Distribution of mineral resources and its coupling with economic development in the Qinling-Daba Mountains area

The Qinling-Daba Mountains area, as a key region rich in mineral resources, plays a crucial role in the long-term socioeconomic development of the region. With kernel density analysis and the coupling coordination model, this study provides an in-depth analysis of the characteristics of mineral resources and the regional economy in the Qinling-Daba Mountains area. The results show that, except for sedimentary deposits in the Hubei section, which are less related to fault zones, the distribution of mineral resources in the other cities (prefectures) is mainly concentrated along major regional fault zones and exhibits a good match with the kernel density estimates. In terms of mineral resource endowment, comprehensive evaluation values are relatively high in Ankang, Chengdu, Hanzhong, Chongqing, and Luoyang. Regarding the mineral economy evaluation, Zhengzhou, Chongqing, and Luoyang rank at the top of the comprehensive evaluation of the mineral economy in the Qinling-Daba Mountains area, indicating a better development status than other cities in the region. Overall, the coupling between mineral resources and the level of mineral economic development in the Qinling-Daba Mountains area is generally satisfactory, with cities at moderate or high coupling levels accounting for 83% of the total. Spatially, the coupling degree is relatively high in the eastern and central parts of the Qinling-Daba Mountains area, but relatively low in the southwestern part. This may be attributed to a combination of natural factors, including generally high altitudes and frequent geological disasters in the southwest. Cities of the mineral resource-lagging type and those of the mineral resource-mineral economy synchronous type each account for 17.24% of the total, while the proportion of cities of the mineral economy-lagging type is 65.52%. In terms of spatial distribution, these cities of the mineral-resource-lagging type and the synchronous type are distributed along the margins of the central-eastern part of the Qinling-Daba Mountains area.