Version 1.1, November 2014 Version 1.1, November 2014 Suggested citation: Suggested W erner, A.B.T., Sinclair, W.D., and Amey, E.B., 2014, International strategic mineral mineral strategic International 2014, E.B., Amey, and W.D., Sinclair, A.B.T., Werner, issues summary report—Tungsten (ver. 1.1, November 2014): U.S. Geological Survey Survey Geological U.S. 2014): November 1.1, (ver. report—Tungsten summary issues Circular 930–O, 74 p., http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/0930/o/. [Supersedes [Supersedes http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/0930/o/. p., 74 930–O, Circular version 1.0 published in 1998; revisions in 2014 by John H. DeYoung, Jr., and and Jr., DeYoung, H. John by 2014 in revisions 1998; in published 1.0 version Kim B. Shedd.] KimB. First release 1998, version 1.0 version 1998, release First Revised November 2014, as version 1.1, to replace table 2 table replace to 1.1, version as 2014, November Revised PREFACE Earth-science and mineral-resource agencies from several countries started the Inter- national Strategic Minerals Inventory, later renamed International Strategic Mineral Issues, in order to cooperatively gather information about major sources of mineral raw materials. This circular summarizes inventory information about major deposits of tungsten. The report was prepared by Antony B.T. Werner, Canadian Department of Natural Resources (NRCan), Minerals and Metals Sector (MMS) (retired); W. David Sinclair, NRCan, Geological Survey of Canada (GSC); and Earle B. Amey, United States Geologi- cal Survey (USGS). Tungsten inventory information was compiled by James E. Elliott, USGS; S. Warren Hobbs, USGS; Alfred Johnson and L.S. Jen, NRCan/MMS; Nerida Knight and John Olley, Australian Geological Survey Organisation; W. David Sinclair and A. Pasitschniak, NRCan/GSC; and Klaus Fesefeldt and Ilse Häusser, German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources. Additional contributions to the report were made by Jan Zwartendyk, NRCan/MMS (retired); Stuart Girvan and Ian Lambert, Bureau of Resource Sciences of the Australian Department of Primary Industries and Energy; Erik C.I. Hammerbeck, South African Council for Geoscience; Michael Bowles, Geological Survey of South Africa; Gregory R. Chapman, Peter Harris, and Gordon Riddler, British Geological Survey; John H. DeYoung, Jr., Ebraham Shekarchi, and David M. Sutphin, USGS; and T.F. Anstett, U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM), and P.T. Stafford, USBM (deceased). IV Revision History for Circular 930–O............................................................................. 72 930–O............................................................................. Circular for History Revision VIII CONTENTS TABLES 1. Tungsten resources in the world’s deposits and districts, by geologic deposit type and resource category................ 4 2. Ten largest tungsten deposits or groups of deposits in the world ................................................................................ 12 3. Tungsten resources in the world’s deposits and districts, by economic class of country and resource category ........ 13 4, 5. Estimated cumulative and annual mine production of tungsten contained in ore and concentrate— 4. By economic class of country for all countries having tungsten deposits or districts ........................................... 13 5. For each country having a tungsten deposit or district listed in the ISMI tungsten inventory............................... 16 6. Tungsten resources in the world’s deposits and districts in the R1 and R2 categories, listed by mining method and economic class of country..................................................................................................................................... 16 7. Major world tungsten processing plants ...................................................................................................................... 20 8. Abbreviations used in tables 9 and 10 ......................................................................................................................... 27 9. Selected geologic and location information from ISMI records for tungsten deposits and districts........................... 28 10. Selected production and mineral-resource information from ISMI records for tungsten deposits and districts ......... 