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Gold mining by hand in Buryatia. Mineral resources of Buryatia. Work in gold mining, at the mine of JSC "Buryatzoloto"

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 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. 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 for 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 turn around for a period of 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 income 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 use of non-industrial placers is not provided for by modern Russian legislation, - said Nikolai Kovalev, head of the Bauntovsky 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 issue in March during the visit of the acting the head of Alexei Tsydenov to the Bauntovsky district. Not so long ago, the Bauntovsky district made 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. 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 prospectors 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 equipment, 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, but 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 bill, it is necessary to simplify the procedures for accessing the subsoil for Russian citizens, to issue them without a competition (auction) simplified licenses to use 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.

​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 extraction of minerals in the region, the problems of the industrial sector, as well as his proposals 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 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 a small 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 of the Druza JSC in Buryatia, 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, over the past three years, dozens of geological exploration licenses have been issued on an application basis. 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, Dividing line, 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 a nature protection zone. Thus, the MVS corporation was forced to surrender a 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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    • The Bauntovsky area is one of the gold-bearing ones. Gold mining has been ongoing here for over 150 years. 1994 marked the 150th anniversary of the gold mining industry. The total production, one way or another documented, is estimated at about 120-130 tons.
    Most of the explored, exploited and worked-out gold placers are concentrated in the area adjacent to the Vitim plateau and on the northwestern edge of the plateau itself. The following gold-bearing nodes are distinguished adjacent to each other:
    - Karaftitsky (valley of p.p. Vitimkan, Gorbylka, Vitim with tributaries)
    - Troitsky (valleys p.p. Chiny, Chinokana, Alakar with tributaries)
    - Auniko-Bagdara (valleys of the rivers Bagdarinka, M. Amalat with tributaries)
    - Amalat (Big Amalat with tributaries)
    - Tsipikan (valleys of the rivers Tsipikan, Taloy with tributaries)
    - Verkhne-Tsipikansky
    - Wakit
    - Kydzhimitsky
    The development of gold-bearing areas in the taiga proceeded at an amazingly fast pace. In 1845, placers began to be mined along Vitimkan. In 1847 in the Auniko-Bagdara region, in 1861 - in Troitsky, etc. Discoveries followed discoveries.
    Information about gold mining up to the 30s of the last century is contradictory. By the owners of mines, companies and partnerships, and free gold miners, not all of the gold mined was taken into account in the reporting that existed at that time. Some of the gold was carried away outside the region, some remained in local products and hoards.
    Currently, 14 enterprises are engaged in gold mining in the Bauntovsky District.
    The labor of gold miners at all times is associated with difficulties and hardships, great dedication and dedication. Let's talk only about the main gold mining enterprises that make up the backbone of the Bauntovsky district.
    One of the oldest gold mining enterprises is the Tsipikansky mine. It is generally accepted that the mine was founded on February 1, 1935, but the fact that the prerequisites for its appearance have an earlier date, even from pre-revolutionary times, is indisputable. that the gold mine is being transformed into a powerful gold mining industry, equipped with modern mining equipment, washing technologies. All this has a mine. And a modern concentrating plant allows for the secondary processing of gold-containing products. Two dredges and floating factories worked in the mine. This is the legendary dredge 64, imported tenant A. Novomeisky in 1912, many saw it in the feature film Morning of the Doomed Mine.This machine has a glorious work history.It was created in Great Britain for a joint-stock company that decided to mine gold in New Zealand due to the fact that in New Zealand the expected did not provide gold axle, the company burned out, and our enterprising compatriots bought this car at a very reasonable price. The story of how this car was delivered to the Barguzin taiga, and this is how the Bauntovskaya taiga was previously called) requires a separate story. The jack of all trades, which our oldest industrial enterprise is justly proud of, "old lady 64" was modernized from a steam drive to an electric drive; , which made it possible to engage in flushing until late autumn. And 80-liter, manufactured at the Irkutsk Heavy Engineering Plant.
    Today, dredging is no longer carried out. The team of the mine is currently engaged in open-pit gold mining in shallow placers, although in previous years, underground work was also carried out.
    In 1971, a gold mining enterprise, the Iskra prospector artel, was established. In 1972, they mined the Eduardovsky Uval placers at Vitimkan and the Nikolaevsky key. They mined 62 kg of gold, 24 rubles per workday, decent earnings at that time. In 1974, the artels identified a new deposit in a hard-to-reach place in the taiga on the Yaksha Key, a tributary of the Gorbylok River. The explored reserves of gold made it possible to increase the extraction of the precious metal. Today, the Iskra artel is a large diversified enterprise that carries out the extraction of precious metals, geological exploration, construction, and road construction.
    Since 1967, the Voskhod artel was formed. The artel handed over its first gold in the amount of 77 kg to the mine. 23 people started to work. Since 1974, V.I. Krivonosov became the chairman of the artel. Under his leadership, the artel in 1977 crossed the line of gold mining for 100 kg. During its existence, the Voskhod prospecting artel mined 3.5 tons of gold, 522 kg of silver, worked out 14 alluvial gold deposits. Today it is a stable operating enterprise, which celebrated its 35th anniversary last year.
    On November 15, 1975, the Rassvet prospectors' artel was created. The first gold was removed from the washing plant in 1976. Over the years, the artel has mined more than 3.5 tons of gold. Completed mining of placers: Stepanikha, Gorbylevsky, Pospogochny, Novaya Bombakhta, Zhitonda, Bombando, Pokrovsky. In 1994, the artel took a new placer of Verkhnyaya China. This is one of the most difficult placers in terms of mining and geological characteristics. However, despite all the difficulties, 100 kg of gold were mined here in the first season. The day is not far off when the artel will celebrate its 30th anniversary.
    A mining and geological company operates in the region. It included: prospecting artels Yaksha, Tsipikan and the Bagdarin expedition. The company is engaged in gold mining and conducts geological exploration in the territory of the region. Last year, the company produced 109 kg of precious metal, an increase in ore gold reserves of 836 kg was given.
    Closed joint-stock company Vitnmgeoprom was organized on April 13, 1992. Carries out gold mining in the republics of Buryatia and Mongolia. The production level in Buryatia was about 850 kg, in Mongolia - 2 tons. Vitimgeoprom also conducts prospecting and exploration of gold placers in Buryatia and Mongolia. Over the years of activity, 8 placers have been discovered and explored on the territory of Buryatia, and 5 placers have been discovered in Mongolia. Under the contract with JSC Khiagda, we performed drilling operations at the Khiagda field to carry out operations using the method of in-situ leaching of uranium. Since 2000, underground mining has been resumed at the Ivanovsky site
    the newly created artel "Enthusiasts". But faced with numerous problems in this undertaking, the artel ceased to exist, was transformed into a subsidiary of Vitimgeoprom CJSC - "Vitim Miner", thus underground mining has development and excellent prospects in our area.
    The Yeleninsky artel has been working in the region since 1993. Prospectors mine gold at two deposits under the Buryatzoloto licenses and for one deposit - Staro-Ivanovsky has its own license. Last year, the Staro-Ivanovsky production site took first place among other sites. Artel Yeleninsky annually fulfills the gold mining quota. This year the artel celebrates its 10th anniversary.
    Gold mining is the basis of existence in the region. Now the miners are in a busy time - they are preparing for the washing season. Quotas have been brought to every gold mining enterprise, and they are considerable. In general, it is necessary to extract 1,580 kg of precious metal in the region.

