SEARCH FOR MINE & MILL POSSIBLY ASSOCIATED WITH NUCLEAR ENERGY MATERIAL PRODUCTION IN THE VICINITY OF NAN-HSIUNG, KWANGTUNG PROVINCE, CHINA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: NGA Records (Formerly NIMA)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78T04743A000100070001-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 19, 2004
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: January 13, 1964
• Content Type: MF

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13 January 1964
MEMORANDUM FOR: Chief, Atomic/Biological/Chemical Division, OSI
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THRU: Chief, Requirements Branch, Reconnaissance
Group, CGS
FROM: Chief, CIA/PID(NPIC)
SUBJECT: Search for Mine & Mill Possibly Associated with
Nuclear Energy Material Production in the Vicinity
of Nan-Hsiang, Kwangtung Province, China
REFERENCES: Requirement No. C-S13-80,556
CIA Project No. C 1269-63
1. The old tungsten mining region to the north and east of
Nan-hsiung, Kwangtung Province, China was searched for an indication
of atomic energy activity for a radius of 25 nautical miles (nm)
on fair to good quality aerial photography. The mineralized re-
gions to the south and west of Nan-hsiung have been examined for
a number of previous requirements such as OSI/R-216/62 and OSI/
R-19/63, and answered together in IOM PID/ABCB 129/63, dated
13 June 1963. Copies of the reply are available in the files of,
OSI. Detailed descriptions and maps showing the prospects are
available in the files of the Atomic/Biological/Chemical Branch,
where they may be consulted. Information on the geology of the
tungsten deposits can be found in Hsiu, K.C. and Ting, I., "Ge-
ology and Tungsten Deposits of Southern Kiangsi": Geological
Survey of China, Memoir, Series A, No. 17, 1943, English and
Chinese texts. A separate colored geological map accompanies
the report which includes the Nan-hsiung region.
2. Six nautical miles south of Nan-hsiung, in the foothills of
the Nanling mountains near the village of Shang-Kung, a newly
built highway is seen to terminate in a rejuvenated mining district
at 25-01N 114-18E. The Shang-K'ung mining camp is located 23 nm
south-southwest of the old and large tungsten mill southwest of
Ta'yu, and 40 nm northeast of Chu'chiang, around which there have
been many reports of various atomic energy activities. According
to Hsiu and Ting the Shang-K'ung mining district is underlain by
the Nanling granite.
Declass Review by NGA.
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The Shang-K'ung mining camp can be compartmentalized into four
areas from higher to lower elevations or from west to east: (1)
a sentry post and a highway gate fronting a road worker's housing
and warehouse area; (2) a miner's barrack housing area; (3) an
enclosed centrally located supply area and three ore-treatment
plants or mills; and (4) a well prospected or trenched area with
17 new mines. On a ridge to the east and on a ridge to the west
are two possible observation posts giving unobstructed views of
the mining camp and the access road from Nan-hsiung.
3. Prospecting in the Shang-K'ung mining district, judging
from the absence of spoil along three short faint trenches and
one long dim trench was carried out many years ago from the nar-
row steep service road. More recent spoil and wash from the
trenches indicates that about 5 to 7 years ago trenching was re-
newed and proceeded farther out and upward. Altogether 33 short
trenches and 12 long trenches (well over 100 feet in length) are
visible. There are also some pits and excavations of the rather
thin soil to expose the underlying granite. The trenches can be
further classified into two systems: (1) Nine trenches which trend
east and west and possibly are on tungsten-bearing veins; and (2)
thirty six veins or trenches which trend northwest-southeast and
possibly contain rare minerals. I h as those containing uranium.
I I which shows the district on
far oblique photography, almost concealing the trenches, indicates
that prospecting is diminishing and is being superceded by mining.
4. Mining in the Shang-K'ung district is carried on by three
adits or tunnels driven into the east side of the mountain and by
some fourteen other mines or deepened trenches along the north and
west mountain slopes. The exact number of mines is debatable;,
certainly in regard to their production and quality of ore pro-
duced. Each of the trench-type mines has an associated pile of
waste rock spread out on the slope below, a bare working or sorting area
with piles of crushed ore, frequent narrow trails leading to nearby
tributary trenches, and a wider trail connecting the mine with a
better road, which leads in turn to the mill. One of the mines is
working the east-west tungsten vein system by means of a long trench.
The other mines work the northwest-southeast possible rare mineral
vein system.
