In September 2017, the long-awaited launch of the Natalka field, which is located near Magadan, took place. Industry representatives have been waiting for this event for many years. The article is dedicated to the history of the Natalka deposit, its significance for Russia and its prospects.
History reference
The Natalka deposit is located on the catchment area of the Omchak River, it is 459 km from the city of Magadan. Its discovery took place in 1944, a year later, work began on the extraction of gold ore.
The described place of accumulation of minerals was discovered by the geologist D.T. Aseev in the 40s of the XX century. Gold-bearing streams were named by analogy with the children of the geologist - Natalka and Pavlik. Later, the names of the streams formed the basis for the names of places of accumulation of gold.
At the same time, a state-owned enterprise was formed for the extraction and processing of gold.
The ore deposit in this area is a mineralized zone penetrated by quartz inclusions. Studies have shown that the established ore reserves are 319 million tons, the amount of gold in them is 1.6 g / t or 16.3 million ounces. Estimated mineral reserves - 777 million tons, of which 36.8 million gold ounces.
Gold mining
Until 2004, ore from the Natalka deposit was mined by underground mining. Ore processing was carried out by gravity-flotation method. Gravel concentrates were dissolved in mercury, flotation concentrates were subjected to hydrometallurgical treatment.
Although the reserves of the natural accumulation are quite impressive, nevertheless, the production of finished products did not exceed 1, 500 kg per year. Over the entire period of operation, 93.2 tons of gold were recovered. The result is quite modest.
Ore Characterization
The ores of this area are characterized by a constant composition. They belong to technological varieties. Primary and mixed types of ores are found. Ore mineralization is uneven, expressed in sulfides and gold. Sulfides no more than 3%, carbonaceous matter - 4-4.5%.
The minerals accompanying gold in the area are:
- silica;
- sulfur pyrite;
- arsenic pyrite.
Gold is placed freely in arsenic pyrite and sulfur pyrite. A small amount of gold is combined with other minerals and coal. There are also harmful impurities - for example, arsenic in an amount of 1%.
Reconnaissance program and its results
In 2004-2006, a program of mineral exploration was carried out at the Natalka deposit. Within its framework, expert work was carried out, which calculated the reserves of resources. According to the results of the study, reserves in the amount of 1, 449.5 tons of gold were registered. Gold reserves outside the mine were also recorded in the amount of 309.4 gold tons. The development of natural resources is provided exclusively in an open way.
In 2008, a gold extraction factory was launched, with a capacity of 120-130 thousand tons of ore annually. In 2010, the approval of design materials was carried out, the issue of factory technologies was resolved, and intelligence work was carried out. State bodies gave positive conclusions. Therefore, in December 2010, it was decided to build an enterprise for the extraction and processing of natural resources based on the Natalka gold deposit.
New page in development
Since 2003, the company has been producing gold in the described field. This is a serious company formed from the Norilsk Nickel enterprise. The history of the company began back in the 70s of the XX century. In 1993, she was given a modern name. Today, the company belongs to the family of Suleiman Kerimov. The enterprise is engaged in gold mining in Yakutia, near Magadan and Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk.
Since that time, the field is experiencing a new round in its development. Since 2007, Natalka (the abbreviated name of the deposit) has become the leader in Russia in terms of gold reserves, relegating to the background the deposits near Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk.
In 2013, logistic equipment was delivered to Natalka, land management was carried out, quarry equipment was launched. Mills are being built and tested at the factory, and a tunnel is being laid for ore delivery.
In 2014, development of the Natalka deposit is postponed. This was due to the fact that in the process, the company employees found a discrepancy in the data provided in 2011 with the actual results of ore mining.
As a result of processing 10 million tons of ore, it was expected to receive 500, 000 gold ounces. However, the result did not match this figure. The project was suspended, the audit of the field began. The reputation of the Pole has suffered.
The company's specialists found that the basis of previous studies was data obtained in the Soviet period. Therefore, the output results were not entirely accurate. An excess deviation was found.
In 2015, studies were carried out to recalculate reserves, an updated project for the development of a gold ore deposit was developed. Real reserves were recognized as 16.2 million ounces, and resources - 36.8 million ounces of gold. Previous numbers exceeded this data by 1.5-2 times.
The company introduces a new method of ore processing, which allows to reduce errors in the calculations.
Reasons for non-compliance
What is the reason for the non-confirmation of reserves at the Natalka we are considering? Specialists provide this information when answering this question.
During the exploration of deposits, errors may occur in the data on the gold content, both upward and downward. During mining, errors are usually compensated.
Underestimation of the contents occurs during exploration, and during mining, data on the gold content increases. The overestimation of the content occurs during the contouring of ore deposits, since the value is related to the volume of samples and their density. Errors in values lead to distortion of information about the area and size of ore bodies. That is, gold discovered during exploration is available, but is located in other contours.
In recent years, equipment for reconnaissance has improved significantly, so the technical errors of reconnaissance are reduced. However, complex deposits are being investigated, during exploration of which the methodological errors of contouring increase.
The balance of errors is violated, which leads to data distortion. This situation requires changes in the existing methodology for exploration of natural reserves.
If we talk about the Natalka deposit, then this site is considered complex, with the presence of ore bodies of gold. Of course, the technical equipment of the intelligence corresponded to the highest level, but the results, for well-known reasons, were inaccurate.
Modern tendencies
The gold mining industry of our time is in short supply of fresh ideas. Large enterprises suffer enormous losses because of this. The launch of Natalka is a significant stage for the Pole. In addition to the site, the company owns a license to develop the Sukhoi Log located near Irkutsk. Gold mining has been planned there since 2025.
Past failures with data assessment are gradually forgotten, and the attitude of investing organizations towards Polyus is improving. This is also facilitated by the news about the growth of world gold prices.
