Where is gold mined in Russia? Gold mining. Methods of gold mining. Mining gold by hand What is gold mining called?

Not only legends, but also historical facts claim that in the old days gold mining was quite active in the Moscow region: maps of deposits, preserved since then in various versions, still attract the darlings of fortune and gambling adventurers.

The gold rush at different times alternately covered the vast expanses of Russia. Gold panning began in a variety of regions, and often such enterprises achieved very significant success. And this is not surprising, because the Russian subsoil contains almost the entire periodic table, including precious metals. From time immemorial, miners in Rus' washed gold, which was more than enough for jewelry for the royal families, for precious church utensils and frames for icons, for minting coins and even for trade with close and distant neighbors.

Today, there are several hundred large and small deposits of this noble metal in the country. The Krasnoyarsk Territory, Chukotka, Yakutia and the Magadan Region have held the championship in its production for many years.

Statistics do not mention information about the mining of precious metals in the central part of the country, and therefore not every resident of the areas adjacent to the capital knows that gold mining is possible in the Moscow region. To this day, enterprises that actively mined placer gold in Soviet times have been preserved in mothballed form, producing up to 4 tons of precious metal per year.

Many of the deposits near Moscow are highly profitable from the point of view of gold mining, since they contain over 17 milligrams of gold per ton of processed rock. For comparison, we can say that in world practice a deposit is considered promising if its gold reserves are 10 milligrams per ton of rock.

From ancient times to the present day, gold can most often be found in the rivers of the Moscow region. If you believe the surviving maps, which indicate the most promising places for prospectors, the bulk of them are in the northern part of the Moscow region.

For example, in the area of ​​​​the village of Iksha, a network of small rivers originating at the tops of the Klinsko-Dmitrovskaya ridge erode layers of glaciers with their flow. In the thickness of these ice masses formed over centuries, a lot of precious metal has accumulated, which enriches the river sand.

And today one of these small rivers in the Iksha region tirelessly delights fans of the gold rush with the alluring shine of precious grains. The old-timers of these places tell the miners a legend according to which one of the rivers once turned into a real golden stream, from which miners washed not fine gold sand, but relatively large precious nuggets.

Legends are legends, but small grains of yellow metal, which are called “signs” in the language of prospectors, are found in rivers near Iksha in our time.

Cartography to help

Persistent rumors that there is gold in the Moscow region and that it is not so difficult to find it received unexpected confirmation from cartographers. Not long ago, a modern map of attractions located in the Moscow region was published. The attentive eyes of fortune hunters saw on it the symbol Au between two villages of the Dmitrov region.

One of them is Protasovo, and the second is Ignatovo. Any high school student knows that a similar sign denotes an element of the periodic table, which has atomic number 79 and is a noble metal, or, more simply, gold.

For gold mining in the Moscow region, a map indicating deposits where there is at least any significant amount of gold sand is simply necessary for the prospector. It helps to weed out rumors and legends that have no basis, and direct your energy to finding truly promising places for mining the precious metal.

A little history

Gold from the Moscow region has been mentioned in historical references since the beginning of the 19th century. The soldiers of Napoleon's army, having occupied Moscow, first of all began to inquire from the local residents where the extraordinary “golden” river was located, in which, instead of fish, gold nuggets await their catchers.

After the expulsion of Napoleon and the end of hostilities, envoys from the Russian imperial court came to Moscow. The purpose of their visit to Moscow was the same as that of the French: to learn about large gold deposits near Moscow. However, the residents of the Moscow province did not reveal their secret, and the royal envoys returned to the court with nothing.

Another outbreak of the “gold rush” occurred in the lands near Moscow before the October Revolution. The reason for it was an incident that helped a peasant from the Dmitrov region find two rather large nuggets on the bank of a small nameless river. The lucky plowman resold the find to a capital merchant. Soon after this, “top secret” maps with the designation of a gold-bearing place began to circulate around Moscow.

In response, many Moscow residents succumbed to the excitement and decided to try their luck with a prospecting tray in their hands. Even the famous master of reporting, Vladimir Gilyarovsky, succumbed to the general excitement, and went along with everyone else to catch their luck. Moscow guidebooks responded to the increased demand and began to publish data that there really are gold deposits near the village of Iksha, and they can be found in:

• gold placers;
• alluvial boulders of glacial origin.

