Understanding Responsibility, Embracing Dedication | Prospecting on the Plateau: Writing a Professional Testament in the Forbidden Zone of Life

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Building a Pioneer Force in Geophysical Exploration

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The Western Kunlun Mountains, stretching across southern Xinjiang, boast an average elevation of over 5,000 meters and feature extreme conditions characterized by high altitude, low oxygen levels, and frigid temperatures. Yet on this land that most people would shy away from, the “Geophysical Exploration Vanguard” is taking up the challenge—using their footsteps as a measuring tool and their expertise as a sharp blade—to explore the Lead-Zinc Ore Area No. 3 in Jinyu Mountain, determined to lift the veil of mystery surrounding the underground lead-zinc deposits.

Extreme Environment: A “Survival Challenge” on the 5,700-Meter Plateau

The lead-zinc ore exploration area in the Third District of Jinyushan Mountain, Hetian County, Xinjiang, sits at an average elevation of 5,700 meters. The oxygen content here is only 45% to 55% of that found in coastal regions, and the annual average temperature stays below -2℃. Even in the height of summer—July—the temperature difference between day and night can exceed 35℃: during the day, the scorching sun heats the ground surface to as high as 25℃, while at night, icy winds howl, sending temperatures plummeting to as low as -10℃. The mountain streams melt during the day but freeze solid overnight, and even with sleeping bags tightly zipped up inside camp tents, the bone-chilling cold remains impossible to ward off.

Here, transportation relies entirely on hiking. Team members carry dozens of pounds of exploration equipment, dry rations, and water as they trek back and forth along mountain paths strewn with rubble. Communication signals are intermittent at best; once they venture deep into the heart of the mining area, they’re virtually cut off from the outside world, relying solely on satellite phones to maintain emergency contact. Yet faced with such a “desperate situation,” no one has backed down. Party members, in particular, have taken the lead, having undergone extensive acclimatization training for high-altitude environments in advance and carrying anti-altitude sickness medication at all times. By day, they brave the scorching sun to set up monitoring stations and collect samples; by night, they huddle in the cold wind, sorting data and checking equipment—everything they do is aimed at staying on schedule and quickly mapping out the geological structure of the mining area.

Professional Dedication: Millimeter-Level Precision Confronts “Natural Barriers”

Extreme environments may wear down physical stamina, but they have never shaken the team members’ reverence for and commitment to their profession. In exploration work, 1:25,000 rock chip sampling is one of the core tasks—on a map, this task appears as just a dense network of fine lines; yet in the field, it’s painstaking “detail work” that the team members measure with their own footsteps and meticulously control with millimeter-level precision.

To ensure data accuracy, the team members meticulously laid out sampling points according to a grid density of 250×50 meters. Even on steep slopes or in areas densely crisscrossed by glacial meltwater gullies, they had to reach the pre-determined locations without the slightest deviation. At each sampling point, they collected rock chip or rock composite samples ranging from 0.9 to 4 millimeters in size. To guarantee the representativeness of the samples, they took multiple samples around each sampling point and then repeatedly screened them using specialized sieves to remove impurities, ensuring that the particle size and composition of the samples conformed to the specified standards. In areas with complex geological conditions, they proactively increased the sampling frequency and conducted repeated sampling for comparison, thereby eliminating any potential impact on subsequent geochemical analyses caused by sample errors.

“Even a tiny discrepancy in the data could lead to mineralization analyses that are off by miles,” is a phrase team members often repeat. In an environment marked by oxygen deprivation and frigid temperatures, they squat on the ground, using fingers numb from the cold to sort through rock fragments and record coordinates. Every piece of data is double- and triple-checked, and each sample is meticulously labeled. In the end, they’ve collected over 3,000 samples—this unwavering commitment to precision is their strongest source of confidence as they confront the high-altitude “natural hazards.”

Tackling the Goal: Decoding the Mystery of “Firecloud-Style” Lead-Zinc Deposits

During this exploration, the team has zeroed in on three core tasks, carefully and systematically unraveling the geological patterns of “fire-cloud-style” lead-zinc deposits. First, they use rock chip sampling and geochemical analysis to delineate prospective “target zones,” much like performing a surgical procedure on the earth to pinpoint the most promising areas. Next, they carry out thousands of meters of trenching and drilling to strip away the surface’s deceptive cover and reveal the true size and shape of the ore bodies. Finally, they conduct deep verification along known mineralized zones, searching for the hidden treasures buried thousands of meters beneath the surface. Today, these “geophysical pioneers” continue to hold their ground amid the biting cold winds of the Western Kunlun Mountains. With hands cracked from frostbite, they meticulously record every set of data; with lungs strained by oxygen deprivation, they power through each drilling operation. On the high-altitude plateau at 5,700 meters, step by step, they are steadily lifting the veil of mystery surrounding the lead-zinc deposits.

What they ultimately submitted was not merely a survey report brimming with data—it was a “plateau answer” forged with professionalism, resilience, and passion. Embedded within this answer lies the original aspiration of geologists to “search for minerals for the nation,” and it also vividly captures the sense of responsibility and glory of Sichuan Resources Group’s “geophysical exploration pioneers” as they bravely take on their mission in this forbidden land of life.

Executive Producer | Yu Changheng

Reviewed by | Zou Zhongping

Editor-in-charge | Zhou Huiying

Text | Tian Tengzhen

Figure | Yang Fei
Editor | Wen Han