    S V E D E N I
    On gold mining as of June 10, 2004 by gold mining enterprises
    Bauntovsky district (end of the industrial season)

    Company name

    Quota for 2004 (kg)

    Fact. performance

    % completion

    for the same period last year

    deviation (+, -)

    CJSC a / s Iskra (including Bount)

    20.8

    17.0

    OJSC Mine Tsipikansky

    15.0

    Vitimgeoprom CJSC (including Vitim Gornyak LLC)

    CJSC Bagdara Mining and Geological Company

    12.0

    17.0

    LLC a / s Eleninsky

    18.0

    12.0

    JSC a / s Rassvet

    SREO Dylacha

    10.0

    LLC a / s Sever

    13.0

    13.0

    JSC a / s Voskhod

    Chinakan LLC

    LLC a / s Ukshum

    Total:

    1420

    60.6

    91.8

    "Gold rules the world" - these words from the recent past are still relevant today. "Ducats shine in the eyes" is a sure sign of the gold rush that has taken hold of man. Pirates and conquistadors, kings and emperors, greedy bankers and oligarchs, treasure hunters and, of course, pioneer prospectors - modern garimpeiros are susceptible to this virtual disease. The gold rush epidemic has always accompanied the "golden boom" - the next discovery of a large gold province. At the end of the last century and the beginning of the last century, one boom was replaced by another. After California, the boom hit Alaska and northern Canada; across South Africa and Australia. The boom was accompanied by a noticeable migration of the male half of humanity. Obsessed with the gold rush, prospectors, armed with a pick and a shovel, brigades and one by one moved to the place of discovery of the next gold-bearing area in the hope of good luck. The boom exploded unexpectedly, then gradually subsided; lone prospectors were driven out by medium and large mining companies, which were eventually swallowed up by the sharks of the gold business of our time - the super corporations. In our time, they have divided all the gold in the world into approximately equal shares.

