To China, Tibet has always been Xizang, meaning the western treasure-house, and this belief turned into a strong realization after its first comprehensive geological surveys there, conducted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Geology between the 1950s and 1960s. And today, when China dominates the world’s rare earth supplies, Tibet is one of the most mineral-rich frontier regions in this field, but at what cost to the Tibetan people, writes Tenzin Jigmey,* urging that the issue be given the highlight it deserves.
In the 1950s, following the occupation of Tibet, China mostly focused on controlling the region’s mineral resources. Over time, Beijing came to understand the immense wealth Tibet holds, a realization that unfolded gradually through geological surveys, scientific expeditions, and strategic planning in the decades after Tibet’s incorporation by force and cultural assimilation. I believe the people of Tibet never understood the significance of the wealth they have in their country.
Traditionally, Tibetans have had some knowledge of surface resources and daily requirements, including salt, gold dust, turquoise, and borax. Yet large-scale mineral extraction remained undeveloped due to the absence of modern mining technology and infrastructure. I recall, as a child of six or seven, going with my parents to dig up borax and calcite for household purposes. At the time, I never imagined that the same land would one day become China’s mineral treasury.
The first comprehensive geological surveys, conducted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Geology between the 1950s and 1960s, marked the beginning of systematic exploration. Chinese geologists and military surveyors mapped vast portions of the Tibetan Plateau. Their findings confirmed that Tibet held significant reserves of copper, lead, zinc, chromite, borax, gold, and rare earth elements, as well as extensive salt and soda lakes. By the late 1960s, Chinese reports had already begun to describe Tibet as a “treasure house of minerals.”
This raises an important question: why did the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) not recognize the urgency of publicly discussing this “treasure house” at the time? Even Tibetan school children remained unaware of the nation’s immense natural wealth. Exploration intensified further during the 1970s and 1980s, under the guise of building infrastructure, including roads, railways, and military outposts. By the late 1980s, China quietly declared Tibet one of the world’s most mineral-rich frontier regions.
I call this a strategic realization: from the 1990s to the present, China’s rapid economic growth has created a soaring demand for strategic resources such as copper, lithium, and rare earths. Tibet’s mineral wealth has since become central to China’s industrialization, energy security, and global dominance in rare earth production.
My focus here will be on the rare earth metals and critical elements found in Tibet. The topic is vast, but we can begin by outlining some of the key mining sites and geological belts that hold particular importance.
1. Major Mining Sites in the Tibet:
• Gyama Copper, Polymetallic Mine (near Lhasa): A major source of copper, lead, zinc, and associated rare metals.
• Qulong (Julong) Copper Mine, Tibetan name ( མལ་གྲོ་གུང་དཀར་རྲོང ་ (Mal gro gung dkar rdzong)): One of the largest copper deposits in Asia, strategically significant for China’s resource development.
• Zabuye Lithium Brine Lake (Shigatse) Tibetan name Chabyêr Co or Chabyêr Tsaka: Among the world’s richest lithium brine reserves, vital for the global battery industry.
2. The Major Geological Belts Rich in Rare Earths and Critical Elements in the Entire Tibet are Mostly Included in Two Belts:
• Southern Tibetan Himalayas (Himalayan leucogranite belts): Tibetan name Hemalayé Lhochok Sakhül(ཧི་མ་ལ་ཡ་ལྲོ་ཕྲོགས་ས་ཁུལ )
We can mostly find minerals such as beryl, columbite, fergusonite, pyrochlore, and xenotime, which contain rare earth elements including neodymium (Nd), cerium (Ce), samarium (Sm), yttrium (Y), and dysprosium (Dy).
• Western Kunlun Belt Pegmatites (Northern Tibet): In the Tibetan old text, it is referred to as Kunlun Mountains, which are often referred to as Kunlün Shan (གུ ་ལ་ཁ་རི ) In this belt, we can characterize by lithium–rare metal pegmatites that yield rare earths, particularly the light rare earth group (La–Nd), along with yttrium (Y) and dysprosium (Dy).
Rare Earth, Critical Elements, and Tibet:
It is important to distinguish between rare earth metals and critical elements. Instead of exploring the chemistry of each element, my focus will be on Tibet’s major sites associated with these resources. To begin, we must first define what rare earth metals are. Equally important is the question: why does the United States seem so dependent on securing rare earth metals and other critical elements? The United States’ dependence on China’s rare earth metals and critical element imports makes China a crucial player in the global economy, but where do these minerals originate? They mainly come from occupied Tibet, which accounts for 60% of these imports. I strongly believe now is the time for the United States and other free countries to give importance to Tibet’s resources.
I believe it is essential to describe the general chemical configuration of these two categories of elements, which are now crucial to the world. So, rare earth metals (REMs), often called rare earth elements, are a group of 17 chemically similar elements in the periodic table(རས་འགྱུར་རིག་པ།དུས་རིམ་རེའུ་མིག ).
• The lanthanide series (15 elements: lanthanum through lutetium)
• Scandium and Yttrium
Why “Rare”?
The name is misleading. They are not truly rare; many are as common as copper or lead. But they rarely occur in concentrated deposits, making them difficult and expensive to mine. Why am I talking about these elements now? These elements are the future of the world’s economy and crucial for modern technologies such as smartphones, wind turbines, electric vehicles, advanced batteries, satellites, and military equipment. Here, we will be completely honest about the importance of rare earth minerals. I am also not claiming that Tibet contains all the rare earth elements, but , rather, that it is particularly rich in certain rare earth metals, such as Yttrium.
It has been reported in several scientific journals that Tibet has deposits of yttrium-bearing minerals. There is also a report that Lanthanides (such as cerium, neodymium, and dysprosium) have been found in smaller occurrences, often associated with polymetallic deposits.
Yttrium in Tibet
Yttrium is a rare earth metal found in Tibet, although it is not as extensively mined as lithium or copper. Its importance lies in its use in modern technology, green energy, medical applications, and defense systems. The presence of yttrium in Tibet adds to the region’s strategic resource value for China. According to the University of Chicago Press Journal, Tibet contains many Chinese yttrium mineral deposits found around the southern region of Mount Everest in Tibet.’ (Timing of Midcrustal Metamorphism, Melting, and Deformation in the Mount Everest Region of Southern Tibet Revealed by U(‐Th)‐Pb Geochronology) ‘
Tibet’s critical elements
Critical elements are essential to a nation’s economy and security, for it is used in energy, technology, defense, or industry. For example, both the US and the EU have identified these elements as critical to their nations. The list is as follows:
1. Lithium (Li)
2. Cobalt (Co)
3. Nickel (Ni)
4. Graphite (natural)
5. Niobium (Nb) & Tantalum (Ta)
6. Copper (Cu)
As I discussed above, Tibet’s resources are crucial to China’s global dominance in energy, military, and clean energy. I would, in fact, venture to say that we are in an energy transition stage where Lithium, copper, and rare earths matter the most. It is well known that Tibet’s critical minerals/elements are referred to as the extraction of white gold by many scientists worldwide. This means that Tibet is central to the global shift toward renewable energy. My fellow-Tibetans need to be aware that China now obtains from Tibet geopolitical power with its critical elements/minerals.
Mining sites in Tibet
These are the mining sites and the rare earth elements or critical elements found in Tibet, and their economic significance.
1. Tibet’s Copper (Cu) – Gyama Copper, Polymetallic Mine, and Qulong (Julong) Copper Mine, all of which are near Lhasa. Copper is the backbone of electrification, and lithium is the lifeblood of the battery economy. Together, they demonstrate how Tibet fuels China’s green transition, while the Tibetans themselves are left behind. We first try to understand copper: what it is and why it is used.
Copper is the backbone of electric power grids, renewable energy, and EV wiring. Tibet is one of the richest copper sites in the world. China’s infrastructure and copper export market are supported fully by Tibet.
