Cooperative exploration model of coal–Ge deposit: A case study of the Wulantuga coal–Ge deposit in Shengli coalfield, Inner Mongolia, China

Germanium (Ge) is an excellent organophilic and dispersed semiconductor resource, which is irreplaceable in emerging industries such as new materials, new energy, aerospace, industrial smelting, national defense, military industry, and modern information technology, it has become an important direction of mineral resources exploration. Therefore, it is urgent to carry out research on the collaborative exploration model of coal and Ge deposits from a technical and economic perspective to lay a theoretical foundation for the collaborative exploration of coal and Ge. In this study, the Wulantuga coal–Ge deposit is taken as an example, according to the distribution characteristics of coal–Ge deposit and the response effect to the exploration technical means, the economical and effective exploration technical means, reasonable exploration project layout and resource estimation parameters of coal–Ge deposit are put forward, and the cooperative exploration mode of coal–Ge deposit is determined, it provides an important scientific basis for improving the strategic coordination ability of Ge mineral resources.