This is one of the most promising areas where mining of the precious metal is possible. Geologists have already looked for gold here. The work was carried out at the expense of the federal budget. Most of the identified deposits turned out to be poor, and they were classified as off-balance (that is, the extraction of minerals was recognized as inexpedient).
But the Lower Datulankol deposit, as it turned out, is of industrial interest. Its gold reserves are estimated at 23 tons with a content of 2.1 grams per ton. But when the boundaries of the federal Dautsky reserve were changed, this object fell into a specially protected area. Therefore, it is impossible to extract gold here.
However, there are other promising areas in the republic. For example, the Birch ore gold occurrence located on the border of Karachay-Cherkessia and Krasnodar Territory is of undoubted interest for investors. It is located on the watershed from which the Zolotoy Klyuch River, a tributary of the Beskes River, and the Khatsavita River flow down. Recent studies have shown that a thick layer with gold deposits lies here.
This object remains poorly explored, so it will be included in the licensing program on the basis of entrepreneurial risk, - reported in Rosnedra.
It is not known exactly how much gold is contained in the depths of the KCR. Experts are still arguing about the size of natural pantries. Several years ago, the figure was called 500 tons. However, in the future, experts came to the conclusion that the reserves of gold in the republic are much more modest.
The development of gold-bearing areas in the republic is not being conducted now, although the license for their development has been issued to the subsoil user, - the head of the subsoil use department for the KChR Yuri Karnaukh told the "RG" correspondent. - Gold and silver mining in the republic is carried out only in one place: at the copper deposit in the Urupsky region. But this is not a direct extraction of precious metals, but an associated extraction from copper pyrite ores. Work is being carried out in the mines of the local mining and processing plant. One ton of copper ore from the Urupskoye deposit contains 2.4 grams of gold and 37 grams of silver.
The production has been in progress since 1968. Currently, 450 kilograms of gold and 7.7 tons of silver are mined from the subsoil together with ore per year. However, enrichment only recovers 55 percent of the precious metals. The rest is thrown into the dump. Technologies for the extraction of solid minerals are constantly being improved. Experts do not exclude that in the near future there will be a way to cost-effectively recycle production waste. If such a method is found, the Urupsky area will turn into a technogenic deposit.
Placer gold was mined in many mountain rivers of the North Caucasus in the 30s-40s of the last century. The mining was carried out by prospectors, using, as they said, muscle strength. The richest in gold were the small mountain rivers of Karachay-Cherkessia: Beskes, Rozhkao, Vlasenchikha, Kizilchuk, Gilyach and some others. A nugget weighing almost a kilogram was found on the Vlasenchikha River. This is a record find, which has not yet been surpassed.
In total, from 1933 to 1950, 1286 kilograms of gold were extracted in the North Caucasus, of which 832 kilograms were extracted in Karachay-Cherkessia. In 1950, the country's leadership decided to stop the artisanal mining of gold, since accounting in the artels was poorly maintained and half of the gold was stolen. Purchase prices were cut fourfold, which made non-industrial (artisanal) mining unprofitable. In 1952, the last mine in the village of Rozhkao was closed.
The steep mountainous relief of the Caucasus is unfavorable for the formation of placers. Therefore, small volumes of alluvial gold content do not necessarily indicate the insignificance of the primary sources of gold in the alluvial deposits, - noted Yuri Karnaukh. - The primary deposits of ore gold can be large, but when they are washed away by rivers, the gold enters steep watercourses and is carried away without forming accumulations called placers. At the same time, gold particles are quickly worn out, because gold is a soft metal.
Primary sources of the so-called ore gold with reserves allowing to establish industrial production were not found in the Caucasus. For investors, the ore was of interest only if the content of the yellow metal in it exceeds five grams per tonne. There are no such sites in the North Caucasus Federal District. However, these days areas with a low content of useful components can also be of practical interest. Including the only primary gold deposit in the KChR "Lesnoye".
A quarter of a century ago, a technological revolution took place in gold mining, thanks to which it became possible to profit from the development of even poor deposits, - said Yuri Karnaukh. - A cheap method of extracting gold from ore was developed - the heap leaching method. The ore is crushed to the state of crushed stone, laid out in the form of long heaps, reminiscent of railway embankments, and for a long time (for months) they are irrigated with solutions of special solvents or solutions of special bacteria circulating in a circle. The gold goes into solution, from which it is no longer difficult to extract it. Since the technology is low-cost, it became possible to process rather poor ores, with a gold grade of only 1-2 grams per ton.
