INFRASTRUCTURE CORRIDORS IN RUSSIA - PROS AND CONS: A MINERAL RESOURCES APPROACH

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INFRASTRUCTURE CORRIDORS IN RUSSIA - PROS AND
CONS A MINERAL RESOURCESAPPROACH

• DMITRI V. RUNDQVIST, SERGEI V. CHERKASOV
• Vernadsky State Geological Museum, RAS (Moscow)
• Russian-French Metallogenic Laboratory

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1. History and current situation in Russia (in terms
   of developing and distribution of mineral
   resources).
2. Re-evaluation of mineral potential.
3. From current situation to the future challenges
   and solutions.

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USE OF ELEMENTS BY HUMAN BEINGS
Antiquity
XVIII century
XIX century
By 1915
by 1939
by 1975
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HISTORY
X - early XVI centuries
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Granite open pit in Kuznechny, near St. Petersburg
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HISTORY
XVI - XVII centuries
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Deserted open pit in Murmansk Region
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HISTORY
XX century
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Lebedinsky open pit (Kursk magnetic anomaly)
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RUSSIA TODAY
LAND 12.5 POPULATION 3 FORESTS 22 FRES
H WATER 20 TOTAL AREA OF SHELF 30 MINERAL
RESOURCES 16
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Geological knowledge about Russia
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Map of mineral deposits
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For the most important mineral resources,
Russias share of world resources and reserves is
greater than its relative share of the production
and consumption of the same commodities
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The only exception is the intensive production of
platinum group metals and, to some extent, nickel
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Norilsk on a frost day
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The same place in summer, and
40 years ago.
Norilsk
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Norilsk
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Besides the decrease in exploration during the
last 10 years, we have also had shrinkage of the
domestic market. The mining, oil and gas
industries have became export-oriented. The share
of exports in total production is shown here for
1999.

• Oil - 57,3
• Gas 32
• Coal 12
• Iron ore 14,9
• Copper 85
• Nickel 91
• Zinc 59
• Lead 9,1
• Tungsten 96

At the expense of pre-existing stockpiles,
exports reached

• uranium - 416,6 of production (as of 1996)
• molybdenum 356,2

As a result, per capita resource consumption,
including energy resources, is now only 1/3 to
1/2 its level in developed countries.
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DISTRIBUTION OF RUSSIAN MINERAL RESOURCES BY
FEDERAL DISTRICT
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DISTRIBUTION OF MINERAL RESOURCES IN BILLIONS OF
USD AND NUMBER OF DAYS WITH LOW (below 0oC)
TEMPERATURE
8000-7000
4000-3000
1300-900
500-200
200-100
(BILLIONS USD)
lt100
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Drilling site in Siberia during snowstorm
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During the last 40-45 years we have utilized

• 85 of oil
• 50 of coal
• 50 of iron
• produced throughout human history

• Consumption of metals increased 3- to 5-fold in
  that period, compared with the previous 35 - 40
  years

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Russia is rich with

• energy resources (32 of gas 12--13 of oil and
  12 of coal world explored reserves)
• precious metals (platinum - 40, palladium -
  90)
• RE and REE (niobium - about 35, tantalum - about
  80, yttrium - 50, lithium - 28, beryllium -
  15, and zirconium, 12)
• metals for metallurgy (Ni 36, Fe 27, Sn
  27, Co 20, Zn 16, Pb 12.)
• agrochemical ores (potassium salts Russia
  heads the list, apatite and phosphorite Russia
  is second in the World).
• Russia has the largest diamond resources in the
  world and ranks third in gold.

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REASONS TO RE-EVALUATE MINERAL POTENTIAL

• GROWING DEMAND, CHANGING THE STRUCTURE OF DEMAND
• DISCOVERIES OF NEW TYPES OF MINERAL DEPOSITS
• NEW TECHNOLOGIES OF EXTRACTION
• DIFFERENCE IN METHODOLOGY OF EVALUATION IN SOVIET
  UNION, RUSSIA, AND WESTERN WORLD.

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Mineral wealth of Russia. Eds. B. Mikhailov, O.
Petrov, S. Kimelman. SPb., VSEGEI, 2007, 550 p.
Mineral resources of Russian Arctic. Ed. D.
Dodin. SPb., NAUKA, 2007, 767 p.
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Large and Superlarge Mineral Deposits. Vol. 1. D.
Rundqvist, A. Tkachev, S. Cherkasov, et al. Ed.
D. Rundqvist. Moscow, IGEM RAS, 2006, 390 p.
D. Rundqvist, S. Cherkasov, A. Tkachev, et al.
Moscow, RFML, 2006.
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GENERAL RESULTS OF RAS PROGRAM ON LARGE AND
SUPERLARGE MINERAL DEPOSITS
Au Ag Cu Mo
Au, PGE, Ti, diam.
Au, PGE, V
diam.
Au, Cu, Zn
Au, Ti, Zr, Li
Au, Ag, Sn, U
Au U Cu PGE
Au, PGE, Cu, Zn, Mo
Cu, Ni, PGE
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GENERAL RESULTS OF RAS PROGRAM ON LARGE AND
SUPERLARGE MINERAL DEPOSITS
Au Ag Cu Mo
Au, PGE, Ti, diam.
Au, PGE, V
diam.
Au, Cu, Zn
Au U Cu PGE
Au, Ti, Zr, Li
Au, Ag, Sn, U
Au, PGE, Cu, Zn, Mo
Cu, Ni, PGE
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INFRASTRUCTURE CORRIDORS IN RUSSIA
Railway Industrial Urals Polar Urals Above
1000 km About 2,4 bln. dollars plus 3.5 bln.
dollars energy infrastructure
Trans-Siberian railway 9288.2 km
(Moscow-Vladivostok)
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INFRASTRUCTURE CORRIDORS IN RUSSIA
Sakha (Yakutia) Republic
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Sakha (Yakutia) Republic population 0.95 mln 0.28
mln. Yakutsk 10 towns, 55 villages
France population 60 mln.
Germany population 82.5 mln.
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Verkhoyanye Ridge
Diamond mining southern Sakha (Yakutia)
Buildings on piles
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INFRASTRUCTURE CORRIDORS IN RUSSIA
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YANA-KOLYMA GOLD BEARING (GREEN) AND VERKHOYANYE
SILVER BEARING (RED) PROVINCES
Germany
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SUMMARY

• transportation infrastructure is the key to
  Russian mineral resources
• to develop new territories, we have to think of
  social and demographic problems, and to solve
  them using global common sense
• new geological prospecting, mining, and refining
  technologies open up new resources

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THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION