PLUTONIC DEPOSITS OF FINE-DISPERSED GOLD IN NORTHEAST RUSSIA

Abstract

At the beginning of the 1940s, geologists discovered a new type of gold ore occurrence in the Sn-bearing regions of northeastern Russia. They were distinguished from deposits of the gold–quartz formation in terms of mineral association and geological setting. In the past 20 years, more than 30 gold ore occurrences have been discovered in the Magadan district alone. Many of these objects can be classed as large and superlarge deposits. Extensive prospecting for gold in this region was stimulated by the discovery of the medium-scale Shkol’noe deposit in 1980. Gold output from high-grade ores (Au grade >35 g/t) of this deposit is as much as 0.6–0.8 t/yr. In recent years, interest in such deposits has been stirred up by the successful exploitation of gold deposits in Alaska (Fort Knox, Au resource >350 t; Pogo, 150 t), Canada (Dublin Gulch, >100 t), and Australia (Tefler, >500 t).