China has abundant iron ore resources, among which the proven reserves of iron ore generally rank the first in the world, and the proven reserves exceed 23 billion tons. According to the classification standards of Chinas Ministry of Land and Resources, Chinese iron ore resources can be divided into two categories: magnetite and hematite. China has abundant magnetite resources, which account for about 30% of the total proven reserves of China, and are mainly distributed in Liaoning, Anhui, Fujian, Hubei, Liaoning Province and other places. Hematite is mainly distributed in Hebei, Liaoning, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Inner Mongolia and other places, accounting for 70% of Chinas total proven reserves.
Anhui Province is one of the important iron ore producing areas in China. According to data statistics, there are a total of 14 ore districts and deposits that have been identified, with an estimated reserve of 9.13 billion tons. Among them, Shizhuhanes Hanhe Mine is an important iron ore producing area in Anhui province. The mine has a proven reserve of 1.37 billion tons, making it the largest ore deposit in the province. The ore in this district mainly includes hematite, magnetite and siderite, and the average grade is about 30%-40%.
Fujian Province is the second largest iron ore producing province in China. There are more than 12 iron ore deposits are distributed in Fujian Province, the total reserves is about 450 million tons. Nanping Iron Mine is one of the major producing areas; by the end of 2015, the proven reserves of the Nanping Mine was estimated at 360 million tons, with an average grade of 42%.
Liaoning Province is the largest iron ore producing province in China and also the most important iron ore supplying area in the northeast region. There are 15 metallogenic areas in the province. According to the geological survey of proven reserves, Liaoning Province has proven reserves of 10.7 billion tons, among which the PingBa metallogenic area is the most important one. The proven reserves of PingBa Mine is 6.2 billion ton, and the average grade is about 30.3%.
Shaanxi Province is delineated as an important iron ore producing region in China. There are 31 ore production districts in the province; most of them are relatively small deposits, which type of ore including hematite and limonite. The total reserves of Shaanxi province is about 20 million tons. The small-scale deposits are mainly located in Guanzhuang, Fengjie and other places, among which the Guanzhuang Mine is the largest, with a reserve of 12 million tons.
Hebei province is another important province for the production of iron ore in China, with 12 ore production districts are distributed in Hebei province, of which the most important one is the Anbei metallogenic area, with a proven reserve of nearly 1 billion tons, followed by the Bian
Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is an important base for iron ore production in China, which has abundant iron resources, most of them are magnetite type. There are 27 metallogenic areas and ore production districts in the region, with proven reserves of about 2 billion tons. Among them, Tumurt Co iron mine is the largest iron ore production base in the region, which has a proven reserve of 1.35 billion tons.
To sum up, there are abundant iron ore resources in China, covering a wide range of types and grades. Each province has its own iron ore resources and characteristics, providing a great complement to the countrys iron ore resources. With the continuous development of the national economy, more and more attention has been paid to the comprehensive utilization of iron ore resources and its management, which embodies our countrys attitude toward energy conservation and environmental protection.
