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Fanshan alunite deposit, Cangnan County, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, Chinai
Regional Level Types
Fanshan alunite depositDeposit
Cangnan CountyCounty
WenzhouPrefecture
ZhejiangProvince
ChinaCountry

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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
27° 21' North , 120° 25' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
27.35000,120.41667
GRN:
N19E76
Type:
Deposit
Köppen climate type:
Cfa : Humid subtropical climate
Nearest Settlements:
PlacePopulationDistance
Fuding63,250 (2014)20.2km
Jinxiang84,231 (2011)20.8km
Kunyang65,009 (2012)38.1km
Chongru2,800 (2012)65.8km
Mindat Locality ID:
216780
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:216780:3
GUID (UUID V4):
0
Name(s) in local language(s):
矾山明矾石矿床, 庐江县, 合肥市, 安徽省, 中国


Note: "Fanshan" translates to "alum mountain".
Proven total reserve of the Fanshan deposit is 0.24 billion tons, with an average SO3 grade of 18.06 % and an average K grade of 4.31 %. The average thickness of the total six ore bodies is 44.56 m. Early Cretaceous 9 km-long, 6 km-wide elliptic-shaped basin. There are five alunite ore zones: Pingpengling, Dagangshan, Shuiweishan, Jilongshan, and Mabishan.
The alunite orebody is primarily formed by the alunite mineralization of the Zhuanqiao Formation trachyandesite and tuff. The areas with higher alunite content are considered to be the orebodies. The boundary between the orebody and the surrounding rocks is not distinct, showing a gradual transitional relationship. The orebodies mainly occur as layer-like, lens-like, and irregular shapes, following the bedding or occurring along the fractures between tuff and trachyandesite layers, with a dip angle of 25° to 40°. The thickness of the orebodies varies from a few meters to 60 m, with the maximum thickness reaching 110 m. The length of the orebodies ranges from 150 to 950 m, and the inclination depth is between 100 and 400 m. The average grade of the alunite orebody is 32.5% to 39%, with some sections having an average grade exceeding 45%. The main occurrence is within the tuff, while the lower-grade orebodies with an average grade of 20% to 35% are mostly found within the trachyandesite.

The Fanshan alunite deposit in southeastern China is rich in both gallium and vanadium. The gallium metal resources are approximately 8000 tonnes, and the vanadium metal resources exceed 43,000 tonnes (Liu et al., 2025), the grade of gallium and vanadium are respectively 0.0022%–0.05% and 0.04%–0.14%, which substantially increase China's potential reserves of Ga and V resources and greatly enhance the economic value of the deposit. The alunite orebody exhibits a semiannular distribution regionally, dipping toward the volcanic center with angles ranging from 20° to 35° and intermittently extending for 10 km. The Fanshan alunite deposit has a cumulative identified alunite ore resource reserve of 134 million tons, with a remaining alunite ore resource reserve of 129 million tons. The mineralization comprises two independent ore zones: the upper zone includes ore layers 4, 5, and 6, whereas the lower zone comprises ore layers 1, 2, and 3. The reserve and grade of the ores from the upper ore zone are superior to those of ores from the lower zone.

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Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Commodity List

This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded from this region.


Mineral List

Mineral list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities

24 valid minerals.

Rock Types Recorded


Rock list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities

Select Rock List Type

Alphabetical List Tree Diagram

Detailed Mineral List:

