Manganese Resources in China: An Overview of Resource Status and Recent Advances in Metallogenic Models and Exploration

Manganese is a critical metal for modern industry, essential in steelmaking and increasingly important for the production of advanced battery materials. As one of the world’s leading consumers and importers of manganese, China faces a persistent supply–demand imbalance, primarily due to the predominance of low-grade domestic resources that are highly impure and are further characterized by complex mineral textures and assemblages. This challenge is further exacerbated by surging demand from emerging sectors, particularly green energy technologies. This review systematically summarizes the current status of China’s manganese resources, focusing on their geological characteristics, genetic classifications, temporal and spatial distributions, and metallogenic belts. Recent advances in ore-forming theory and major breakthroughs in exploration over the past decade are critically reviewed, with emphasis on their implications for prospecting strategies and metallogenic models. The findings aim to guide future research directions and support strategic resource planning and industrial upgrading.