The baton of general excitement was picked up by local newspapers, which began publishing articles with tempting, action-inducing headlines:

• "Klondike near Moscow";
• "Russian California";
• "Golden River"

The successful entrepreneur Ponomarev was not at a loss at the right moment. In the wake of popular interest, he created a joint-stock company with the goal of organizing gold mining on an industrial scale. Very respectable people of that time became members of the society. However, their hopes for quick enrichment were not realized.

The gold rush died out as suddenly as it started. And the reason for this was not at all the absence of the sought-after gold in the rivers near Moscow.

Industrialists did not have the technology to make metal mining economically interesting. At that time it simply did not exist.

Golden river beds

Employees of the Central Scientific Research Geological Prospecting Institute of Non-Ferrous and Precious Metals (TSNIGRI) told Rossiyskaya Gazeta journalists that not only the rivers near Iksha are of interest to prospectors. There is also noble metal in the beds of the Sestra and Volgusha rivers near Moscow.

To prove their words, they organized a real mining expedition for the workers of the pen, leading them to the shores of the Sister. Journalists had to pick up trays and get down to work. Their efforts were not in vain. After several hours of hard work, they lathered 5 milligrams of pure golden sand.

If you look at this catch through a microscope, it looks very impressive. All grains of sand have a smooth, water-polished surface and a bright, inviting shine. Unfortunately, it was difficult to see the microscopic nuggets with the naked eye. But the fact that a certain number of gold signs were found in a short time suggests that this metal still exists in the rivers of the Moscow region.

And not only the northern region of the region can boast of the presence of gold. There is evidence that in the mid-70s, one of the students of the Moscow Geological Prospecting Institute managed to wash gold grains in streams in the Podolsk region. To prove the veracity of his words, he willingly showed off his booty to his classmates.

And the impossible is possible

Experts say that gold deposits should be sought in layers of igneous rocks, which include granites and quartz, or in the vicinity of metamorphic rocks transformed under the influence of high pressures and significant temperatures.

Gold from the Moscow region is an exception to the rule. The fact is that the territory of the Moscow region mostly consists of sedimentary rocks. How, in this case, can one explain the presence of gold in the Moscow region?

Scientists have found compelling reasons to explain this phenomenon. According to the presented hypothesis, the reason for the appearance of gold in the Moscow region was a giant glacier, which several thousand years ago slid from the Scandinavian mountains to the Central Russian Upland. During its journey, it accumulated boulders, stones and fragments of various rocks in the ice layer.

As centuries passed, the climate changed and the glacial tongue began to gradually melt. In the places where the rapids formed, a natural enrichment process began to occur, as a result of which heavier minerals settled to the bottom of the glacier, thereby forming mineral deposits. Gold did not escape this fate.

Why mine in the Moscow region?

Despite the fact that gold has been mined in places near Moscow for a long time, its reserves are assessed by experts as insignificant from the point of view of industrial interest. In this case, who is developing these unpromising deposits and why? Scientists know the answer to this question too.

Gold from the Moscow region is of interest because it is of the alluvial type, which makes it possible to organize a fairly easy process of its extraction. According to experts, there will only be enough such placer gold in Russia for the next decades.

The reserves of gold that lie along with the bedrock can be mined for more than a century. The problem is that the development of primary deposits requires significant financial investments from gold miners to create:

• complex and expensive infrastructure, including the development of mines and quarries, as well as the construction of processing plants;
• transport and logistics network designed to serve the enterprise, since most of them are located away from housing.

Placer gold from loose rocks or alluvial deposits that form on river banks cannot boast of significant reserves, but in terms of extraction it is much cheaper for miners. There is one more factor that allows gold deposits near Moscow to become profitable.

In the central regions of the country, including the Moscow region, the main reserves of gold are contained in sand, which is actively used in the construction industry. Taking this factor into account, experts offered gold miners a technology that allows for the accompanying extraction of metal. This method makes gold mining economically interesting.

Private mining

The low profitability of gold mining does not frighten residents of the Moscow region, who in the summer turn into numerous private miners, happily spending time on the banks of large and small rivers.

For their purposes, they use simple, but time-tested and reliable mining technology. Most prospectors only need a few items to get started:

• tray;
• shovel;
• bucket;
• scoop.

