Sumoqagan Obo Mine

📍 Location & Name Variants

• Sumoqagan Obo is located in Dorbod Banner (Siziwang Banner / Siziwangqi), Ulanqab Prefecture, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. Mindat+2Mindat+2
• Coordinates: roughly 43.13333° N, 111.18333° E. Mindat+1
• The mine is referred to under variant transliterations: “Sumt Qagan Obo Mine”, “Sumo Qagan Obo Mine”, “Sumochaganaobao Fluorite Mine”, etc. Mindat+2SEC+2

🪨 Mineral Resource — Fluorite Deposit

• The primary mineral produced at Sumoqagan Obo is fluorite (CaF₂ / fluorspar). Wikipedia+2Mindat+2
• According to one summary of major Chinese fluorite deposits, Sumoqagan Obo is listed with ≈ 10.3 million tonnes of ore at ~53.9% fluorite grade. Masan Group+2Wikipedia+2
• More detailed deposit‑level descriptions (from mineral‑geology sources) describe the deposit as a large hydrothermal‑sedimentary fluorite deposit — with fluorite‑bearing beds up to 2,900 m long, 1,200 m wide, thickness ranging from ~0.5 to ≈22.5 m, and extending up to ~588 m deep. Mindat
• According to that source, some reserve estimates — citing a 2008 study (Nie et al.) — mention ≈ 20 million tonnes of ore, with an average fluorite grade of ~78%. Mindat+1

🧪 Geology & Deposit Style

• The host rocks for the deposit are described as limestones and calcareous sandstones, with the deposit’s stratigraphy including Early Permian siliceous volcanic lava, tuff and sedimentary rock in a NE‑dipping monocline. Mindat
• The fluorite is present in layers (beds) that are concordant with the host sedimentary units — so it’s primarily a sedimentary / sediment‑hosted fluorite deposit, modified to some degree by later hydrothermal activity (intrusion of Cretaceous granite and hydrothermal veins). Mindat
• Textural descriptions of the fluorite in this deposit include granoblastic, massive, laminated, or brecciated varieties; and the layers commonly interbed with argillaceous, calcareous, and siliceous sedimentary rocks. Mindat

🎯 Significance of the Mine

• Sumoqagan Obo is considered one of the major fluorite‑ore deposits in China. Masan Group+2Mindat+2
• Its relatively high fluorite grade (when higher-end estimates are considered) and large-scale resource make it important for supply of fluorspar — a critical raw material used in metallurgy, chemical industry (including production of hydrofluoric acid, refrigerants, fluorochemicals), ceramics, and other industrial processes.
• Because fluorite from such deposits typically enters national and global supply chains, its existence helps support downstream industries that rely on fluorine-containing compounds and materials.

⚠️ On Resource / Reserve Estimates — Variability & Uncertainty

• As with many mineral deposits, sources differ: one source lists 10.3 Mt @ 53.9% fluorite, another cites 20 Mt @ ~78% — which is a very high grade for a large deposit. Mindat+2Fluorspar Price+2
• The higher “78%” figure likely represents selected ore from parts of the deposit (high-grade zones) rather than average across the whole deposit. The official “major-deposit” tables tend to use the more conservative ~54% grade. Masan Group+2Wikipedia+2

🔎 Broader Context — Industry & Resource Ranking

• In a review of China’s major fluorite deposits, Sumoqagan Obo is listed alongside other major ones (such as Shizhuyuan Mine) in terms of resource scale and grade. Masan Group+1
• According to at least one Chinese‑fluorite‑industry report, a company that held mining rights to Sumoqagan Obo — Inner Mongolia Xiang Zhen Mining Group Ltd. — has been involved in processing fluorspar for fluoride chemicals supply, indicating that ore from this deposit feeds industrial chemical chains, not only raw‑material export. PRLog+1