Urals
General In 1823 Tsar Alexander I established a commission of the heads
of districts to take charge and to organise the search for gold and to
draw up regulations for the exploitation of deposits. Many new fields
where found in a region a hundred miles to the north and south of
Ekaterinberg. In the seven years from 1823 production went from 50,000
oz to 175,000 oz. Ekaterinberg was the centre of administration of the
gold-fields and the gold was sent twice a year to St Petersburg under
heavy guard. (Green, 1968). Ekaterinberg is an industrial and mining
centre that was founded by Peter the Great in 1721. Situated on both
banks of the Iset river, near to its source in the foothills of the
Urals. The Urals in this region are only about 980 ft high and the terrain
is open with wide valleys. 75%of the population lives in cities and
towns. There are deposits of gold, asbestos, iron ore, manganese and
platinum. 50%of the region is forested. Note: In the S. Urals the
river Techj basin has been contaminated with radioactivity from nuclear
testing between 1949 -1967.
The Urals gold district extends over a zone of about 5 or 6 degrees of
latitude north and south of Ekaterinberg. The deposits consist of dry
diggings of sand and gravel on the surface, plus gold in the rocks. In
1744 a gold bearing quartz vein was found some 10 miles north - east of
Ekaterinberg, mined by the crown, it yielded a total of 84,000 oz in the first 40 years of production (1745 - 1785). Berezovsk is the main
mine, (possibly the same as the above) where the gold is found in iron
pyrites, in veins of quartz in talcose and chloritic schists and
slates. gold in quartz has been found on the surface and platinum and
palladium is also associated. Large nuggets have been found, and the yield
from the gravels is 36 grains per ton (maximum). (Berezovsk is situated
about 10 km NE of Ekaterinberg.
At Berezov the ore consists of a quartz vein with both gold and copper
with a gold yield of between 0.50 oz/ton to 0.25 oz/ton. (Russia's age
of Silver)
Alluvial Gold.
The Mask district has yielded the largest nuggets, which have formed
in situ from solution. The mineralisation follows the zone of the
greenstones, porphyries, and serpentines. North of Petropavlovsk and
between Petropavlovsk and Berezovsk there have been numerous workings.
Around Nijiny Tagilsk and Blagodat and extending to the western
watershed there has been extensive workings, with platinum also being
present. The richest band runs north to south a little to the east of
Leusk, while two poorer zones occur further east at 40 and 60 versts
(27 and 40 miles, 44 - 65 km) from Nijiny Tagilsk. There is also a poor
zone along the western side of the watershed. (Murchison's Russia; vol.
I p.479. Quoted in Calvert; 1853) in 1823 the Urals alluvial yield was
some 50,000 oz and in 1830 it had reached 175,000 oz.
A large number of the streams on the western flank of the Urals were
found to contain payable gold. In 1829 there where over 40 alluvial
workings near Nijni-Tagilsk, which had produced about 132,000 oz since
there discovery in 1823. In the Miask region, about 120 miles south of
Ekaterinburg, there where 33 placers being worked and others yet to be
worked
For the most part the deposits where shallow and worked by means of
open cuts
Platinum.
First discovered in 1783, the main supply comes from the Urals
with placer deposits on the Iss river and some neighbouring streams;
and also on the river Tura. These produced some 80%of Ural platinum.
The remainder came from the Demidov or Tagil estate (Nijiny Tagil
area) 50 miles (80 km) to the south of the Iss. The richer deposits
have been formed from the weathering of Dunite, found in a narrow zone
in the Urals. The platinum occurs within segregations of Chromite
in the Dunite.
South Urals - Orenburg Province.
Kochkar mine. First worked about 1778. Before the First World War there
where three concessions: English, Russian and French. After the
Revolution this mine was one of the first to be put back into
production by Littlepage. (Littlepage and Bess) Before WW I the region
was one of the more productive in the Urals. (Handbook)
Bashkiria.
Lode mines noted by Littlepage, (p.51) but no details.
The principal rivers are the Ural, Ob and Volga. There is steppe in the
east and some 500 square miles are covered by lakes. There is copper,
gold and iron together with argentiferous lead. Gems, Topaz and
Aquamarine has been found in the Ilmen hills. Salt and coal are also
found.
Siberia.