The main difficulty is the main question: where to dig? Some miners dig through river sediments, while others go to quarries where sand and gravel are extracted. Once the location has been determined, you can begin to work.

Here another difficulty awaits the lover of precious metals. The prospector will have to patiently and carefully carry out the same constantly repeated movements for a long time. In general, the proverb applies to prospectors like no other profession: “Persistence and work will grind everything down.”

Secrets of mastery

Since gold is heavier than sand, it always settles to the bottom of the sand mixture. The main task of the miner is to wash the soil sample in such a way as not to inadvertently wash away the gold. After thorough washing of the sand, a dark-colored concentrate is formed, containing fragments of heavy minerals, among which gold grains are hidden. To examine the concentrate carefully in a quiet environment, you can pour it into a jar or a special bag and seal it tightly.

This material can be adjusted to the required result at home using a regular garbage scoop. First you need to go over its inner surface with sandpaper to get rid of the gloss and make the scoop less smooth.

Experienced miners warn beginners not to let the concentrate dry out. Since dried grains of gold will become buoyant and can be washed away with water during the first washing of the concentrate.

The prospector's tray also has its own secret. It must be made from a single piece of wood. And not every tree is suitable for this purpose. The highest quality trays are made from linden and cedar. Experts tried to make a tray from modern materials: fiberglass or plastic. But such products could not compete with the traditional wooden tray. Only wood allows the tray to float and has a surface rough enough to trap the gold grains.

To separate gold from dry rock, miners use a magnet because the minerals that accompany the gold contain a lot of iron. But there is a secret here too. Before using the magnet, it must be placed in a plastic bag or plastic container. In this case, adhering particles of ferruginous quartzites or garnets can be easily separated from the magnet by removing the bag. If you do not follow this advice, it can be very difficult to separate particles stuck to the magnet.

In some cases, the catch can only be detected using a microscope. Seeing the signs, as experts call small grains of gold, can be difficult without the help of equipment.

The “Gold Rush” continues to haunt adventure lovers to this day. Many people dream of becoming the proud owner of a gold nugget, but not everyone knows where to look for a suitable deposit. And, of course, for many it will be a surprise to learn that gold can be mined in the Moscow region, using sand pits or river beds for this purpose.

To become a prospector you do not need to purchase expensive equipment. A shovel and tray will help you take soil samples and wash the sand. And the direction of the search will be suggested by maps on which deposits of the precious metal are marked with the sign Au. But not only maps can become guides for modern gold miners. When setting out on a journey, you should study local legends and tales. Often they indicate traditionally gold-rich places.

The method of mining gold largely depends on where exactly it is located. In most cases, prospectors look for this precious metal along the banks of rivers and streams, since the presence of water is a necessary condition for its effective separation from waste rock.

Before panning, miners first look for an area with a fairly high gold content - usually several grams per ton of rock. To do this, pits several meters deep are dug along the banks, and the rock removed from one depth or another is washed. If gold is discovered, its content in the rock is determined and a decision is made to begin mining.

Mining gold using a simple pan pan

The simplest washing tray is made of wood or metal and looks like a large cup with a rounded bottom. Films about artisanal gold mining often show how the gold miner scoops up gold-bearing sand with a tray and washes it in the water of a stream or river. But in practice, gold-bearing sand is very rare; it is usually a mixture of gravel, small pebbles, sand and other rocks.

It is this mixture, mined in a pit, that is scooped up with a tray. When approaching the water, you need to lower the tray into the water and begin to rotate the rock in it with smooth movements. It is interesting that large stones do not sink to the bottom of the tray, as one might expect, but move to its edge and fall out. Gradually, all the pebbles, including the smallest ones, are washed out of the tray; what remains in it is the so-called concentrate - particles of high-density solid minerals. It is black in color, and particles of gold are very clearly visible in it - if there were any in the washed rock.

Mining gold using a drill

More professional and profitable is gold mining using a walk-through - a wooden tray made from several boards. It is installed near the stream, water is supplied to it. As a rule, it flows by gravity through a makeshift water pipeline; water is taken a little higher upstream.

The tray is slightly inclined; ribbed rubber mats are placed on its bottom. A sheet of iron with holes punched in it is placed on top. Rock is poured onto it and stirred with a shovel - small fractions fall into the tray for washing, and large stones are raked off the sheet to the side.

