Recently, the rare earth resource prospect evaluation project in Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, undertaken by the Gannan Geological Survey Brigade of Jiangxi Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources (hereinafter referred to as the Gannan Team), successfully passed the review organized by the Ganzhou City Rare Earth Development Comprehensive Utilization Comprehensive Pilot Working Group Office.

The Long Range Evaluation Project of Rare Earth Resources in Ganzhou City is a sub project of the "Comprehensive Utilization of Rare Earth Development in Ganzhou City" special project issued by the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the Ministry of Land and Resources. It is undertaken by the Gannan team and participated by the 264th team of the Jiangxi Provincial Nuclear Industry Geological Bureau, the second team of Jiangxi Nonferrous Geological Exploration, and the Ganzhou Geological Team. Since undertaking the project in early 2014, the Gannan team has invested more than 100 people based on the systematic collection of existing data to conduct rare earth resource prospect evaluations in 18 blank areas of counties (cities, districts) in the Gannan region, and to investigate rare earth residual resources in 123 abandoned rare earth mines. A total of 12866 square kilometers of 1:50000 geological survey, 6000 square kilometers of 1:25000 geological survey, and 688 square kilometers of 1:10000 geological survey have been completed, with a drilling depth of 302900 meters and 3430 meters in Gannan. The investigation results have made significant breakthroughs, with more than ten large and medium-sized rare earth deposits newly discovered. Especially the discovery of heavy rare earth elements in the Upper Jurassic rocks of the Caledonian period has significant practical and theoretical implications for heavy rare earth mineral exploration.

Gannan is a concentrated distribution area of ion type rare earth resources in China. Since the 1970s, when the predecessors of the Gannan team, the original 908 and 909 teams, discovered ion adsorption heavy rare earth minerals and europium rich light rare earth minerals in Longnan Zudong and Xunwuheling, Gannan's rare earths have received high attention from all over the world, and Gannan has also gained the reputation of the "Rare Earth Kingdom". Over the years, the Jiangxi Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources and the Gannan team have done a lot of work in conducting research on ion adsorption type rare earth deposits and exploring the resources of the three rare earths in the western part of the Yangtze River, achieving fruitful results. In June 2015, a metamorphic rock ion adsorption type rare earth deposit was discovered in Getengzui, further expanding the space for rare earth exploration and providing a new direction for searching for similar rare earth deposits in Jiangxi and even the whole country.

The smooth implementation of the rare earth resource prospect evaluation project in Ganzhou City has further clarified the background of rare earth resources in southern Jiangxi, providing sufficient resource guarantee for Ganzhou City to vigorously develop rare earth new materials and application industries, accelerate the construction of new industrialization, and accelerate the pace of poverty alleviation in the southern Jiangxi Soviet Area. It also provides important basic information for future development and management planning of rare earth mineral resources.