General Topography and climate
1/ Western Siberia comprises the wide plain of the Ob, which is seldom
over 500 ft in elevation. This plain continues under the Arctic Ocean.
To the east of the Yenisi is the Pitski range, the Tunguska Mountains
and the Syeverma Mountains, 3000 ft high, to the north of the lower
Tunguska. The Birranga Mountains in the Taimir Peninsula, the VIlyuisk.
mountains west of the Lena and the Verkhoyansk and Orulan mountains
4000 ft high to the east of the Lena. The highest peak in the
Verkhoyansk range is said to be 7900 ft high.
The southern part consists of a plateau cut into terraces, which are
sharply divided from one another by escarpments which form ranges
rising from 500 to 1000 ft above the general level. The highest is in
the south and includes Tibet which averages from 12000 to 13000 ft in
height
Next in height is the terrace to the north of the Tibetan plateau and
which stretches from about Longitude 87 deg. east to longitude 127 deg. east
and includes NW Mongolia, the Trans Baikal region and the Selenga,
Vitim and Aldan plateaux. This region has an average height of 3000 to
5000 ft.
In addition to the escarpments which fringe the terraces, there are a
number of disjointed ranges some of which run NW - SE and others
which are more or less parallel to the greater ranges. In the east and
the north east the plateau is forested, but in the centre and west it
is desert.
The geology consists of gneisses, schists, slates and limestone's all of
Archaean and Palaeozoic date. In places there are also Jurassic and
Tertiary beds which are due to fresh water lakes in these periods. See
below for more details.
Along the NW and SE sides are continuous mountain chains - the
Tien-Shan, Sayan, Ulan-Burgasi, South Muya and Aldan mountains are all
part of this zone which is 17 - 20 miles wide and 6000 - 8000 ft high
in the west and 4000 ft - 3000 ft in the north - east. The SE zone
comprises the Great Khingan range, which runs from China to the Amur
river and the Stanovoi mountains which runs from the Amur to the NE and
is essentially an extension of the Great Khingan. Further ranges to the
NE comprises the Dzhugdzhur, Kolyma and Anadir ranges.
Climate and vegetation.
Urals.
At least 50% of the region is forested with Siberian fir (Abies
Siberica), Siberian Larch, (Larix Siberica) with Oak, Elm, Ash, Maple and
Apple.
Arctic Russia.
Scots Pine, (Pinus Sylvestris) Norway Spruce, (Abies Excelsa) and Silver
fir (Abies Pectinata). In the dryer parts of the Taiga in western Siberia
the commonest species are the Siberian fir, the Stone Pine (Pinus Cembra)
Spruce, (Picea Obovata) Silver Fir and Siberian Larch. These are the
prevailing trees in the Yenisi basin, the basin of the upper Ob and
the Altai region.
In the wetter regions of the middle and lower Ob and lower Artsy the
taiga is marshy and has thick impenetrable undergrowth. In this region
Larch is rare and Siberian fir dominates along with birch and aspen.
There are also thickets of poplar, alder and willow fringing the
streams. Berry bushes such as Whortleberry, Bilberry, Arctic Bramble,
Raspberry and red and black currents are frequent except in the swampy
parts.
The southern parts of the marshy taiga is known as the Vasuigan swamps
and is covered with dense thickets of birch, alder, aspen, siberian
cedar, pines and a few larches. The region is impassable except in
winter. In the spring the region is much inundated.
Eastern Siberia.
The taiga is very uniform from the Yenisei basin to the Amur and the
Stanovoi Mountains. In the north it gradually merges through a region
of stunted trees into the tundra. The siberian fir and the eastern
larch (Larix Daurica)are the prevailing species, but the siberian
"cedar" (Pinus Cembra) and the Scots Pine also occur. Spruce, (Pinus
Obovata) and the Norway spruce go as far east as the Lena. The eastern
taiga is less luxuriant than that of western Siberia, though in the
upper Lena basin the forest is much more luxuriant than in the rest of
Eastern Siberia.
Exploration for new gold fields in Siberia began in the 1850,s. and
before the revolution alluvial gold was being mined on the Yenisei,
upper Lena and Trans-Biakalia, on the rivers of the Vitim - Olekma -
Aldan plateau and on the Amur and it's tributaries. A few hard rock
mines where also being worked, see below for more details.
After the revolution the Soviets brought in an American mining
engineer, John Littlepage, to help in the modernisation of Siberian
gold production. Arriving in 1928, he supervised the creation of a
fleet of 90 modern steam and electrical dredges in the alluvial
Goldfields and powerhouses, mechanical hoists, crushers and cyanide
plants in lode mines.
In addition, a number of other U.S. mining engineers where hired on
short-term contracts to work in selected mines. Littlepage worked in
Siberia between 1928 and 1937 and on his return to America he wrote a
book about his experiences. (In Search of Soviet Gold)
Baikal mountains
To the west of Lake Baikal. Small amounts of gold
are present in the valleys. The geology is schist, marbles and other
metamorphic rocks.
Trans - Baikal region.
The region between the Mongolian border and L. Baikal is a plateau
lying at an altitude of about 2000 ft. with mountains rising above this
level to a moderate height above this. Due to the very low winter
temperatures, -24 deg. Centigrade, would be typical, and the low winter snowfall, permafrost may be expected in this region.
Geology.
The geology of the upper Lena consists of undisturbed red sandstones,
marl and clay. These deposits extend as far as Kirensk, and further
east are replaced by limestones. The valley of the Lena is cut into
these horizontal deposits. The limestone extends up the valley of the
Vitim as far as Vorontsovka. In date, these deposits range from Cambrian to
Silurian. The change from sandstone to limestone suggests that the
region stood on the continental edge at that time and palaeogeographic
reconstruction shows that the region was on or near to the equator
during the Palaeozoic. On the Vitim below Vorontsovka there are basal
conglomerates below the limestone.
In the Lensky district the Pre - Cambrian consists of a suite of
sedimentary rocks, mainly sandstones, and shale's with some limestone's
and quartzites. These are now all intensely folded with steep,
overturned folds with intrusions of granite. The gold mineralisation is
associated with these intrusions and a characteristic feature of the
district is the occurrence of crystals of auriferous pyrites in the
shale's.
To the south, the plateau consists of Archaean schistose - crystalline
rocks and Pre - Cambrian metamorphic shale's which where subject to
intense folding and metamorphism at the end of the Pre - Cambrian. In
the late Jurassic - early Cretaceous the surface was broken up by block
faulting. Lakes formed in the grabens with the deposition of
sandstones, shale's and coal. In places these sedimentary deposits are
interleaved by basaltic lava flows. This had been reduced to a
peneplain again by the Tertiary when a renewal of faulting resulted in
the development of Tertiary lake deposits. Lake Baikal occupies a deep
graben, which is part of this extensive rift system, which extends as
far west as the Irtish. This faulting continued into the Quaternary
period and is still active.
In some valleys, notably the Bodibo, but also in the Vacha, Shuya,
Bagallanahk and Kigelan there is evidence of glacial action which had
an important influence on the gold deposits. The initial deposit of
gold - bearing sand and gravel was sealed by glacial and interglacial
deposits and then, in the upper part of the valleys a second episode of
glaciations left another layer of sands, gravels and boulder clay
sealing the earlier levels. In the post - Glacial period the rivers cut
down through these deposits to form terraces in some valleys.
Generally speaking, alluvial gold is found on the Lena, Vitim, Olekma,
Aldan and there tributaries.
Description of sites.
Lena and tributaries.
The river Bodibo, a tributary of the Vitim, was the first river in the
region where alluvial gold was mined, in 1850. The Gold mines at
Bodibo where owned by the Lenskoi Company. This was a "deep lead" mine
- mining gravels 50 - 150 ft below the surface. The gold - bearing
gravel was 4'8" to 9'4" thick and lay at a depth of between 50 and 150
ft. below the surface. The yield was from 82 - 205 grains per ton and
shortly before WW I the field was producing some 13 tons of gold per
year. After the First World War the Lena field was one of the most
productive. The region between Lake Baikal and the Mongolian border
(headwaters of the Lena and the Vitim) was also very productive. Gold
and silver where worked at Nerchinsk from the 17th century. Nerchinsky
Zavod, situated 186 miles S.E. of Nerchinsk was also the centre for a
gold and silver mining district worked by convicts. Most of the
tributaries of the Vitim where thought to contain gold, but had hardly
been explored before the First World War. (Handbook) The veins in the Nerchinsk region have the same characteristics as those around Barguzin.
