The geology of Mongolia is made up a complicated array of microcontinents and island chains accreted together over the past half billion years, producing varied terrain and tectonics.
Russian geologists were active prior and after World War I, into the Soviet period, conducting expeditions into the Gobi Desert.
The East Mongolian Metallogenic Province covers two-thirds of the country and was highly influenced by Mesozoic magmatic activity.
The Boro ore zone traces the Changajn and Chentejn mountains in the East Mongolian province with gold deposits.
The Valley of Lakes is the center of Mongolia's extensive coal deposits, which date to the Carboniferous in the west and the Permian in the south.