MAJOR TYPES OF COPPER DEPOSITS AND DIRECTION IN COPPER PROSPECTING IN CHINA
我国铜矿床主要类型及找矿方向初探

The Cu-deposits to be known very well in China are mainly characti- rized by large total mineral reserves, low grade, a large numbers of mineral deposits of which a few can be economically mined. The low grade Cu-deposits of porphyry and Cu-Ni sulfide types are near 50% of the total reserves of Cu-deposits, but now, very little of them can be exploited economically. The Cu-deposits of comparative high grade or abundant associated elements, for in stance, volcanogenetic, marine sedimentary, skarn and poly-genetic Cu-deposits are the essencial objectives to be mined. Seeking the Cu-deposits which can be economically mined is one of the most important tasks in the reconnaissance survey and exploration works at present time when a lot of Cu material is imported every year because the supply of Cu-ore production has fallen short of demand for many years. The distribution of the Cu-deposits concentrates on nine districts, within which the occurrence of Cu-deposits is controlled by the special geological environment and time, so those concentrating areas are the most important targets to look further for some types of Cu-deposits, for instance: volcanogenetic Cu-deposits in Archaean and Early and Late Proterozoic eugeosyncline areas, marine sedimentary Cu-deposits in Middle Proterozoic miogeosyncline areas within Huabei and Huanan platforms or their edges, volcanogenetic Cu-deposits in Early Proterozoic and Mesozoic eugeosyncline orogenic zones; skarn or poly-genetic Cu-deposits in Mesozoic and Cenozoic tectonic magmatic active belts.