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Gold mining by hand in Buryatia. In Buryatia, individuals may be allowed to mine gold. Work in gold mining, at the mine of JSC "Buryatzoloto"

​The richest mineral resource base of Russia is concentrated in the Republic of Buryatia. More than 700 deposits are concentrated on the territory of the republic. The subsoil contains 95.9% of the balance reserves of our country thallium, 92.8% jade, 48.8% zinc, 35% cadmium, 32.3% molybdenum, 24.4% lead, 20.4% tungsten, 16.3 pyrite sulfur, 16.3% fluorite, 13% apatite, 11.3% beryllium, 8% silver, 6.5% uranium. The employee, Candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences Evgeny Kislov, spoke about the mining of minerals in the region, about the problems of the industrial sector, as well as his suggestions for a way out of this situation.

In 2015, 6,447 kilograms of gold were mined in Buryatia, in 2016 this figure was 5,890 kilograms. At the end of 2017, almost 5,678 kilograms of gold were mined in your region. What are the reasons for the decline in production?

There are several reasons for the decline. The bulk of gold production comes from the Buryatzoloto company (part of Nordgold) at the Irokindinsky mine in the Muisky district and the Zun-Kholbinsky mine in the Okinsky district. The reasons for the decline are in the unpreparedness of stocks. The most accessible reserves with the highest grades have already been depleted. And the involvement of poor, hard-to-reach ores in operation increases the cost. In Buryatia, hopes were pinned on other primary deposits, but with real results only Kedrovskoye is being mined in the Muisky region (Zapadnaya miners' artel). The rest are mothballed, not put into operation, or produce an insignificant amount of metal. As for the placer deposits, they are largely depleted. Unexplored, poor and hard-to-reach placers are not involved in exploitation.

- Can we expect an increase in ore gold production in the coming years?

Can. "Buryatzoloto" conducts exploration of rich deposits of operating mines and searches the adjacent territory. AS Zapadnaya is consistently increasing production. Certain hopes are pinned on the arrival in Buryatia of JSC "Druza", intending to invest in the primary deposits of the Oka region.

In 2017, the volume of mining at placers amounted to 2,068 kilograms of gold. Are there any prospects for the development of alluvial gold mining in the republic? Does the resource base allow increasing production volumes?

Insufficient supplies. Rich and accessible placers have been worked out. In recent years, new gold-alluvial areas have appeared, for example, Eravninsky. In addition, dozens of geological exploration licenses have been issued on an application basis over the past three years. Including prospecting, appraisal and prospecting for gold placers. In some areas, reserves have already been protected and production licenses have been issued. As a result, gold production should increase. The adoption of the law on free bringing, as well as the facilitation of the procedure for issuing licenses for small and unattractive placers, will contribute to the growth of indicators, but this depends on the federal center.

- According toMinistry of Natural Resourcesrepublics, there are four deposits in the unallocated fund on the territoryOkinskydistrict -Barun‐​ Kholbinskoe, Watershed, Dynamite andTainskoe with total reserves of gold of category A + B + C1 - 6,021 kilograms and category C2 - 5,369 kilograms. Their development would contribute to the growth of gold mining. What are the reasons for low activity subsoil usersin terms of ore gold auctions?

For indigenous gold, these are not such large reserves. At the same time, in Buryatia, there were examples of non-confirmation of reserves, which brought large losses to subsoil users, and the Konevinskoye field "Khuzhir Enterprise" was forced to mothball. In addition, the development of primary deposits requires large investments with a slow payback. The deposits located in the Okinsky District are poorly provided with infrastructure, the local population and the authorities do not see the benefits of mining activities, they are trying to prevent its development by declaring the territory of traditional nature use.

Part of the territory of Buryatia is located in the nature protection zone. So, the MVS corporation was forced to surrender the license for Kholodninskoe the deposit, because it could not develop it. Are there many similar sites in the region? Are there ways to solve the problem?

If we are talking about specially protected natural areas, then the situation is the same as throughout Russia. On the territory of the republic there are: Barguzinsky, Baikalsky, Dzherginsky reserves, Zabaikalsky and Tunkinsky national parks, Frolikhinsky, Altacheysky and Kabansky federal reserves, a network of regional and local PAs. But around Baikal, several nature protection zones have been created with a set of prohibitions on economic activities: a site of the World Natural Heritage, the central ecological zone of the Baikal natural territory (CEZ BNT), a water protection zone, a fish protection zone. Moreover, each territory has its own scheme of prohibitions and they contradict each other. The Kholodninskoye field suffered due to the CEZ BNT, determined after the issuance of the license.

