SOLTON-SARY MINE SITE BRANCH

Solton-Sary gold deposit is located in 355 km from Bishkek City in Naryn oblast on the northern slope of Kapka-Tash ridge, at actual elevation of 3500-3600 meters above the sea level. The distance till Balykchy railway station is – 175 km, till motor road Bishkek-Torugart is – 82 km. Gold deposit consists of 3 areas — Buchuk, Ak-Tash and Altyn-Tor. The total predicted gold reserves at this deposit are about 20 tons.

Infrastructure of Solton-Sary Mine Site includes Altyntor pit with gold reserves of 543.5 kg within the bounds of the pit, beneficiation plant with productive capacity of 100 thousand tons of ore per year and auxiliary buildings and facilities.

In 1992 geological exploration works at Altyntor area were conducted by Issyk-Kul complex geological prospecting expedition. Operational exploitation of an area started in 1994 and is running up until now.

Balance reserves of gold (С₁+С₂) at Altyntor area were evaluated by the Territorial Reserves Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic in 2005, and are 6.97 (geologist) tons of gold, with average content of 3.48 gr./ton in an amount of 2981.1 kg of gold.

In 1997 mining operations at Altyntor area were stopped and Altyntor pit was preserved due to inexpediency of extraction under the conditions of constant reduction in prices for gold and low throughout recovery of metal. Pit was closed but beneficiation plant of Solton-Sary Mine Site was still functioning carrying out after treatment of gravity tailings. By 2001 extraction of gold reached its ceiling level under gravity limit.

Altyntor pit has been preserved since 1997 and till the beginning of 2003. The increase in prices for gold and improvement of figures related to extraction have contributed to the decision to resume mining activities at Altyn-Tor area.

Ore processing at the mill is carried out based on technology of gravity concentration with use of Knelson concentrates. Upgrading of concentrates is carried out at concentration tables. The main product is gravity concentrate with gold content of 2-2.5 kg per ton. Extraction of gold into gravity concentrate is 73-75%. Thereafter gravity concentrate is sent to another enterprise for the purpose of gold extraction, the grade of which is 99%. More than 100 kilograms of precious metal is being produced in the course of a year. Technology of gold extraction into gravity concentrate eliminates the use of chemical agents and constitutes environmentally safe method.