But such ores, as it turned out, exist in Karachay-Cherkessia. The first such object was the Lesnoye ore occurrence. Experts estimated its predicted resources at 20 tons with an average grade of 1.6 grams per ton. It should be noted that gold deposits with reserves of more than five tons are classified as large. A license was issued to study and further develop this manifestation. The subsoil user has retested the previously driven workings. The gold content was determined in a more reliable way than before - assay. As a result, the predicted gold resources have been increased, and now they are estimated at 30 tons. However, the investor faced difficulties in attracting financial resources to continue exploring and developing the deposit. The work was suspended.
If in 2013 the exploration of the field is not started, the license may be terminated ahead of schedule, - said in Rosnedra.
Geologists hope for good luck. This is the specificity of their profession. And if you're lucky, Karachay-Cherkessia will become a new gold-bearing province. There are prerequisites for this, - emphasized Yuri Karnaukh.
In the North Caucasian Federal District, in addition to Karachay-Cherkessia, gold deposits have been found in North Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria and Dagestan. In Kabardino-Balkaria, gold and silver are sought at the Kardan-Kuspartinsky ore cluster, between the Musht and Malka rivers. There is no active production anywhere. It is possible that only small cooperatives are working, but they prefer not to report on their activities.
Gold is also found in the Rostov region and Adygea. On the territory of the Krasnodar Territory, the possibilities of associated mining of fine and thin gold in the development of deposits of sand and gravel mixtures have been identified. But these resources are extremely insignificant.
Geological exploration work in the gold-bearing areas of southern Russia has been going on for many years. The search for the precious metal is being carried out at potential gold-bearing sites in Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia and North Ossetia.
by the way
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation, in Karachay-Cherkessia, three mineral deposits are strategically important. These are Urupskoe (copper and gold mining), Pskentskoe (uranium) and Khudesskoe (cobalt).
The Federal Agency for Subsoil Use has announced a tender for geological exploration to find gold at the Uchkulanskiy ore field in Karachay-Cherkessia. It is not known exactly how much gold is contained in the depths of the KCR. Several years ago, the figure was called 500 tons. However, in the future, experts came to the conclusion that the reserves of gold in the republic are much more modest.
For investors, undoubted interest is also the Berezovoe ore gold occurrence located on the border of Karachay-Cherkessia and Krasnodar Territory. It is located on the watershed from which the Zolotoy Klyuch River, a tributary of the Beskes River, and the Khatsavita River flow down. Recent studies have shown that a thick layer with gold deposits lies here.
This object remains poorly explored, so it will be included in the licensing program on the basis of entrepreneurial risk, - reported in Rosnedra.
The lower Datulankol deposit, as it turned out, is also of industrial interest. Its gold reserves are estimated at 23 tons with a content of 2.1 grams per ton. But when the boundaries of the federal Dautsky reserve were changed, this object fell into a specially protected area. Therefore, it is impossible to extract gold here.
The development of gold-bearing areas in the republic is not being conducted now, although the license for their development has been issued to the subsoil user, - the head of the subsoil use department for the KChR Yuri Karnaukh told the "RG" correspondent. - Gold and silver mining in the republic is carried out only in one place: at the copper deposit in the Urupsky region. But this is not a direct extraction of precious metals, but an associated extraction from copper pyrite ores. Work is being carried out in the mines of the local mining and processing plant. One ton of copper ore from the Urupskoye deposit contains 2.4 grams of gold and 37 grams of silver.
The production has been in progress since 1968. Currently, 450 kilograms of gold and 7.7 tons of silver are mined from the subsoil together with ore per year. However, enrichment only recovers 55 percent of the precious metals. The rest goes to the dump. Technologies for the extraction of solid minerals are constantly being improved. Experts do not exclude that in the near future there will be a way to cost-effectively recycle production waste. If such a method is found, the Urupsky area will turn into a technogenic deposit.
Placer gold was mined in many mountain rivers of the North Caucasus in the 30s-40s of the last century. The mining was carried out by prospectors, using, as they said, muscle strength. The richest in gold were the small mountain rivers of Karachay-Cherkessia: Beskes, Rozhkao, Vlasenchikha, Kizilchuk, Gilyach and some others. A nugget weighing almost a kilogram was found on the Vlasenchikha River. This is a record find, which has not yet been surpassed.
