 Gt of potassium salt, and they account for the world’s YOY(YOY) accumulative demand of 35.17%, 51.09%, 48.47%, 46.62%, 43.95% and 21.84%, respectively. This proportion is 49.40%, 102.52%, 87.44%, 105.65%, 93.62% and 106.49% of that in 2014, respectively. From the supply side of China’s bulk mineral resources, it is forecasted that the accumulative supply of primary(mine) mineral products in 2015–2035 is 4.046 Gt of iron ores, 0.591 Gt of copper,1.129 Gt of bauxite, 63.661 Mt of(mine) lead, 0.109 Gt of(mine) zinc and 0.128 Gt of potassium salt, which accounts for 8.82%, 13.92%, 26.67%, 47.09%, 33.04% and 15.56% of the world’s predicted YOY production, respectively. With the rapid increase in the smelting capacity of iron and steel and alumina, the rate of capacity utilization for crude steel, refined copper, alumina, primary aluminum and refined lead in 2014 was 72.13%, 83.63%, 74.45%, 70.76% and 72.22%, respectively. During 2000–2014, the rate of capacity utilization for China’s crude steel and refined copper showed a generally fluctuating decrease, which leads to an insufficient supply of primary mineral products. It is forecasted that the supply insufficiency of iron ores in 2015–2035 is 17.44 Gt, 0.245 Gt of copper in copper concentrates, 1.337 Gt of bauxite, 38.44 Mt of lead in lead concentrates and 29.19 Mt of zinc in zinc concentrates. China has gradually raised the utilization of recycled metals, which has mitigated the insufficient supply of primary metal products to some extent. It is forecasted that in 2015–2035 the accumulative utilization amount of steel scrap(iron ores) is 3.27 Gt(5.08 Gt), 70.312 Mt of recycled copper, 0.2 Gt of recycled aluminum, 48 Mt of recycled lead and 7.7 Mt of recycled zinc. The analysis on the supply and demand situation of China’s bulk mineral resources in 2015–2035 suggests that the supply-demand contradiction for these six types of mineral products will decrease, indicative of a generally declining external dependency. If the use of recycled metal amount is counted in, the external dependency of China’s iron, copper, bauxite, lead, zinc and potassium salt will be 79%, 65%, 26%, 8%, 16% and 18% in 2014, respectively. It is predicted that this external dependency will decrease to 62%, 64%, 20%,-0.93%, 16% and 14% in 2020, respectively, showing an overall decreasing trend. We propose the following suggestions correspondingly.(1) The demand peak of China’s crude steel and potassium salt will reach during 2015–2023 in succession. Mining transformation should be planned and deployed in advance to deal with the arrival of this demand peak.(2) The supply-demand contradiction of China’s bulk mineral resources will mitigate in the future 20 years, and the external dependency will decrease accordingly. It is suggested to adjust the mineral resources management policies according to different minerals and regions, and regulate the exploration and development activities.(3) China should further establish and improve the forced mechanism of resolving the smelting overcapacity of steel, refined copper, primary aluminum, lead and zinc to really achieve the goal of "reducing excess production capacity".(4) In accordance with the national strategic deployment of "One Belt One Road", China should encourage the excess capacity of steel, copper, alumina and primary aluminum enterprises to transfer to those countries or areas with abundant resources, high energy matching degree and relatively excellent infrastructure. Based on the national conditions, mining condition and geopolitics of the resources countries, we will gradually build steel, copper, aluminum and lead-zinc smelting bases, and potash processing and production bases, which will promote the excess capacity to transfer to the overseas orderly.(5) It is proposed to strengthen the planning and management of renewable resources recycling and to construct industrial base of renewable metal recycling.(6) China should promote the comprehensive development and utilization of paragenetic and associated mineral species to further improve the comprehensive utilization of bulk mineral resources.     

Analysis of an oasis microclimate in China’s hyperarid zone

The microclimate of a desert oasis in China’s hyperarid zone was monitored, analysed and compared to that of nearby forested lands. Factors associated with differences in photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) between clear, cloudy and dust storm days are discussed. Desert oases were shown to fulfill ecological functions such as altering solar radiation, adjusting near-ground and land surface temperatures, reducing temperature differences, lowering wind velocity, and increasing soil and atmospheric humidity. Total solar radiation within the oasis was roughly half that above the forest canopy. During the growing season, air temperatures in Populus euphratica Olivier and Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb. woodlands were, on average, 1.62 and 0.83°C lower, respectively, than that in surrounding woodlands. The greater the forest cover, the greater was the difference in temperature. Air temperature was higher at the upper storey than that at the lower storey of the community, i.e., air temperature increased with increasing height above the soil surface. During the growing season, relative humidity was higher in woodlands than in surrounding areas: relative humidity in P. euphratica and T. ramosissima woodlands were, on average, 8.5 and 4.2% higher, respectively, than that in the surrounding area. Mean wind velocity in the P. euphratica forest land was 0.33 m/s, 2.31 m/s lower than that in the surrounding area. On dust storm days PAR and total radiation, Q, were significantly lower than that on cloudy or clear days. Their ratio, η _Q  = PAR/Q, was larger and much more variable on dust storm days than that on clear or cloudy days.     