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5. The Shang-Krung mining district is estimated to have
produced about 60,000 short tons of tungsten and rare mineral-
bearing ore in the past three years, substantially from the
northwest-southeast trending veins. Perhaps 3,000 tons of ore
may be stockpiled at the mines. Pending the construction of a
central mill and a newer and perhaps more advanced processing
facility, about one third or 20,000 tons of ore, possibly mainly
tungsten ore, was crushed and sorted at a primitive mill. Be-
cause of- the, evidexaces gZ_zsenurity, the indications of a large
production from northwest-southeast trending veins, and a con-
siderable investment in road and supplies, the possibility that
uranium is being mined in this district must be considered. If
a production of 10,000 tons of mainly tungsten ore in the first
year of mining from the east-west vein system is granted, then
the remaining 50,000 tons of ore from the northwest-southeast
veins may have contained from 10 to 20 short tons of U308 equi-
valent, and the annual rate of production to have been of the
order of 5 to 10 tons of U308 . The recovery of the contained
uranium probably was no more than three quarters or 75 percent of
the above tonnages however.
6. Three ore concentration mills are located in the Shang-
K'ung mining district. They will be described here from south
to north or from the oldest to the newest installations.
(1) The south or old mill is a dark short rectangular
structure located at the bottom of a long steep slope of the west
side of the upper valley. Con.iderable waste or tailings have
accumulated below the mill, representing about 20,000 short tons
of ore or one third of the production of the district. The mill
is believed to contain only simple crushing and grinding equipment.
(2) The central mill, socalled because it is centrally
located in the mining district is a long inclined rectangular
structure subdivided into six nearly equally sized sections, con-
structed along a steep westward-facing slope. The six sections
may be identified from the top to the bottom of the slope as
follows: A - Receiving, B - Storage, C - Crushing, D - Grinding,
E - Tabling or Vanning, and F - Sacking and Storage or Mill Product.
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Adjoining the fourth or grinding section is a short rectangular
dark one story service building, situated at an acute angle to
the axis of the mill. A narrow road leads down from the sixth
section into a supply-storage area on the valley floor. The
ore treated in this mill is believed to come mostly from two
mines south of the mill on the east side of the valley. Two
tailings dumps at the mill, particularly a light-gray toned
waste pile from the jigs or vanners have nearly doubled in
volume during the interval between
os o e mined ore an roc
are believed to be retained at the mill, indicating that only a
valuable or sparsely distributed mineral is extracted. A care-
ful estimate of the volume of the tailings pile at the central
mill was made, with allowance for obliquity of the photography,
slope of the ground, etc., with the following results: crushed
granite, in an uppermost dump, 1,500 short tons; ground granite
and ore in a dump mid-way down the slope, 15,000 tons; and the
lowermost dump of tabled or milled ore, 5,000 tons. If the central
mill has been operating about three years, the rate of treatment of
ore is about 7,000 tons per year. The central mill is roughly
estimated to have treated about one-th_'r . of the total ore mined
in the district.
(3) The newest or northern mill, treating ore from a
nearby mine higher up the slope, probably began operating in the
last quarter of 1962. The northern mill located a short distance
north of the central mill is built on the same steeply inclined
westward facing slope. It comprises a temporary ore storage
building at the top of the slope, which rises above a short
rectangular metal-roofed crusher building. Adjoining the
crusher but down-slope and at right angles to it is a brick
building with three gables over three equi-sized bays. The two
upper bays are believed to be grinding and vanning or tabling
sections, respectively. The third or lower bay is possibly a
chemical treatment section. six
piles of bricks are seen at the southwest corner of the lower
bay. I dimly shows that a low black structure
with a possible low stack in an enclosed area, has been built
in the middle of the west side of the bay. Immediately adjoining
the low black structure on the north is a small area whitened as
if by a powdery white chemical reagent. This area is hemmed in
on the northwest by a low black pile, possibly of coal. The
suggested chemical reagent preparation structure is centrally
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located to serve a still lower wide bay of another structure,
a two-gabled building. The upper or wide bay could serve as
a chemical treatment and precipitation hall. The precipitated
product could then be moved into the adjoining lower and
narrower bay for assay, packing, and storage. A small grey-
toned waste pile south of the black structure seems to indi-
cate that the chemical section has only recently begun to
operate.
The volumes of the two tailings piles found on the
north and south sides of the new northern mill were carefully
estimated on with due
allowance for the obliquity of the photography, slope of the
ground, apparent granularity of the tailings, etc., as follows:
Crushed dark rock, north of the three-gabled building, 500 short
tons; a crushed granite-like rock located adjacent to and south
of the crusher, 3,000 tons; a pile of granite-like ground rock
farther south and adjoining the ground rock pile of the central
mill, 8,500 tons. A total of 12,000 tons of discarded rock
has accumulated since a mere r of tailings was noted on
7. Below the central mill at a wide place in the narrow
valley is a long rectangular building with a gable roof, apparently
a combination warehouse and shop. Surrounding this building
are a number of smaller buildings or shops forming a supply
area. The areas between the buildings are seen to be nearly
empty on As seen on. the far oblique
the buildings are surrounded by 12 small piles of
boxes, 5 longer piles of possible pit props and other supplies.
shows six low dark vertical tanks such
as might be used for holding liquid reagents, near the south side
of the long rectangular building. The importance of the supply
area is further shown by the construction of a barrier fence and
two new gates across the roads leading into the supply area.
