Geologic investigation of porphyry-related molybdenum deposits, Henan, China – Integrating undergraduate student overseas cultural experiences with scientific research

Kurt Friehauf - 2008

Henan location mapOverview

Two Kutztown University undergraduate students - Lauren Storm and Anthony Moorehead - went with me to Beijing (big red star) and to Henan Province to study porphyry-related molybdenum deposits (smaller red star) in the summer 2008.  The trip was a wonderful cultural experience and a very clear education in the diffulties of studying mineral deposit geology in China.
In addition to the political/bureaucratic issues that sometimes impeded progress, cultural differences in our approaches to scientific research of geological problems added to the complexity of the expedition, making the trip a learning experience in many ways.

The Qinling Mountains region of Henan province hosts the largest concentrations of molybdenum resources in all of Asia.  The deposits are scattered over a broad area roughly 300 km in diameter.  The goal of this study is to figure out how the molybdenum deposits in the Qinling Mountains formed.  We hope to do this by a combination of geologic mapping in the field and chemical analysis in the lab.  Understanding the factors that led to the formation of the molybdenum ores will allow for a comparison with the geological characteristics and help us assess the potential for the discovery of more resources in the region and elsewhere in the world. 
Click here for a basic description of the geology of porphyry molybdenum deposits. 


The first three weeks of our trip were spent in Beijing where I teach a short course about mineral deposits for graduate students at the China University of Geosciences - Beijing (a very highly respected university for geological studies).  There are many excellent students - most of whom study geology, but some of whom study other subjects.   Click here to see photos of the campus and life qt the China University of Geosciences - Beijing (CUGB).


While in Beijing, we naturally took time off from work to tour the key sites in the area.  Click here to see photos of some of our tourist excursions in/around Beijing.

Then we traveled by train to the Zhengzhou in Henan provice, where we picked up two jeeps with drivers and headed westward into the Qinling Mountains.  In addition to looking at molybdenum deposits, we experienced Henan culture and visited tourist excursions in the area.  Click here for photos of cultural and tourist experiences in Henan.

Doing the actual scientific fieldwork in Henan was very frustrating.  There are some very formidable obstacles to doing research in ore deposits in China. 
Click here for photos of our geological fieldwork in Henan.

Back to Kurt Friehauf home page

On to CUGB photos china arrow