    In 1850-1870, the "gold rush" reached the territory of Russia and covered the whole of Eastern Siberia - rich placers of gold were discovered in the Barguzin taiga, Bodaibo, Aldan, Dauria, and immediately numerous mines began to appear. Intensive settlement of lands began in Transbaikalia and the Amur region. In the same period, the first studies of the geology of Transbaikalia, Yakutia and the Far East were carried out. And the opening of the Karalon mines in the Muya taiga (1898) attracted a new mass of prospectors here. Thus, gold mining began on the territory of the modern Republic of Buryatia, mainly from rich placers. The amount of gold mined from them grew steadily until 1914. The First World War, a series of revolutions, the protracted civil war in Transbaikalia, accompanied by a wave of banditry, did not contribute to the development of gold mining.

    In the Soviet years, gold mining was carried out almost exclusively from placers and did not exceed 1.5-2 tons per year. In 1939, searches for primary sources of placers began in Buryatia. As a result, the Kedrovskoye field was discovered first (1940), then Zun-Kholba (1955) and in 1959 Irokinda.

    In 1991, with the establishment of Buryatzoloto CJSC, work on the development of the main ore deposits of the Republic - Zun-Kholby and Irokindy - reached a new quality level. In 1995 Buryatzoloto became an OJSC and, immediately after that, 30% of the company's shares were sold to the Canadian company High River Gold (HRG) through an open auction. By 2005 HRG increased its stake in Buryatzoloto OJSC to 85%. The management of Buryatzoloto is now managed by the Russian Severstal-Resource, which at the end of 2008 became the owner of a 53% stake in HRG. In addition to Zun-Kholba and Irokinda, HRG owns the placers of the Tsipikan River valley. With the commissioning of the Zun-Kholbinsky mine (1994), production in Buryatia increased sharply to 5.0 tons, and then within five years did not exceed the level of 4.5-4.6 tons per year.

    In 1997. the development of the Kedrovskoye deposit by Zapadnaya Prospectors Artel began. In the period 2000–2011, the ratio of ore and placer gold production changed - from 61% and 39% to 80% and 20%, respectively. Thus, at present most of the gold in Buryatia is mined from primary deposits. Over the entire period under review, more than 200 tons of gold have been mined on the territory of Buryatia.

    This review article is based on the data available to the author, published in scientific and periodicals, Internet sources, as well as the author's expert assessments. The main goal of this work is to assess the prospects for the development of gold mining in the Republic of Buryatia for the near and medium term (10-15 years).

    Rice. 1. Placement of the main gold deposits on the territory of the Republic of Buryatia.

    Brief information about Buryatia (Data from the official portal of the state power of the Republic of Buryatia (http://egov-buryatia.ru).

    The Republic of Buryatia is a constituent entity of the Russian Federation and is part of the Siberian Federal District. The administrative, economic and cultural center of the republic is Ulan-Ude. The distance by rail from Ulan-Ude to Moscow is 5519 km, and to the Pacific Ocean - 3500 km. The area of ​​the Republic of Buryatia is 351.3 thousand square kilometers. Buryatia is located in the southern part of Eastern Siberia, south and east of Lake Baikal. In the south, the Republic of Buryatia borders with Mongolia, in the southwest - with the Republic of Tuva, in the northwest - with the Irkutsk region, in the east - with the Trans-Baikal Territory (Fig. 1).

    There are 21 municipal districts on the territory of the republic. The population is 974.3 thousand people, the average population density is 3.0 people. for 1 sq. km. The urban population is about 60% of the total population of the republic, the rural population is about 40%, and about 30% of the population of the republic lives in the capital of the republic. The indigenous population of the republic is Buryats, Evenks and Soyots. The ethnic composition of the republic, according to the 1989 census, was as follows: Russians - 70%, Buryats - 24%, Ukrainians - 2.2%, other nationalities - 3.8%.

    The climate of Buryatia is sharply continental, with cold winters and hot summers. On the territory of Buryatia there is a large part (about 60% of the coastline) of Lake Baikal - the deepest freshwater lake in the world. The length of Lake Baikal is 636 km, the width is from 25 to 79 km. The total length of the coastline of Lake Baikal is 2100 km, and the area of ​​the water area is 31.5 thousand square meters. The maximum depth is 1637 m, the average is 730 m. Baikal is a natural reservoir of one fifth of the world's fresh water reserves of the highest quality.