We now know this large mining site (Gyama Copper Mine) is located 68 km northeast of Lhasa in Meldro Gungkar county. It is owned and operated by subsidiaries of the China National Gold Group Corporation, a state-owned enterprise.
In this mining site, copper is prioritized as well as polymetallic elements like Molybdenum (Mo), Lead (Pb), Zinc (Zn), Gold (Au), Silver (Ag). With this, there are reports that rare earth elements are minor byproducts in polymetallic zones.
Environmental, Social, and Economic Concern
Tibet’s largest polymetallic mines are strategically valuable for China’s industrial base and green transition, but it comes with a price to pay for local citizens of Tibet. According to the article (PRC Mining in Tibet – a European Perspective, Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy), local people reported heavy metal contamination in rivers, which has affected the entire Tibetan herding community and damaged farmland. In the broadest sense, environmental threats are already evident, as these mines pose a danger to the Himalayan watershed and threaten downstream communities. The local community receives no benefits, while bearing the full burden of the ecological costs.
2. Chabyêr Tsaka (Zabuye) Lithium Brine Lake (Shigatse), Tibet
This mining site is China’s heart-core of wealth and was discovered a decade ago. It is situated in Shigatse Prefecture, southern Tibet region, and is located above 4,400 meters above sea level on the Tibetan Plateau. According to US Geological Survey, this closed basin Salt Lake, with no outflow, allows minerals to accumulate over geological time. This is extremely rich in carbonate-type brine(ཚྭ་ཆུ།), making it one of the highest-quality lithium brine resources globally. Tibet’s dry climate mainly supports the concentration of lithium, potassium, boron, and magnesium salts in lake brines. I might someday consider talking in detail about Chabyêr Tsaka’s (Zabuye) brine chemistry, which is particularly favorable for extracting lithium carbonate. According to the article, “Tibet a new frontline of ‘white gold rush’ in global race for renewable energy”, it is estimated that this mining site contains a reserve of 1.8 million tons of lithium carbonate. This places Tsaka among the world’s largest lithium brine deposits. This site is operated by Zabuye Lithium Hi-Tech Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of the China National Lithium Industry Corporation.
Lithium: Strategic Importance and Environmental Impacts
Lithium is a critical element mined from minerals, with little chemistry. Lithium is the lightest element and is a very important metal in nature because of its density of 0.534g/cm3. Today, lithium is essential for electric vehicle batteries, Renewable energy storage (such as solar and wind), and Consumer electronics (including smartphones and laptops). A lithium extraction site consumes a huge amount of water. It therefore poses problems in Tibet’s already arid plateau ecosystem, and uses large volumes of water. It is well reported that mining lithium poses dangers that alter the balance of salt lakes and wetlands, threatening unique high-altitude biodiversity, including migratory bird habitats. The most important point here is that Tibetan nomads and farmers near the Tsaka site report little to no benefit from mining revenues, and most jobs go to migrant Han Chinese workers, not Tibetans. Besides, the entire profits flow to Chinese state-owned enterprises, strengthening Beijing’s control and simultaneously ignoring Tibet’s contribution.
As I wrote about Tibet’s hidden power, what upsets me most is not the scale of extraction, but the silence that has surrounded it for decades. Tibetans, both in exile and at home, have not been given the chance to recognize the immense value of their own land.
Tibet’s mineral wealth is not just an economic resource; it is a symbol of culture and Tibet’s prosperity. What should have been a foundation for Tibetan success has instead been used to tighten control and encourage China’s ethnic cleansing. Knowing this, the next step is clear: Tibetans must break the silence by raising awareness and insisting on transparency in the extraction of these resources.
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About the Author
* Tenzin Jigmey is presently a high school chemistry teacher and an adjunct lecturer at Union County College in New Jersey. With years of experience in both education and laboratory work, he brings a unique perspective as someone who has journeyed from the Tibetan exile school system to the American education system. His reflections draw on his personal experiences as a student, teacher, and community member dedicated to education and growth.