According to CTIA GROUP, on May 14, 2026, the Ministry of Natural Resources released the results of the detailed exploration project of the tungsten ore at the Century Mine section in the Xiaoliu Gou mining area, Sunan Yugur Autonomous County, Gansu Province: a newly added tungsten resource of 27,600 tons (calculated as tungsten trioxide), of which 14,800 tons are classified as controlled resources and 12,800 tons as inferred resources. Xiaoliu Gou tungsten mine is an important tungsten-producing area in Gansu Province, and this newly added reserve will further enhance the regional tungsten supply capacity, providing strong support for the stable development of China’s tungsten industry. As a key strategic metal of the country, tungsten possesses excellent properties such as high melting point, high hardness, and high density, and has wide applications in metallurgy, machinery, electronics, aerospace, defense, and new energy sectors. For example, fields such as tungsten carbide tools, special steels, high-temperature alloys, electronic components, filaments for lighting, and defense equipment are highly dependent on tungsten resources.
Tungsten mine pictures
Based on the spatial position of ore bodies, their occurrence horizons, production status, host rocks, and surrounding rock characteristics, the Xiaoliu Gou mining area can be divided into three metallogenic belts. Metallogenic Belt 1 is located in the central-southern part of the deposit, with ore bodies mainly occurring in the first lithological section of the Upper Stratum of the Zhu Long Guan Group, Great Wall Series. The ore bodies are generally layered and arc-shaped, with host rocks mainly consisting of calcic-aluminous garnet skarn, skarn-altered limestone, and a small amount of hornblende-mica schist, while the surrounding rocks are predominantly phyllite and hornblende-mica schist.
Tungsten mine pictures
Metallogenic Belt 2 is located in the central-eastern part of the deposit, with ore bodies mainly occurring in the second lithological section and the lower part of the third lithological section of the Upper Stratum of the Zhu Long Guan Group, Great Wall Series. The ore bodies are generally layered and lens-shaped, trending nearly north-south, with host rocks mainly composed of diopside-actinolite skarn, skarn-altered limestone, and hornblende-mica schist, while the surrounding rocks are primarily hornblende-mica schist.
Metallogenic Belt 3 is located on the eastern side of the deposit, with ore bodies mainly occurring at the top of the third lithological section of the Upper Stratum of the Zhu Long Guan Group, Great Wall Series. The ore bodies are lens-shaped and trend northeast, with host rocks mainly consisting of diopside-actinolite skarn and hornblende-mica schist, and the surrounding rocks are primarily hornblende-mica schist.