50 CONVERSION FACTORS Multiply By To obtain gram (g) 0.03527 ounce avoirdupois gram per metric ton (g/t) 0.0292 ounce per ton (2,000 pounds) kilogram (kg) 2.205 pound kilometer (km) 0.6214 mile meter (m) 3.281 foot metric ton (t) 1.102 short ton (2,000 pounds) INTERNATIONAL STRATEGIC MINERAL ISSUES SUMMARY REPORT—TUNGSTEN By Antony B.T. Werner,1 W. David Sinclair,2 and Earle B. Amey3 ABSTRACT nonmarket-economy countries and thus severely underesti- mates future tungsten availability. Scheelite and wolframite are the principal minerals In 1995, China and the former Soviet Union accounted currently mined for tungsten. Both occur in hard-rock for over three-fourths of the world’s mine production of deposits; wolframite is also recovered from placer deposits. tungsten. China alone produced about two-thirds of world Most current mine production of tungsten is from vein/ output. Given its vast resources, China will likely maintain stockwork, skarn, porphyry, and strata-bound deposits. its prominent role in world tungsten supply. By the year Minor amounts are produced from disseminated, pegmatite, 2020, changes in supply patterns are likely to result from breccia, and placer deposits. declining output from individual deposits in Australia, Aus- tria, and Portugal and the opening of new mines in Canada, Most tungsten is used to make tungsten carbide and China, and the United Kingdom. tungsten alloys for use in machine tools and drilling equip- ment. Other important applications are in lamp filaments and cathodes, high-speed steels, textile dyes, paints, and PART I—OVERVIEW catalysts. The world is well endowed with tungsten resources. INTRODUCTION China and the former Soviet Union have 8 of the world’s 10 largest deposits; these 8 contain about half of the world’s The reliability of future supplies of minerals is of con- resources of tungsten. If economic conditions are suitable, cern to many nations. This widespread concern has led to world tungsten resources in known deposits and their exten- duplication of effort in the gathering of information on the sions (categories R1 and R2), including economic, mar- world’s major sources of minerals. With the aim of pooling ginal, and subeconomic resources, are sufficient to permit such information, a cooperative effort named International world production to continue at 1995 levels until well into Strategic Minerals Inventory (ISMI) was started in 1981 by the 21st century. officials of the governments of the United States, Canada, and West Germany. It was subsequently joined by South World tungsten resources in identified deposits and dis- Africa, Australia, and the United Kingdom. In 1997, ISMI tricts that are currently economically exploitable (category was renamed International Strategic Mineral Issues. R1E) appear to be sufficient to meet world demand at 1995 levels only until the year 2007. However, the figure for The objective of ISMI reports is to make publicly resources of this kind does not include or reflect resources available, in convenient form, nonproprietary data and char- whose economic parameters are unknown in major produc- acteristics of major deposits of mineral commodities for ing areas in the former Soviet Union, China, and other policy considerations in regard to short-term, medium-term, and long-term world supply. This report provides a sum- mary statement of the data compiled and an overview of the 1Retired from Canadian Department of Natural Resources, Minerals supply aspects of tungsten in a format designed to be of and Metals Sector. benefit to policy analysts and geologists. Knowledge of the 2 Canadian Department of Natural Resources, Geological Survey of geologic aspects of mineral resources is essential in order to Canada (the GSC component of this document is recognized as Geological discover and develop mineral deposits. However, technical, Survey of Canada Contribution 34988), 675–601 Booth Street, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1A 0E8. financial, and political decisions must be made, and often 3U.S. Geological Survey, 989 National Center, Reston, VA 20192 transportation and marketing systems must be constructed, U.S.A. before ore can be mined and processed and the products 1 2 INTERNATIONAL STRATEGIC MINERAL ISSUES SUMMARY REPORT—TUNGSTEN transported to the consumer; the technical, financial, and which together probably have more than half of the world’s political aspects of mineral-resource development are not resources of tungsten, are estimates. specifically addressed in this report. The report addresses In this report, almost all resource data are quoted as the primary stages in the supply process for tungsten and being in place. Mining recovery from an orebody depends does not include considerations of tungsten demand. on individual conditions and may vary considerably. It typi- To date, the ISMI Working Group has published stud- cally ranges from 75 to 90 percent for underground mining; ies on chromium, cobalt, graphite, lithium, manganese, that is, 10 to 25 percent of the in-place resources are not nickel, niobium (columbium), phosphate, platinum-group recovered from the ground. After mining, additional metals, rare-earth oxides, tantalum, tin, titanium, tungsten amounts of economic mineral content are lost in processing (this