Russia is one of the largest mining countries. Extraction and processing of minerals (we are now considering everything except oil and gas) makes a significant contribution to the economy of the state. A number of enterprises operate on the territory of the Russian Federation, which are one of the leaders not only in the country, but also in the world, and about each of them you can write more than one interesting article, telling and describing various aspects of production processes, the usefulness of the extracted raw materials, features, etc. P.
In this article, we will touch upon one of the simplest and most understandable topics for the general public - the size (size, depth) of Russian open-pit mines, both operating and not functioning for a long time. To add color to the dry language of statistics, we have added interesting facts about each mine under consideration.
While working on this topic, many careers have been studied, each has its own interesting story and many of them are worthy of your attention, but in order not to overload the material, the information will be presented in a metered fashion and divided into several parts.
1) Quarry Udachny (Udachny, Yakutia)
One of the largest diamond mining practices in the world. Its depth is 640 m, dimensions at the surface are 2x1.6 km. In 2015, open pit mining was completed, now the Udachnaya pipe, the reserves of which have been explored to a depth of about 1400 m, are being developed underground.
Promotional video:
2) Open pit of Lebedinsky GOK (Gubkin, Belgorod region)
The world's largest quarry for the extraction of non-combustible minerals, its depth is more than 400 m, dimensions are 4x5 km. It should be noted that LGOK is the largest iron ore mining and processing enterprise in Russia and the CIS, as well as the only HBI producer.
3) Borodino coal mine (Borodino, Krasnoyarsk Territory)
The largest coal mine in Russia, 7 km long, 2 km wide. The seam depth is no more than 100 m, while the seam thickness reaches 45 m! Borodino coal miners produce about 20 million tons of coal per year. In January 2016, the billionth ton of coal was shipped here, no other mine in the country has shipped such an amount of fuel.
4) Asbestos quarry (Asbestos, Sverdlovsk region)
Its length is more than 11 km, width is about 2 km, depth is 350 m. The open pit is developing the Bazhenovskoye deposit of chrysotile-asbestos. which is the largest and richest in the world in terms of reserves. The enterprise developing this field produces 21% of chrysotile in the world and 45% in the Russian Federation, and is also the country's largest producer of nonmetallic building materials with an annual capacity of 12 million tons.
5) Quarry "Central" (Kirovsk, Murmansk region)
One of the largest open-pit mines in the country in terms of depth, which is 590 m and a length of 3.5 km. Located at an altitude of 1050 m above sea level. With the light hand of journalists, it was named "Minor Antarctica", since about 300 days a year it reigns winter.
6) Open pit "Vostochny" GOK Olympiada (settlement Eruda, Krasnoyarsk Territory)
The largest gold mine in Russia. The dimensions of the quarry field are 1.8x1.7 km, the depth reaches 580 m.
7) Sibay quarry (Sibay, Bashkortostan)
The depth is more than 500 m, the width is 2 km. It was the largest operating in Russia. Here the method of combined transportation of ore was applied with its direct reloading from dump trucks to railway dump cars in the open pit. With a pit deepening, the country's only inclined skip hoist with a lifting capacity of 40 tons was put into operation. In 2000, one hundred million ton of copper ore was mined, and later it was decided to mothball the open pit. Now mining is carried out underground.
8) Quarry "Mir" (Mirny, Yakutia)
Depth 525 m, diameter 1.2 km. Open pit mining began in 1957 and lasted 44 years until 2001. The largest gem-quality diamond mined in Russia was mined in this quarry in 1981 (weight 342.5 carats - more than 68 g) and is called "XXVI Congress of the CPSU".
9) Korkinsky coal mine (Korkino, Chelyabinsk region)
The deepest coal mine in Eurasia, the depth of which exceeds 500 m, the length is more than 3 km, and the width is more than 2.5 km. Development began in 1931 and ended in 2017.
