"As a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC), maintaining strong party discipline and being dedicated to my work have been the driving force behind my work for so many years," said Wang He, a researcher at the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (GIGCAS), in a recent interview with the China Science Daily. He mentioned that he spends at least one-third of his time each year working in the field.
Wang He has long been dedicated to exploration in the snowy plateau, achieving breakthroughs in both theory and practice of mineral exploration. He has discovered more than 10 deposits in the Western Kunlun-Karakorum Range, including the BaiLongShan super large lithium deposit, laying a solid foundation for China to advance in rare metal mineralization and exploration theory internationally. His contributions have also played a significant role in addressing China's shortage of lithium resources.
Recently, Wang He was honored as the "Annual Innovative Figure of the Chinese Academy of Sciences" for 2023.
Wang He, on the snowy plateau, is captured in the image provided by the interviewee.
A Love for Mountains Since Childhood
Wang He primarily engages in research in the fields of ore deposit geology, mineralization prediction, and mineral exploration. His success is not incidental but the result of thirty years of dedicated research, perseverance, and daring exploration.
Born in November 1966 in Beitun, Xinjiang, Wang He grew up amidst the desert plains. "Looking north from my hometown, one could see the majestic Altai Mountains, resembling a sleeping dragon. This sparked my inexplicable love for mountains from a young age."
In 1984, influenced by a classmate's father, Wang He heard about the No. 3 pit of the Koktokay Mine (a lithium, beryllium, and rare metal mine), which had contributed over 40% of China's repayment of debts to the Soviet Union. This ignited a special fascination for geological work, prompting him to apply to the Department of Geology at Northwest University, thus beginning his journey into geological exploration.
After graduating from university, Wang He returned to his hometown to work at the Xinjiang Nonferrous Geological Research Institute, where he started his career in mineral exploration and prediction in the Tianshan and Altai Mountains. In 1992, he visited the Koktokay No. 3 pit for the first time, experiencing firsthand the glory of a "meritorious mine," silently resolving to discover a world-class large mine.
During his time in Xinjiang, Wang He was responsible for submitting the exploration report for the Qiaoxiaha'ala iron-copper-gold deposit, which provided technical support for the Xinjiang Nonferrous Geological Research Institute and Fuyun County to jointly develop and utilize the deposit, yielding significant economic benefits. Due to his outstanding performance, Wang He was selected by the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Corporation in 1995 to pursue master's and doctoral degrees at Central South University.
During his doctoral studies, Wang He discovered and explored the Bt.Punda copper deposit while undertaking research projects for the Malaysian company MABONG MINING SDN BHD. After graduating with his doctorate in 2001, he came to the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry for postdoctoral research on the recommendation of his university classmate and fellow Xinjiang native, Chang Xiangyang (now the dean of the International Education College at Guangzhou University).
"After arriving at the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, my horizons broadened. At that time, senior geologists, ore deposit geologists, and geochemists like Tu Guangchi had a significant influence on me." Wang He explained that Academician Tu Guangchi was the founder of China's geochemistry discipline, and through his lifetime of experience, he exemplified how scientific researchers should be dedicated to "national affairs" and shoulder "national responsibilities."
It was noted that from 2002 to 2005, Wang He took on the responsibility of leading the "Eleventh Five-Year Plan" national key scientific and technological project on the topic of "Optimization and Evaluation of Prospective Areas for Mineral Exploration in the Western Segment of the Altai Copper Belt," demonstrating even greater dedication and enthusiasm in his work.
Writing Papers on the Snowy Plateau
The Kunlun Mountains are renowned in Chinese history and culture as the "ancestors of dragon veins" and the "ancestors of ten thousand mountains."
It's a magical land, harboring abundant treasures. Since 2006, Wang He has been conducting surveys on various mineral resources in the western Kunlun region and planning how to find large to super-large lithium mines under China's existing conditions.
Wang He presented the discovery of the Bailongshan lithium deposit to Chinese Academy of Sciences academicians Wu Fuyuan (center) and Xu Yigang (left). Image courtesy of the interviewees.
"In the Western Kunlun-Karakoram region, which belongs to the high-altitude and deeply dissected uninhabited area, there are no roads, and mineral exploration relies on stepping forward one step at a time." In 2016, after two months of fieldwork and numerous setbacks, Wang He's team discovered the first lithium spodumene pegmatite vein at an altitude of 5300 meters in the hinterland of the Karakoram.
After the discovery of the first lithium spodumene ore, Wang He and his team's confidence soared, further expanding the exploration area, climbing higher and more remote peaks, and subsequently discovering 47 lithium ore pegmatite veins. "These dozens of pegmatite veins are located in the hinterland of the Karakoram at altitudes ranging from 4500 to 5800 meters. The ridges are covered with snow all year round, shrouded in clouds and mist, resembling a soaring white dragon, hence the name Bailongshan Lithium-Beryllium-Rubidium Rare Metal Mine," Wang He said.
According to him, the discovery of the super-large lithium-beryllium-rubidium deposit at Bailongshan is a major breakthrough in the field of mineral resource research with profound political, economic, and social benefits. The related achievements were selected for the "Innovation Achievement Exhibition of the Chinese Academy of Sciences since the 18th National Congress of the CPC" in 2018, the "70 Years of Serving the Country with Science and Technology, Supporting the Dream of a Powerful Nation through Innovation – Innovation Achievement Exhibition of the Chinese Academy of Sciences" in 2019, and the "Science and Technology Achievement Exhibition of the Chinese Academy of Sciences" in 2022.