That is, the state first issued a license for money with a number of conditions and obligations, and then forbade work and fulfill them. In fact, the development of the deposit is unlikely to harm Baikal - the license agreement stipulated underground mining of ore and its processing outside the BNT. But at present, there is an outpouring of water from two geological prospecting adits into the Kholodnaya River - no reclamation has been carried out.

Anna Morozova

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    • Date: 08.08.2015

    State and prospects of gold mining in the Republic of Buryatia

    A.A. Mironov

    Gold mining in Buryatia has been going on since the second half of the 19th century. Until 1986, it was a little over 1.5 tons per year, and was carried out almost exclusively from placers. With the commissioning of the Kholbinsky mine and the organization of JSC Buryatzoloto, the level of ore gold production began to increase by 150 - 600 kg annually. In 2000, the growth reached its maximum - 1000 kg. In the period from 2000 to 2008, the ratio of ore and placer gold production changed - from 61% and 39% to 80% and 20%, respectively. Currently, in Buryatia, most of the gold is mined from primary deposits (Fig. 1).

    Rice. 1. Dynamics of gold production in the Republic of Buryatia for 1986-2008.

    The graph shows a systematic decline over the past 7 years in alluvial gold mining and stagnation of ore gold mining at the level of 4.9 tons. This is due to a number of reasons, which will be discussed below.

    Ore gold

    15 ore deposits of gold have been explored in the Republic. Most of them belong to the low-sulfide gold-quartz formation and are represented by the vein morphological type. Special mention should be made of the Zun-Kholbinskoye, Zun-Ospinskoye and Troitskoye deposits, where, in addition to veins, mineralized gold-bearing zones have been identified. Balance reserves of ore gold are about 180 tons. Currently, the Zun-Kholbinskoye, Irokindinskoye, Kedrovskoye and Pionerskoye deposits are being developed (Table 1).

    Tab. 1. Dynamics of mining of ore gold in Buryatia

    The main mines of the Republic - Kholbinsky (Samartinsky) and Irokinda operate relatively stably. Nevertheless, in relation to 2004, there has been a decrease in the volume of metal production, which may become more pronounced in the next 2-3 years. The reasons for this are a decrease in the average grade of gold in marketable ore and an increase in the cost of the mined metal due to the complication of the mining and technical conditions of development.

    The Zun-Kholbinskoye field has been developed for 22 years. Only for the period from 2002 to 2008. the average grade of gold in salable ore decreased from 10.2 to 8 g / t. At the moment, mining and exploration work is being carried out at deeper horizons of 1740-1490 m and 1440-1390 m, respectively. Due to the change in the mining and technical conditions and the introduction of the mine laying system at the mine, there was an additional increase in the cost of gold.

    At the Irokinda mine, in the period 2002 - 2008 there is also a decrease in average gold grades - from 11.4 to 7.9 g / t due to the development of relatively rich blocks of the deposit.

    At the Kedrovskoye field, despite the fluctuations in the production volume, in general, the upward trend continues. This is primarily due to the optimization of the mining technology and an increase in the average gold grade from 8.6 g / t (according to exploration data) to 9.3 g / t (according to exploitation data). In 2009 it is planned to increase production to 550 kg.

    A small amount of seasonal mining of gold-bearing eluvial-deluvial slope deposits and adit dumps was carried out at the Pionerskoye deposit. The Nerundinskoye field is being prepared for the start of pilot development in 2010. Exploration of its central part was carried out at the Konevinskoye field. Balance reserves are about 9.3 tons. It is planned to start experimental-industrial development. Provision of operating mining enterprises with proven reserves as of 01.01.09 is: Irokinda - 1.5 years, Kholbinsky - 3-7 years, Kedrovskoe - 10 years.

