Three iron ore deposits with total estimated reserves of 2 billion mt and proven reserves of 500 million mt have been discovered in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
An official of the Bureau of Geology and Minerals of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region said that since 2007 the bureau has spent over RMB 200 million ($29 million) on prospecting for iron ore resources in an area of 6,000 square kilometers around the Awulale iron ore belt in the West Tianshan mountains, finally discovering the three iron ore deposits in question which have an iron content of 40-50 percent.
The estimated reserves in the Awulale iron ore belt account for over 20 percent of the total estimated iron ore reserves of around 9.09 billion mt in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.