Problems and perspectives of the ineffective gold-bearing deposits development

Abstract

This article discusses the problems and prospects of mining placer gold not only in the Trans-Baikal Territory but also in Russia as a whole. The reduction of reserves in placers and a decrease in the quality of minerals in them open up new prospects for the extraction of this precious metal. The ineffective placers, of which, according to preliminary estimates, there are approximately 600 in the Trans-Baikal Territory, can become promising objects in gold mining. However, there are some negative factors that will complicate the gold mining operations. The mining of alluvial gold, even with the best existing technologies, remains a sector of high environmental risk; in many settlements, a gradual decrease in the population and the “extinction” of settlements is predicted, whereas illegal gold mining is gaining traction. Neither the regional nor the federal institutions of environmental supervision are now able to resist the destruction and degradation of nature from the mining of placer gold. In general, this leads to an increase in the negative impact of alluvial gold mining on natural systems and the socioeconomic sustainable development of the regions and municipalities, in which this type of activity is carried out, as well as an increase in accumulated environmental damage. The presented organizational and economic mechanism for the development of ineffective placers will contribute to solving the problems observed in the industry and will allow the implementation of measures proposed by public persons.