    The increase in the increment in reserves requires a significant increase in prospecting and exploration work. But in the presence of a number of promising objects, due to lack of funds from subsoil users, work is being carried out in insufficient volume, and in some cases, it is mothballed. In particular, the resumption of operational work at the "Barun-Kholbinsky" and the beginning of them at the "Zun-Ospinsky" fields are currently in question. Exploration work continues at the Vodorazdelnoye and Zegengolskoye deposits. There are prepared reserves at these deposits, but in quantities insufficient for the construction of enterprises. At the same time, expenditures on exploration work in 2008 for ore gold amounted to 1,479 million rubles, including 184 million rubles from the federal budget. The increase in reserves amounted to 18 tons. In 2009, the volume of prospecting and exploration work for ore gold is likely to be significantly reduced, which will not allow to ensure the reproduction of the raw material base. For example, even the largest gold mining enterprise in the Republic, JSC Buryatzoloto, plans to drastically reduce prospecting work in 2009.

    Placer gold

    The development of alluvial deposits in recent years has been carried out in several regions. In six out of seven regions (Table 2), placer gold mining systematically decreases, especially sharply in the Zakamensk region (from 478 kg in 2004 to 5 kg in 2008). Placer gold production in the Bauntovsky and Severo-Baikalsky regions decreased by more than 3 times. The general drop in the volume of alluvial gold mining in the Republic has somewhat slowed down the opening of the new Yeravna gold-alluvial area. Gold mining here began only in 2005, and already in 2008 exceeded 300 kg. Most of the gold (281 kg) was mined by OOO AS "Kurba" from the placer creek. Stone.

    Tab. 2. Distribution of gold mining volumes from alluvial deposits by districts

    The mineral resource base of the Republic of Buryatia is currently represented by 225 alluvial deposits, of which about 40 are being developed. Most enterprises (except for four) mine less than 100 kg of gold per year (Table 3).

    Tab. 3. The volume of alluvial gold production by the main enterprises of Buryatia

    Most of the placer deposits on the balance sheet have reserves of less than 200 kg. The interest of enterprises in such placers has decreased in recent years. The loss of interest of entrepreneurs in placers is due to the fact that, under the existing legislation, the involvement of placers with reserves of less than 100-200 kg in the development is economically unprofitable. Small placers require the same package of documents and the amount of approvals as for large deposits. In this regard, return on investment and profit are possible only after 3-5 years or more. Obviously, business areas with a shorter return on investment are more preferable.

    The crisis in 2008-2009 aggravated the situation in alluvial gold mining, when conditions for obtaining bank loans and an increase in rates also made it unprofitable to extract gold from relatively large alluvial deposits with proven and approved reserves of more than 300-500 kg. In general, there is a general downward trend in production volumes in all gold-alluvial areas (ZRR). The annual decrease in the total production of alluvial gold averages 440 kg (15 - 36%). The only exception is the new Eravinsky ZRR, which in 2008 ensured the production of 25% of the total volume of placer gold.

    Among the problems hindering the development of gold mining, the following should be highlighted:

    1. Low provision of gold mining enterprises with proven reserves. Most of the previously explored deposits (mainly during the Soviet period) have been worked out. The least economically profitable deposits remained.

    2. Termination of government work on the reproduction of SMEs. The abolition of the rates of deductions for VMSB in 2002 predetermined the termination of prospecting and appraisal works. There is practically no federal funding for such programs for alluvial gold in Buryatia. In 2008, the volume of budget financing amounted to only 0.3 million rubles.

    3. Unprofitable for enterprises to invest in prospecting and exploration of placers. Obtaining a license is a complex and time-consuming process, exploration is costly with ambiguous results. Under such conditions, only large operating enterprises can afford to conduct exploration work, most often in an insignificant volume (in 2008, about 51 million rubles were spent on exploration).

    4. Difficulty obtaining licenses for exploration and production of alluvial gold. Licenses can only be obtained through an auction. In general, obtaining licenses is a very lengthy procedure.

    5. A significant period (1.5 - 2 years) for registration of permits from the moment of obtaining a license to gold mining (projects, approvals, forest management, etc.) and related costs. Obligatory state examination of all projects, regardless of the stages of work and sources of funding, “lightens” the pockets of subsoil users by 120-240 thousand rubles at once.

    6. Administrative and bureaucratic factor. A particular negative role in reducing the business activity of subsoil users is played by the consumer attitude towards them from representatives of various administrative, controlling and approving bodies. Often the latter consider gold miners as a source of additional income.

