Chinese scientists have discovered a massive gold reserve. According to the geologists involved in the survey, this huge deposit was found in the mountains near the western border of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Early estimates suggest the gold reserve could be more than 1,000 tons. Senior engineer He Fubao and his team wrote in their research paper published on 4 November in the science journal Acta Geoscientica Sinica that a gold deposit of nearly 1,000 tons is now taking shape in western Kunkule, Xinjiang.
This is the third major gold reserve discovered in China in less than a year, with an estimated capacity of over 1,000 tons. Earlier, large gold deposits were found in Liaoning province in the northeast and Hunan province in central China. Until now, most of the world’s known major gold reserves were usually only a few hundred tons.
New Finds Suggest China Has Much More Gold Than Expected
According to the South China Morning Post, experts earlier believed that China had only around 3,000 tons of unmined gold left, about one-fourth of what remains in Russia and Australia. But these new, frequent discoveries suggest that China’s actual gold reserves may be much larger than previously estimated.
China’s discovery of large gold deposits is mainly driven by advanced technology. Chinese geologists have developed cutting-edge tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), some of the world’s most powerful ground-penetrating radar systems, and highly sensitive mineral-detection satellites. These technologies are not limited to China – they have also helped identify new gold reserves in parts of West and Central Africa.
Ancient Myths About Kunlun Mountains Gain New Attention
In ancient Chinese mythology, the Kunlun Mountains were considered sacred and compared to Mount Olympus in Greek legends. Old texts like The Classic of Mountains and Seas described Kunlun as the center of the earth and a place filled with treasures. Around 2,100 years ago, Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty officially named a dragon-shaped mountain range in southwest Xinjiang as Kunlun – a name that is still used today.
Modern scientists have also confirmed that the geographical center of the Eurasian continent lies in Xinjiang, and the region is rich in valuable minerals like jade. However, until now, there was no scientific evidence to support the ancient belief that the Kunlun Mountains were rich in gold.