Nikolay Kamenskiy, Two Key in collaboration with Esil Mining – Presentation Brief
Esil-Mining LLP in 2015 obtained the right to subsoil use under a contract for the exploration of molybdenum and tungsten at the Aksoran deposit in the Akmola region of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The Aksoran deposit was discovered in 1990. It is located 50 km southeast of the Bayansky deposit.
Molybdenum-tungsten mineralization of the Aksoran deposit is localized mainly in amphibolites and amphibole shists, biotite shists, diorites, and skarnoids. Single ore intersections were found in clay-siliceous shists of the Sharyk Formation and in the porphyroids of the Kuspek Formation, close to ore-bearing shales.
The study of the deposit did not allow us to unambiguously interpret and link the revealed ore veins to ore bodies and deposits. It is most likely that within the deposit, bedding rocks elongated in the northeastern direction in the azimuth of 50-60 ° are expected with a complex, stockwork-like distribution of ore mineralization in them.
In 2016, 2K LLP began work on calculating reserves of the Aksoran Tungsten Molybdenum deposit based on the results of modern drilling. The reserve calculation report was completed in 2017, where the earlier established interpretation of ore bodies was revised, Fig. 1.
Reserves calculation results as of 01.01.2017
| Parameters | UoM | Reserve category | ||||
| Balance | Off-balance | |||||
| С1 | С2 | С1+С2 | ||||
| ore | Thousand tons | 5 597.8 | 19 580.4 | 25 178.2 | 10 654.6 | |
| Tungsten | Tons | 15 959.4 | 54 184.1 | 70 143.5 | 7 112.1 | |
| Molybdenum | Tons | 2 021.8 | 11 385.4 | 13 407.2 | 9 108.1 | |
| Average content of WO3 | % | 0.285 | 0.277 | 0.279 | 0.067 | |
| Average content of Mo | % | 0.036 | 0.058 | 0.053 | 0.085 | |
| Average content of Bi | % | 0.006 | 0.007 | 0.007 | 0.007 | |
Due to the high potential of the deposit to increase reserves on the flanks and along the strike, the management of Esil-Mining LLP decided to continue exploration.
In 2018, the employees of 2K LLP made an addition to the exploration project, on the basis of which 93 exploratory, technological and hydrogeological wells were drilled with a total volume of 33,789 m.
The work was carried out with QA \ QC quality control that was conducted by the employees of 2K LLP and an independent competent entity JORC (GMC LLP).
In October 2018, recounting of reserves was launched according to KazRC standards, as a result of which 5 zones with a homogeneous structure (domains) were allocated, Figure 2.
As a result of the recount, a total increase in mineral resources of about 30 thousand tons of tungsten trioxide took place:
Table 2
Mineral resources according to KazRC standards
| Category | Density | Tons | Average content | Metal content | ||||||||||||
| WO3 | Mo | Bi | WO3 | Mo | Bi | |||||||||||
| g/cm³ | Thousand tons | % | % | % | Thous.t | Thous.t | Thous.t | |||||||||
| Identified | 2.85 | 23 668.37 | 0.33 | 0.03 | 0.01 | 79.04 | 6.82 | 1.25 | ||||||||
| Estimated | 2.83 | 21 628.49 | 0.12 | 0.03 | 0.01 | 26.72 | 6.51 | 1.47 | ||||||||
| Total | 45 296.85 | 0.23 | 0.03 | 0.01 | 105.76 | 13.33 | 5.45 | |||||||||
Currently, 2K LLP is completing the process of agreeing on a mining plan, and the subsoil user is in the process of obtaining a mining license for 25 years.
Kazakhstan has huge proven reserves of tungsten – a rare and at the same time extremely popular metal. For several reasons, the implementation of projects related to tungsten mining ceased in the 1990s.
Esil-Mining LLP believes that the implementation of this project will allow taking the first steps in the framework of the revival of the tungsten industry and hopes that similar large deposits will be launched in the near future, which will allow Kazakhstan to take 2nd place in the world in terms of manufacturing tungsten products.