BEIJING, Feb. 25 (Xinhuanet) -- Oilgas resources equivalent to about 40 billion tons of oil lie in China's seas, a five-year survey by the China Geological Survey Bureau has shown.

    Vice-Minister of Land and Resources Shou Jiahua announced the survey results here Wednesday, saying China's offshore area had total oilgas reserves equivalent to 21.3 billion to 24.5 billion tons of oil, she said.

    The progress made in the survey would help alleviate China's energy shortage problems, and provide support for the sustainable development of the national economy, she said.

    The survey found 38 fields in China's maritime domain, as well as natural gas hydrate, a new type of high-efficiency energy resource that experts believe may be widely used in the 21st Century, for the first time, said Shou.

    China had 421 sites with newly found mineral reserves, with copper ore reserves of 12 million tons, lead-zinc ore reserves of 30 million tons, bauxite reserves of 56 million tons, high-qualitymanganese ore of 89 million tons, and ferromanganese reserves of 115 million tons, Shou said.

    The survey showed China had groundwater reserves of 923.5 billion cubic meters and 352.7 billion of which can be opened up for use as fresh underground water.

    China had invested 4.4 billion yuan (530 million US dollars) into the five-year survey, involving 15,000 geologists of whom 10 died in the course of their duties, he said. Enditem