A huge amount of uranium was found in China: now there is 10 times more of it in the country than it was

The discovery, which is being touted as a breakthrough in the country's national security, could also change

the scientific community's understanding of uranium formation, opening up new opportunities for uranium discovery worldwide.

According to SCMP, at depths that were consideredimpossible, many deposits of industrial quality have been discovered. So much so that it would increase China's estimated total uranium reserves by a factor of 10 to over two million tons.

If true, then China would be on par with Australia, which is one of the richest uranium countries in the world.

The researchers behind the discoveryused state-of-the-art technology and equipment to explore depths of nearly 3,000 meters, which they claim is six times deeper than most of China's uranium mines. “This world-leading project is a major breakthrough for our country,” the China National Nuclear Corporation wrote on its WeChat social media account.

Newly discovered deposits will help Chinameet growing demand for nuclear energy while aiming to reduce carbon emissions, the South China Morning Post reports. Uranium is also, of course, used in weapons production, and new deposits will reportedly help the country expand its military nuclear arsenal.

Li Ziying, director of the Beijing Uranium Geology Research Institute, said the discovery challenges widely held beliefs about the formation of uranium deposits.

It is believed to be concentrated mainly inshallow, geophysically stable areas, but some of the largest deposits discovered by China in recent years are more than 1,500 meters below the surface and have been tectonically active.

Lee and his colleagues believe that tectoniccollisions could cause uranium to rise out of the mantle before becoming trapped in small "hot spots" thousands of meters below the Earth's surface. 

The researchers used the onboardan ultra-sensitive remote sensor to detect tiny traces of heat emitted by uranium from underground, and then a special drilling machine. Artificial intelligence has helped increase the speed of data analysis. The new method could be used around the world to help other countries find hidden uranium deposits.

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