Two projects won the first grade award of the Ministry of Land and Resources, China:

1:5 Million International Geological Map of Asia (REN Jishun, NIU Baogui, WANG Jun, JIN Xiaochi, HE Zhengjun, QIU Yang et al.)

The International Geological Map of Asia at a scale of 1:5 000 000 (IGMA5000) was compiled by the CGMW Subcommission for South and East Asia in collaboration with the Subcommissions for Northern Eurasia, the Middle East and Seafloor Maps and is a major cooperative project under the aegis of CGMW with the support of UNESCO and IUGS. Launched in 2005 and completed in 2012, the enterprise involved more than 100 geologists from 20 Asian and European countries. It was also supported by substantial efforts of the China Geological Survey. The IGMA5000 was published by Geological Publishing House in 2013.

    The IGMA5000 is the first-of-its-kind digitally-created international geological map of Asia depicting the geology of both the continent and offshore areas. The map spans the entirety of Asia and its peripheral regions from the Alps in the west to the Mariana Trench in the east and from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Java Trench in the south. It will provide an essential foundation for users to explore the geology of Asia from a global perspective and help with the understanding of the tectonic relationship between the Asian continent and its neighboring continents and oceans. 

Using the ArcGIS platform with a spatial database, the IGMA5000 was compiled in accordance with international standards. The stratigraphic classification on the map follows the International Chronostratigraphic Chart, revised by the International Commission on Stratigraphy in 2012. Igneous rocks are classified according to category diagrams recommended by the IUGS Subcommission on the Systematics of Igneous Rocks. The classification of metamorphic facies is based on temperature and pressure. Structural features, such as faults, are expressed by commonly used structural symbols.

In the course of compiling the present map, eight thematic research projects have been set-up in order to solve some key problems encountered in the study of Asian geology, and major advances are manifested in the following understandings: (1) The most significant Neoarchean tectono-thermal event in the Sino-Korean craton and the Indian craton occurred at 2.5 Ga rather than at 2.7 Ga. (2) The basal boundary of the Meso-Neoproterozoic Jixian section in China is not dated at 1.8 Ga as defined previously, but less than 1.68 Ga. (3) The basement of the Yangtze craton finally stabilized at 0.75–0.8 Ga, which is 0.2–0.3 Ga later than the Greenville orogenic cycle. (4) Large volumes of Mesozoic volcanic rocks occurring in the eastern Asian coastal area are mainly Cretaceous and not Upper Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous in age. (5) Most Carboniferous–Permian volcanic rocks in Central Asia do not seem to be the result of arc volcanism but the product of an extensional phase. (6) The patterns of temporal-spacial distribution of granitoids and ophiolites in Asia have been systematically investigated through a great amount of data, and some important geological aspects of Asia can be viewed on IGMA5000. 

Theoretical innovation in metallogenesis and its application to ore prospecting for sediment-hosted Zn-Pb polymetallic deposits in the Sanjiang orogen (HOU Zengqian, PAN Tong, SONG Yucai, LI Shijing, YANG Tiannan, SUN ZeKun et al.)

The Sanjiang belt is the best potential strategic base for metal resources. Ore exploration in the South Sanjiang belt has achieved a breakthrough in the last 30 years but remained stagnant in the North Sanjiang belt. Since 2006, our team has undertaken a several projects in the North Sanjiang belt under the leadership of national ministries and local governments. Ten years of work has resulted in important breakthroughs as follows.

(1) A new model for the tectonic evolution of the Sanjiang orogenic belt has been developed. We suggest that the Sanjiang orogenic belt has undergone two phases Paleo Tethyan subduction and three phases of Mesozoic to Cenozoic collision. The felsic rock series formed in a continental marginal arc and carbonate deposition occurred in posterior-arc foreland basin. This and the subduction orogenic period have contributed key elements for large-scale mineralization whereas a fold-and-thrust belt of the collision orogenic period has provided an important tectonic environment.

(2) A new Pb-Zn metallogenic theory for continental collision has been developed. The new theory indicates that (1) large-scale Pb-Zn mineralization occurred during the Cenozoic collisional orogenesis and was unloaded in the thrust-fold belt of the Sanjiang orogen; (2) the thrust nappe resulting from collision produced decoupled detachment structures at depth and produced structural traps in the front belt; oxyidizing metal-rich basinal brines migrated to the structural traps via the decoupled detachments, driven by regional thrusting and compressive forces; (3) when the regional stress field changed from compression to extension, multiple fluid pathways were reactivated by extension and strike-slip faulting, and sulfide precipitation occurred in the fracture systems by mixing of the oxidizing metal-rich brines and the reduced basinal brines. This theory is different from the classical MVT Pb-Zn theory, it explains the regional metallogeny of the Sanjiang orogen, correctly forecast a 1500 m-long Pb-Zn metallogenic belt, and provided important information for regional prospection.

(3) A Pb-Zn metallogenic model and an exploration model have been developed. Our team recognized four different Pb-Zn deposit types including the Jinding type, the Hexi-Sanshan type, the Dongmozhazhua type and the Duocaima type, found out the ore-controlling factors, developed deposit exploration models and the most effectively combined exploration methods, respectively, and achieved breakthroughs in the search for new ore in different deposits.   

(4) A major breakthrough has been obtained in theoretical guidance for prospecting. In the Tuotuohe District, an innovative model for the best prospecting method of “ore being controlled by the thrust nappe system + audio magnetotelluric sounding positioning” and exploration deployment scenary has been developed. Through systematic prospecting, great breakthrough has been achieved in the Duocaima mining area with 6200000 tons of new lead and zinc resources, and an ultra-large type lead-zinc mine was established. In the Yushu District, large-scale tectonic lithofacies mapping was conducted and thrust fault system and ore controlling recoil structure were delineated. We also explored the spatial distribution of ore-bearing formations by using the ip intermediate gradient and geoelectrochemical extraction measures, controlling the ore body position through systamatic drilling. A new breakthrough in prospecting has been achieved in the Mohailaheng and Dongmozhazhua mining areas with 1500000 and 1080000 tons of new lead and zinc resources respectively, both of these are large-scale deposits. The total volume of newly discovered resources discovered by this project are Pb+Zn: 11000000 tons, Ag: 1000 tons, Cu: 1000000 tons, demonstrating the largest breakthrough in Qinghai lead-zinc prospecting for the past 30 years.

This project has obtained one invention patent and one intellectual property right. It has published 46 articles, has been awarded a second prize for scientific progress of Qinghai Province and two first prizes and one second prize for geological prospecting results of Qinghai Province. This project has raised the international academic status and the level of mineral exploration in China. It has increased the reserves of lead and zinc of our country, and the potential economic value is 1553.4 billion yuan, and it stimulated commercial exploration funds are 7.1 billion yuan, market financing is nearly 3.1 billion yuan.