General Aspects and Resource Potential of Uranium Deposits in China

Please?refer?to?the?attachment(s)?for?more?details.     

The Application of Remote Sensing Information in Potential Evaluation of Uranium Resource in China

Please?refer?to?the?attachment(s)?for?more?details.     

Geological and Geochemical Studies of Heavy Oil Reservoirs in China

Thickened heavy oils in China are genetically characteristic of continenta .As to their physico-chemical properties,these oils are very high in viscosity and low in sulphur and trace element con-tents.In the group constituents,the concentrations of non-hydrocarbons and asphaltene are very high but those of saturated hydrocarbons and aromatics are very low.The gas chromatograms of alkanes show that these heavy oils have high abundances of iso-alkanes and cyclic hydrocarbons.In all the steroids and terpenoids ,bicyclic sesquiterpenoids,tricyclic diterpenoids,re-arranged steranes and gammacerane are strongly bildegradation-resistent.The formation of heavy oil reservoirs is controlled mainly by late basin ascendance,biodegradation,flushing by meteoric water and oxidation in the oil-bearing formations.Ac-cording to their formation mechanisms,heavy oil reservoirs can be classified as four categories:weathering and denudation,marginal oxidation,secondary migration and thickening of bottom water .Spacially,heavy thick oil reservoirs are distributed regularly:they usually show some paragenetic relationships with normal oil reservoirs.Heavy oil reservoirs often occur in structural highs or in overlying younger strata.Their burial depth is about 200m.Horizontally,most of them are distributed on the margins of basins or depressions.     

Lithium Resources in Brine of China’s Sea Salt Field Operations

正Objective With the rapid development of mobile power and electronic vehicles,the application of lithium is in the ascendant,and the contradiction between its supply and demand is prominent.     

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

正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     

Development of Oil and Gas Resources of Russia’s Arctic zone

The article dwells on the problems associated with the development of oil and gas Arctic region of Russia. It also suggests possibilities of their solution based on sociological studies conducted by the authors of representative samples in 2005, 2010 and 2015. Stressing the role and significance of sociological research in the general problem of the circumpolar regions by scientific study, the authors show the need for a sociological diagnosis in the context of different social groups. By doing so, characteristics of social problems inherent to the arctic region and requirements for scientific support of possible technologies is identified.     

Distribution and Collection of China’s Dinosaurs

<正>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.China has dinosaur occurrences from the Upper Triassic to the Upper     

Quantitative Prediction of Concentrated Regions of Large and Superlarge Deposits in China

Identification and quantitative prediction of large and superlarge mineral deposits of solid mineral resources using the mineral resource prediction theory and method with comprehensive information is carried out nationwide in China at a scale of 1:5000000. Using deposit concentrated regions as the model units and concentrated mineralization anomaly regions as prediction units, the prediction is performed on GIS platform. The technical route and research method of locating large and superlarge mineral deposits and principle of compiling attribute table of independent variables and functional variables are proposed. Upon methodology study, the qualitative locating and quantitative predicting mineral deposits are carried out with quantitative theory Ⅲ and characteristic analysis, respectively, and the advatntage and disavantage of two methods are discussed. This research is significant for mineral resource prediction in ten provinces of western China.     

A review of advances in China’s flash flood early-warning system

This paper summarizes the main flash flood early-warning systems of America, Europe, Japan, and Taiwan China and discusses their advantages and disadvantages. The latest development in flash flood prevention is also presented. China’s flash flood prevention system involves three stages. Herein, the warning methods and achievements in the first two stages are introduced in detail. Based on the worldwide experience of flash flood early-warning systems, the general research idea of the third stage is proposed from the viewpoint of requirements for flash flood prevention and construction progress of the next stage in China. Real-time dynamic warning systems can be applied to the early-warning platform at four levels (central level, provincial level, municipal level, and county level) . Through this, soil moisture, peak flow, and water level can be calculated in real-time using distributed hydrological models, and then flash flood warning indexes can be computed based on defined thresholds of runoff and water level. A compound warning index (CWI) can be applied to regions where rainfall and water level are measured by simple equipment. In this manner, flash-flood-related factors such as rainfall intensity and antecedent and cumulative rainfall depths can be determined using the CWI method. The proposed methodology for the third stage could support flash flood prevention measures in the 13th 5-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the People’s Republic of China (2016–2020). The research achievements will serve as a guidance for flash flood monitoring and warning as well as flood warning in medium and small rivers.     

Tectonic and Geodynamic Setting of Oil and Gas Basins in China

About 26 sedimentary basins bearing oil and gas are developed in China. They can be classified into two main types , extensional basins and foreland basins . The former are chiefly distributed in the eastern part and the latter in the central and northwestern parts of the country . The present paper discusses the structural characteristics of these basins , including subsidence history , thermal history and structural style and kinematics . Combined with tectonic setting analysis of geophysical data and eruptive rocks , the geodynamic setting of the basins is established , and the formation mechanism of the basins is deduced to have been related to the subduction of the Izanagi and west Pacific plates and the closing of the Tethys ocean.