10) Quarry "Iron" of the Kovdorsky GOK (Kovdor, Murmansk region)
One of the largest quarries in the North-West of Russia. The dimensions of the open pit field are 1.6x2.3 km, the depth is more than 450 m. It should be noted that KGOK carries out complex processing of mineral raw materials and produces three commercial concentrates: iron ore, apatite (No. 2 in the Russian Federation) and baddeleyite (the only one in the world).
11) Quarry Berezitovy (Tyndinsky district, Amur region)
The open pit of the Berezitovy Rudnik enterprise, which reaches a depth of 450 m, was built at the gold-polymetallic deposit of the same name in the Amur region. It is one of the deepest quarries in the Russian Far East. Due to the fact that gold-bearing ore is also available in deeper horizons, the enterprise is implementing an underground mining project.
12) Quarry Jubilee (Aikhal, Yakutia)
The largest of the operating quarries for diamond mining in Russia, by the end of 2018 the depth of the quarry reached 435 m. The design depth of mining is 720 m. The estimated period of open pit mining is up to 2035.
13) Olenegorsk quarry (Olenegorsk, Murmansk region)
The quarry of the northernmost Russian producer of iron ore concentrate in Russia with a depth of 404 m. The quarry operates a steeply inclined conveyor 252 m long, which lifts ore to a height of 125 m at an angle of 36 degrees.
14) Quarry Bear Ruchey, Norilsk Nickel (Norilsk, Krasnoyarsk Territory)
Built on the eponymous copper-nickel deposit. The depth is 400 m.
The construction of the quarry was carried out from 1945 to 1951 by prisoners. It was their manual labor that was the basis for the construction and development of the mine. In 1948, from the mining equipment at Medvezhye Rucheya - one excavator, six rope-impact drills, a compressor and hand-held rock drills. Already in 1978, the billionth ton of rock was shipped.
15) Korshunovsky quarry (Zheleznogorsk-Ilimsky, Irkutsk region)
The quarry of one of the largest producers of iron ore products beyond the Urals - Korshunovsky GOK. The enterprise is located in close proximity to the Baikal-Amur Mainline. The pit depth is 400 m.
16) Quarry of Mikhailovsky GOK (Zheleznogorsk, Kursk region)
MGOK ranks first in Russia in terms of iron ore reserves and second in production of iron ore raw materials. The depth is 380 m, dimensions are ~ 4 by 6 km
17) Uchalinsky quarry (Uchaly, Bashkortostan)
The Uchalinskoye deposit (formerly known as Yushalinskoye) has been known since the 1880s as an iron ore deposit. In 1906-1907, the development was carried out by the miner Pashkov from Troitsk. In 1939, geologists discovered here copper-zinc pyrite ores. In addition to the main components - copper, zinc, sulfur, gold and silver - the Uchaly ores contain lead, selenium, tellurium, indium, cadmium, arsenic, barium and other elements. The pit is 380 m deep, 1800 m long, and 900 m wide.
18) Open pit of Stoilensky GOK (Gubkin, Belgorod region)
Depth 375 m, diameter over 3 km. SGOK is one of the three leading Russian iron ore mining companies.
19) Karagai quarry (Satka, Chelyabinsk region)
The quarry was built on the site of the largest magnesite deposit in Russia, which is at the same time the very first developed deposit in the country; mining here began in 1900. Its length reaches 1.5 km, width - 1.1 km, and depth - 368 m.
20) Neryungri coal mine (Neryungri, Yakutia)
One of the largest coal mining enterprises in Russia, the volume of production is more than 9 million tons. The coal mine is a huge mining area with an area of more than 37 square meters. km. Production is carried out from the "Powerful" reservoir: its area is 16 square meters. km, the maximum depth of occurrence is 320 m. In October 2017, the jubilee 350 millionth ton of coal was shipped from here. The volume of overburden removed to the dumps amounted to 1.9 billion cubic meters. m.