Olekminsk mines. On the left bank of the Lena opposite to the R.
Olekma. "Formerly the richest in Siberia" (Handbook)
Olekma and tributaries.
Rich alluvial deposits on the Tschara a left - hand tributary of the
Olekma near to it's mouth, and on the Tschuya a tributary of the
Tschara.
Mama.
Tributary of the Vitim. Alluvial gold present.
Origins of gold in the Bodibo region.
The gold on the Bodibo and it's tributaries is in the form of sulphates
associated with iron sulphate (Pyrites) in the country rock. Thin
quartz veins also occur but are of minor importance. The gold in the
gravels is derived principally from decomposition of the pyrites
releasing gold which is then precipitated in situ. Free gold derived
from the quartz veins is mixed in but forms a minor part of the
deposit. The mineralisation is associated with low - grade contact
metamorphism associated with granite intrusions.
Bodibo. Several mines above the town of Bodibo with terraced deposits and
opencast mining.
Nakatami.
On this tributary of the Bodibo, the Uspensky mine was the first mine
of the Industrial Company. The deposit in the valley has two levels
with the lower level being at a depth of between 20 - 40 metres. This
richer lower stratum was mined with the aid of underground galleries
and the poorer upper level was left. There was also opencast mining in
other parts of the valley.
Dogaldyn.
Tributary of the Nakatami. Yelensky goldfield in the upper valley.
Akanak - Nakatami.
A left - hand tributary of the Nakatami. The gold - bearing deposit was 90 - 100 metres deep and frozen in it's entire depth. Opencast mines here.
R. Takhtyga. Worked out shallow deposits in 1890. Possibility of deep
deposits in the upper valley.
R. Mara. Worked out shallow deposits. (1890)
Vacha
Deep deposit existed both above and below the confluence of the Nygra
Kadalikan. Gold fields present.
Spring of Verny. Tributary of the Nygra. Both shallow deposits and also
rich deposit below the left slope of the valley in permafrost.
R. Nygra. Tributary of the Vacha. Tikhonosadonsky gold field of the Lensky
Assn. in the upper part of the valley. Small amount of gold. Later work
in the lower valley was done using hydraulic methods with water brought
by means of an aqueduct along the right - hand side of the valley. This
was used to wash dumps in the lower part of the valley more efficiently
than before.
Besymyanka. Tributary of the Nygri. Two terraced deposits.
R. Shuya. Gold present.
R. Balagamnakh. Tributary of the Shuya. Two gold fields.
R. Bulbukhta. Gold fields - worked out in 1890's
R. Khomolkho. A large left hand tributary of the Shuya above the Vacha.
Two or three mines here with much small scaly gold. Not worked in 1890.
On the left hand slope of the valley was located a wide zone of dark
shale's, rich in pyrites and quartz veins with free gold. Small pockets
of elluvial gold from this where being worked in 1890. It is not known
if this lode has been worked subsequently.
R. Kigelan Deep deposits in permafrost.
R. Bolshoi Patom. One of the richest centres, said to have yielded 14,000
oz in 1911. (Handbook) The entire length of the river was laid out in
claims at that time.
R. Malaya Patom. Tributary of the Lena. Terraced deposits, the higher at a
level of 8 - 10 metres above the valley bottom - both deposits carry
gold.
R. Gorbylayach. a tributary of the Malaya Patom. Small poor goldfield.
R. Molvo. a tributary of the Lena. Goldfields in the upper reaches -
small open works.
R. Kevacta. Gold discovered here in the 1870's and already worked out in
the upper valley by the 1890's. All the deposits where shallow and
poor.
R. Omnondracta. Small gold - field, worked out in 1890's.
Barguzin goldfield. Situated in the Barguzin valley and near to the
headwaters of the Vitim. Opened up in 1854. Quartz veins, small and
with 41 - 82 grains / ton. There is a quantity of silver along with the
gold and probably also alluvial in the river but no reference to this.
Zabaikaia.
Evgraphovsky gold field. Gold placer in the lower Khongorock valley -
low output.
Evdokye gold field.