    In general, in the gold mining industry of the Republic there has been a steady downward trend in the volume of gold production. While the decrease in production from ore deposits is relatively weak (about 2% per year), the annual decrease in alluvial gold production averages 440 kg (15 - 36%). At the same time, the overall decline in production in 2008 amounted to 545 kg or 9% (to the level of 2007).

    Based on the results of the enterprises' work in the first half of 2009, it can be assumed: 1. Increase in the volume of production (to the level of 2008) from primary deposits by 260-300 kg (an increase of about 6%). This is primarily due to the implementation of a number of activities at the mines of JSC "Buryatzoloto" and the improvement of the technological process at the enterprise of LLC s / a "Zapadnaya". So at the Samarta mine, from mid-September, an additional fourth line for processing poor ores with a capacity of about 9 thousand tons of ore per month (up to 90 kg of gold) will be launched. At the Irokinda mine, in the period from May to October, due to the work of the "summer" line for processing poor ores, it is planned to additionally extract 120-130 kg. 2. An increase in the volume of gold mining from placers by 250 kg (up to 20%), including by the enterprises of Sininda-1 LLC (by 25-50 kg, an increase of 10-20%), Kharasun LLC (by 30 kg, an increase up to 100%), Kurba LLC (by 30 kg, an increase of 10%). Taking into account the results of the work in the first quarter of 2009, a decrease in the volume of production at OOO Zolotoy Vostok-Siberia in the amount of 100 kg (an increase of 60%) is likely. At the same time, the general downward trend in the amount of mined metal from placers will most likely continue and will not exceed the level of 1219 kg reached in 2008. 3. The overall level of gold mining in the Republic of Buryatia in 2009, under the most favorable conditions, may increase by no more than 3%.

    The situation in placer gold mining in Buryatia is similar to the situation in other regions of Russia. The need to simplify legislation has been discussed for a number of years. This is indicated by the chairman of the Union of Prospectors of Russia, chairman of the Union of Gold Producers, heads of regional administrations, specialists from enterprises and research institutes / 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. /. Without the Government of the Russian Federation understanding the essence of the problem and the urgent need for an early solution to it, alluvial gold mining in Buryatia will cease to exist in the coming years, as has already happened in the Zakamensky and Khorinsky regions of Buryatia. The closure of gold mining enterprises results in complex social problems. For example, in the Zakamensk region, the unemployed found an opportunity to earn a living by illegally mining wolframite in the abandoned mines of the Holtoson mine. 7 people died in the gas-polluted mine workings.

    Gold mining in Buryatia can be more efficient. For a republic with a population of not much more than 1 million people, the existing six to seven tons of gold per year is a notable source of income. There is a real possibility of increasing the production volume up to 10-12 tons. For this, first of all, measures are needed to attract private investment in prospecting and exploration of gold deposits. In particular, it is necessary to speed up the procedures for obtaining licenses for prospecting, exploration and development of placers, and to reduce the time required for processing the documents required to start gold mining. All this should take months, not years. Then business will show interest in the industry, new deposits will be found, gold production and tax revenues to the budgets will increase.

    10.01.09 12:24

    Soil laboratory analysis found precious metal in the heart of the city

    Soil samples taken from a pit on Borsoeva Street, where the construction of the Buryat business center is underway, showed the presence of gold in sufficient quantities for its industrial production. If such an amount of gold, as in this sample, is inherent in the entire land of Ulan-Ude, then 20 grams of gold is contained in each ton of the capital's land.

    Scientists of Buryatia do not exclude the possibility that there may be placer gold in the vicinity of Ulan-Ude. According to the testimony of geologists from the Buryatgeocenter, earlier, 40 years ago, during construction, all pits and ditches were documented by the Geological Administration to assess the ease and radiation safety. 20 years ago, an ecological and geochemical survey of Ulan-Ude was carried out for the presence of contaminants in the soil, and, among other things, secondary aureoles of gold were identified. But no one was specifically looking for gold in Ulan-Ude.

    We decided to independently search for gold in the capital of Buryatia and took a soil sample at a construction site on Borsoeva Street. The soil was sent to the state enterprise "Republican Analytical Center", a certified laboratory that conducts such analyzes. The results surprised not only us, but also the laboratory staff. The test showed a gold sample content of 20 grams per ton. Of course, this does not mean that you should rush to mine gold in the city.

