(ECNS) -- China has discovered the world's deepest industrial sandstone-type uranium mineralization at a depth of 1,820 meters beneath the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) announced Friday.

It not only sets a new global record for the deepest discovery of sandstone-type industrial uranium mineralization, marking China's leading position globally in the exploration of deep-earth sandstone-type uranium resource, but also provides new theoretical support and innovative prospecting approaches for global uranium resource exploration.

The uranium exploration aims to discover and confirm deposits with industrial value while evaluating their resource potential and development prospects. Industrial uranium mineralization serves as a direct and reliable indicator for locating industrial-grade uranium deposits, according to the CAEA.

This industrial uranium mineralization is the first major thick-bedded mineralization found in the red variegated strata of the uninhabited hinterland of the Tarim Basin, filling a significant prospecting gap in China's largest desert-covered region.

This signifies that China has overcome the theoretical barriers of sandstone-type uranium metallogeny and, based on "satellite remote sensing - aerial survey - ground detection - deep exploration" 3D detection technologies, has established an integrated green and efficient prospecting system for sandstone-type uranium deposits in desert-covered areas.

This achievement opens new frontiers in region, depth, and deposit type, the CAEA said, adding that it could serve as a model for future exploration of sandstone-type uranium resources.

(By Zhang Dongfang)