    Geological structure and metallogeny

    The uniqueness of the geological structure of the territory of Buryatia is associated with its location in the Central Asian (Mongol-Okhotsk) fold belt, with a wide development of granite rocks (Angara-Vitim granite batholith is one of the largest in the world, with an outlet area in the north of Buryatia of more than 100,000 sq. km), the presence of an inland rift zone, in which the pearl of Russia is located - the unique Baikal.

    Geologically, Buryatia is a very heterogeneous territory. Almost all of its area is composed of crystalline rocks that come to the surface or are covered with a cover of loose Quaternary sediments. Metamorphic rocks of the highest stage of metamorphism compose separate massifs or blocks: Severo-Muiskaya. Yuzhno-Muiskaya. Amalat. Baikal. Khamar-Dabanskaya, finally, a number of blocks - both narrow, elongated, and short, isometric - in the Eastern Sayan. On the folded Baikal-Caledonian base there are strata, partly related to the Upper Paleozoic, mainly to the Lower and Middle Mesozoic. Buryatia is a country of igneous rocks, which occupy almost 50% of the area of ​​the entire republic. Their abundance, petrographic and geological diversity, various contact effects on the host rocks, and hydrothermal activity associated with intrusions led to the formation of numerous ore occurrences and deposits in the territory of Buryatia (gold, molybdenum, tungsten, uranium, titanium, iron, asbestos, fluorite, graphite, etc.). ).

    The main gold deposits of Buryatia are concentrated within two regions - East Sayan and Yuzhno-Muisky. The Eastern Sayan region is a very complexly built folded-block structure, composed of ancient metamorphosed rocks, with a wide development of intrusive formations. Within the region, 9 gold-bearing zones have been identified, confined to large tectonic faults, and 15 ore fields within their boundaries.

    Geologically, the Yuzhno-Muisky region is very complex. The main structural unit of the region is the South-Muya block of Archeya, bounded from the west by the Kilyano-Irokinda, and from the east by the Tuldunskaya by mobile zones of deep faults. Structural nodes are formed at the intersections of longitudinal and transverse fault zones, to which the main gold fields are confined. There are five gold ore zones and more than 10 ore fields in the region. The Irokinda ore field is entirely located within the Yuzhno-Muiskaya block. To the east of the block is the Kedrovskoe ore field, to the west - Petelinskoe, south of Vitimskoe and Tilishinskoe. Alluvial placers are widely developed in the region, which have been mined by prospectors for more than 150 years.

    Prospects for identifying new gold deposits of various genetic and morphological types are: Okinsky, Bauntovsky, Severo-Baikalsky, Muisky and Zakamensky geological and economic regions. The metallogenic analysis of the resource potential of these regions makes it possible to confidently predict the identification of at least 5–6 large and a number of medium-sized ore gold deposits.

    Buryatia, occupying a little more than 2 percent of the area of ​​Russia, contains a large gold potential in its bowels. In terms of balance reserves of gold, the Republic of Buryatia ranks 14th among the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Placer gold reserves are 16.4%, ore - 53.7%. About 30% of gold reserves are located in complex polymetallic deposits, which are currently not being developed. The distributed fund contains 100% of ore gold reserves and 70.5% of placer gold reserves. The unallocated fund contains the least attractive placer deposits for development - small, remote, with low metal contents and buried placers. Balance reserves of gold in Buryatia are accounted for at 304 deposits, including 282 placer deposits; 19 indigenous, 1 technogenic and 2 complex. In general, in the republic as of 01.01.2010, gold reserves amount to 100.7 tons, the tested forecast resources of ore gold are estimated at 1,311 tons, including cat. Р 1 - 117 tons, Р 2 - 448 tons, Р 3 - 741 tons.

    On the territory of the republic, the balance reserves are distributed as follows: East Sayan region - 44%, adjacent Severo-Baikalsky, Muisky and Ikat-Bagdara regions - 43%, Dzhidinsky and Kurba-Yeravnensky regions - 13%.

    In addition to traditional gold deposits of quartz-vein type and mineralized zones, new types of gold deposits are predicted on the territory of Buryatia: stockwork gold-porphyry; weathering crust deposits; complex deposits enriched with gold. According to the latest estimate by Buryatnedra, the estimated inferred resources (metallogenic potential P4) of gold within the Republic of Buryatia are 4100 tons of gold.

    It should be noted that the Kurba-Eravninsky ore region also has proven reserves and resources of gold. There are gold-bearing zinc ores of the Nazarov deposit and a number of other, less significant objects. Extraction of gold from these deposits is possible with complex ore processing.

    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.

    Main ore deposits

    At present, Buryatzoloto OJSC is developing three ore gold deposits with two mines - Zun-Kholbinskoye (Kholbinsky mine), Irokindinskoye and Kvartsevoye (Irokindinsky mine), in which 95% of the company's reserves are concentrated (Fig. 1).

