Uchaly (Republic of Bashkortostan)
At the Zapadno-Ozernoye deposit of the Uchalinsky GOK (an enterprise of the UMMC raw materials complex), exploration work is being carried out to clarify the reserves of copper pyrite ores. The work is carried out on the basis of a license for the use of subsoil for the purpose of geological exploration and extraction of minerals.
According to the design documentation, the development of reserves of the Zapadno-Ozernoye deposit is envisaged by an open-cut method with subsequent transition to underground mining. Additional exploration of the deposit's reserves intended for underground development will make it possible to clarify the technical and economic indicators of their development.
The competition for additional exploration was won by OJSC Ural Geological Survey Expedition (Yekaterinburg). The company's specialists have already examined ore body No. 1 on the southern side of the Zapadno-Ozernoye open pit, drilled four wells on one of the pit benches and continue drilling at its lowest site.
“The drilling rigs started exploratory drilling in May. To date, 15 wells have already been drilled with an average depth of about 330 meters, in each of which ore undercuts have been found, "said Azamat Mirasov, deputy chief geologist of Uchalinsky GOK JSC.
The core of the drilled wells has been described, geologists have selected samples and sent to the laboratory for the study of the mineralogical and chemical composition. For a more complete understanding of the physical properties and morphology of ore bodies and host rocks, geological sections of the deposit, geophysical studies of wells were also carried out.
Upon completion of field work, all the data obtained will be processed, a report and a feasibility study of permanent exploration standards with the calculation of the reserves of the Zapadno-Ozernoye copper-pyrite deposit, which will be sent for approval of the reserves to the State Commission for Mineral Reserves of the Russian Federation.
The Zapadno-Ozernoye deposit is one of seven objects of the ore base of the Uchalinsky GOK. The volume of balance ores of the deposit subject to underground mining leaves about 45 million tonnes of ore.
