## 5 Conclusions  
The natural conditions in the DZL region, characterized by high altitude and rugged terrain, pose significant challenges to conduct ground-based surveys, resulting in a scarcity of geological and mineral resource data. This limitation hinders the exploration of potential mineral deposits beyond the known ore bodies. However, airborne magnetic surveys have overcome the impact of the extreme natural environment in this high-altitude region, acquiring high-quality magnetic data for the DZL area. The reduced-to-the-pole map displays linear, sheet-like, and isolated magnetic anomalies, which vary in shape and amplitude, but collectively reflect the primary structural trend of the NEE-SWW direction, with E-W and N-S directions being secondary. The tilt angle of the reduced-to-the-pole data further highlights the secondary anomalies superimposed on the regional background field, which are not prominent in the reduced-to-the-pole map. Moreover, the zero-contour lines of the tilt angle are used to indicate the boundaries of magnetic sources in this study. These boundaries are believed to enclose areas with potential intrusive bodies. The Euler deconvolution method is applied to the reduced-to-the-pole data to represent magnetic source depth in the regional interpretation. The magnetic source distribution obtained from Euler deconvolution shows a good consistency with the results from the tilt angle methods. The Euler deconvolution results indicate that the magnetic sources in the study area are primarily shallow, which is favorable for subsequent exploration and mining activities. Multiple priority areas for further exploration are proposed, taking the DZL ore body as a reference, providing clues and suggestions for ore-body owners to conduct exploration in the surrounding areas, with the hope of discovering new mineral deposits. This study demonstrates the applicability of airborne magnetic surveys in delineating potential mineralization zones around known ore bodies in high-altitude mountainous terrain and high-risk areas. However, airborne magnetic surveys have a relatively weak  
Figure 11: Proposed exploration zones of the DZL area.  
vertical resolution, and conducting complementary ground-based surveys can help to focus on target areas more effectively. It is recommended to prioritize groundwork on the west sides of the DZL deposit.  
Conceptualization, N.L., J.L. ([PERSON]), and Q.M.; methodology, N.L. and Q.M.; software, J.L. ([PERSON]); validation, Y.X. and H.Z.; formal analysis, N.L.; investigation, W.G., Y.L. and N.L.; resources, Q.M.; data curation, N.L. and H.Z.; writing--original draft preparation, N.L.; writing--review and editing, Y.L., H.Z. and N.L.; visualization, N.L.; supervision, Q.M. and J.L. ([PERSON]); project administration, N.L. and Q.M.; funding acquisition, Q.M. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This research was funded by China Geological Survey (Grant No. DD20230245), and the National Nonprofit Institute Research Grant of IGGE (Grant No. AS2022J01).  
Not applicable.  
The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding authors.  
The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers and editors for their valuable suggestions.  
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.