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 devoted to the history of the Natalka field, its significance for Russia and its prospects.
Historical background
The Natalka field is located in the catchment area of the Omchak River, 459 km from the city of Magadan. It was discovered in 1944, a year later, work began on the extraction of gold ore.
The described place of accumulation of minerals was discovered by geologist D. T. Aseev in the 40s of the XX century. Gold-bearing streams were named by analogy with the children of a geologist - Natalka and Pavlik. Later, the names of the streams formed the basis for the names of the places of accumulations of gold.
At the same time, a state-owned enterprise for the extraction and processing of gold was formed.
The ore deposit in this area is a mineralized zone riddled with 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. The estimated reserves of minerals are 777 million tons, of which 36.8 million gold ounces.
Gold mining
Until 2004, the ore of the Natalka deposit was mined by underground mining. Ore processing was carried out by gravity-flotation method. Gravity concentrates were dissolved in mercury, flotation concentrates were subjected to hydrometallurgical treatment.
Although the reserves of natural accumulation are quite impressive, nevertheless, the production of finished products did not exceed 1500 kg per year. For the entire period of operation, 93.2 tons of gold were extracted. The result is quite modest.
Ore characteristics
The ores of this area are characterized by a constant composition. They are technologically advanced. There are primary and mixed types of ores. Mineralization of ores 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 pyrites;
- arsenic pyrite.
Gold is placed freely in arsenic pyrite and sulfur pyrite. A small amount of gold is combined with other minerals and coal. Harmful impurities are also present - for example, arsenic in an amount of 1%.
The additional exploration program and its results
In 2004-2006, a program of additional exploration of minerals 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 1449.5tons of gold. Also, gold reserves outside the mine were 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 plant was launched, with a capacity of 120-130 thousand tons of ore annually. In 2010, design materials were approved, the issue of the factory's technologies was resolved, and exploration work was carried out. The state bodies gave positive conclusions. Therefore, in December 2010, a decision was made to build an enterprise for the extraction and processing of natural resources on the basis of the Natalka gold deposit.
New page in development
Since 2003, the Polyus company has been mining gold in the described deposit. This is a serious company formed from the Norilsk Nickel enterprise. The history of the company began in the 70s of the XX century. In 1993 it was given its current 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.
From now on, the field is experiencing a new stage in its development. Since 2007, Natalka (as the deposit is abbreviated) has become the leader in Russia in terms of gold reserves, relegating deposits near Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk to the background.
In 2013, logistics equipment was delivered to Natalka, land management work was carried out, and a quarry equipment was started. Mills are built and tested onfactory, a tunnel is being laid for the delivery of ore.
In 2014, the development of the Natalka field is postponed. This was due to the fact that in the process of work, the company's employees found a discrepancy between the data provided in 2011 and the actual results of ore mining.
As a result of processing 10 million tons of ore, 500,000 gold ounces were expected. However, the result obtained did not correspond to this figure. The project was suspended, the field audit began. Polyus' reputation suffered.
The company's specialists found out that the basis of previous research was data obtained back in the Soviet period. Therefore, the output results were not entirely accurate. An overshoot has been detected.
In 2015, studies were carried out to recalculate reserves, an updated project for the development of a gold deposit was developed. Real reserves were recognized as 16.2 million ounces, and resources - 36.8 million gold ounces. Previous figures exceeded these data by 1.5-2 times.
The company introduces a new method of ore processing, which allows to reduce errors in calculations.
Reason for non-compliance
For what reason did the non-confirmation of reserves occur at the Natalka we are considering? Specialists provide such information when answering this question.
During the exploration of deposits, there may be errors in the data on the gold content, both upward and downward. During error processing, asgenerally compensated.
The underestimation of grades occurs during exploration, and during mining, data on gold grades increase. Overestimation of the grade occurs during the delineation 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, there is gold discovered during exploration, but it is in other contours.
In recent years, exploration equipment has improved significantly, so the technical errors of exploration are reduced. However, complex deposits are being explored, during the exploration of which the methodological errors of contouring increase.
The balance of errors is disturbed, which leads to data distortion. This situation requires changes in the existing methodology for exploration of natural resources.
If we talk about the Natalka deposit, then this area is considered complex, with the presence of gold ore bodies. Of course, the technical equipment of intelligence corresponded to the highest level, but the results, for known reasons, turned out to be inaccurate.
Modern trends
The gold mining industry of our time is short of fresh ideas. Large enterprises suffer huge losses because of this. The launch of Natalka is a significant milestone for Polyus. In addition to the site presented, the enterprise owns a license for the development of Sukhoi Log, located near Irkutsk. Gold mining is plannedsince 2025.
Past data valuation failures are slowly being forgotten, and investors' attitudes towards Polyus are improving. This is also supported by the news about the growth of world gold prices.
Future plans
In the fall of 2017, a company for the extraction and processing of natural resources based on the Natalka field was launched. The ceremony was accompanied by Vladimir Putin via teleconference.
Today, the Natalka gold deposit is the third largest gold deposit in the world. After clarifying the data on resources, it was established that their volume is 319 million tons. Compared to 2011, the amount of ore decreased by 28%, while the volume of gold reserves fell by 14%.
Head of the organization Pavel Grachev plans to bring Natalka to its maximum capacity by 2019. The goal is to produce 470 thousand ounces each year, with a target of 2.8 million ounces by 2019.
The company has created 2,000 jobs. The project will ensure the general economic stability of the entire region.
So, we have reviewed the history of the Natalka deposit and interesting facts related to this unique natural area.