    One sample is not enough for a serious conversation about the deposit. Hundreds, if not thousands, of such samples are needed. However, the fact that in the first random handful of earth there was such an amount of gold can speak volumes. However, the geologists with whom we discussed this issue put forward an interesting explanation for the presence of gold in the sample.

    100 years ago, the first map of the gold content of the environs of Verkhneudinsk was compiled. On it, many depressions were "gilded": they showed a gold content sufficient for industrial mining. All plots were bought from the prospectors by merchants. However, the initial attempts to deploy the Klondike near Verkhneudinsk were unsuccessful. It turned out that the cunning prospectors, for loyalty, "salted" with gold - firing left and right at them with golden sand instead of shot, in order to surely sell their bids to merchants. Experts at the site washed up "pellets", and this was enough for the deal to take place. Thus, the prospectors made a lot of money on the land that had grown in value. The first attempts of merchants to "take gold on the mountain" and shed light on the "pre-sale preparation" of sites by prospectors.

    What used to be the outskirts of Verkhneudinsk, today is the center of Ulan-Ude. Is the gold "salting" of prospectors still making itself felt?

    The story with the golden fraction, the "divorce" of the merchants then became a household name, and all attempts to find out, to find gold in the vicinity of Verkhneudinsk for industrial mining were biased and stopped. But if industrialists and merchants abandoned these attempts, rightly fearing for their authority in the local community, simply not wanting to look like "suckers", then the loners, who did not give a damn about secular rumor, had their own reason. The city was founded as a prison at the intersection of trade routes. The location was chosen with a good view and near the water. In the vicinity of the fort, and even on the trade routes, where there are a lot of dashing people, neither a single prospector nor an artel will ever begin to wash gold. Prospectors always went away from the "zhukhukh", where the risk of being attacked is always higher, away from human eyes.

    That is, no one has ever looked for real gold on the territory of the capital of Buryatia and in its environs. This tradition continued in Soviet times. Perhaps it is worth breaking it now?



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    If the State Duma passes the law, it will be easy for any of us to start the life of a free prospector and go to the Vitim, Tsipikan and other gold-bearing rivers of Buryatia to fetch the bird of luck.

    For more than 200 years of the Russian history of gold mining, "black" prospecting is not a new profession. The news of the taiga riches attracted tens of thousands of fortune hunters. At different times, people who individually mined yellow metal were called free bearers, lone prospectors, and even predators.

    "Black prospecting"

    In Buryatia, the history of "black prospecting" goes back to 1844, when on the territory of the present Bauntovsky district at the "Mariinsky" and "Innokentievsky" mines, 7 spools of 9 shares were mined, that is, 30 grams 216 milligrams of yellow metal. In literally 10-15 years, as Vladimir Kozulin, a well-known local historian of the Bauntovsky region, says, all rivers, springs and valleys of Vitim, Vitimkan, China, Tsipa, Tsipikan were mined by gold miners. This is how the gold rush began in the Barguzin taiga, as the Bount was called until 1925. A large gold miner of the Barguzin taiga, Yakov Frizer, in his book "Gold mining in the Barguzin district and its needs", published in Moscow in 1901, writes:

    Due to the rich gold content, work at the Solovyovka mines revived. The times of wide mines revelry have returned. The workers went to work, which lasted only a few hours, in smart boots, flannel blouses and beaver hats with a watch in their pocket and rings in their hands. Some appeared in fox beshmet and silk sashes, bought at a high price from the shoulders of the manager himself ...

    Here the gold miner wrote about those who sometimes worked for meager wages in the mines. But there were free prospectors and gold miners in the taiga, working alone or in small close-knit teams. They counted on their own strength, skill and, of course, luck. More than one and a half hundred years have passed since then, but even now there are many such people. According to the Union of Gold Producers of the Russian Federation, in the main gold-bearing regions of the country - in Chukotka, Yakutia, Krasnoyarsk and Trans-Baikal Territories, Magadan, Amur and Irkutsk Regions, the Republic of Buryatia, a total of more than 12 thousand people are engaged in black artisanal mining.