8. Adjoining the supply area on two sides but outside the
barrier fence, are twelve long rectangular communal and housing
(barrack) type buildings. The main road from Nan-hsiung passes
through the housing area to terminate in the supply base. Along
this main road above the housing area is a service building and
possible POL base. Still higher and just off the road on the
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north side are six long barrack-like buildings, 2 of which are
seen to be new on These buildings may house
food and personnel supplies for mine, mill, and highway trans-
port and maintenance employees. Laborers and truck drivers
could enter this upper barrack-warehouse area without having
to intrude into the mine and mill areas below. Adjoining the
upper barrack-warehouse area along the road is a security
building constructed near the road and a highway gate. A
little farther up the road and at the west end of the camp is
a white guard or sentry post. Adjoining the barrack-warehouse
area,down slope away from the access road, is a square fenced
field which serves as a corral.
9. A new service road is shown o
running six nm from a supply base on the south side of
Nan-hsiung at 25-06N 114-18E, to the entry control point of the
Shang-K'ung mining district at 25-01N 114-18E. The road had
been only recently completed as short breaks in its trace are
seen to have been caused by unstable banks sliding across the
road. The breaks are seen to have been repaired on Mission
The new longer road with easier
grades replaces an older less winding but steeper old road,
as shown on the AMS, Kan-hsien mapsheet, which continues on
south but to the west of the Shang-K'ung mining district.
10. The Nan-hsiung TransitoShipment Supply Depot is located
on the south side of the Cheng Chiang (River) above the high-
water level, across from the city of Nan-hsiung, at 25-06N
114-18E, immediately upstream from a temporary bridge into the
five rows of box-
like merchandise can be seen. The boxes are apparently unloaded
from a large fleet of small river boats (sampans) drawn up near-
by, on to a primitive soil landing stage. Conceivably some of
these boxes, which may have once contained supplies, could hold
a small amount of concentrates for shipment probably downstream
to the rail head at Chu-chiang about which there long have
been reports of activity in radioactive minerals. The little
used road which leads away to the south indicates that the depot
is new and only a small amount of concentrates has been shipped
from the mine or vice versa only small quantities of supplies
have been dispatched to the mining district.
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11.
s4ow a low-water
stage of the Cheng-Chiang (River) and the empty resting places
(depressions) of the river boats (sampans). The five rows
of boxes of fourteen months earlier have nearly all been hauled
away. Their disappearance seems to be correlated with their
possible reappearance by a direct road movement into the supply
area of the Shang-K'ung mining district. Two new rectangular
warehouses have been built nearby. Newly appeared are two long
piles of lumber, two areas of miscellaneous merchandise, an
area on higher ground containing 14 piles of lumber or pit-prop
like timber. A long narrow and possibly canvas covered smooth
pile, estimated to be 15 feet wide by 120 feet long by 10 feet
high has been set up farther south along the west side of the
_
south access road. The south access road by F
I
shows
1
The depot now seems organized for regular and continuous
service. Its activities will be controlled by the levelsof the
river stages.
12. The Nan-hsiung Oil Storage Depot, is located in an en-
closed area,adjacent to & good roa in the northeast part of the
city at 25-07N 114-19E.
shows four In-line unrevetted vertical tanks and
a tank scar with valve and control houses and adjoining two medium-
sized gabled rectangular service buildings. The tank area adjoins
a walled-in school or research like area, which is also associated
with an entrance control building and a nearby long rectangular
service-type building, with an adjacent line of tubular-like
objects. The tank and research areas appear unchanged on Mission
oug the line of objects is greatly re-
duced. Although the areas could be associated with a mine and
mill undertaking their location at the opposite or northeast end
of the city and their relative inactivity in an oil-seed producing
farming region, leads to their exclusion as a mineral treatment
plant.
13. Photography and maps used in the preparation of this
memorandum on mines and mineral prospects north and east of
Nan-hsiung are as follows:
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Maps
USATC, Series 200, 498-17A, Scale 1:200,000, April 1959. Secret
AMS, Series L500, NG 50-9, Kan-hsien map sheet, scale 1:250,000,
April 1959, Unclassified. Source for the place name Shang
Kung the title used here for the mining district.
14. The photo analyst on this roject was
He may be contacted on extension should you have further
questions regarding this requirement.
15. This memorandum with enclosure completes the referenced
requirement.
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Enclosures-,
(Photostat of Map - AMS, L-781
CIA/PID/ABCB/P-25/64 (Annotated Photo Enlargement)
(Total of 2)
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