In May 2010, the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences having won the federal contest signed a state contract with the Federal Agency for Subsoil Use of the Russian Federation to carry out prognostic and evaluation works on yet unexplored diamond deposits on the territory of Siberia. The contract has been concluded for 3 years for the amount of 200 million rubles. Nikolay Pokhilenko, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Director of the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, answered the questions of the Rough&Polished correspondent.
What areas will be explored and what is the program of work?
The project assignment envisages evaluation of prognostic resources of yet unexplored diamond deposits on the territory across the Siberian Platform in accordance with the Р3 category. Special attention will be given to auditing the degree to which a significant number of local sites (about 20) have been studied and prospected and where there are signs of unexplored prime diamond deposits. This estimation will be complex and it will be conducted at a modern level of geological knowledge involving the most industrious and authoritative Russian experts from various agencies. It also provides for some auditing field research engaging experts from at least five organizations belonging to different agencies and companies. A considerable part of the work program deals with evaluating the reliability of prognostic and evaluation works performed earlier on promising sites. The geography of these sites, besides Yakutia, includes the areas of the Krasnoyarsk Territory and Irkutsk Region.
The project program includes works aimed at finding out the character of primary sources for alluvial diamond fields in the northern part of the Yakut diamondiferous province, as well as analysis of all the currently available information related to possible presence of nonconventional primary diamond deposits on the territory of the Siberian Platform.
Does the project program include exploration works?
Exploration works are not included within the limits of this project, its program includes only regional prognostic and evaluation works, but it is not excluded that this project will bring about exploration projects followed by exploration on the part of diamond-mining companies.
Does the project cover only primary diamond deposits or will alluvial diamond fields get their part of attention as well?
In spite of the fact that major attention in the project will be given to forecasting yet unexplored primary deposits, certain works within its program will be tied to estimating the prospects of revealing ancient alluvial deposits for a number of sites on the northern territory of the Siberian Platform, its peripheral areas and in some sites of the Krasnoyarsk Region.
The Institute of Geology and Mineralogy of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences acts as a coordinator of the project. What other institutes and companies will participate?
The contract of the Federal Agency for Subsoil Use (Rosnedra) is signed with the V.S. Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The associate contractors within this project include the Central Research Geological and Exploration Institute for Non-Ferrous and Noble Metals (Moscow), Russian Geological Research Institute (St.-Petersburg), Siberian Research Institute of Geology, Geophysics and Mineral Raw Materials (Novosibirsk), and Krasnoyarsk Research Institute of Geology and Mineral Raw Materials (Krasnoyarsk) - all these institutes are subordinated to Rosnedra, - Institute of Diamond and Precious Metals Geology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Yakutsk), Jakutskgeologiya, a state unitary enterprise (Yakutsk), OAO Nizhne-Lenskoye (Yakutsk), Aerogeology, a state unitary enterprise (Moscow), Research and Exploration Enterprise of ALROSA (Mirny). The project will employ new, but already well-tried techniques of the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy and other Russian associate contractors.
What is the reason for boosting works aimed at evaluating Russian diamond resources right now?
There are several factors behind it including a general depletion of the mineral resources base, higher rough diamond market, as well as new methods and means of exploration.
According to your knowledge, what is the current state of affairs in global exploration for diamonds – is it intensified or, on the contrary, reduced?
It was sharply reduced during the crisis period, but now it is gradually increasing as for instance is the case with Canada (Stornoway, De Beers).
What is the probability for success? Is it possible to expect that there will be discovered new diamond fields with a capacity equivalent to those currently developed in Yakutia?
There are prospects for success, it is necessary to do a lot of work and in a professional way.
Sergey Goryainov, Rough&Polished, Novosibirsk