ⓘ Alunite
Formula: KAl3(SO4)2(OH)6
ⓘ 'Alunite Group'
Formula: A0.5-1 B3[SO4]2(OH)6
ⓘ Andalusite
Formula: Al2(SiO4)O
ⓘ Anorthite
Formula: Ca(Al2Si2O8)
ⓘ Baryte
Formula: BaSO4
ⓘ Calcite
Formula: CaCO3
ⓘ 'Chlorite Group'
ⓘ Dickite
Formula: Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4
ⓘ 'Feldspar Group'
ⓘ Galena
Formula: PbS
ⓘ Goethite
Formula: Fe3+O(OH)
ⓘ Gypsum
Formula: CaSO4 · 2H2O
ⓘ Hematite
Formula: Fe2O3
ⓘ Hematite var. Specularite
Formula: Fe2O3
ⓘ Ilmenite
Formula: Fe2+TiO3
ⓘ Jarosite
Formula: KFe3+3(SO4)2(OH)6
ⓘ Kaolinite
Formula: Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4
ⓘ 'Limonite'
ⓘ Magnetite
Formula: Fe2+Fe3+2O4
ⓘ Muscovite
Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
ⓘ Muscovite var. Illite
Formula: K0.65Al2.0[Al0.65Si3.35O10](OH)2
ⓘ Muscovite var. Sericite
Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
ⓘ Nacrite
Formula: Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4
ⓘ Natroalunite
Formula: NaAl3(SO4)2(OH)6
ⓘ 'Plagioclase'
Formula: (Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi2]O8
ⓘ Pyrite
Formula: FeS2
ⓘ Pyrophyllite
Formula: Al2Si4O10(OH)2
ⓘ Quartz
Formula: SiO2
ⓘ Quartz var. Chalcedony
Formula: SiO2
ⓘ Rutile
Formula: TiO2
ⓘ 'Smectite Group'
Formula: A0.3D2-3[T4O10]Z2 · nH2O
ⓘ Sphalerite
Formula: ZnS
ⓘ Topaz
Formula: Al2(SiO4)(F,OH)2
ⓘ Zircon
Formula: Zr(SiO4)

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts
ⓘSphalerite2.CB.05aZnS
ⓘGalena2.CD.10PbS
ⓘPyrite2.EB.05aFeS2
Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides
ⓘGoethite4.00.Fe3+O(OH)
ⓘMagnetite4.BB.05Fe2+Fe3+2O4
ⓘHematite4.CB.05Fe2O3
ⓘIlmenite4.CB.05Fe2+TiO3
ⓘHematite
var. Specularite		4.CB.05Fe2O3
ⓘQuartz
var. Chalcedony		4.DA.05SiO2
ⓘ4.DA.05SiO2
ⓘRutile4.DB.05TiO2
Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates
ⓘCalcite5.AB.05CaCO3
Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates
ⓘBaryte7.AD.35BaSO4
ⓘAlunite7.BC.10KAl3(SO4)2(OH)6
ⓘJarosite7.BC.10KFe3+3(SO4)2(OH)6
ⓘNatroalunite7.BC.10NaAl3(SO4)2(OH)6
ⓘGypsum7.CD.40CaSO4 · 2H2O
Group 9 - Silicates
ⓘZircon9.AD.30Zr(SiO4)
ⓘAndalusite9.AF.10Al2(SiO4)O
ⓘTopaz9.AF.35Al2(SiO4)(F,OH)2
ⓘPyrophyllite9.EC.10Al2Si4O10(OH)2
ⓘMuscovite
var. Illite		9.EC.15K0.65Al2.0[Al0.65Si3.35O10](OH)2
ⓘ9.EC.15KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
ⓘvar. Sericite9.EC.15KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
ⓘDickite9.ED.05Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4
ⓘKaolinite9.ED.05Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4
ⓘNacrite9.ED.05Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4
ⓘAnorthite9.FA.35Ca(Al2Si2O8)
Unclassified
ⓘ'Chlorite Group'-
ⓘ'Feldspar Group'-
ⓘ'Limonite'-
ⓘ'Plagioclase'-(Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi2]O8
ⓘ'Smectite Group'-A0.3D2-3[T4O10]Z2 · nH2O
ⓘ'Alunite Group'-A0.5-1 B3[SO4]2(OH)6