    Deposits of the Kholbinsky ore field, including Zun-Kholbinskoye, Barun-Kholbinskoye and Vodorazdelnoe, are located in the southeastern part of the Eastern Sayan, within the Okinsky region of Buryatia, 200 km west of the Slyudyanka railway station of the Trans-Siberian mainline and 60 km from the village. Mondy, located on the Slyudyanka - Kultuk MPR highway. Deposits of the Kholbinsk group are confined to a single northwestern ore-controlling zone of crumpling and shearing, 15 km long and 3–4 km thick. The Barun-Kholbinskoye deposit lies in the Archean gneissic granites in the exocontact of the granite massif and is overlain by the Proterozoic shale-carbonate strata, which screens the spread of gold mineralization. The deposit is represented by a series of parallel ore-bearing zones. The length of the explored ore pillars is 30–80 m along the strike, along the dip - 250–300 m. The average gold content in them is 34.2 g / t. The Zun-Kholbinskoye field is controlled by the tectonic contact of Proterozoic limestones with Cambrian plagiogranites.

    The Zun-Kholba deposit lies within a narrow anticline located between two Archean intrusions. The anticline is composed of highly folded and metamorphosed Proterozoic volcanics and sedimentary rocks (limestones, sandstones, crystalline shales and tuffs). Gold mineralization is controlled by 3 subparallel shear zones that extend axially along the anticline. Gold mineralization is localized within 13 subvertical and echeloned gold-bearing mineralized zones of collapse, containing veins of quartz-sulfide composition with a strike length of 50 to 100 m.The thickness of the latter ranges from 0.3 to 8 m, averaging about 2 m. the length of the ore bodies is approximately 3 km, and along the dip they are traced to a depth of 1 km. Gold mineralization is largely associated with quartz-sulfide veins, and is also occasionally found in altered host rocks. Pyrite makes up 7–8% of the volume of mineralized rocks. Gold within the ore is disseminated and very fine-grained (less than 0.07 mm).

    At the Vodorazdelnoye deposit, one quartz-sulphide vein with Bonant gold distribution (up to 20–40 kg / t) is of industrial importance.

    A mine operates at the Zun-Kholbinskoye deposit Holbinsky and an enrichment plant with a hydrometallurgical workshop (JSC Buryat-gold has been working on the deposit since 1991). According to the results of exploration work, the reserves amounted to 83.7 tons with an average gold grade in ores of 10.9 g / t. - 86.0 tons. To date, about 40 tons of gold have been mined. In 2010, production amounted to 2030 kg, the average grade of 8.3 g / t of gold. The table summarizes the reserves and resources of the field (according to HRG data).

    Tab. 1.

    To date, the reserves of the upper, upland part of the deposit have practically been exhausted and the deep mine horizons of the deposit are being developed. Due to the exploration of the preliminary estimated gold reserves of the Zun-Kholbinskoye deposit, taking into account the resulting increase in reserves, as well as the involvement in the development of nearby deposits - Granitnoye, Samartinskoye, Levo-Samartinskoye, Pravoberezhnoye and Smezhnoye (with total reserves of 1728 kg), the life of the mine may be increased by 10 years. The life of the mine can also be increased by assessing the possibility of involving the reserves of the Zun-Kholbinskoye deposit, decommissioned in 1997 and 2002.

    Mine Irokindinsky has been working on the eponymous deposit since 1991 and the Kvartsevo deposit since 2000. The Irokindinskoye field is located in the Bauntovsky district at a distance of 50 km from the BAM, which is connected by a road. The Irokinda ore field is confined to the Archean rocks, represented by garnet-pyroxene, biotite-garnet and other paragneisses. Igneous rocks of various compositions, from ultrabasic to basic, are distributed within its limits. Archean metamorphic rocks compose in the central part of the ore field a syncline of meridional strike with a northward dip of the axis. Gold-quartz veins are localized in extended (up to 10–12 km) tectonic shear zones. More than 100 veins have been identified in the ore field, about 20 have been explored in detail, the rest are under study. Most of the veins are characterized from the surface by poor gold content, although there are examples of explored ore pillars, when large and rich ore bodies were represented on the surface by veins with poor mineralization. The veins are discontinuous in the structures, their length is from 60 m to 1500 m with a thickness of 0.1 m to 5 m. In the areas of blow-outs, the veins often contain xenoliths of the host rocks. The ore pillars within the veins do not exceed 30–120 m along the strike, and 250 m along the dip. The boundaries of the pillars are determined based on the sampling results. The composition of the ores is simple - essentially quartz with an admixture of sulfides up to 0.5%. But in exceptional cases (Osinovaya railway station) the number of the latter can reach 5–6%. Gold in ores is free, the size of gold grains is on average 2-3 mm, fineness varies from 560-850. Average grades in ore pillars in the Irokinda deposit are: gold 28.0 g / t, silver 37.7 g / t. 16 ore bodies are mined. In total, about 30 tons of gold have been mined at the mine to date. After exploration, the gold reserves of the Irokindinskoye deposit were 9.3 tons with an average gold grade of 23.1 g / t. During 1991-2002, the mine produced 13.9 tons of gold at the deposit. During the same time, as a result of the geological exploration work carried out, Buryatzoloto OJSC received an increase in reserves - 16.4 tons, thereby providing the Irokindinsky mine with a simple reproduction of the mineral resource base. In 2010, production amounted to 2160 kg, the average gold grade is 8.3 g / t. The table summarizes the reserves and resources of the field (according to HRG data):

