Coupling of the Tectonism, Magmatism, Sedimentation and Mineralization:Guest Editor’s Preface to the “New Developments in Yunnan’s New Round of Ore Exploration and Basic Geological Research”

In 2023–2024, with the comprehensive launch of the new round of mineral exploration initiatives, Yunnan, as a major province rich in mineral resources, has the responsibility and capability to play a significant role in ensuring national resource and energy security.Yunnan Province boasts strategic mineral resource endowment advantages.By coordinating the exploration of 31 types of advantageous and characteristic mineral resources, it is expected to foster strategic mineral resource industry clusters and further enhance traditional advantageous mineral industry bases.However, there are several significant tectonic-mineralization events and key issues in mineral exploration that warrant attention.For instance, in the western part of Yunnan, the Sanjiang region and western margins of the Yangtze Block are influenced by the evolution of the Tethys tectonic domain, resulting in multiple phases of sedimentary-tectonic-magmatic-mineralization composite superimposed events during the Caledonian, Indosinian, Yanshanian, and Himalayan periods.In the eastern Yangtze Block, a series of similar composite mineralization events were formed during the aggregation and breakup of the Columbia and Rodinia supercontinents.In the southeastern South China fold belt, the superimposed influence of the Tethys and Pacific plate tectonic domains led to multiple phases and layers of composite superimposed mineralization events during the Calednian, Indosinian, and Yanshanian periods.With the support from the editorial department of“Acta Geoscientica Sinica”, we selected 14 papers from different scales such as the basic geology, ore exploration, regional mineralization, and mineralization models to constitute the special issue of “New Developments in Yunnan’s New Round of Ore Exploration and Basic Geological Research”.It aims to provide scientific and technological support for the selection and deployment of strategic minerals prospecting work, promote the exploration and development of domestic important mineral resources, and increase reserves and production.