Landform Analysis 32: 3–8 doi: 10.12657/landfana.032.001 © 2016 Author(s) Received: 18.10.2015; Accepted: 23.05.2016 This is an open access article distributed under Geology and mining of selected energy resources in China Stanisław Roman Ćmiel* University of Silesia, Sosnowiec, Poland; *[email protected] Abstract: The article presents geological and economic characteristics of energy resources and their mining in Chi- na. Coal basins are associated with the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic fold structures connecting crystalline massifs of the Chinese Platform. In China four coal-bearing regions are delimited: the most important economically central region (Shanxi and Ordos Basin) as well as eastern, south-western and western (Xingjian). In terms of coal resources, China ranks third, and in terms of the extraction – first in the world, producing approx. 3.65 billion t a–1. In the twenty-first century Chinese mining industry has undergone restructuring involving the liquidation of small, technologically back- ward mines with poor safety and profitability record. The most important onshore oil and gas basins occur in Daqing, Shengli, Nanyang, Renqiu, Karamay, Dagang and Yumen, while offshore basins are in the Yellow Sea and South China Sea. In terms of crude oil consumption and import China takes the first place in the world. Natural gas plays a relatively small role in energy production. China has the largest shale gas reserves in the world (36 trillion m3) and it is intensively preparing for their extraction. Key words: China, geology, mining, energy resources Introduction Permian-Carboniferous deposits of the northern and north-eastern parts of the country. The most favour- In terms of coal resources Asia is the richest conti- able conditions for the formation of coal were in the nent. It has numerous large basins both in terms of Upper Carboniferous, when thick beds developed in their area and volume of resources. Asia’s geological large areas in the provinces of Shaanxi (11), Shanxi resources are estimated at about 8.1 trillion tons, of (6), Hubei (12), Shandong (8) and Neimenggu (4) which coal accounts for 5.9 trillion tons (including [Inner Mongolia] (Fig. 2). 600 billion tons of coking coals). Balance resources amount to 345 billion tons, of which 138 billion tons are suitable for opencast mining. In Asia most coal mining and coal consumption takes place in China, the Asian part of the Commonwealth of Independent States, India, both North and South Korea, Japan and Vietnam. Coal in China has become one of the most important pillars of the country’s power. It is there- fore important to look at its current position. China coal basins are associated with the Palae- ozoic and Mesozoic fold structures connecting the crystalline massifs of the China platform with de- pressions within these massifs (Fig. 1). In terms of stratigraphy China’s industrial coal deposits are found in the sediments of all geological periods, but the most important are primarily asso- Fig. 1. Geology of China (after E. Stupnicka 1978, modified) ciated with the Carboniferous and Permian as well 1 – Precambrian crystalline massifs, 2 – Paleozoic fold struc- as Jurassic and Tertiary deposits. The largest basins tures of the Chinese Platform, 3 – fold structures, 4 – platform and beds containing ¾ of the resources are in the boundaries 3 Stanisław Roman Ćmiel Of these the most productive is the Upper Car- thy are the deposits of the provinces Liaoning (3), boniferous Taiyuan series. The Permian coal-bearing Sichuan (23) and Xinjiang (26). deposits, which vary greatly in time and space, are The Lower Cretaceous deposits are characterised found in northern and southern China. The Low- by low coal-bearing and are known mostly from the er Permian deposits, represented by the best quali- provinces Heilongjiang (1), Jilin (2), Sichuan (23) and ty Shanxi coal series, mainly occur in the northern Fujian (15). part of China, having secondary importance in the The Cenozoic deposits occur mainly in the east, southern part of the country. In contrast, the Upper along the Pacific coast forming two zones: northern Permian Loping series occurs mainly in the south- being an extension of the coal-bearing deposits of Ja- ern part. The main coal-bearing provinces are the pan, Korea and the Far East of Russia, i.e. Heilong- Shaanxi (11) and Shanxi (6) with the largest basins jiang (1), Jilin (2) and Liaoning (3), and southern Datong, Yangquan and Xishan; Habei (5) with the which is part of the coal-bearing area of the tropics, basin Kailuan as well as Inner Mongolia (4). Other i.e. Taiwan (28), Guangdong (18), Jangxi (16) and economically important deposits also include Fux- Yunnan (22) (Fig. 2). What is also characteristic is in