Abstract: The Ministry of Land and Resources in order to make out the nationwide important mineral resources, which provide the basis for mineral resources protection ability and exploration deployment decisions, to carry out the important mineral resources potential evaluation project. Magnesite is one of the 25 important minerals to be carried out. The implementation of this project is an important national condition survey of mineral resources in China. In this work, we investigated the regional metallogenic pattern of magnesite through geological, geophysical, geochemical, remote sensing and mineralogical researches to establish a typical mineral deposit prediction model and a regional prediction model. Metallogenic prospect and target areas were identified, and the metallogenic resource potential of each prospecting area was assessed by modern theoretical analyses of mineral resource prediction and evaluation and GIS technology. The amount of 2000meter subsurface shallow magnesite resources was estimated by means of geological volume and multivariate methods to provided a scientific basis for the rational planning and deployment of mineral exploration. Our study showed that the main metallogenic age of Chinese magnesite is Paleoproterozoic, and the metallogenic type is mainly sedimentary metamorphic type. A total of 36.42 million tons of magnesite resources were discovered largely in Liaoning, Shandong and Xinjiang provinces. In total, 129 minimum magnesite prediction areas were identified, with 2000meter shallow ore reserves amounted to 13.1 billion tons. Nationwide there are 11 typical magnesite ore deposit zones.

Key words:  magnesite, metallogenic and geological characteristics, prediction model, resource potential;China