During washing, gold particles are retained on the mats, and waste rock is carried away by water. After a certain time, usually several hours, the mats are carefully removed and the gold is collected from them.

Modern equipment for artisanal gold mining

Currently, many companies offer modern, efficient equipment for artisanal gold mining. In the catalogs you can find a wide variety of installations that can significantly facilitate the work of a miner. There are both the simplest tunnels, light and convenient, and complex expensive equipment that pays for itself only if it works in gold-rich areas.

Even those who have never had anything to do with such a craft are interested in this issue. It should be noted that there is not so much precious metal on our planet; its production does not exceed 1 thousand tons per year. Gold mining itself began a little over 6.5 thousand years ago.

The first gold products were found on the territory of Bulgaria and dated back to 4500 thousand BC. e. Such a short mining history allowed humanity to replenish its reserves of this metal by only 168.9 thousand tons.

Mined gold bars

How does gold appear?

Interest in gold arose relatively recently, but despite this, the metal itself appeared on our planet at the time of its formation. Many scientists believe that gold arises during the explosion of a neutron star, particles of which trigger the process of formation of planets and solar systems, in some way consisting, among other things, of gold.

Most of the metal is concentrated in the Earth's molten core, and only a small amount is close enough to the surface to be mined. In addition, some of the metal reaches the surface with volcanic lava flows. The metal can also be found in places where post-magmatic and hydrothermal processes occur.

When talking about how gold appears and how to mine it on Earth, we should not forget about space. Every year, many meteorites fall onto the surface of the planet, some of which are made of gold. The discovery of such a meteorite is rare, but still possible.

Gold has been and remains one of the most valuable metals. Given its limited quantity, the demand for it has remained unchanged for many centuries.

History of the development of gold-bearing veins

The first large gold-bearing veins were found in Africa, Asia and America. Legends about the mysterious and inaccessible Eldorado - a land full of gold and precious stones - still excite the hearts of adventure lovers to this day. Modern gold mining is carried out on all continents; gold-bearing veins have been found in South America, Australia and China.

One of the largest gold-mining countries is the Russian Federation. The country is in fourth place in the production of the precious metal.

The first gold-bearing veins in Russia, and throughout the world, were mined manually, which had an impact on the quality, quantity and speed of gold mining. The first industrial extraction method was used in 1745. The first gold mine was discovered by the peasant Erofey Markov, later it was known as Berezovsky.

Today, about 16 companies are engaged in metal mining in the Russian Federation, each of which replenishes the state gold reserves by several tens of kilograms per year. Gold mining is carried out in the Irkutsk Territory, Magadan, Chukotka, Amur Region, Krasnoyarsk and Khabarovsk Territories.

Before the invention of the industrial mining method, the essence of which is described below, gold was mined exclusively by hand. This process was costly, time-consuming and even dangerous. What actually made it dangerous was the presence of other gold miners, wild animals, weather conditions and the vicissitudes of fate, which even the luckiest profit seekers had to face more than once.

Extraction methods

Modern technologies have improved many areas of human activity. The extraction of precious metals is no exception in this regard. The introduction of new scientific developments makes it possible to extract them in places whose potential has dried up several decades ago. The profitability of a gold deposit is determined by the amount of gold.

A deposit in which 1 ton of sand contains at least 3 grams of gold is considered to be profitable and even very profitable. Deposits in which up to 10 grams of metal can be obtained from 1 ton are listed as rich, but there are very few such places left on the planet. Most of the rich deposits were developed in the first half of the last century.

There are several ways to obtain precious metal from sand and gold ore:

1) Sifting and washing sand manually. Almost never used lately. The method was widely used during the gold rush in the USA and Australia. The idea is to use large sieves, wire-bottomed buckets and bags. Before gold began to be mined on an industrial scale, gold-bearing veins were located in large quantities in the beds of large but relatively small rivers. All that was required from the miners was patience and skill.

People entered the river up to their waists, and sometimes up to their necks, scooped up river sand and poured it onto a special sieve. With the help of a sieve, which was kept on the surface of the water all the time, it was possible to get rid of sand and water, leaving only large stones, among which there were golden grains of sand. If gold-bearing veins were discovered near the shore, the task of gold miners was simplified.

