en.Wedoany.com Reported - A research team composed of the Heilongjiang Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the College of Earth and Planetary Sciences of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences published a paper in Acta Petrologica Sinica, announcing the discovery of a new type of dissociation-type rare earth deposit in Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces. This new type of deposit is rich in both light and heavy rare earth elements. The research team conducted investigations and sampling in areas such as Qunceshan in Tangyuan County, Jiamusi City, Heilongjiang Province. Its mineralization mechanism is closely related to the repeated freeze-thaw cycles in northern high-latitude regions—alkaline granite gradually breaks down and decomposes under frost heaving, forming a loose sandy structure.

Research shows that rare earth elements in the dissociation-type deposit occur in minerals such as monazite and xenotime, with xenotime being an important source of the heavy rare earth element yttrium. Data from the paper indicates that the total rare earth content in some samples reaches 3410×10⁻⁶, with heavy rare earth content close to 831.4×10⁻⁶. The high degree of mineral dissociation is expected to significantly improve beneficiation efficiency. Compared with ion-adsorption type rare earth deposits in southern China, this type of deposit has a higher total rare earth content and more pronounced light rare earth enrichment. The heavy rare earth content in some samples from Jilin is significantly higher than that in other areas of Heilongjiang.

The research team pointed out that the discovery of this new deposit, as a strategic breakthrough area for a new round of heavy rare earth prospecting, "is expected to rewrite the pattern of China's rare earth resources being 'heavy in the south and light in the north,' and promote the economic and social development of the Northeast region." "The research results expand the potential development space of China's rare earth resources and highlight the significant industrial and strategic importance of northern mineral dissociation-type rare earth deposits," the research team said.

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