How China turned submarine whisperer into deep gold-mining antenna

China has repurposed a massive submarine communication antenna system into the world’s most powerful electromagnetic exploration tool for deep mineral detection. Located in central China, this 500-kilowatt transmitter stretches over distances exceeding five times the length of New York City and broadcasts signals deep underground to locate critical resources like lithium, cobalt, rare earths, gold, and uranium. According to a recent China Geological Survey (CGS) study, China exclusively operates all ultra-high-power electromagnetic exploration systems above 100 kW, far surpassing the U.S. maximum of 30 kW. This technological edge enables China to explore the “second mineral space” — depths between 500 and 2,000 meters where traditional methods struggle due to weak ore signals and interference. China’s advanced electromagnetic methods include distributed sensor arrays and multidirectional field sources, allowing three-dimensional imaging of underground structures with greater accuracy than conventional two-dimensional models. A notable example is the Wireless Electromagnetic Method (WEM), which uses two perpendicular