    Tab. 2.

    With the achieved maximum level of gold production of 2,200 kg, the Irokindinsky mine has proven reserves of no more than 3 years. The life of this enterprise can be increased due to the successful continuation of prospecting, appraisal and prospecting works in the area of ​​the Irokinda ore cluster, including the Irokinda, Petelinskoe and Tilishminskoe ore fields. The predicted gold resources in this territory, preliminary tested by TsNIGRI as of 01.07.03, total 141.5 tons, incl. cat. Р1 –15.5 t, cat. P2 - 60 t and cat. Р3 - 66 t.

    Mine Kedrovsky has been working on the field of the same name since 1997. The Kedrovskoye field is located in the Bauntovsky district at a distance of 50 km from the Shivera station of the BAM and the village. Vitim, with which it is connected by road. The deposit was explored during 1944-1961. Quartz veins and vein metasomatites are gold-bearing. The type of ore is low-sulphide quartz and quartz-sulphide. The obtained reserves amounted to about 6 tons of gold with an average grade of 16 g / t. In 1954-1960, experimental mining of the Barguzinskaya-1 vein was carried out. However, information about the amount of mined gold has not been preserved. More than 100 veins are known within the Kedrovsky ore field. The distribution of gold in the ores of the Kedrovskoye ore field is very uneven - ore pillars in the veins are replaced by vast areas with low metal contents. There are cases of discovery of nuggets weighing up to 300 g (Aspen-II vein). The length of the veins is more than 400 m along the strike and along the dip, the thickness is from 0.1 to 10 m. Of the 36 known veins that were marked on the map of the licensed area of ​​Kedrovka, at present only six have been tested at depth. In total, about 20 tons of gold have been mined to date. In 2010, production amounted to 755 kg. The table summarizes the reserves and resources of the deposit (according to Zapadnaya Prospectors Artel OJSC):

    State and problems of the gold mining industry

    In terms of gold production, Buryatia ranks 9th in Russia and third in the Siberian Federal District. The modern raw material base of gold mining is based on the deposits of the Okinsky, Bauntovsky, Muisky, Severo-Baikalsky, Khorinsky and Zakamensky regions. In 2010, gold production in the republic decreased by 8.8% compared to 2009 (to 6.021 tons), including: from primary deposits - by 5.4% (to 4.981 tons) and from placers - by 21.9 % (up to 1.04 t). The main contribution to gold mining was provided by (kg): JSC "Buryatzoloto" (subsidiary of Nordgold N.V. Severstal) - 4170 (11% less than in 2009); LLC A / s Zapadnaya - 755 (30.3% more than in 2009); Vitimgeoprom CJSC - 302 (22.7% more than in 2009); LLC A / s Sininda-1 - 232 (35.7% less than in 2009); LLC A / s Kurba - 199 (25.5% less than in 2009) and LLC Priisk Tsipikansky - 173 (6.9% more than in 2009). Gold mining in Buryatia in 2011 remained at the level of 6.1 tons. Most of the gold in the republic is mined at three primary gold deposits proper. The rest (18%) is mined from placers.

    According to the dynamics of mining of ore gold for almost 7 years (from 2004 to 2011), the amount of mined ore gold has been kept at the same level and averages about 5 tons. The main mines of the republic are operating relatively stably, however, in relation to 2004, both Kholbinsky and Irokindinsky retains a downward trend in 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 a sharp increase in the cost of mined metal due to the ever-increasing mining conditions of development, as well as a decrease in funding for geological exploration. On the contrary, at the Kedrovskoye field, there is a tendency to increase production.

