Minerals of the Irkutsk region: gold, coal, iron ore. Gold ore deposit Sukhoi Log. Slyudyanskoye deposit of marble

Today we will talk about the minerals of the Irkutsk region. Let us consider the main deposits, and also discuss how the territory is rich in general. First, we will get acquainted with this part of Russia closer.

Irkutsk region

The population of the region as of 2016 was about 2.5 million people. It is also important that the coefficient of natural and migration growth is negative. As for the economy, it must be said that the Irkutsk region has a leading place in the Trans-Ural region. The population lives mainly due to the active sale of services. The industry is based on non-ferrous metallurgy, pulp and paper, timber, and woodworking industries, mechanical engineering, and electric power. It is worth noting that the Irkutsk region is a region with an industrial type of economy. The Trans-Siberian Railway is the main transport artery of the region. An important place is occupied by road transport. As this area is rich in rivers, water transport has developed very much. Also, air communication is well developed.

Minerals

The territory of the region occupies the southern part of the Central Siberian plateau. Here are the Baikal and Primorye ranges, the Patom and Stanovoye highlands. In the south-western part there are mountain massifs of the Eastern Sayan. The territory of the region is also occupied by Lake Baikal.

Minerals of the Irkutsk region are represented by a wide variety. It produces oil, coal, natural gas, gold, iron ore, rock salt, hard and brown coal, clay, gypsum, kaolin, mica. Coal in the Irkutsk region is extracted from three main deposits, which we will mention below. At the same time, the mining industry accounts for only 11% of the entire industrial structure of the region. In the structure of the same industry, the main place is divided into three resources:

• Gold in the Irkutsk region occupies about 47%;
• Coal - 28%;
• Iron ore (18%).

The forecast oil production is 2.6 billion tons. Iron ore in the Irkutsk region is represented by insignificant deposits. Poymenno-Cheremshansky, Pribaikalsky and Irkutsk regions are represented by coal resources. Most of them are mined in the Mugun, Azey and Cheremkhovo deposits in the Irkutsk basin.

general characteristics

Geography of the Irkutsk region allows you to extract a wide variety of minerals. Valuable is the marble of different colors. In the Irkutsk region you can find it in almost any color. Before the mica ceased to play a key role in the Slyudyanskoye field, it was marble that took its place. Irkutsk marble faced the walls of the Novosibirsk metro, as well as the Kharkov metro station under the name "Proletarskaya" and the metro station "Ulitsa 1905 goda" and "Barrikadnaya".

Today, marble limestone has many uses. Obtain it in the territory of the Irkutsk region Open Society "Career Pass".

There are also unused raw materials on this territory: refractory clays and phosphates. Just 3 km from the city there is a deposit of apatite. According to forecasts, there are about 90 million tons. This deposit can be an excellent basis for the production of phosphate fertilizers. To date, it refers to the reserve and is located in the water protection zone.

At 4 km from Slyudyanka there is a rich deposit of refractory clay. It was opened only at the beginning of the last century, when the construction of the Circum-Baikal railway began . Before the revolution, clay was mined here in order to produce refractory bricks, but in 1927 the deposit was closed.

Dry Log

The deposit is the largest in terms of gold ore content in Russia. Unbelievable, but only it accounts for 28% of all the fossil reserves in Russia. A recent evaluation of the Dry Log was conducted (in winter 2016) and it was found out that the reserves on the site are estimated at 1.53 thousand tons of silver and 2.7 thousand tons of gold. But here are their problems. So, huge reserves exist against a background of a low indicator of the content of gold in the ore. This was the main and serious problem in the development of the field for a long time. Quite recently, in the winter of 2017, Sukhoi Log was transferred to SL Gold for development.

You can find the deposit on the Lena gold ore area (central part). The distance from it to the regional center is 850 km. The nearest railway station is Taksimo.