Based on this, Wang He created the "Pegmatite Symmetrical Zoning Prospecting Model" by studying the zonal characteristics of pegmatite veins in the Bailongshan area and the ore-forming characteristics of pegmatite veins in different zones, selecting a batch of rare metal exploration targets such as Bailongshan and Xuefengling, providing a strong theoretical basis for lithium ore exploration.
Wang He always remembers what his doctoral supervisor, Professor Peng Shenglin, said: "To practice, you must go into the field" and "you must persist in practice." "I spend 4-5 months in the field every year, almost covering the entire Kunlun Mountains, basically understanding all kinds of mineral resources in the Kunlun Mountains, and laying a solid foundation for future work," Wang He said.
Wang He proposed the existence of a 2800-kilometer-long Lithium Metallogenic Belt in the ancient Tethys domain in Western Kunlun-Eastern Kunlun-Western Sichuan. Based on preliminary research, it is believed that there is a 600-kilometer metallogenic belt in the Karakoram, and it is proposed that there is a 2800-kilometer-long Lithium Metallogenic Belt and a new type of "LRN" (Li-Rb-Nb) lithium deposit in Western Kunlun-Eastern Kunlun-Western Sichuan, enriching related metallogenic theories.
"During the days of fighting on the Karakoram Plateau, it was Teacher Wang who taught me step by step, gradually making me realize the true face of geological work," said Ren Guangli, a senior engineer at the Xi'an Geological Survey Center of the China Geological Survey, in an interview with China Science Daily. He was deeply influenced by Teacher Wang and has been engaged in geological exploration work since graduation.
Brushing shoulders with death several times
Speaking of his experience in field geological exploration, Wang He is deeply moved.
In 2015, during the investigation of the Mujikin Gold Mine in Xinjiang, due to the lack of signal in the mountains, Wang He received a text message three days after his daughter was born. "I feel that I owe my family too much for the sake of work." Although Wang He's scientific research path is full of hardships and challenges, he always maintains his enthusiasm and perseverance for scientific research.
He has always adhered to the philosophy of "dedication, diligence, specialization, and enjoyment", facing the major demands of the national strategic mineral resources, continuously discovering more than 10 deposits (points) such as the super-large lithium-beryllium-rubidium deposit at Bailongshan, the Kalaguru copper mine, and the Kayizhi molybdenum mine in Western Kunlun-Karakoram, and has produced a series of high-level research results in rare metal metallogenic theory and prospecting prediction.
Wang He's team is on the snowy plateau. Image provided by interviewee.
"The discovery of the Bai Long Mountain super-large lithium mine is a classic case of combining theory and practice. Its economic potential is enormous, with just the mining rights alone fetching 2 billion CNY. Based on the average market price of lithium carbonate in August 2023, which was 245,000 CNY per ton, the potential lithium oxide resources of 5.06 million tons have an economic value exceeding 3 trillion CNY," Wang He said.
In high-altitude regions, oxygen deficiency and cold are common threats, yet Wang He often needs to work for long periods in such environments. When asked by reporters, "Do you regret your initial choice?" Wang He admitted that field prospecting is a tough job, overcoming difficulties and dangers is a must, and he is willing to dedicate his lifetime energy to the geological cause.
During July and August 2012, Wang He's team was in the wild around Datong Township in Kunlun Mountains, coinciding with the traditional "fasting month." Unexpectedly, all the small restaurants in the township were closed, and everyone survived on naan bread, ham sausages, and water. "For over 20 days, we barely had any hot water. One early morning, a township cadre took us to a Mongolian felt tent, where we finally had a bowl of piping hot lamb offal soup. That was the most delicious lamb offal soup I've ever had."
The working environment in the snowy plateau is full of dangers, and Wang He has narrowly escaped death several times. In June 2023, while inspecting the area around the Muztag Peak in the Altun Mountains, Wang He encountered wild yaks blocking the road, chasing after cars, and also encountered wild animals such as brown bears and wolves. He and his team overcame various difficulties and finally obtained samples.
Currently an associate professor at Yunnan University's School of Earth Sciences, Yan Qinghe has been studying under Professor Wang He since starting his master's degree in 2014. "Over the past 8 years, I have traversed uninhabited deserts, summited peaks of 6100 meters, waded through bone-chilling rivers at zero degrees, and endured 30 consecutive days of hard naan bread together with Professor Wang. Those are memories that will never fade," Yan Qinghe said.
"Professor Wang He is my master, Ph.D. advisor, and postdoctoral mentor. He is my 'master' in life, my guide on the path of scientific research, and the person I admire the most and aspire to become," Yan Qinghe told the China Science Daily. What I have learned from Professor Wang is not only academic knowledge and professional skills but also the way of being a person and doing things, which will benefit me for a lifetime.
As of now, Wang He has trained 37 doctoral students and 4 master's students, among whom 21 master's students have converted to Ph.D., with 8 doctoral students and 2 master's students currently studying, nurturing a group of young talents for the cause of geological research and exploration in our country.
