TIANJIN, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- A total of 124 mineral deposits were discovered in China in 2023, according to a report released by the Ministry of Natural Resources.

A report, titled "China Mineral Resources 2024," was released at the ongoing 26th China Mining Conference and Exhibition held in north China's Tianjin Municipality.

The report focuses on new progress since 2023 on geological and mineral survey and evaluation, mineral resource exploration and development, and ecological restoration of mines, among other areas.

Of the 124 newly discovered mineral deposits, 16 are limestone deposits for construction and 10 are graphite deposits, making them among the most abundant. By the end of 2023, a total of 173 kinds of minerals had been discovered in China.

The report notes that, in terms of oil and gas exploration, major breakthroughs had been made in new layers and new zones in large oil and gas basins such as Tarim, Junggar and Bohai Bay.

In terms of the non-oil-gas mineral exploration, significant progress had been achieved in coal, copper, gold, lithium and phosphorite.

The four-day conference and exhibition will conclude on Friday.