Apatite fission track chronology is a low- temperature thermochronological method based on the radiation damage effectscaused by the spontaneous fission of 238U in apatite. Due to its low closure temperature and high sensitivity to temperature changes, apatite can record important information such as the timing, duration, distribution characteristics, and activity rates of thermal events. The traditional external detector method (EDM) uses thermal neutron irradiation to generate induced fission tracks from 235U in apatite, followed by correction calculations to determine the fission track age. More recently, laser ablation- inductively coupled plasma- mass spectrometry (LA- ICP- MS) has emerged as a faster and more convenient method for directly analyzing the 238U content in apatite. Auxiliary techniques such as electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and atomic force microscope (AFM) can enhance the accuracy of fission track statistics. Despite these advancements, challenges remain in improving the accuracy and comprehensiveness of experimental methods, annealing dynamic models, and data interpretation. The integration of these analytical tools with geological evidence needs to be continuously upgraded. Nevertheless, apatite fission track chronology and thermal evolution simulation have played a great role in determining the metallogenic age of hydrothermal deposits, dividing metallogenic stages, restricting the duration of hydrothermal mineralization, and quantifying the uplift and exhumation amounts of ore deposits. It has a broader development prospect and application space in determining the preservation and change law of deposits, predicting concealed deposit and ore bodies, and so on.