More than 150 fields taken under ownership in Azerbaijan
By Aynur Jafarova
More than 150 fields of various assignments were taken under ownership in recent ten years as a result of geological exploration work in 25 regions of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Huseyn Baghirov said in his interview to the Azerbaijan newspaper.
According to the minister, the geologists obtained serious results in this period.
A producing process was organized on the basis of the gold fields which were taken under ownership in these years and thus, Azerbaijan joined to the gold producing countries, Baghirov mentioned.
In 2012 a huge amount of platinum, gold, copper and zinc was discovered in the copper-polymetallic ores of the Gedebey region of Azerbaijan by applying nuclear-geophysical exploration method, the minister added.
The significance of mineral reserves in modern world proliferates incessantly. Mineral reserves are one of the main factors identifying economic and social-political independence of the country being content of common natural resources.
Azerbaijan's territory which encompasses eastern portion of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus mountain ranges is distinguished with its complex geological structure, diversity and manifoldness of minerals.
The Gadabay ore region is one of the most perspective regions in terms of geological-structural system, intensity of geophysical and geochemical anomalies, as well as richness of copper-porphyry, copper-pyrite, copper-gold ores.
The Karabakh ore region has high perspective for copper mineralization. Mainly copper-porphyry, gold-copper-pyrite and other geological-industrial mineralization types are widespread in this ore region.
The Ordubad ore region which is located in Miskhana-Zangazur metallogenic square is deemed to have high perspective for discovery of industrially significant copper fields as well.
Gold mining industry
Azerbaijan has great perspective for the establishment of durable and long term gold mining industry. The gold fields can be divided into two groups. The first group includes fundamental gold fields revealed in direct formation area in mountain rocks. This group of fields includes Gyzylbulag, Daghkasaman, Gosha, Gadabay, Zod, Vejnali, Aghyurd, Pyazbashi, Shakardara, Aghduzdagh, Chovdar fields.
The second group consists of splattered gold fields derived from corrosion of fundamental gold fields, conveying of sediments from them to different distances. The splattered gold fields are considered economically auspicious as extra technological processing is not required in their use. This group of fields includes Bashkandchay and Kurakchay splatter gold fields.
Copper reserves
Azerbaijan's copper reserves are focused mostly in Balakan-Zagatala, Gadabay, Karabakh and Ordubad regions.
Basic copper reserves in Balakan-Zaqatala ore region are centered in copper-pyrite, pyrite-polymetal type of fields while the Lesser Caucasus and the Nakhchivan ore regions are focused in mostly copper-porphyry, molybdenum-copper-porphyry and gold-copper-pyrite type fields.
Industrial reserves of copper in the Balakan-Zaqatala ore region are located in the Filizchay, Kasdagh, Katekh fields as well as the Sagator copper-zinc, Mazimchay copper-pyrite and Ashaghi Karabchay pyrite-polymetal fields.
Lead-zinc fields are situated in the Sharur and Ordubad regions of Nakhchivan.
Zinc reserves are located in the Sagator field of the Balakan-Zaqatala ore region and the Nasirvaz-Aghdara polymetal fields of Nakhchivan.
Filizchay field
Exact exploration of Filizchay pyrite-polymetal field which is considered the hugest deposit in Europe and included to the largest fields of the world was completed and its industrial reserves were confirmed.
The deposit possesses 95 million tons of ore reserve containing the unique compact ore mass. The basic precious components of ore estimated of industrial reserves are copper, zinc, lead, silver, bismuth, cadmium, cobalt, selenium, tellurium, indium and etc.
Reserves of Filizchay deposit are able to supply highly profitable operation of mining enterprise for more than 60 years. Exploitation of the deposit is considered to be carried out in subsoil method.