Abstract:Abstract:Ailao Mountain area is an important gold-polymetallic ore-forming belt in China, and structure is one of the most important ore-controlling factors in this area. Considering the crustal thickness, the authors processed potential fields with upward continuations of 40 km, 20 km, 10 km and 5 km when using the 1∶200000 aeromagnetic data to interpret the deep structure in this area. Meanwhile, the relationship between the ore deposits and the interpretation of structure was studied in combination with the available geological data and the distribution features of such elements in the main deposits as Au, Cu, Pb, Zn and Sn. Several favorable ore-forming places are detected, a set of methods for delineating prospective areas are summarized and ten promising potential areas are delineated. In addition, the new orientation for ore prospecting are tentatively discussed.