Yinshan Da & Xiao Hingganling Uplift

Commentary

China's PSC regime is broadly adhered to, but foreign access is selective, and the anti-espionage and data laws, export controls and US–China tensions raise risks. The uplift is basement-dominated with no proven petroleum system, and exploration is likely to remain focused on the adjacent Erlian, Hailar and Songliao basins. Outlook: Negative.

Updated

October 8, 2026

Location

Description

The Yinshan–Da & Xiao Hinggan Ling Uplift is a largely basement-dominated province across Inner Mongolia and north-east China. It comprises the E–W-trending Yinshan Mountains on the northern margin of the North China Craton and the NNE-trending Greater (Da) and Lesser (Xiao) Hinggan ranges within the Xing'an–Mongolia orogenic belt of the eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt. Bedrock consists mainly of Precambrian crystalline and metamorphic rocks, Palaeozoic accretionary sequences, and extensive Late Mesozoic volcanic rocks and granitoids. Sedimentary cover is thin and discontinuous, and the uplift separates the Ordos, Erlian, Hailar and Songliao basins.

Summary

The uplift lacks a proven petroleum system and has seen no material exploration, and no undiscovered volumes are recorded for it. Activity in the region is focused on the surrounding sedimentary basins, notably the Erlian and Hailar basins and the Songliao Basin.