    "Golden Initiative"

    According to Anatoly Kushnarev, chairman of the committee of the People's Khural of the Republic of Belarus on economic policy, the law on "free bringing" is being discussed in the State Duma, and it may be adopted this year. However, until the law is adopted in the final reading, even the smallest handful of precious grains found by the police in a person's pocket threatens to take two to seven years. This is the 191st article of the Criminal Code.

    With renewed vigor, the issue of legalizing the free bringing of gold was raised at the recent inter-parliamentary association “Parliamentary Association of the North-West of Russia” and the Parliamentary Association “Far East and Transbaikalia” held in Blagoveshchensk. Buryatia was represented at this forum by deputies Tsydenzhap Batuev and Anatoly Kushnarev.

    Another interesting proposal is to issue a permit for gold mining for the population according to a simplified system on dumps, where the dredge has already passed, but the precious metal still remains, - said Anatoly Kushnarev.

    "Pros and cons"

    Valery Nazarov, General Director of the Zapadnaya Artel of Prospectors from Muisky District, expressed the position of the republic's prospectors.

    The position of the majority of mining enterprises towards the adoption of this law is extremely negative. All positive expected moments will be leveled, first of all, by an increase, I am sure that it will be so, theft from operating mining enterprises. We are lobbying this law and, I think, will not be adopted. I'm not saying that only our organization is opposed, this is the majority of gold mining enterprises represented by the chairman of the Union of Prospectors and Chairman of the Union of Gold Producers of Russia Sergei Kashub, - said Valery Nazarov.

    Supporters of the legalization of free money do not expect a large economic effect, a significant increase in gold mining due to this law. But the recognition of the free bringing is important in social terms, supporters of the bill say. By the way, Sergei Abramov, chairman of the Magadan Regional Duma, spoke about this at the inter-parliamentary union in Blagoveshchensk. He spoke about the experience of the pilot region. According to him, "free bringing" did not lead to an increase in gold production, but significantly reduced social tension.

    A difficult issue for the district is the permission of free bringing. The modern Russian legislation does not provide for the use of non-industrial placers, - said Nikolai Kovalev, head of the Bauntovskiy Evenk region. - To obtain a permit for gold mining, it is necessary to conduct exploration, calculate and approve reserves. There are no reserves in non-commercial placers (by definition), and there are no approved reserves - there is no mining permit. It is necessary to adjust the legislation so that it is possible to issue licenses for the extraction of gold from non-industrial placers.

    The northerners raised this question in March during the visit of the acting the head of Alexei Tsydenov to the Bauntovsky district. Not so long ago, the Bauntovsky District introduced proposals to the agenda of the congress of deputies of all levels, which will be held in Ulan-Ude in October. The chairman of the Council of Deputies, Alexander Ochirov, proposed to re-enter the federal level with a law "on free bringing" of gold.

    Prospector means to try

    In his memoirs, a pensioner, former head of the Iskra prospecting artel in the Bauntovsky District, V.I. Krasnoyarov writes: “After all, as it was before, before 1954, I lathered a gram and handed it over. They received money immediately, and no one asked where they got it. After the war, the front-line soldiers themselves organized the extraction of metal, conducted reconnaissance. After all, it was necessary to feed the family. And the schoolchildren also worked on gold all summer. From the age of 15, I myself washed gold with my father 15 km from the Borovsky site. They used butara, prohodnushka to thaw the sands in winter, carried firewood on horseback, sawed them by hand. Prospectors of the old days know how it was. It was a difficult time, but no one complained about any crisis, because everyone was busy with business. Why not now remember this experience, while there are still old miners who remember how it is done? After all, this method of extraction also has its own characteristics and specifics. They could teach young people in special courses. The area has always been based on mining. But after working off by the technique, there is rock in each side for manual extraction. Free, however, is beneficial to everyone, and, first of all, to the region. This includes deductions to the budget and new jobs. "

    Prospecting tourism

    By the way, the main argument of the opponents of free money is: "The state will not be able to control the work of the miners." In their opinion, the legalization of free bringing will not lead to any noticeable increase in gold production. On a national scale, this will amount to hundreds of kilograms, that is, a fraction of a percent. And today, without the adoption of the law, a large number of people are engaged in gold mining in a primitive manual way. And they are forced, willingly or not, to come into conflict with the law. Some of them come under the control of criminal structures.

