Altyn-Topkan

Producer in Tajikistan with commodities Bismuth, Cadmium, Copper, Lead, Silver, Zinc
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Nearby scientific data
  8. Ore body information
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Mining district
  11. Mineral rights holdings
  12. Ownership information
  13. Links to other databases
  14. Bibliographic references
  15. General comments
  16. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10215212
MAS/MILS ID 4630000004
Record type Site
Current site name Altyn-Topkan
Alternate or previous names Almalyk Complex

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Pit
Geographic coordinates: 69.60075, 40.63152 (WGS84)
Location accuracy 5000(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Tajikistan(country)

Geographic areas

Country
Tajikistan

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Bismuth Critical Secondary
Cadmium Secondary
Copper Tertiary
Lead Primary
Silver Tertiary
Zinc Critical Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Galena Unknown
Sphalerite Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Pit (1) 69.60075, 40.63152

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Field Value
    Type of Orebody #1 STOCKWORK
    Shape of Orebody #1 UNKNOWN
    Primary mode of Origin HYDROTHERMAL
    Date of Last Modification 920722

Comments on the geologic information

  • DEPOSIT CONFINED TO TECTONIC BLOCK COMPOSED OF CARBONATE ROCKS OF MID-PALEOZOIC AGE OVERLAIN BY UPPER PALEOZOIC VOLCANIC ROCKS. SKARN TYPE DEPOSIT. DEPOSIT DIVIDED INTO TWO SECTIONS; BASIC ORE ZONE AND NORTH ORE ZONE, WHICH HAS STRIKE LENGTH OF 3KM, THICKNESS OF 100-300M, AND DIPS 60-89 DEGREES SOUTH.
  • MINERALIZATION IS LOCATED ALONG CONTACTS OF GRANODIORITE- PORPHYRY DIKES WITH LIMESTONES. PRIMARY ORE MINERALS- GALENA AND SPHALERITE. SECONDARY ORE MINERALS- PYRITE, CHALCOPYRITE, MAGNETITE. ORE CONTAINS 0.2% CU AND SMALL AMOUNTS OF AG, BI, AND CD.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface-Underground
Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Mining method Open Stope - Room and Pillar
Year of first production 1952

Mining district

District name Alma District

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Unknown

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Government Of Tajikistan
    Interest 100
    Home office Tajikistan
    Year 1994
  • Type Operator
    Owner Almalyk Mining And Metallurgical Enterprise
    Home office Uzbekistan
    Year 1991

Comments on the production information

  • MINE WAS WORKED AS AN OPEN PIT OPERATION UNTIL 1971; SINCE THAT TIME, IT HAS OPERATED AS AN UNDERGROUND OPERATION.
  • ORE DELIVERED BY RAIL TO THE ALMALYK CONCENTRATOR 17KM FROM MINE.
  • PRODUCTION STARTED IN 1952. TWO SMALL NEARBY DEPOSITS CLOSED IN 1985. THE SMALL PAI-BULAK MINE IS STILL IN OPERATION.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • RESERVES SUFFICIENT FOR 60 YR OF PRODUCTION, AT A CUTOFF GRADE OF 1.2% PB. RESERVES PROVEN DOWN TO 650M. THE ALTYN-TOPKAN MINE, ALONG WITH THE KHANDIZINSKOE, THE UCH-KULACH, AND THE KURGASHINSKOE MINE, SHARES A TOTAL LEAD ORE RESOURCE OF APPROXIMATELY 2,000,000 TO 5,000,000 METRIC TONS CONTAINING 700,000 TO 750,000 METRIC TONS OF LEAD METAL; AND A TOTAL ZINC ORE RESOURCE OF APPROXIMATELY 5,000,000 TO 8,000,000 METRIC TONS CONTAINING 1,100,000 TO 1,200,000 METRIC TONS OF ZINC METAL.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Commodity

    INTERFAX, MINING REPORT, P. 12 (NOV. 6-13, 1992).

  • Deposit

    CRU STUDY. 1991.

  • Deposit

    INTERFAX MINING REPORT. JULY 15-22, 1994, P. 3.

  • Deposit

    RAMAZAHOV, M.P., ALMALYK MINING AND METALLURGICAL COMPLEX,

  • Deposit

    IN GORNAYA ENCYCLOPEDIA, 1984, P. 100-101.

  • Deposit

    SMIRNOV, V.I., THE KAL'MAKYR DEPOSIT, IN ORE DEPOSITS OF THE

  • Deposit

    USSR, VOL. II. PITMAN PUBLISHING, LONDON, 1977, P. 127-

  • Deposit

    133.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit TAJIKISTAN HAS GIVEN UZBEKISTAN THE RIGHT TO DEVELOP THIS DEPOSIT UNDER A 50-YR AGREEMENT, UZBEK PLANS TO EXTRACT ANNUALLY 1.5 MILLION.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 19-MAR-97 Wilburn, David R. U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.