Chinese Government provides grant for Laos Geological and Geochemical Mapping Cooperation Project

In 2011, the China Geological Survey, a government-owned, not-for-profit, Chinese organization, and the Department of Geology and Mineral Resources of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Laos signed the "Laos Geological and Geochemical Mapping Cooperation Project Agreement" (老挝地质地球化学填图合作项目协议). In 2014, a supplementary agreement was signed. According to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic Peace Independence Unity Prosperity, China provided grant for this project to build information bases on geology-mineral ores and to upgrade staff capacity. However, the amount of grant financing provided is unclear. This project is part of the China and Southeast Asia Countries Low Density Geochemical Cooperation Mapping project which spans from 2015 to 2018. By December 2018, the project team has carried out three phases of geochemical mapping training courses for Lao geologists, including the theory and working methods of geochemical mapping, global scale flood plain sediments and river floodplain sediment sampling methods, national scale river sediments sampling field work methods, geochemical data processing, software mapping, etc. Through training, the operational capacity of the Laotian geological survey has been greatly improved , and a geochemical survey team of more than 20 people has been established for Laos. Exact implementation start and end dates, though, are unclear. Series of results achieved include: a preliminary formation system was established in the geological blank area of northern Laos and integrated Prepared three geological maps of Sayaburi, Kongxian and Xiannuo; completed 1:200,000 geochemical maps, with a total area of 16,309 square kilometers.

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2

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5