Verification drilling confirmed reserves of tungsten and molybdenum at the Northern Katpar field in the Karaganda region. Based on the results of topographic and geodetic, geophysical, and laboratory-analytical studies, the experts made conclusions about the coincidence of the historical boundaries of the ore distribution zones with the actual ones in most of the deposit, the boundaries of the ore intervals coincide with an accuracy of several meters. Thus, the reserves of the Northern Katpar field amount to about 90 thousand tons of tungsten and 13 thousand tons of molybdenum.
Research work was carried out with the participation of local and foreign experts.
The main difficulty associated with the start of development of tungsten deposits is the lack of beneficiation technologies in Kazakhstan that are adequate to the specifics of the deposits. The Beijing Institute of Mining and Metallurgy has developed an advanced ore beneficiation technology for the Northern Katpar deposit. The technology involves the associated production of copper, bismuth and molybdenum concentrates.
As previously reported, the national company Tau-Ken Samruk announced an ambitious goal-the revival of the tungsten industry in Kazakhstan.
About 12 tungsten deposits have been explored in Kazakhstan, their total reserves are estimated at more than 2 million tons of tungsten trioxide (historical data obtained in the Soviet years). The largest and most promising are the Upper Kairakty and Northern Katpar (Karaganda region). Northern Katpar is considered to be average in terms of reserves, and the Upper Kairakty is called unique by experts – it is among the three largest tungsten deposits in the world. Confirmation of historical data on tungsten reserves in the Upper Kairakty (1 million 213 thousand tons of tungsten and 343.5 thousand tons of molybdenum) is expected in 2019, after the completion of a geological exploration.
FOR REFERENCE: The subsoil use right at the Northern Katpar and Upper Kairakty fields belongs to Northern Katpar LLP, a subsidiary of the National Company Tau-Ken Samruk.
Tungsten is a rare chemical element, due to its unique physical properties, it is in demand in many manufacturing industries (mechanical engineering, mining and defense industries, aircraft manufacturing, nuclear physics, nuclear medicine, petrochemistry, etc.).