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A giant antenna system, five times larger than the city of New York, is being unveiled by Chinese scientists, giving China a significant advantage in the international race to find essential minerals necessary for green technology.
The major network of transmitters, according to a new study in the journal Geophysical and Geochemical Exploration, is central to Beijing's plan to probe deep underground for lithium, cobalt, and the rare earths.
With the exhaustion of surface level resources globally, China is relentlessly exploring the second mineral space that is 500 to 2000 meters above the ground level.
The system was designed to communicate with submarines and employs 500-kilowatt transmitters to transfer the signals deep into the crust of the earth.
This high-power electromagnetic technology is able to overcome one of the main difficulties in deep-earth exploration, the interference of urban infrastructure and power lines.
Chinese geologists have been able to map mineral resources with more depth and clarity by transmittance of a stronger signal.
The project is mind-boggling. The Wireless Electromagnetic Method (WEM) project provides two lines of antennas 80km and 120km across the nation. Its signal is so strong that it can be seen across 2,000 kilometres, in Tibet to Guangdong, giving it coverage of mineral surveys in the whole country.
This research conducted by Chen Hui of the China Geological Survey confirms that nearly all state-owned electromagnetic exploration systems exceed 100kW.
The outcomes of this technological monopoly have already been observed, and recently, the largest gold deposit in the world and huge lithium reserves were found within China.
The high level of this capability would provide Beijing with a significant strategic advantage, guaranteeing an internal production of the raw materials used in producing batteries, electronics, and renewable energy systems, and cementing control over the critical minerals sector.