    As of 01.10.2010 (ore gold), subsoil users own 4 mining licenses, 27 licenses for geological exploration and associated production, 3 licenses for geological exploration. Currently, three primary gold deposits are being developed (Zun-Kholbinskoye, Irokindinskoye and Kedrovskoye), which account for 77% of the balance reserves of ore gold. Provision of operating mining enterprises with proven reserves as of 01.01.10 is: Irokinda - 1, 3 years, Kholbinsky - 3-5 years, Kedrovskoe - 10 years.

    Rice. 2. Dynamics and forecast of gold production in the Republic of Buryatia (Bakhtin et al. 2007) with additions.

    The following ore objects are being prepared for development: Konevinskoe (LLC Khuzhir-Enterprise), Nerundinskoe (LLC Sininda-1), Rudnaya Gorka (Troitskoe) - (LLC Troitskoe), Barun-Kholbinskoe (CJSC Zun-Khada ), Zun-Ospinskoye (LLC "a / s Kitoy"), Zegen-Golskoye (LLC "Mining Company Olimp"), In addition, a revaluation is being carried out from new positions (from vein to vein-vein type of mineralization) of the Ukuchikta and Vodorazdelnoe deposits. The design annual gold production at the Barun-Kholbinskoye deposit is 300-400 kg, at the Zun-Ospinskoye deposit - 500 kg, the Konevinskoye deposit - 2 tons, the Nerunda deposit - 1.5 tons, the Rudnaya Gorka (Troitskoe) deposit - 1 ton, as well as when reevaluating the Ukuchikta and Vodorazdelnoye deposits - 300 kg, the Zegen-Golskoye deposit - 2 tons.

    According to V.I. Bakhtina et al. (2007) (Exploration and protection of mineral resources, 2007, No. 12, p. 15-21) there are two possible options for the further development of the gold mining industry of the Republic of Buryatia. With an active (500 million rubles, including the budget of the Russian Federation - 350 million rubles, own funds - 150 million rubles), with an annual increase in allocations (at the expense of the budget of the Russian Federation - 150 million rubles, for own funds account - 100 million rubles.) of financing exploration by 2020, the volume of production can reach 19,800 kg of gold (Fig. 2), with passive (270 million rubles, including the budget of the Russian Federation - 350 million rubles. , own funds - 150 million rubles), without an annual increase in appropriations, financing of geological exploration, the volume of gold production will not exceed 11,000 kg.

    Gold (alluvial). To develop placer deposits, the subsoil users of Buryatia had (as of 01.01.2007) 61 production licenses, 76 licenses for geological exploration and associated production, 29 licenses for geological exploration. Placer gold mining is carried out in the Severo-Baikalsky, Muisky, Bauntovsky, Khorinsky and Zakamensky regions, where 228 small placers (20-500 kg) with a low and medium gold content (400-1000 mg / m3) have been explored. In 2010, gold production from alluvial deposits amounted to 1.04 tons. The largest amount of alluvial gold was mined in the Bauntovsky region, followed by the Muisky, Severo-Baikalsky and Zakamensky regions. The share of other regions (Khorinsky, Yeravninsky and Pribaikalsky) is not large (4%). Of the total number of enterprises developing alluvial gold deposits, 50% are provided with reserves for a period of less than three years. Among them are such stable operating enterprises as Sininda 1, Prospectors of Zakamensk and Karalona, ​​Vitimgeoprom and Dzhida tungsten. There are 2 groups of gold mining enterprises: the first of which extracts from 1.5 to 2.2 kg per worker, the second with a production level of 0.5-1.4 kg.

    An increase in the volume of alluvial gold mining over three tons is possible, firstly, due to the involvement in the development of reserves (8196 kg) of deep-lying placers of the distributed fund and the state reserve, and a significant proportion of fine and thin gold; thirdly, the involvement of gold-bearing weathering crusts. The Tsipikanskaya, Taloiskaya, Alakarskaya, Gorbylokskaya, Chininskaya, Vitimkanskaya and Malo-Amalatskaya depressions of the Bauntovskiy area have great prospects for identifying placers of tectonic scarps, similar to the Tilishma scarp placer explored and currently being exploited in the Muya region; Kydzhimitskaya, Alyanginskaya, Zazinskaya and Yeravninskaya depressions of Muisky and Kurba-Yeravninsky districts. The predictive potential of such placers in Buryatia has not been estimated. There is a great potential - 80–100 tons of placer gold content in the so-called “yellow cuts”, which are widespread in the Bauntovsky region in the basins of the Karaftit, Vitimkan and others rivers. Solving the problem of extracting thin gold from these open-pit mines will make it possible to strengthen the resource base of alluvial gold content and increase alluvial gold production or keep it at the level of 5.0 tons per year.