    Most countries have long accepted the "free bringing" for granted and understood that there is no reason to prohibit mining. Ultimately, the precious metal will end up in the state treasury anyway. In the USA, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, “gold or artisanal tourism” has even gained popularity. For a modest fee, the mines give out a prospector's tray and offer to try their luck.

    Help site
    The draft law stipulates that private individuals will be allowed to extract precious metals at waste industrial sites, loose and small deposits with reserves of up to 10-15 kilograms of gold. At the moment, there are thousands of sites in Russia where gold reserves are less than 10 kg. They are not of any interest for industrial mining, however, private entrepreneurs could continue to wash the gold that remained after mining the placers. In order for individual entrepreneurs to wash gold, according to the authors of the draft law, it is necessary to simplify the procedures for accessing the subsoil for Russian citizens, to issue them without a competition (auction) simplified licenses for the use of land plots, to introduce a simplified taxation system for them, as well as a simplified procedure for accepting gold. Now the individual mining of gold, silver and non-ferrous metals, which existed in Tsarist Russia, and even in the Soviet Union until 1954, is prohibited in our country.

    Many people sometimes wonder where gold can be found. For the past few years, Russia has been ranked 5th in the world in terms of the amount of gold mined. For many Russians today, the search for gold is becoming a matter of life and a good source of income. Finding a nugget of gold is a great happiness for the passionate gold digger.

    History of gold mining in Russia

    The history of mining this mineral in Russia goes back several centuries. Russia has been in search of gold nuggets since 1719, when Peter the Great issued a decree to start gold mining. Back in the distant 18th century, the inhabitants of our country wondered how to find gold.

    For the first time, the precious metal was found at the beginning of the 18th century in Eastern Transbaikalia. The next place where the search for gold nuggets was crowned with success was Altai. But in these places, the metal was obtained not from gold deposits, but from deposits of silver-lead ores. It was possible to find native gold only many years later in the Urals. It happened in the area of ​​modern Yekaterinburg. In May 1745, an ordinary peasant Erofei Sidorovich found gold, who decided to build a house for himself. He showed his friend the gold he had found. A friend worked as a master silversmith. He realized that the gold nugget was real. Experts came to the place of the find and continued the search with the tools. But, unfortunately, then they could not find anything. Only after a long time did the search continue at this place. The gold prospectors decided to dig a mine, and then the search was crowned with success. On this territory, a gold mine was opened, which was named "Primary".

    "Gold Rush" in Russia and America

    In the 20s of the XIX century, when people realized that finding this fossil was a very real task, a real gold rush began in Russia. Mamin-Sibiryak described her very well in his novel "Gold". Since the middle of the 19th century, experts have found the answer to the question of where to look for gold, and dense mining began in many regions of our country: in Altai, in the Nerchinsk district, in the Belgorod region, in the region of many rivers of Siberia: the Yenisei, Kolyma, Lena, Amur and many others.

    At the beginning of the XXI century, the number of gold deposits in Russia totaled 5800. About 75% of all deposits today are located in Siberia and the Far East of the country. The largest volumes are mined in the Krasnoyarsk and Khabarovsk Territories, Irkutsk, Amur, Sverdlovsk, Magadan Regions, the Republic of Sakha and Buryatia, as well as in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.

    At the end of the 19th century, the gold rush swept across America. In 1896, the New World was shocked by the news that a large deposit had been discovered in the Klondike region. The whole country has come to where the gold is. From there, in less than 100 years, 390 tons of the precious metal were exported, the value of which is approximately 4.4 billion US dollars. Then the news about the places rich in these valuable minerals overtook America at the time of the deepest crisis. The country was going through a huge number of bankruptcies then, because the economy suffered from stock surges. Thousands of people went to Alaska in search of gold nuggets. As a result, the gold rush had a good effect on the development of the economies of Western Canada, Alaska, and the northwestern part of the United States.

