ON THE APPROACH TO FINDING GOLD DEPOSITS IN THE MOUNTAINS OF SOUTHERN WEST SIBERIA

Butvilovsky V.V.

wladimirbutwilowski@gmail.com -Institute of Polymer Research, Dresden, Germany

(translation from Russian into English using Google translator)

       The gold ore deposits of the mountains in the south of Western Siberia (Salair, Mountain Shoria, Kuznetsk Alatau, Altai and Western Sayan) are confined to an area of volcanic-sedimentary rocks of the Lower Cambrian for the most part. On the example of the Kuznetsky Alatau it is clearly seen that in the eastern and north-eastern slope of the highlands significantly more gold deposits and occurrences were found, than in the central and southwestern parts. Also the placer gold of the eastern slope of Kuznetsky Alatau is clearly a smaller scale. Why there were discovered more ore deposits, but less placers – can be argued, but we must not forget that a certain number of fields are also a consequence of such a simple thing like how they were detected or not. In the north-east, and especially the eastern slope of Kuznetsky Alatau ore bodies are easier to find due to better availability of nudity and, due to a lower altitude, drier climate (near Khakassian almost semiarid basins) and less overlap. Furthermore, there lived and worked more people nearby, who engaged in intense artisanal and searching activities. In the south-western slope of Kuznetsky Alatau the situation is quite different and much less favorable. Peculiar to most of the territory poor exposure worsens of conventional geological prospecting.The inaccessibility and remoteness of many areas from settlements contributes to this situation. Therefore, the method of searching for gold deposits in these areas should be well thought and specific to be ultimately successful and not so expensive.
      Compared with the data on the ore of gold in the north-eastern part of the Kuznetsk Alatau, the Orton-Fedorov area of the south-west part looks poor, even as an alluvial unit it is much more productive (about 40 tons were produced), and the valley Fyodorovka is one of the richest regions. This ratio of ore and placer gold can be alarming. In any case, placer gold in the mountain valleys of small orders accumulated as a result of denudation of local indigenous sources. If placers were formed mainly due to the poor mineralization, the productivity of the placers would be about the same. Anomalously rich placer created abnormally rich primary sources – the conclusion is logical enough, but it is not directly related to the mineralization that is still possible in the depths of the area. We can only say that the presence of the rich indigenous sources is very likely to Orton-Fedorov area, but no more. This probability is confirmed by findings of rich gold ore occurrences (metasomatic silicified Bonanza 10-15 m and an average grade of 100 g/t), which were discovered by the miners while stripping and washing of the valley and the stretcher placers, in particular in the valley Fyodorovka. It was no coincidence that they were successful, and not the fourteen search parties that worked here.

In other words, there are small but rich gold ore bodies on Orton-Fedorov space available; possibly in large numbers, but finding them in a poor exposure is not easy, and it would be wrong to rely on coincidence. Detailed prospecting of the area is too expensive, and its effect is also questionable. Even at a density of drilling search network 20×40 m, most of these bodies will be „unnoticed“ and searching for them in a more sparse network would be useless. Local excavation overburden within larger zones of mineralization also did not get much effect. The question arises whether it is worthwhile to seek some small-rich ore bodies peculiar for local mineralization in conditions of poor exposure in areas of poor (0.01-0.1 g/t) gold mineralization with conventional geochemical, geophysical methods and mine workings? If you approach the matter from the perspective of an economist of the host, it is not worth it, of course. If you do not take the costs into account, as was done previously, it is possible to look for a long time without success. For the exploratory development of such territory it would be more correct to take a different approach from the position of rational host geologist, whether it is a group, a co-operative or a state-owned enterprise.

This area is especially attractive for the opportunity to dig for gold here and there are significant alluvial reserves. Gold mining is the main liquid product and a priority, and so all the work plan and the process should be subordinated to the production of this product. Extraction and exploration shouldn’t be separated in this case. Everything should be linked in a single chain, a single balance of costs and revenues. It is necessary to invest in the search and exploration and production. Where, when, how much – it’s a decision of the owner, but for the opportunity to conduct business efficiently, he must obtain the license, as well as the opportunity to receive state support (subsidies) in such a complex case as the exploration and production of gold.

The first step is to start the production of „light“ alluvial reserves available here – thus be able to generate income and means to conduct a search and appraisal placers of various types (technological, valleys, terraced, hillside, stretcher, eluvial placers, more clearly insufficiently studied here) first. In other words, mine known reserves, to fill them with new, closely spaced. In developing placer it is necessary to conduct the search for gold ore, as there is a virtually „free“ opportunity to explore gold ore in the root raft witch expands over kilometers in length and has a width of tens or hundreds of meters, and the under placers raft is the most interesting. No excavation research could provide such something like this. Discoveries of small but very productive gold bonanza, that would be worth the effort in the parallel production of geological studies, could happen repeatedly already at this stage. That’s right, performing the simple, reliable and gainful is the main business, and it is necessary to be simultaneously engaged in the search for gold ore and do it more efficiently, „to the last drop“ to use the passing exploration opportunities available in mining placers, especially stretcher, slope and TSP. Placers themselves lead to indigenous sources of supply, and there is nothing special to it! The way seems long, but additionally cost-effective (most profitable) and as a result it leads more accurately and quickly to the goal of the effective prospecting of the area.

The problem of gold ore in the Orton-Fedorov area still remains unresolved, however, is the possibility of opening of commercial deposits large enough. Therefore, it is not advisable to leave this area, the complex work on gold should be continued, but with change in goals and methods. Primarily there work and research could and should be done on different types of placers, which potential is far from exhausted [1]. During the mining placer and parallel to identify and develop deposits of weathered zones of metasomatism and oxidation of gold mineralization. In the process of working out all these fields it will be possible to find reasonable price in addition and develop numerous small, but rich orebodies-Bonanza. To spend some large-scale, highly specialized search works now with the hope of discovering large rich ore deposits – is to condemn oneself to fail in most cases and to cause huge ineffective costs. This also applies to other similar regions.

Literature

1. Butvilovsky V.V., Avvakumov A.E., Gutak O.J. Placer gold mountains south of Western Siberia: the historical and geological review and evaluation capabilities. – Novokuznetsk: Kuzbass State Pedagogical Academy, 2011. 241 p.