List of minerals for each chemical element

HHydrogen
Hⓘ AluniteKAl3(SO4)2(OH)6
Hⓘ DickiteAl2(Si2O5)(OH)4
Hⓘ GoethiteFe3+O(OH)
Hⓘ GypsumCaSO4 · 2H2O
Hⓘ Muscovite var. IlliteK0.65Al2.0[Al0.65Si3.35O10](OH)2
Hⓘ JarositeKFe33+(SO4)2(OH)6
Hⓘ KaoliniteAl2(Si2O5)(OH)4
Hⓘ MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Hⓘ NacriteAl2(Si2O5)(OH)4
Hⓘ NatroaluniteNaAl3(SO4)2(OH)6
Hⓘ PyrophylliteAl2Si4O10(OH)2
Hⓘ TopazAl2(SiO4)(F,OH)2
Hⓘ Muscovite var. SericiteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Hⓘ Smectite GroupA0.3D2-3[T4O10]Z2 · nH2O
Hⓘ Alunite GroupA0.5-1 B3[SO4]2(OH)6
CCarbon
Cⓘ CalciteCaCO3
OOxygen
Oⓘ AluniteKAl3(SO4)2(OH)6
Oⓘ AndalusiteAl2(SiO4)O
Oⓘ AnorthiteCa(Al2Si2O8)
Oⓘ BaryteBaSO4
Oⓘ CalciteCaCO3
Oⓘ Quartz var. ChalcedonySiO2
Oⓘ DickiteAl2(Si2O5)(OH)4
Oⓘ GoethiteFe3+O(OH)
Oⓘ GypsumCaSO4 · 2H2O
Oⓘ HematiteFe2O3
Oⓘ Muscovite var. IlliteK0.65Al2.0[Al0.65Si3.35O10](OH)2
Oⓘ IlmeniteFe2+TiO3
Oⓘ JarositeKFe33+(SO4)2(OH)6
Oⓘ KaoliniteAl2(Si2O5)(OH)4
Oⓘ MagnetiteFe2+Fe23+O4
Oⓘ MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Oⓘ NacriteAl2(Si2O5)(OH)4
Oⓘ NatroaluniteNaAl3(SO4)2(OH)6
Oⓘ PyrophylliteAl2Si4O10(OH)2
Oⓘ QuartzSiO2
Oⓘ RutileTiO2
Oⓘ TopazAl2(SiO4)(F,OH)2
Oⓘ ZirconZr(SiO4)
Oⓘ Hematite var. SpeculariteFe2O3
Oⓘ Muscovite var. SericiteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Oⓘ Plagioclase(Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi2]O8
Oⓘ Smectite GroupA0.3D2-3[T4O10]Z2 · nH2O
Oⓘ Alunite GroupA0.5-1 B3[SO4]2(OH)6
FFluorine
Fⓘ TopazAl2(SiO4)(F,OH)2
NaSodium
Naⓘ NatroaluniteNaAl3(SO4)2(OH)6
Naⓘ Plagioclase(Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi2]O8
AlAluminium
Alⓘ AluniteKAl3(SO4)2(OH)6
Alⓘ AndalusiteAl2(SiO4)O
Alⓘ AnorthiteCa(Al2Si2O8)
Alⓘ DickiteAl2(Si2O5)(OH)4
Alⓘ Muscovite var. IlliteK0.65Al2.0[Al0.65Si3.35O10](OH)2
Alⓘ KaoliniteAl2(Si2O5)(OH)4
Alⓘ MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Alⓘ NacriteAl2(Si2O5)(OH)4
Alⓘ NatroaluniteNaAl3(SO4)2(OH)6
Alⓘ PyrophylliteAl2Si4O10(OH)2
Alⓘ TopazAl2(SiO4)(F,OH)2
Alⓘ Muscovite var. SericiteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Alⓘ Plagioclase(Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi2]O8
SiSilicon
Siⓘ AndalusiteAl2(SiO4)O
Siⓘ AnorthiteCa(Al2Si2O8)
Siⓘ Quartz var. ChalcedonySiO2
Siⓘ DickiteAl2(Si2O5)(OH)4
Siⓘ Muscovite var. IlliteK0.65Al2.0[Al0.65Si3.35O10](OH)2
Siⓘ KaoliniteAl2(Si2O5)(OH)4
Siⓘ MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Siⓘ NacriteAl2(Si2O5)(OH)4
Siⓘ PyrophylliteAl2Si4O10(OH)2
Siⓘ QuartzSiO2
Siⓘ TopazAl2(SiO4)(F,OH)2
Siⓘ ZirconZr(SiO4)
Siⓘ Muscovite var. SericiteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Siⓘ Plagioclase(Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi2]O8
SSulfur
Sⓘ AluniteKAl3(SO4)2(OH)6
Sⓘ BaryteBaSO4
Sⓘ GalenaPbS
Sⓘ GypsumCaSO4 · 2H2O
Sⓘ JarositeKFe33+(SO4)2(OH)6
Sⓘ NatroaluniteNaAl3(SO4)2(OH)6
Sⓘ PyriteFeS2
Sⓘ SphaleriteZnS
Sⓘ Alunite GroupA0.5-1 B3[SO4]2(OH)6
KPotassium
Kⓘ AluniteKAl3(SO4)2(OH)6
Kⓘ Muscovite var. IlliteK0.65Al2.0[Al0.65Si3.35O10](OH)2
Kⓘ JarositeKFe33+(SO4)2(OH)6
Kⓘ MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Kⓘ Muscovite var. SericiteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
CaCalcium
Caⓘ AnorthiteCa(Al2Si2O8)
Caⓘ CalciteCaCO3
Caⓘ GypsumCaSO4 · 2H2O
Caⓘ Plagioclase(Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi2]O8
TiTitanium
Tiⓘ IlmeniteFe2+TiO3
Tiⓘ RutileTiO2
FeIron
Feⓘ GoethiteFe3+O(OH)
Feⓘ HematiteFe2O3
Feⓘ IlmeniteFe2+TiO3
Feⓘ JarositeKFe33+(SO4)2(OH)6
Feⓘ MagnetiteFe2+Fe23+O4
Feⓘ PyriteFeS2
Feⓘ Hematite var. SpeculariteFe2O3
ZnZinc
Znⓘ SphaleriteZnS
ZrZirconium
Zrⓘ ZirconZr(SiO4)
BaBarium
Baⓘ BaryteBaSO4
PbLead
Pbⓘ GalenaPbS