    Conclusion

    The development strategy of the Republic of Buryatia provides for an increase in gold production by 2020 to 19,800 kg (Bakhtin et al, 2007). A number of promising gold deposits are being prepared in the republic for development: Konevinskoe (LLC Khuzhir-Enterprise), Nerundinskoe (LLC Sininda-1), Rudnaya Gorka (Troitskoe) - (LLC Troitskoe), Barun-Kholbinskoe (CJSC Zun -Khada "), Zun-Ospinskoe (LLC" a / s Kitoy "), Zegen-Golskoe (LLC" Mining Company Olimp "). Dividing line.

    Despite the almost 60-year history of geological exploration, the study of the gold-ore regions of the Republic of Buryatia is insufficient.

    At the same time, in relation to 2004, the Kholbinsky and Irokindinsky mines of Buryatzoloto OJSC maintain a downward trend in metal production, which may become more pronounced in the next 2-3 years. On the other hand, the opposite tendency is observed at the Ukdrovsky mine of OJSC Prospectors Artel Zapadnaya. The proven reserves of the mined deposits are not high: Kedrovskoe - 9 years, Irokindinskoe - 2 years, Zun-Kholbinskoe - 5 years.

    In the republic, an increase in alluvial gold production is possible, firstly, due to the involvement in the development of existing reserves of deep-lying placers, and secondly, due to the processing of hale-ephelial dumps (GEO) on technogenic placers with a significant share of fine and fine gold, and thirdly , involvement of gold-bearing weathering crusts and placers of tectonic scarps, as well as gold-bearing "yellow sections".

    A.V. Volkov - IGEM RAN

    The State Duma received a draft law allowing individual entrepreneurs to be allowed to mine alluvial gold in areas that are not of industrial importance. The corresponding bill was submitted to the State Duma of the Russian Federation on September 20. Potential innovation is welcomed in Buryatia

    According to the draft law, private individuals will be allowed to extract precious metals at waste industrial sites, loose deposits and small deposits with reserves of up to 10-15 kilograms of gold.

    As the developers of the bill, members of the Federation Council, point out, there are currently thousands of sites in Russia where gold reserves are less than ten kilograms. They are not of any interest for industrial mining, but private entrepreneurs could continue to wash the gold that remained after mining the placers.

    The development of such small objects is economically feasible only by individual entrepreneurs in the context of a simplified procedure for access to subsoil and preferential taxation, the document says.

    According to Georgy Yalovik, head of the subsoil use department in Buryatia, several regions have a problem related to the free supply of gold. These are the Magadan region, the republics of Buryatia, Sakha and the Trans-Baikal Territory.

    This topic has been awakened for a long time, for more than a dozen years. For example, what seems to be unprofitable for carrying out some kind of exploitation work on placer gold of technogenic deposits by large enterprises, then in this case it will be a big step in terms of free bringing, - said Georgy Yalovik in an interview with Baikal-Daily.

    Permission for private gold mining, he said, will solve the problem of employment of the population. If we take, for example, the north of the Bauntovsky District, then the bulk of the population there is engaged in the extraction of alluvial gold deposits. Also, the adoption of this law, according to the developers, will increase revenues to the budget of the Russian Federation through taxes from miners, increase gold production and take a part of the precious metals market out of criminal circulation. By the way, at the moment, illegal gold mining in the country is estimated at more than ten tons per year, which is about ten percent of the total production in the country.

    For Buryatia, this law is relevant, since there are enough such sites on the territory, said the head of the subsoil use department.

    We are trying together with the government of the republic, we have been waking up this problem for several years, because it is a serious, urgent problem, ”stressed Georgy Yalovik. - And I think there will be enough individual entrepreneurs willing to do this.

    In order for individual entrepreneurs to be able to wash gold, according to the authors of the law, it is necessary to simplify the procedures for access to the subsoil for Russian citizens, to issue them without a competition (auction) simplified licenses to use 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.

    We will remind, especially zealously the bill is promoted by the leaders of the gold-bearing regions. The Governor of the Magadan Region, Nikolai Dudov, two years ago proposed to legally allow Russian citizens access to gold mining, allocating subsoil areas to individuals that are not of interest for industrial exploitation. In May 2010, at a meeting with President Dmitry Medvedev, he again proposed to amend the legislation, and the President on May 13, 2010 instructed the Federation Council "to work out the issue."

    The law is relevant not only for Magadan, but also for the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Amur, Irkutsk, Chita Regions, Buryatia, Tuva, Yakutia, Chukotka, reports the "United Russian Portal". baikal-daily.ru/news/16/15175/