South Jiangxi area is the production base of weathering-crust-ionic-absorption-type RE ore. In the long-term exploration and development practice, a new exploration means Gannan drill was invented. In this paper, the basic structure, operating method and the requirements of technical quality of Gannan drill are introduced. By contrasting the application effect of this new method and that of traditional exploration means, the suitability of Gannan drill to the exploration and evaluation for this type of deposit is reflected.