In total, from 1933 to 1950, 1286 kilograms of gold were extracted in the North Caucasus, of which 832 kilograms were extracted in Karachay-Cherkessia. In 1950, the country's leadership decided to stop the artisanal mining of gold, since accounting in the artels was poorly maintained and half of the gold was stolen. Purchase prices were cut fourfold, which made non-industrial (artisanal) mining unprofitable. In 1952, the last mine in the village of Rozhkao was closed.
The steep mountainous relief of the Caucasus is unfavorable for the formation of placers. Therefore, small volumes of alluvial gold content do not necessarily indicate the insignificance of the primary sources of gold in the alluvial deposits, - noted Yuri Karnaukh. - The primary deposits of ore gold can be large, but when they are washed away by rivers, the gold enters steep watercourses and is carried away without forming accumulations called placers. At the same time, gold particles are quickly worn out, because gold is a soft metal.
Primary sources of the so-called ore gold with reserves allowing to establish industrial production were not found in the Caucasus. For investors, the ore was of interest only if the content of the yellow metal in it exceeds five grams per tonne. There are no such sites in the North Caucasus Federal District. However, these days areas with a low content of useful components can also be of practical interest. Including the only primary gold deposit in the KChR "Lesnoye".
A quarter of a century ago, a technological revolution took place in gold mining, thanks to which it became possible to profit from the development of even poor deposits, - said Yuri Karnaukh. - A cheap method of extracting gold from ore was developed - the heap leaching method. The ore is crushed to the state of crushed stone, laid out in the form of long heaps, reminiscent of railway embankments, and for a long time (for months) they are irrigated with solutions of special solvents or solutions of special bacteria circulating in a circle. The gold goes into solution, from which it is no longer difficult to extract it. Since the technology is low-cost, it became possible to process rather poor ores, with a gold grade of only 1-2 grams per ton.
But such ores, as it turned out, exist in Karachay-Cherkessia. The first such object was the Lesnoye ore occurrence. Experts estimated its predicted resources at 20 tons with an average grade of 1.6 grams per ton. It should be noted that gold deposits with reserves of more than five tons are classified as large. A license was issued to study and further develop this manifestation.
The subsoil user has retested the previously driven workings. The gold content was determined in a more reliable way than before - assay. As a result, the predicted gold resources have been increased, and now they are estimated at 30 tons. However, the investor faced difficulties in attracting financial resources to continue exploring and developing the deposit. The work was suspended.
If in 2013 the exploration of the field is not started, the license may be terminated ahead of schedule, - said in Rosnedra.
Geologists hope for good luck. This is the specificity of their profession. And if you're lucky, Karachay-Cherkessia will become a new gold-bearing province. There are prerequisites for this, - emphasized Yuri Karnaukh.
Note,In the North Caucasian Federal District, in addition to Karachay-Cherkessia, gold deposits have been found in North Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria and Dagestan. In Kabardino-Balkaria, gold and silver are sought at the Kardan-Kuspartinsky ore cluster, between the Musht and Malka rivers. There is no active production anywhere. It is possible that only small cooperatives are working, but they prefer not to report on their activities.
Gold is also found in the Rostov region and Adygea. On the territory of the Krasnodar Territory, the possibilities of associated mining of fine and thin gold in the development of deposits of sand and gravel mixtures have been identified. But these resources are extremely insignificant.
Geological exploration work in the gold-bearing areas of southern Russia has been going on for many years. The search for the precious metal is being carried out at potential gold-bearing sites in Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia and North Ossetia.
By the way,According to the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation, in Karachay-Cherkessia, three mineral deposits are strategically important. These are Urupskoe (copper and gold mining), Pskentskoe (uranium) and Khudesskoe (cobalt).
Rg.ruI received a short report from a tourist who, just for the sake of curiosity, looked to see if there is gold in the rivers of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. Simple tourist. Lover of walks in the mountains. I read about gold. I decided to see what natural gold looks like and on my next walk in the mountains I put a tray in my backpack. Well, what about without a tray. Everywhere they write that the tray is needed.