This method of extraction required skill and maximum concentration. In northern latitudes, it was also seasonal. The resulting metal was sold in its pure form. It was accepted as payment for goods and services provided in any part of the world. Unfortunately, it was not possible to extract a large amount of metal in this way.

Small gold-bearing grains of sand could be found already at a depth of 10-12 centimeters, but to obtain richer mining, gold miners had to dig up river soil to a depth of half a meter or more. The main sign of the presence of metal in a river or stream was the presence of quartz pebbles. Sand washing was for a long time the only way to obtain metal.

2) Extraction of metal from gold ore. It was done manually. The main tools were a shovel, a pick, and a hammer for crushing ore. A dangerous mining method that requires the ability to climb mountains, dig deep trenches and even mines. Metal mining in this way has been carried out for a long time in Russia.

3) Industrial production. Thanks to the discovery of certain chemical compounds, the extraction process has significantly accelerated. Large and small equipment is used in mining; the process is well-established and automated. Modern industrial extraction methods are:

• Almagalmirovaniye. In the middle of the last century, a method of metal extraction called almagalming was popular. The essence of the method was to use the ability of mercury to attract gold, enveloping it. To detect grains of metal, gold ore was poured into barrels, the bottom of which was covered with mercury. All the gold stuck to the mercury, and the devastated ore was disposed of. Subsequently, the barrel was heated, and the metal peeled off from the mercury. This method was ideal in terms of cheapness and ease of metal production. For a long time it was the main method of extraction. Currently, almagalming has been almost completely abandoned, due to the danger that toxic mercury poses to others. In addition, mercury still does not completely release gold; some particles remain, which is simply not profitable given the high value of the metal. Currently, gold is mined using slightly different methods.
• Metal leaching with sodium cyanide. Allows you to obtain metal even from already processed gold ore. Gold-bearing particles are initially converted into water-soluble cyanide compounds, after which they are returned to their solid form using special reagents.
• Flotation. Some gold-bearing rocks do not get wet, but are enveloped in liquid particles and float on the surface like air bubbles. To obtain gold from such a rock, it is crushed, filled with water or pine oil, and then mixed. The gold particles contained in the ore float to the surface, after which they are purified. On an industrial scale, oil is replaced with air - it is passed through a mixture of ore, water and some chemical elements.

4) Mining at home. Gold literally surrounds people, however, many never notice it and therefore do not suspect that it is quite real. Small amounts of gold are found in old Soviet-made wristwatches, radio components, and even ordinary sea water. To obtain gold at home, you need to collect a large number of watches (at least several hundred), put them in a glass bowl and fill them with nitric acid. After some time, the acid will dissolve all metals except gold.

The resulting sediment is filtered through several layers of gauze, after which the remaining gold is poured with vodka and left for a day or more. After time, the gold is washed again and melted down. During the smelting process, a little soda is added to the gold. The weight and size of the resulting ingot will be slightly different from the original one. The extraction process is similar.

So, the past millennia have changed a lot in methods and. One thing has remained unchanged - the attractive value of this metal in the eyes of people.

Gold is one of the most valuable metals, which is famous all over the world and is quite difficult to obtain. In the Middle Ages, gold was the monetary equivalent, and now many exchange rates directly depend on fluctuations in the value of this precious metal.

Despite the fact that the first information about gold mining sites in Russia appeared in the 5th century, industrial attempts to remove gold from the ground appeared only at the beginning of the 18th century.

Today, two types of gemstone mining are popular: large-scale industry with the construction of mills and gold processing plants; solo forays to golden springs.

Due to its size and the huge number of gold sources, Russia has become the 5th state in the ranking of gold-mining countries in the world. The Russian Federation keeps pace with the USA, China, Germany, Australia and India.

There are several regions where you can stumble upon a gold source absolutely by accident, because almost the entire region is included in the gold map. So, if you want to go on a trip to search for gold deposits in Russia, then pay attention to the map and the following territories:

• Magadan;
• Khabarovsk and Krasnoyarsk territories;
• Sverdlovsk, Amur and Irkutsk regions;
• Republic of Sakha, Buryatia;
• JSC Chukotka.

There are sources everywhere here, and precious metals are literally under your feet. When setting off on a profitable journey, take note of a few facts about where and how gold is mined.

The mechanism of organization of how gold is mined in Russia

We have already said that there is large-scale production. I would like to note that there is not as much gold from processing plants throughout Russia as we would like and most of them are concentrated in the Ural region.