Situated in the lower valley of the Besymyanka - a tributary of the
Ily, which is a tributary of the Onon. The placer gold in the river is
derived from an unusual volcanic deposit situated on the right bank of
the river. This deposit is situated on a large fault which cuts a
massive granite intrusion for a distance of some Km. The fault is some
100 metres wide near to the gold - field and is filled with "melonite"
composed of shattered fragments of granite. Further to the east, on the
banks of the Koorloocktar, the fault shatter zone is about 500 metres
wide. The fault therefore narrows from the east to the west and then
goes under the Grishevskaya Mountain which is situated on the left bank
of the Besymyanka. This mountain is the remains of an old volcano. The gold,
consisting of native gold and auriferous pyrites, is associated with
this volcanic action.
The upper part of the deposit was 80 - 100 metres wide and 30 - 40
metres deep. This zone of concentration contained the richest gold and
had already been worked out by the end of the 19th century. Below this, the deposit was very much poorer. The gold was brought up along with the magma and it seems likely that it originated in a deep ore body which is associated with
the granite and was cut by the faulting. It is possible that there are
further reserves of ore as yet unexploited.
On the pass across Borgoisky ridge on the road to Kyakhta - Quartz vein with gold.
R, Nensa and R. Khilkotoi - A tributary of the Chikoi.
Small gold field on these rivers.
Far East.
Amur and tributaries.
The Amur province was ceded to Russia by China in 1858 and comprises
the land between the Amur and the Stanovi range to the north. The
greater part of the country is mountainous and forested especially in
the west. The broader valleys are marshy. Mean winter temperatures are -23 deg. C. and in the summer +19 deg. C.
The Amur River is formed by the union of the Shilka and the Argun which
rise in the Khan - Ula range. The total length is about 2760 miles and
it flows through the great and little Khingan ranges and the along the
northern side of the Nikolaievsk Mountains to reach the sea at
Nikolaievsk. The lower section of the river is shallow and encumbered
with sandbanks. It is navigable from May to October.
Gold on the Amur had been discovered by a Government engineer, Anosov,
and private prospecting started in 1865.
Diggings on the Zeya. In 1866 a rich find was made on the Djalinda, a
tributary of the Ur, which is itself a tributary of the Zeya. This
began to be worked in 1868. There where important new discoveries
on the Gilyui and Branta, tributaries of the Zeya and on the Burea and
it's tributaries. Some 270 placers on these rivers where worked in the
period 1906 - 1910. At this time, production was some 221,000 oz annually.
Blagoveshchensk. Town situated on the Amur near its confluence with the
Zeya. It is the centre of a gold mining district
Selenga. Gold placers on the Selenga at Troitskosavsk. Osmiridium is
also present.
Kara. On a tributary of the Shilka 300 miles east of Chita. Gold mines
where worked by convicts in pre - revolutionary times.
Amgun river. another tributary of the Amur flowing in about 70 miles
from the mouth of the Amur. Gold was found here in 1868. Workings on
this river where not as productive as those above. Here the pay -
gravel was between 4'8" - 7' thick and the overburden 3' 6" to 14'
thick. Near the Amgun the Orsk mine was situated on lake Chlya and was
owned by a British Co. The company had two electric bucket dredges
working here. In 1912 some 21 placers where being worked here. This
mine was responsible for 1/4 of the entire production of the province.
Most of the Amur gold is fine, the gravels yielding between 1.3 grams -
4 grams / ton, and at least a quarter of the diggings yielded over 40
grains / ton. The auriferous gravel at the lake is 2'4" to 7' thick with the
overburden often 9' deep or more.
Primorskaya.
There are workings in the southern Ussuri region and on the shore of
the sea. Since about 1906 about 36 diggings have been working here,
yielding an average of 34,000 oz per year (The Times... 1916). The
entire region between the Lena and the sea would appear to be
auriferous.
Ussuri river.
Rises in the Sikhotalin Mountains and flows into the Amur at
Khabarovsk. It is 480 miles long and is navigable for over 300 miles.
Iman river, a tributary of the Ussuri. Placers yielding 1/4 oz/ton being worked in about 1918.
"White Mountain" Situated on the shore of the sea of Okhotsk in
Primorye is a gold deposit also in the remains of an old volcano. The
location of this has not been determined.
Askold Island. Nr Vladiovostok. A small quartz vein on this island was
worked for some years.
Western Siberia.
Irtysh river. Southern Altai.
Ridder mine, owned by the Irtysh Corporation, (British capital,
American staff) - mining a deep ore body containing gold, silver, lead
zinc and copper of which about one half is gold.