The Caucasus Mountains are young mountains. The Caucasus Mountains were formed 28 million years ago. Deposits of the Jurassic seas lie at heights of more than 2000 meters. Time did not have time to destroy them. The same Ural Mountains only formed 150 million years. They rose from the sea and were destroyed, and the very process of their formation began 350 million years ago. Naturally, a huge amount of ore-bearing material was destroyed in the Urals. Gold was released and under the influence of water, gold placers were formed. In the Caucasus, only the formation of the mountains took place. We'll have to wait a bit. Well, at least a hundred million years, naturally.
In the meantime, about the tourist's walk. Unfortunately, he did not send photos of the mountains. A stream with boulders of sedimentary rocks is equally impressive.
The side of the river is made of sedimentary rocks that have apparently undergone temperature treatment, but the layers are even without destruction. If there was a crack in which there is quartz, it would already be interesting. And so there are no prerequisites for the formation of gold. The horizontal light layers are still something from sedimentary rocks.
There are intrusive massifs, but they are accompanied by slightly different minerals, and not gold. A river with beautiful pebbles flows in the lower reaches. From the photograph it is not clear what kind of pebble rocks. I would have washed at least a bucket or two for anyone.
Under the opposite bank, it can be seen that the gravel goes under the soil layer. You can try it. Moreover, on the shore you can find rounded quartz pebbles.
The tourist is interested in other places and he goes by the streams.
It looks like something from a hard rock of sedimentary origin. Higher up the stream. All the same.
First wash and only sand in the tray. Maybe there are gold particles hidden under the sand.
There is nothing in the tray except sand. We must move on. Stand for a moment at the monument. To pay tribute to those young guys who died in these places defending our Motherland from the Nazis. When I saw the monument, I remembered the employee with whom I worked at the plant. His older brother died in the Caucasus mountains. Young boy 15-16 years old. They drove him up a hill and surrounded him. The boy understood that it was impossible to be taken prisoner. I fired back while there were cartridges. Then he showed that he surrendered and when the German soldiers approached him blew himself up and those who were nearby with a grenade. I can't remember the last name. I remember that the monument was made at the factory. The old one has become dilapidated. A car and people who went to the mountains and erected a new monument were allocated from the plant. They brought photographs. A nice place. The top of a small hill with a view of the Main Caucasian ridge. And a lonely obelisk for a boy.
The same seems to have been recently refreshed. Well done for watching.
Let's go further along the streams. So that's it. Bear footprint. Bears are found in the Caucasus. Maybe not as big as in Siberia, but it is still not advisable to meet with him.
Another trickle nearby. You need to eat and try to find a piece of gold. At least one. What does natural gold look like?
The streams are beautiful. Come here with a sluice and flush the volume of half a cube. A tourist is a traveler by a tray. Two grains flashed yellow at the bottom of the tray. You cannot be mistaken. Is this gold. Gold is heavy. They lie and do not move, and the whole breed is chasing water here and there. Now it is clear what it looks like - natural gold.
And I also wanted to rinse the tray and again a little gold. And another tray. And one more. Each has a grain. There is gold in the Caucasus. But it's time to get ready. The departure time has been agreed and discipline must be observed in the mountains. Mountains do not like jokes. And here is a fresh bear trail on the shore. Looks like he was following. Apparently out of curiosity I followed. Now it’s definitely on the way out. No delays or stops.
At present, the question has been raised about the involvement of non-industrial gold placers in the development. At the same time, the urgency of the problem for the eastern regions of Russia is emphasized. At the same time, there are also non-industrial placers in the European part of our country, including the Caucasus. They were forgotten after 1936, when Dalstroy's enterprises mined more than 30 tons of gold in Kolyma. Thanks to this, the placers in the Caucasus have been preserved. Today they can be objects of non-industrial, including tourist activities. We present data on these placers according to the article by A.V. Zdyarsky.
Soviet gold mining, No. 5, 1935 (with abbreviation)
general characteristics
The old regions of gold mining will continue to play a leading role in gold mining for a long time to come, and their development should be the main focus. But the task of further development of the gold industry does not allow us to restrict ourselves to the already exploited regions.
The currently known geological characteristics of the Azov-Black Sea and North Caucasian territories, as well as the known gold content of individual areas, provide rich material for further study of these regions. This is largely helped by archaeological finds of ancient gold items.
