2,000 tonnes of gold: China says new technology helped find largest deposits

Discovery of two large gold deposits could help China maintain its pace of gold production and prevent a decline in output

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Chinese state media says geological authorities used 3D monitoring and other prospecting technologies to uncover potentially large deposits of gold. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Published: 4:48pm, 27 Mar 2025Updated: 6:51pm, 27 Mar 2025

Scientists say they have discovered two potentially record-smashing 1,000-tonne gold deposits in central and northeastern China, and more discoveries could come with the use of advanced exploration technology.

If proven, these deposits could be among the largest in the world, and even surpass the largest known gold deposit in South Africa.

China is the world’s largest producer of gold ore, reaching an output of 377 tonnes last year, according to the China Gold Association. While China is holding on to the top spot in gold production, it falls behind countries such as South Africa, Australia and Russia in proven gold mine reserves.

Gold is not only a means to insulate financial systems from the vulnerabilities of fiat currencies, but also plays a role in the development of electronics, and even aerospace components, because of its properties.

Despite scepticism from some experts over reserve estimates, the discovery of two large gold deposits could help China maintain its pace of gold production and prevent a decline in output.

The discovery of the first deposit, in central China, made headlines in November when Hunan province’s geological bureau announced it had found a super-large gold deposit with estimated reserves of more than 1,000 tonnes of gold, which could be worth more than 600 billion yuan ($US83 billion).