Opened Dry Log was in 1961. Just at this time, the entire territory was actively explored. Many institutes (TsNIGRI, VNIIHT, MISiS, etc.) conducted research activities in order to search for ore. At the beginning of the summer of 1986, a whole complex of studies was carried out for the preparation of research. In 2007-2008 a comprehensive revaluation of reserves was carried out, the results of which we spoke above. In the early 1990s, the license was granted to Lenzoloto.

Geological characteristics

Gold ores are presented with impregnations of carbonates and sulphides. The deposit itself, based on the size, position and conditions of occurrence of ores, is divided into 4 sections: Central, Sukholozhsky, North-Western and Western. The wealth of the latter has not yet been studied, since it is just beginning to be mastered. The Sukholozhsky district is the richest in ore, which contains about 88% of all breeds.

The thickness of the ore body ranges from 15 m. It is represented by a layered reservoir. There are no natural boundaries and any exits to the surface of the ore body. There are areas of slightly gold-bearing rocks. Ores in chemical composition do not differ much from the surrounding rocks.

In 2006-2007, a laboratory study was conducted using photometric separation. The aim was to reevaluate the reserves, repeatedly mentioned above. The main result of the study was that pre-enrichment technology was proposed. This, in turn, improves the quality of the product many times.

Slyudyanskoye field

The Slyudyanskoye marble deposit is located near the southern part of Lake Baikal. It affects the northern spurs of the Khamar-Daban Ridge. According to the administrative division, the Slyudyanskoe field is located in the Irkutsk region in the Slyudyansky district. The history of this place goes back to the 18th century. The first studies conducted by scientists on the wealth issues of the Slyudyanka district began in 1832. Three different rock complexes were established: Mesozoic, Paleozoic, and Archaean. Since basalts have a weak development, the area is rich mainly in the rocks of the Precambrian complex. The deposit is rich in phlogopite, lapis lazuli, granite pegmatites. The main wealth of the deposit is marble. It occupies 61% of the territory.

Minerals in the Irkutsk region is difficult to imagine without a "natural mineralogical museum". This is the name the mine discussed. Such fame was brought to him by finds of crystals of amazing shapes and sizes. A variety of color varieties of minerals from this region have their own names.

What is remarkable about the deposit?

Mineralogists and petrographers have no better place than the Slyudyanskoye deposit. Huge mountain heights that are close to Baikal create a beautiful view. Deep canyons and gorges with sharp differences in altitude create an excellent environment for such natural phenomena as mudslides, mudflows, landslides, landslides, snow and stone avalanches.

Back in 1935 a talented mineralogist P. Kalinin created the very first report on the minerals of Slyudanka. Until today it remains the only and very detailed. References to this work can be found in many Russian and foreign thematic publications.

In the 50s of the last century the development of the marble deposit "Pereval" on Slyudanka took place. To this day, the quarry operating there remains the main supplier of raw materials for cement production.

Malobystrinskoye deposits of lapis lazuli

The deposit got its name, as it is near the Malaya Bystraya River, which is a small tributary of Irkut. The official opening date is 1851, and the discoverer G. Permikin. The deposit has two lazuli-bearing "veins". They consist of closely spaced lenses, on which the nests of lapis lazuli are located. Lazurite-bearing calciphyres reach 140 m in length. Lazurite mineralization is manifested in several forms:

• Insignificant dissemination of lapis lazuli in marble rocks;
• Veins and crusts of azure in granites;
• Nodules and nests in a silicate-carbonate membrane.

Problems of the region

Despite the fact that the overall level of development of the region is quite high, there are significant problems. In the first they are very concerned with the level and duration of life of the population. However, for the next 10-15 years, it is planned to overcome the crisis through the development and development of the Kovykta gas condensate field, which should raise the economy to a new level. In the region there are significant environmental problems, which are associated with seismicity against the backdrop of a developed industry. Do not underestimate the environmental problems of Lake Baikal.

Summarizing the article, I want to say that the minerals of the Irkutsk region are quite diverse. Despite the fact that the region is far from being at the peak of its economic development, it has huge potential for development. However, much attention should be paid to the environmental situation, which is very deplorable in the region.