Kuznezky Alatau.
Gold/quartz mines where working in the Minusinsk and Achinsk area, notably
the Bogam Darovni (God Granted) mine of the Russian Gold Industrial
Company (a Russian company). This mine is situated in the depths of the
mountains in the narrow valley of the Phedorovsky, a tributary of the
Sobarka, which is a tributary of the Sya, which in turn is a tributary of
the White Yuss a tributary of the Chulym. The valley of the
Phedorovsky contained placer gold along it's entire length, which was
discovered in 1832. In 1840 this was producing about 135,000 oz.
A thick quartz vein was mined in the upper valley and higher up the
valley three other veins where also being mined. This mine continued to
be worked in the Communist period, then being called "Communard"
The Berikulsky mine was situated in the valley of the Dry Berikul, a
tributary of the Kiya. The mine is situated just above the confluence
of the Dry and Large Berikul. Alluvial gold was found in 1830 and mined
irregularly up until 1900. The gold was not of high purity, containing
a lot of silver. In 1901 the owner started to work a gold bearing
quartz vein 0.7 -1.0 metres wide in the upper levels and decreasing to
0.30 - 0.60 metres wide in the lower levels. The ore consisted of iron
pyrites, arsenic pyrites, zinc blende and galena all containing gold.
At least five other veins where also being worked in the valley. All
the veins contained sulphurous ores with the arsenic pyrites being
especially rich in gold. Khotimsky vein, which ran along the contact of
limestone with porphyrite contained calcite instead of quartz together
with much auriferous pyrites. By 1912 the main vein had already been
worked out and the other small veins had been mostly worked out as
well. However, new veins where discovered and the mine was worked up
until 1919 and again from 1924 to 1937.
The district is said to be of importance for gold - quartz
mineralisation. (The Times...1916; map, p.165)
Yenesi river.
The head waters are in the Russian - Mongolian border. The major
tributaries are the Akban Eloguy, Turukhan from the west, and the Tuba,
Kan, Angara, Podkemennaya (stony) Tunguska, Nizhnaya (lower) Tunguska,
and Kureyka from the east. Violent floods occur in the spring. The
climate is continental. Ice begins to form on the lower river in early
October and the entire river is frozen by early December. Thawing is
not complete until late May or early June. Most of the basin is taiga
with pine dominating in the north, and Larch further south. The river
is navigable for about 1900 miles between Oznachennoye and the Kara
sea. The river begins at the confluence of the Great Yenisey and the
Little Yenisey. The Great Yenisey rises in the Eastern Sayan Mountains
of the Tuvinskaya ASSR. The Little Yenisey rises in the Darkhat bowl of
the Mongolian Peoples Republic. The cold season is from mid October to
late April. July temp. in the south 64 deg F. - 68 deg. F. Winter temp. falls to
- 16 deg to -20 deg F.
In 1836 exploration in the Yenisei basin discovered rich deposits on
the Birjussa, and in 1839 - 41 rich placers where found between the
Angara and Stony Tunguska. In 1842 the Governer - General of Eastern
Siberia reported that there were 58 alluvial deposits being worked and
273 concessions granted but not yet worked. The yield was 350,000 oz -
nearly three times what it had been in the previous year. The region
between the Angara and the Stony Tunguska, and especially in the
valleys of the Uderei, The Pit and there effluents was particularly
rich.
On the middle Yenesi are two districts: 1/ Between the Pit and Angara
rivers and 2/ in the upper basins of the Teya and Kalami, both
tributaries of the Stony Tunguska. Here the gold bearing gravel was from
2'4" - 8' thick and the overburden 2'4" to 24 feet thick. (Handbook)
Platinum is also present in this gold - field. Littlepage notes lode
mines in the Sayan mountains (p.119).
The peak in Siberian gold production came in 1847 when it reached
962,300 oz. of which 735,000 oz came from Eastern Siberia. There
followed a decline to 742,500oz in 1852, with the decline in East
Siberian production more than accounting for the difference. The
reasons where various: The succession of discoveries in the Tunguska
region, which had been mainly accountable for the increase in
production, had come to an end and the nature of the exploitation - to
rapid and careless, - had also contributed. In 1880 Siberian production
was 1,392,000 oz. of which the Lena region contributed 500,000 oz.