Until 1930, neither in the literary nor in the archival materials of information about the gold content of the territories of the Azov-Black Sea Territory and North. There was no Caucasus. Only in 1930/31, a search party sent from Moscow established the gold content of the Labinsk region. The commercial gold content was first established by the Sevkavpolimetal exploration party. At the end of 1932, an independent Labinsk prospecting department was organized, the main task of which was to further cover the region with prospecting exploration, detail the discovered gold-bearing areas and associated gold mining by attracting miners to this work. Already in 1933, prospecting work was organized in the Kuban, Teberda, Rozhkoa, and almost exclusively the local population was attracted, due to which it concentrated mainly near settlements.
In 1934, a new mine management "Sevkavzoloto" was created with the same tasks as the previously created "Labazoloto". Exploration and prospecting work is being carried out at Baksan, Chegem, Cherek, Urup, Vlasinsik, Khabaz, Lokhran. By the end of the year, these points are already being placed.
All these deposits are channel placers and are characterized by a relatively thin layer of sandy-pebble material with a low gold content. The thickness of the seams of these placers reaches 0.2-0.5 m. Only at the Khabaz is the thickness of 2.5 m. These placers are located mainly in calm sections of the current, in the extended part of the valleys. It has been established that the gold content in the underwater parts of the placers is significantly higher than in those on land. The richest gold content is found in those layers that lie directly on the raft. Despite the low gold content, these placers are quite convenient for muscular development.
Direction and results of exploration
In 1934, reconnaissance was especially widespread. Several prospecting parties were engaged in the establishment of new fields, and at the previously discovered fields, drilling and drilling were carried out by Empire and Kiiston.
However, from the very beginning, the intelligence was delivered incorrectly. Instead of reconnaissance for muscular objects or objects for small mechanization, the workers of Labazoloto and Sevkavzoloto were stubbornly engaged in reconnaissance of objects for large mechanization. In Sevkavzoloto, funds were directed mainly to the exploration of dredging ranges.
For dredges, such areas as Kyafar, Serviceable (B. Zelenchuk river), Malka (in the Khabaz area), Baksan, Teberda, Mostovaya Polyana, Nikitina Polyana, Belaya (Suvorovskaya) Polyana, and Long Polyana were explored. Most of these deposits are small, but very conveniently located for dredging sites. But the exploration showed either a non-industrial gold content (Baksan, Teberda) or, having an industrial content, the plots turned out to be so small that the possibility of installing dredges on them was excluded. Some of these sections (Kyafar, Urup) can be used only for setting up small-scale mechanization - excavators.
The very direction of reconnaissance, towards an increase in the number of dredging polygons, is essentially wrong. We already have a large number of explored or in varying degrees of exploration, but with already undoubtedly identified industrial value of dredging objects. In order to install dredges at least on the most profitable of these facilities, a whole series of years is needed. It is quite natural that new facilities can count on the installation of dredges in the coming years only in the event of any extremely favorable conditions.
In the Caucasus, alluvial gold can be mined for almost a year. This makes the Caucasus very favorably different from the rest of the gold-mining regions. But the lack of profitable sites suitable for installing dredges nullifies these benefits. Although the nature of the deposits and their unprofitability for large-scale mechanization facilities were established, exploration for dredges nevertheless continued until 1935, and even in April-May 1934 the Zolotorazvedka trust gave instructions on the concentration of exploration work mainly on large-scale mechanization facilities ...
The misdirection of exploration work in the past was realized by the management of the enterprises rather late. But even after the management was convinced that the only correct direction of work for the near future was the exploration of muscular and small-mechanical objects, work in this direction was not reorganized.
The task for the next period is to correct the mistakes made in the direction of geological exploration and focus on identifying and detailing areas for muscular work, as well as on exploration of small-scale mechanization objects.
The unsatisfactory results of reconnaissance in these areas are explained not only by their mismanagement, but also by the fact that the methods of reconnaissance themselves were used that did not correspond to local conditions. Indeed, in the areas of North. The Caucasus and the Azov-Black Sea Territory, the methods used in Siberia and the Urals were mechanically transferred to exploration. Pitting in the southern regions, which are characterized by the impossibility of freezing and high water content, is very effective in conditions of freezing and permafrost, and does not give an effect. As a rule, the pits are not brought to the raft and are abandoned. In Sevkavzoloto, such pits are in the majority. It is necessary to find a method of tunneling that would satisfy the conditions of these regions, the most important of which are the high water content of the soil and the almost complete absence of forest.
