Geology Department was set up by the Ministry of Heavy Industry in 1952 and afterwards turned into Geology Bureau;

Geology Bureau of the Ministry of Heavy Industry was incorporated, in 1956, into the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry establishsed in the same year; 

In 1988, Geology Bureau became independent from the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry as its Geological Survey Bureau, an institute directly affiliated to the Ministry;

In early 2001 and accordance with the No. [2001] 2 Decree of the General Office under the State Council, metallurgical geological prospecting teams were subject to localized management. Most of them were centrally administrated and formed Chexenb affiliated to Central Enterprises Work Commission. In April the same year, the State Commission Office for Public Sector Reform endorsed in its No. 69 Decree that the Bureau, with its subordinate units, changed names. Four months later, the Bureau registered in National Registration and Administration Agency of Public Institutions;

In May, 2003, the State-Assets Supervision and Administration Commission SASAC was set up, by which the Bureau was managed.

In August, Chexenb changed its name into China Metallurgical Geology Bureau in the wake of the approval by SASAC. Contemporarily, its affiliated units changed names.