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Explore the region
About Keketuohai No. 3 Mine Pit and Geology Exhibition
Keketuohai is a small town at the foot of the Altai on China's north-western border and, sitting at the source of the Irtysh, is known as the 'first town on the Irtysh'. The No. 3 pit there has a maximum diameter of about 350 metres and a maximum depth of 142 metres, and has produced more than 80 of the 170-odd useful minerals known in China, supplying raw materials for the aerospace and defence industries — for which the source records that Keketuohai is called the 'merit mine'.
Local mine-site redevelopment has turned the pit into a scenic area. Rare metals extracted and processed at the No. 3 mine, including lithium, beryllium, tantalum-niobium and caesium, supplied materials for nuclear and space programmes; the caesium for the atomic clock on the Dongfanghong satellite came from the No. 3 vein, and the defence science commission sent the mine a congratulatory telegram and a letter of thanks, both of which are kept in the Keketuohai geological exhibition hall.
That hall is an autonomous-region-level cultural relic protection unit. It was built in 1957 as a workers' club and converted into a geological exhibition hall in 2007, becoming Xinjiang's first museum whose main specimens are rare-metal minerals. Its more than 400 exhibits are mainly rare mineral specimens from the No. 3 vein, covering 94 mineral species including two of world class and three of national class, and it holds the world's only known 'Irtysh stone' (额尔齐斯石).
What to look for
- The No. 3 pit itself, about 350 m across and 142 m deep
- The geological exhibition hall's more than 400 mineral specimens, covering 94 mineral species
- The world's only known 'Irtysh stone' (额尔齐斯石), held in the exhibition hall
- The hall's 1957 building, originally a workers' club
Location & getting there
Getting to Keketuohai No. 3 Mine Pit and Geology Exhibition
Confirm the venue or campus, reservation channel and exhibition calendar. A museum name may cover more than one building.
- Search for 可可托海三号矿坑与地质陈列 with 阿勒泰地区 and 富蕴县.
Find Keketuohai No. 3 Mine Pit and Geology Exhibition
可可托海三号矿坑与地质陈列 · 富蕴县
No reliable map pin yet: search by the Chinese name.
Sources & visit information
The linked sources support the identity and background described in this introduction. Opening hours, admission, activity availability and exact arrival arrangements have not been comprehensively checked. Confirm current visitor information with the venue; the original catalogue locality and editorial review flag are retained.