Spatio-temporal distribution and tectonic settings of the major iron deposits in China: An overview

China has a rich reserve of iron ores and hosts most of the major types of iron deposits recognized worldwide. However, among these, the banded iron formation (BIF), skarn, apatite–magnetite, volcanic-hosted, sedimentary hematite and magmatic Ti–Fe–(V) deposits constitute the most economically important types. High-grade iron ores (> 50% Fe) are relatively rare, and are mostly represented by the skarn-type. Most of the BIF deposits formed in the...