Three new massive reserves of gold have been discovered in east China's Jiaodong Peninsula.

中国胶东半岛发现三处大型金矿。

The finds make the area the world's third largest gold mine cluster, according to China's Ministry of Land and Resources.

The three potential gold mines, at Sanshandao, Jiaojia and Linglong, are reportedly all of kiloton-scale, reports the Xinhua news agency.

Over 70 medium and large scale gold mines are already in operation in the Laizhou-Zhaoyuan region of Jiaodong Peninsula, with a total of 2,400 tons of gold reserves discovered.

The gold deposits are due to the special geological characteristics of the Jiaodong Peninsula which form the largest gold reserves and production in China.