Discovery and preliminary study of the high tungsten and lithium contents in the Dazhuyuan bauxite deposit, Guizhou, China

Bauxite in China remains an urgently needed resource largely dependent on imports. Based on the study of the newly-discovered Dazhuyuan bauxite deposit in northeastern Guizhou, we have found new enrichment of tungsten and lithium in bauxite, with the highest WO 3 content up to 0.33% and the highest Li 2 O content up to 0.58%. The present paper reports the initial result, and the spatial distribution feature of W and Li in the ore body (with Li enriched mostly in the north part of the west limb of the Liyuan syncline, whereas W enriched mostly in the central part of the east limb). The results suggest that it is necessary to delineate lithium and tungsten ore body independently, discuss the feasibility of its industrial utilization, and point out the new direction of synthetic appraisal for such kinds of traditional mineral resources, in order to forecast and assess bauxite resources in the region.