Reserves of 232 mineral ores have been verified in Nagqu Prefecture, including gold, silver, chromium, lead, zinc, salt, lithium, agate, crystal, boron, magnesium, petroleum and jade. The reserves of a dozen ores, including gold, lead, zinc, salt, boron and jade, are extremely rich. Nagqu leads the rest of China in the reserves of chromite, iron and antimony, and reserves of geothermal energy, copper, iron, boron and magnetite are all well to the fore. There are also large reserves of lithium. Incomplete statistics reveal that 46 types of ferrous and non- ferrous ores, and jadeite have been found at 335 sites. There include 11 large mineral sites, 20 medium-sized sites, and 304 small sites. A comprehensive prospecting program has verified reserves of 12 mineral ores at some 20 different sites. Because of the inhospitable climate, the landlocked nature of the area, and poor technical resources, the bulk of these mineral resources have yet to be exploited.
The Dangqoi Iron Area in Nagqu is famous for its extremely rich reserves. Chromite is widely distributed in Nagqu, and three chromite area have been discovered in the Yilha Mountains in northern Tibet. These include the Yilha Mountain Chromite Area, the Dongqiao Chromite Area in Amdo, and the Qilin Lake Chromite Area also in Amdo. In recent years, 56 rocky sites with a combined area of 1,500 square kilometers and large reserves of chromite have also been found. These sites are located in areas form the Banggong Co Lake to Zhabo, and from Dongqiao to the Nujiang River. There are also rich, high grade reserves of platinum in association with the chromite. Comprehensive development of the platinum ore is underway in some areas. Enormous reserves of antimony have also been found in a 700 kilometer long area in Deqeng in the east and Banggo in Nagqu in the west. Efforts are being made to prospect in this area, which is expected to become China's largest antimony producting base. Copper is also widely distributed in the area, and the copper found in Nyerong, Amdo and Baqen is of a high grade. There are small gold mines everywhere in Nagqu, and gold reserves have been verified in a dozen areas. Given these facts, many believe that there are great prospects for the development of the gold mining industry in Nagqu. A large silver mine has also been found in Jiali County.
The numerous salt lakes in northern Tibet contain high-grade boron resources, and efforts were made in the early 1960s to develop these resources. Nagqu is also rich in salt. Since ancient times, the people of Nagqu have traded salt for grain, and there are numerous natural salt sites in the area. Five of these have proved to be exploitable, and their annual production is expected to reach 100 million tons. Nagqu is also rich in high-grade alkalis, boron and mirabilite used in the chemical industry. A great variety of precious stones have also been found in Nagqu, including diamonds, rubies, jade, turquoise, agate and cat's eye.
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