from the Jurassic as well as Fushun in Liaoning the diversity of the coal-bearing Cenozoic stratigraph- Province (3) and Hegang in Hejlongjiang Province (1) ic profile. In the north-eastern part of China they are from the Paleogene. found in the Paleogene deposits, while in the south in The coal-bearing Mesozoic deposits are main- the Neogene deposits. In terms of their quality Chi- ly related to the Lower Triassic, Lower Jurassic and nese coals are not well recognised. It is understood Lower Cretaceous. Despite the fact that they occur in that there are all kinds of coals from lignite to anthra- nearly all provinces their stratigraphy and coal-bear- cites, predominantly bituminous coals. China’s geo- ing features are not that well recognised compared logical resources are estimated at about 1.4, or even 6 to the Palaeozoic deposits. The largest Lower Trias- trillion tones), while the documented deposits in the sic deposits occur in the following provinces: in the managed (balance) deposits – at 114.5 billion tons, south-western part of the country – Yunnan (22), of which 62.2 billion tons are bituminous coals (3rd Sichuan (23), south-eastern – Jangxi (16), SW – Xin- place in the world). The volume of the resources in jiang (26) and Tibet (27) and north-eastern – Nei- the individual provinces is presented in Fig. 3. menggu (4). The Upper Triassic coal-bearing deposits Mining in China accounts for half of the global are found only in the south-western part of China, extraction and amounts to 3.65 billion tons of coal mainly in Yunnan Province (22) and are connected per year (first place in the world) and is almost en- with the South China Massif. tirely used by China (world extraction in 2011 – 6.7 The Lower Jurassic deposits stretch mainly in the billion tons, 2013 – 7.2 billion t) (BP Energy Review, northern and southern China. Most of the deposits 2013). Coal mining in China is growing annually by of this period are small, creating isolated zone of the about 5%. Coal import amounted to 150 million tons north-east to south-west course. Especially notewor- in 2012 and is projected to increase (2013 – 284 mil- lion tons). Fig. 2. Distribution of coal deposits and basins in China by provinces (after W. Gabzdyl 1994, modified) The main coal basins: 6, 8, 11, 12 – Carboniferous, 3, 25 – Per- Fig. 3. Coal resources in China by provinces (after www. mian, 16, 22, 23, 26, 27 – Triassic mincom.home.pl) 4 Geology and mining of selected energy resources in China China’s coal-bearing regions Carboniferous Taiyuan series, Lower Permian Shanxi series as well as Lower and Middle Jurassic series of In terms of distribution of deposits there are four Datong and Jugan. The most productive are the series coal-bearing regions of China: central (Shanxi and of Taiyuan and Datong. In terms of its structure the Ordos Basin), north-eastern, south-western and basin is an asymmetric anticline with the north-east western (Xinjiang) (Fig. 4) The central area is asso- to south-west extent. In the Taiyuan series there are ciated with the North China Massif, i.e. the Shanxi three coal seams 1.5 to 3 m thick, and in the Datong anticline and in fact it needs to be considered as series there are 30 seams, of which seven are up to a single Upper Palaeozoic coal-bearing area, which 5.7 m thick. The total thickness of the coal seams in due to various geological processes has been divided this series is 26 m. The coals of the central region into isolated basins and deposits. Here are the larg- are bituminous coals. The resources of the basin are est basins and deposits in China, located in Shanxi estimated at 2.6 billion tons, and the extraction is 35 Province (6), such as Datong with the deposits of million tones a year. 2.6 billion tons, Yangquan with 2.47 billion tons and The north-eastern region is associated with the Xishan with 1.67 billion tons. Manchuria Massif, and lithologically with the Juras- The China’s largest coal-bearing province is the sic and Oligocene coal-bearing formation. The main province of Shanxi, whose area of 157.1 thousand provinces are Inner Mongolia (4) and Liaoning (3) km2 is one big coal-bearing area of the resource bal- (Fig. 3). The biggest basins of this region include Fux- ance representing 30% of the China’s deposits, i.e. in and Fushun located in Liaoning Province (3) on over 200 billion tones, and giving 38% of the national the Manchurian Plain (the province is also known for extraction. The region has 10 basins, in five of which its unique past fauna sites, which include complete mining is developed. Extraction is conducted in specimens of feathered dinosaurs, sinosauropteryxes, about 5,580 small and large mines, giving about 1.38 with preserved stomach contents and two non-laid billion tons of coal a year.