Continental-scale distribution of tungsten in catchment sediments throughout China: Prospecting implications from the China geochemical Baselines project

Tungsten (W), known as the “teeth of industry”, is a critical mineral resource for emerging industries worldwide. Given the crucial role of tungsten in various industrial and military applications, its potential as a mineral resource for China must be assessed. Determining the concentration and distribution of tungsten in catchment sediment environments is key to such assessments. Therefore, based on the China Geochemical Baselines (CGB) project, we obtained information on the continental-scale concentrations, variations, and distributions of tungsten throughout mainland China. The tungsten concentrations in the top and deep sediment samples varied from 0.20 to 294 ppm, with a median value of 1.56 ppm, and 0.25 to 216 ppm, with a median value of 1.51 ppm, respectively. The tungsten concentrations varied widely across regions, with the distribution at the catchment scale predominantly controlled by the parent rock, especially granites and alkaline rocks, and the distribution at the continental scale primarily controlled by mineralization. Generally, the spatial distribution of tungsten in the top and deep catchment sediments was relatively consistent, with higher concentrations in South China and lower concentrations in Northwest China. Furthermore, nine large to super-large tungsten prospecting belts were delineated. Numerous well-known tungsten deposits have been located, especially in the South China anomalous belt (with an area of approximately 1.03 million km2), which exhibits an anomalous distribution trend of prospecting tungsten deposits from the south to north, and the east to west. Moreover, the Xizang (Tibet)-Sanjiang anomaly belt (approximately 585,000 km2) represents an important future exploration target for tungsten deposits.