Orenburg State University, Orenburg, Russia:

P. V. Pankratev, Professor, Doctor of Geologo-Mineralogical Sciences
A. V. Kolomoets, Lecturer
A. S. Stepanov, Head of Chair of Geology, Candidate of Engineering Sciences, stepanovas1978@gmail.com
E. V. Teplyakova, Post-Graduate Student

This article discusses one of the promising gold-bearing areas in the Orenburg’s Ural, containing welldeveloped gold–quart and gold–sulphide–quarts formations in coaly shale strata. The Kumak ore field adjoins a riftogenic graben composed of the Ordovican coaly–terrigenous–carbonate and low Carbonic formations bearing 1 to 9 % of organic matter and to 2–5 % of sulphides. The positional connection is found between the carbonic formations and suture zones of deep faults which govern an extended dyke belt accompanied by quartz–sericitic metasomatism, silicification and volcanism. The Kumak ore bodies are suitable for in-situ leaching, which will offer solution to the problem of re-supply of gold resources from the deposits machine mining of which is uneconomic. Gold mineralization adjoins fracture zones in metamorphized shale and is represented by nonuniform dissemination localized as steeply inclined streams (columns) along which in-situ leaching is planned to be carried out. This method belongs to geotechnologies of critical significance in the gold mining industry and is to be introduced to production as soon as possible.

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