Organization of gold mining
The main task of "Labazoloto" and "Sevkavzoloto", as mentioned above, is exploration. Gold mining is still a passing, but no less necessary task. But along with the main focus on exploration, at Labazoloto we have a situation where it was almost forgotten. Only this can explain that in the first half of 1934, 54.1% of the gold mining plan was fulfilled here, and in the second and even less - 39.2%. The situation was much better in Sevkavzoloto, where the annual plan of 1934 was fulfilled by 104%.
But at Sevkavzolot, the normal work of miners was often hampered by the lower authorities, who did not understand the importance of gold mining for the Soviet Union and made gross mistakes in relation to the miners. Perversions were allowed not only in the mines. Even in Nalchik itself, the city council mobilized the transport of the gold mining industry several times and allowed other violations of the benefits provided by the government to the gold mining industry. Only recently, after the intervention of the secretary of the Kabardino-Balkarian regional committee of the CPSU (b), comrade Kalmykov, these perversions began to stop.
The 1934 work was not organized properly because it was not prepared for its deployment. Quite often the prospectors were not equipped with the most essential and simple production tools. There were mines where there was not a single ax, there were no boards for building butar, and the prospectors worked by hand. Such a poor organization of the work of the miners sharply reduced their earnings. The consequence of this was a great turnover of miners and their rush from one mine to another. Fifty old experienced prospectors recruited in the Urals and Siberia, who were specially invited to introduce prospecting methods and skills to this new gold mining area, left.
Results and perspectives
A number of advantages that these areas have will help them quickly develop. The main advantage - the ability to develop alluvial gold all year round - makes even objects that are unprofitable in Siberian conditions in the conditions of these regions profitable. The habitability of the region, the possibility of attracting local personnel and creating its own agricultural base, by the way, already providing prospectors with its products quite well - all this speaks in favor of the new areas of gold mining under consideration.
The Federal Agency for Subsoil Use has announced a tender for geological exploration to find gold at the Uchkulanskiy ore field in Karachay-Cherkessia.
This is one of the most promising areas where mining of the precious metal is possible. Geologists have already looked for gold here. The work was carried out at the expense of the federal budget. Most of the identified deposits turned out to be poor, and they were classified as off-balance (that is, the extraction of minerals was recognized as inexpedient).
But the Lower Datulankol deposit, as it turned out, is of industrial interest. Its gold reserves are estimated at 23 tons with a content of 2.1 grams per ton. But when the boundaries of the federal Dautsky reserve were changed, this object fell into a specially protected area. Therefore, it is impossible to extract gold here.
However, there are other promising areas in the republic. For example, the Birch ore gold occurrence located on the border of Karachay-Cherkessia and Krasnodar Territory is of undoubted interest for investors. It is located on the watershed from which the Zolotoy Klyuch River, a tributary of the Beskes River, and the Khatsavita River flow down. Recent studies have shown that a thick layer with gold deposits lies here.
This object remains poorly explored, so it will be included in the licensing program on the basis of entrepreneurial risk, - reported in Rosnedra.
It is not known exactly how much gold is contained in the depths of the KCR. Experts are still arguing about the size of natural pantries. Several years ago, the figure was called 500 tons. However, in the future, experts came to the conclusion that the reserves of gold in the republic are much more modest.
The development of gold-bearing areas in the republic is not currently underway, although the license for their development has been issued to the subsoil user, - the head of the subsoil use department for the KChR Yuri Karnaukh told the RG correspondent. - Gold and silver mining in the republic is carried out only in one place: at the copper deposit in the Urupsky region. But this is not a direct extraction of precious metals, but an associated extraction from copper pyrite ores. Work is being carried out in the mines of the local mining and processing plant. One ton of copper ore from the Urupskoye deposit contains 2.4 grams of gold and 37 grams of silver.
The production has been in progress since 1968. Currently, 450 kilograms of gold and 7.7 tons of silver are mined from the subsoil together with ore per year. However, enrichment only recovers 55 percent of the precious metals. The rest is thrown into the dump. Technologies for the extraction of solid minerals are constantly being improved. Experts do not exclude that in the near future there will be a way to cost-effectively recycle production waste. If such a method is found, the Urupsky area will turn into a technogenic deposit.
Placer gold was mined in many mountain rivers of the North Caucasus in the 30s-40s of the last century. The mining was carried out by prospectors, using, as they said, muscle strength. The richest in gold were the small mountain rivers of Karachay-Cherkessia: Beskes, Rozhkao, Vlasenchikha, Kizilchuk, Gilyach and some others. A nugget weighing almost a kilogram was found on the Vlasenchikha River. This is a record find, which has not yet been surpassed.