Localities in this Region

China

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

AsiaContinent
Eurasian Plate
Yangtze PlateTectonic Plate

This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.

References

Fan, Y., Zhou, T.F., Tang, M.H., and Yuan, F. (2010): Geology Characteristics of Fanshan alunite deposit in Lujiang-Zongyang Continental Volcanic Basin in Eastern China. Goldschmidt Conference Abstracts 2010.
Zhou, Y., Fan, F., Xing, G., Zhang, H., Xiu, L., Chen, S., ... & Chen, J. (2022). Characteristics and genesis of the Fanshan lithocap, Zhejiang Province: Exploration implications from the largest alunite deposit of China. Ore Geology Reviews, 105038.
[1]Li, Xuanxuan, Xiao, Qingling, Lin, Xin, Li, Shuangfei, Tang, Mingying (2024) Mineralogy and a New Fertility Index of Alunite in the Fanshan Lithocap, Luzong Basin, Anhui Province, China. Minerals, 14 (4) doi:10.3390/min14040395
[2]Bao, Hongchen; Ye, Zefu; Miao, Rengu; Wang, Lei; Deng, Yufeng; Zhao, Qiang; Yuan, Feng (2026) Occurrence and enrichment mechanisms of gallium and vanadium in the world-class Fanshan alunite deposit in Southeast China. Ore Geology Reviews, 193. p.107289. doi:10.1016/j.oregeorev.2026.107289
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