https://en.people.cn/n3/2026/0914/c90000-20499339.html
The China Geological Survey under the Ministry of Natural Resources has unveiled two mineral exploration and geological mapping systems powered by AI.
AI-GeoMapping is a new approach to regional geological surveying that integrates big data, AI and other modern information technologies into geological mapping.
At its core, the system uses data and knowledge to intelligently integrate and analyze multi-source data collected from space, the air and the ground, while embedding AI-generated geological mapping into the entire surveying process. It also transforms the way geological data is managed, field data is collected, geological information is analyzed, maps are compiled and survey results are presented.
The AI-GeoMapping system is designed to cover the full process from preliminary research and data collection to map generation and map compilation. It can identify geological bodies with an overall accuracy exceeding 90 percent and improves the efficiency of data processing, integrated analysis, and geological map compilation by more than 50 percent.
The system draws on millions of entries in geological knowledge graphs, covering geological settings, mineralization patterns and deposit models, as well as algorithms for processing and analyzing geological, gravity, magnetic, electrical, geochemical and remote-sensing data. It can gather and integrate multi-source geoscience data, interpret and extract key mineralization information, delineate favorable prospecting areas, identify exploration targets, generate three-dimensional geological structure models, resource prediction assessments, and batches of professional maps in batches, and produce evaluation reports.
Users can choose among expert-led, automated and human-AI collaborative modes, depending on the needs of a particular exploration project. By combining these tools, the system can narrow down areas with greater mineral potential and help geologists determine where to carry out further exploration, including drilling.
The system has been trialed using nearly 100 map sheets at a scale of 1:50,000 across Qinghai, Xizang, Xinjiang, Fujian and other provincial-level regions in China. The system has also been used in countries such as Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Laos. Taking gold exploration in the west Qinling region as an example, the system completed multi-source data processing and prediction evaluation for 32 1:50,000-scale map sheets in just five days, quickly identifying and delineating two gold exploration targets and four favorable areas for further prospecting, demonstrating its capacity for large-scale operations.