In total, from 1933 to 1950, 1286 kilograms of gold were extracted in the North Caucasus, of which 832 kilograms were extracted in Karachay-Cherkessia. In 1950, the country's leadership decided to stop the artisanal mining of gold, since accounting in the artels was poorly maintained and half of the gold was stolen. Purchase prices were cut fourfold, which made non-industrial (artisanal) mining unprofitable. In 1952, the last mine in the village of Rozhkao was closed.
The steep mountainous relief of the Caucasus is unfavorable for the formation of placers. Therefore, small volumes of alluvial gold content do not necessarily indicate the insignificance of the primary sources of gold in the alluvial deposits, - noted Yuri Karnaukh. - The primary deposits of ore gold can be large, but when they are washed away by rivers, the gold enters steep watercourses and is carried away without forming accumulations called placers. At the same time, gold particles are quickly worn out, because gold is a soft metal.
Primary sources of the so-called ore gold with reserves allowing to establish industrial production were not found in the Caucasus. For investors, the ore was of interest only if the content of the yellow metal in it exceeds five grams per tonne. There are no such sites in the North Caucasus Federal District. However, these days areas with a low content of useful components can also be of practical interest. Including the only indigenous gold deposit in the KChR "Lesnoye".
A quarter of a century ago, a technological revolution took place in gold mining, thanks to which it became possible to profit from the development of even poor deposits, - said Yuri Karnaukh. - A cheap method of extracting gold from ore was developed - the heap leaching method. The ore is crushed to the state of crushed stone, laid out in the form of long heaps, reminiscent of railway embankments, and for a long time (for months) they are irrigated with solutions of special solvents or solutions of special bacteria circulating in a circle. The gold goes into solution, from which it is no longer difficult to extract it. Since the technology is low-cost, it became possible to process rather poor ores, with a gold grade of only 1-2 grams per ton.
But such ores, as it turned out, exist in Karachay-Cherkessia. The first such object was the Lesnoye ore occurrence. Experts estimated its predicted resources at 20 tons with an average grade of 1.6 grams per ton. It should be noted that gold deposits with reserves of more than five tons are classified as large. A license was issued to study and further develop this manifestation. The subsoil user has retested the previously driven workings. The gold content was determined in a more reliable way than before - assay. As a result, the predicted gold resources have been increased, and now they are estimated at 30 tons. However, the investor faced difficulties in attracting financial resources to continue exploring and developing the deposit. The work was suspended.
If in 2013 the exploration of the field is not started, the license may be terminated ahead of schedule, - said in Rosnedra.
Geologists hope for good luck. This is the specificity of their profession. And if you're lucky, Karachay-Cherkessia will become a new gold-bearing province. There are prerequisites for this, - emphasized Yuri Karnaukh.
In the North Caucasian Federal District, in addition to Karachay-Cherkessia, gold is mined in North Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria and Dagestan. In North Ossetia, the Bezengi and Marinsky ore fields are being studied. In Dagestan, placers of gold are found in the basins of the Samur, Akhtychay, Chekhychay, Dzhurmut and Oritskali rivers.
In Kabardino-Balkaria, gold and silver are sought at the Kardan-Kuspartinsky ore cluster, between the Musht and Malka rivers. There is no active production anywhere. It is possible that only small cooperatives are working, but they prefer not to report on their activities.
Gold is also found in the Rostov region and Adygea. On the territory of the Krasnodar Territory, the possibilities of associated mining of fine and thin gold in the development of deposits of sand and gravel mixtures have been identified. But these resources are extremely insignificant.
Geological exploration work in the gold-bearing areas of southern Russia has been going on for many years. The search for the precious metal is being carried out at potential gold-bearing sites in Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia and North Ossetia.
by the way
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation, in Karachay-Cherkessia, three mineral deposits are strategically important. These are Urupskoe (copper and gold mining), Pskentskoe (uranium) and Khudesskoe (cobalt).
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Karachaevsky City District
29.03.2020 In Karachay-Cherkessia, on behalf of the Head of the Republic, Rashid Temrezov, a Unified Volunteer Headquarters has been created and is working to coordinate assistance to the elderly and people with limited mobility,
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The Communist Party
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Ministry of Culture
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