Yakutia.
Aldan river.
After the First World War the Aldan field was one of the most
productive. This gold - field may still be active as the "Lonely planet
guide" says that the town of Aldan is the centre of the gold - mining
region. Platinum is also reported to be present in the Aldan basin
(Handbook)
Nai river. A tributary of the Aldan. (Not located on the map) Gold on
the upper reaches.
Central Siberia.
R. Vilyui. Major tributary of the Lena in Central Siberia. Gold on the
upper reaches of the river. The yield at Chodinski 80 or 90 Miles above
Krestyakskaya was said to be large. (Handbook) This should properly be
seen as part of the Middle Yeneisi goldfield.
Before 1990 Yakutia gold production amounted to 60% of the total for
Russia as a whole. The bulk of this may have come from the Aldan field
which suggests that it must be very rich to be still productive after
more than a century of mining.
Diamonds.
Scattered diamonds where found in the Vilyui sand - bars in August 1949
and the first diamond pipe was found in 1955 on the a small stream
called the Malaya Bortuobuya - but this was poor in diamonds.
In 1956 Yuri Kabardon discovered the "Mirny" pipe and 150 miles to the
NE Vladimir Shukin found the "Udachnaya" pipe. Both where rich in
diamonds. By 1969 geologists had located more than 300 pipes in a vast
area now known as the Yakutian diamond province. In 1966 only four
pipes where being mined: Mirny, Irkholt, Dachna and Udachnaya. Russia
is the second largest producer of diamonds in the world. (R. Moscow)
There now exists a joint stock Co. "Diamonds of Russia and Yakutia"
which was established in 1992. There are 28 fields on the concession
list of which 21 have not yet been mined.
Kolyma river.
The river rises in the Kolyma Mountains. In the mountains it flows
through narrow gorges with numerous rapids. Below the mountains the
course is meandering and braided in a wide floodplain. The ice - free
period is short, lasting only from late June to early Sept. The Kolyma
upland lies along the northeastern shore of the sea of Okhotsk. It is a
confused mass of ranges and uplands cut by deep river valleys and
gorges. Alluvial gold mining was important in the valleys especially
that of the upper Kolyma River.
History.
A survey in 1932 by Yuri Bilibin found rich alluvial gold on the river
Nurv at Susaman. The gravel being assessed at 200 grams / cubic yard. also a
quartz reef 10 miles long was found here. It is alleged in "The
Siberians" that "There is hardly a sand - bar or gravel bench in any of
the Kolyma valleys ... which does not yield gold, both dust and
nuggets". Dozens of hard rock mines also exist and most valleys are full
of dredge tailings. An institute of mining exists at Magadan: "The
Research Institute for Gold and Non-Ferrous Metals" The "Lonely Planet
Guide" says that the Kolyma field still (1992) produces 1/3 of Russian
gold output.
A major new field was found in 1965 at Yakutsk on the Kolyma (Green; 1968). Littlepage, (quoted in Green 1968) claimed that Magadan province was one of the most productive in Siberia.
Central Asia.
Kazakhstan
The climate is overall dry, warm and continental. Rainfall is only 8"
annually, mostly falling in winter and spring. The mean July temperature
is 90 deg F in the south and the daytime air temperature frequently exceeds
104 deg F. There are severe frosts in winter - down to - 36 deg. F.
The mountains in the east and centre belong to the Altai in the north
and the Tarbagati range on the south with altitudes up to 10000 ft.
Between these two ranges lies the Zaisan plateau, which is drained by
the Irtish. There is gold quartz mineralisation in the region of Lake
Zaisan. This is particularly rich in the region of the Kalbinsky ridge
west of Ust-Kamenogorsk and less so in the region of lake Zaisan
itself. Near Ust-Kamenogorsk the quartz yields 5 - 15 dwt/ton with
about 5 grains / ton in the gravels.
Gold placers where worked here from the beginning of the 19th C. and
lode deposits from the beginning of the 20th C. Mineralisation here
took place much later than that of the Lensky district or that of the
Kuznezky Alatau. The general geology of the Kalbinsky ridge and the
Altai was of late Palaeozoic folding which had been reduced to a
peneplain by the Mesozoic. Then in the Tertiary period block faulting
took place, which created the present relief.