    Mining devices

    To start mining, you need to purchase some equipment:

    1. Metal detector. Today it is not difficult to buy a metal detector. They are sold in every city, you can also order them in the online store. Metal detectors vary in performance. They have different working cleanliness, detection depth, device power supply, discrimination quality, i.e. the ability to distinguish between metals.
    2. Tester. This is a device that determines the content of the precious metal in the alloy within 5 seconds.
    3. Gold tester. These devices are powered by electricity. They have tentacles with high sensitivity. With their help, you can search for metal at the bottom of the river and in other hard-to-reach places. If we find nests of gold, a light on the device will signal this. When we search with a probe, the process becomes much faster and better.
    4. Trays. Devices for filtering water in streams in order to find out the presence of gold in it.

    Gold mining technologies

    There are three main methods of how to search for gold:

    1. Dredge extraction. It is a gold mining machine designed to flush water from a river. It is based on the principle of a tray, but there are a lot of trays on it. However, the dredge has a deplorable effect on the environment, destroying rivers.
    2. Extraction by gravitational differentiation. The technology consists in crushing rock containing metal. After crushing, the entire mass is placed in a special centrifuge, in which the metal is separated from the rest of the mass.
    3. Metal detector. On average, it is believed that there are only 5 kg of pure gold per ton of land. Thus, gold mining is a rather unprofitable undertaking. However, there are deposits in which the gold content is much higher. You can find such deposits using a metal detector.

    Mining with a metal detector

    If earlier the fossil was mined without a metal detector, then in 1996 special devices appeared in Russia, with which it became much easier to go in search of gold nuggets. Like many years ago, people looking for gold are worried about where to look for gold. Many people go in search of gold nuggets every year. If the trip for gold is crowned with success, you can significantly increase your fortune. To date, the cost of one gram of 375 samples is 980 rubles, 500 samples - 1280 rubles, and 583/585 - 1850 rubles. As you can see, gold mining is a very profitable business. Where is the maximum gold?

    The best place to mine gold

    Many people ask if there is gold in the mountains? The answer is unequivocal - yes, there is. Mountain streams are a very “fishy” place for gold prospectors. Neither the sea, nor the swamp, nor the rivers provide so many opportunities for gold miners. Gold mining in streams is a very good solution. The metal gets into them from the mountain slopes. All lighter rocks are carried away by water, and gold, due to its weight, accumulates and forms gold-bearing placers. In Russia, a record amount of gold is contained in mountain streams. In search of gold nuggets, gold diggers turn to rafts - these are bedrocks that lie under the pebbles of the stream. This is where the gold is deposited. The carrot under the pebbles of the stream contains the largest nuggets of gold. Over the raft, of course, there is also gold, but in much smaller quantities. The higher the distance from the raft, the less likely it is to find gold.

    When searching for gold with a metal detector, the difficulty arises that sometimes it is so deep that it is not possible to get it with a metal detector. Therefore, you need to choose places where the raft is as close to the surface as possible. Such places are often found in the form of rocks. For example, there are many of them in Buryatia. The surface of the rocks was once the bottom of the stream, but after that the stream created a deeper channel. By the way, it will also be useful to examine the territory of the rocks above the water at an altitude of 15-20 m. The gold deposits in the cracks of the rocks will help to easily identify the metal detector. In case there are no obvious rocks, it is advisable to survey the entire stream in the hope of good luck. By the way, there are criteria by which it is possible to determine the probability of finding gold in a stream. A specific indication of the presence of gold in the brook is the large amount of quartz pebbles and boulders. Gold is often found in quartz veins.

    There is another technique for determining if gold can be found in a stream - washing. This is an old way of searching for gold, and flushing should be done about 500 m above the estuary. Washing is carried out with a special tray. If at least one piece of gold was found in the tray during flushing, then there is a high probability of finding gold in this place. But the tray is not a one hundred percent diagnostic method, since large pieces of gold do not come across it, but only small grains. To search in streams, you need to use more sensitive metal detectors, such as EurekaGold, SD2200, GP3000.

    Is there gold in the earth?

    Gold prospectors are worried about whether gold can be found in the earth. Experts say yes. A myriad of wealth is stored underground. What are the ways to extract gold from underground? First, you can search with a metal detector equipped with a special discriminator, a device that helps identify precious metals. But, in addition to the classical method, some people go in search of gold without professional equipment, relying on miraculous devices, like a vine. The vine is a kind of pendulum that supposedly changes the nature of its movement when approaching the cherished place with gold. But such mining methods are far from scientific. Of course, it is better to go in search, armed with special tools, and not rely on magic.