This situation is explained by the fact that this is a very expensive project that does not always pay off. Unfortunately, our equipment is quite outdated, which leads to unprofitable production. Scientists at research institutes are working on developing new methods for extracting the yellow metal, but no innovations have been presented.

In such a situation, amateur methods of mining gold in Russia are becoming increasingly popular. In order to go in search of gold reserves and not be held legally liable, you need to follow just a few rules:

As you can see, only minor bureaucratic issues need to be resolved, and you can safely begin profitable activities. The second option for gold mining is aimed at significantly smaller volumes, and accordingly the profit will be significantly less. On the other hand, there are many advantages:

• minimal financial costs for equipment;
• there is no need to hire a large staff of workers;
• fewer permitting documents and other bureaucratic issues are required.

So, let's move on to studying the question of where exactly gold is mined in Russia.

In most cases, gold is found in mountain rivers or sand quarries.

Mountain rivers are the most favorite place for gold seekers. If you want, pay attention to the following terrain features:

• the river must begin in a mountain range;
• the total length of the stream should be no more than 15 km;
• the area should be as abstracted as possible from the population;
• The river current is not very strong.

Since gold is several times heavier than water, the current simply pushes it out of the rocks, but does not carry it far. Most often, gold grains or nuggets become clogged in soil, sand or pebbles. Fine grains of precious metal create a “golden pit” that catches the eye among the gray stones.

Golden sand settles to a depth of 5 cm from ground level. By dripping a little deeper (up to 20 cm), you can find small nuggets weighing up to 50 grams. If you dream of 100 - 200 grams of pure gold, then you will have to dig up to half a meter, which is quite difficult to do, given the peculiarity of mountain rivers.

Sand quarries are rich in golden sand. If you find a pleasant shine and reflection in the sand, this may indicate the presence of quartz, which often goes hand in hand with gold.

It will take much longer and more difficult to mine gold from sand, because the likelihood of stumbling upon a nugget is negligible. On the other hand, large volumes of gold can be extracted from sand, because there is much more of it there than in mountain reservoirs.

In any case, knowing about the places of gold mining in Russia, you simply need to buy certain equipment, tools, or use improvised materials (they save the budget, but waste a lot of time).

The cheapest way is to buy a bag and pour sand into it. By opening the bag slightly, allow water to enter it, which will ensure that the existing sand is washed away. Since a grain of gold is 20 times heavier than sand, the metal will remain inside the bag, and the sand will be washed away by the flow of water. Accordingly, this method is only applicable for searching for gold in water.

Plastic patch and sand. The meaning of this method is approximately similar to the first option. The only difference is that you will sift the sand and the gold crumbs will remain in the tray. The method is used in mountain quarries, but is ineffective, because it takes tens of hours to process even 1 ton of sand.

. Perhaps one of the most effective ways to help you find places where you can mine gold. The tool sends signals 20 cm deep into the ground, which helps to find both grains of sand and large stones. In addition, it is possible to configure the metal detector so that the instrument reacts exclusively to gold, completely ignoring other metals. A convenient and quick way to scan the desired area for gold sources. Of course, this equipment can only be used for sushi.

Minidrag. A small machine equipped with a hose that supplies water with sand and stones to a lumpy conveyor, where the stones are selected. Unnecessary stones and water roll back into the river.

Mini gateways. Visually it resembles a fine, strong mesh, which is installed as close as possible to the bottom of the river and the flow of water simply brings sand into the sluice.

Perhaps the most effective option is using a metal detector. Of course, you can mine gold using any of the above methods, if you treat this activity not as a source of income, but as a way of entertainment or a wonderful hobby. Since we have already looked at where and how gold is mined, let’s pay attention to the financial component of the issue.

Cost of gold mining

Since the gold mining industry belongs to the heavy class, it automatically falls into the classification of costly. This formulation means that most of the amount from sold products (jewelry, accessories, a piece of furniture, interior design, or simply gold bars) will go to pay off all costs associated with the extraction of the yellow metal.

Large profits are obtained from those factories and plants where it is possible to extract precious stones using modern innovative technologies.

If we are talking about “amateur mining,” then it is difficult to make specific forecasts, since no one can guarantee that you will find even 6 grams of gold, and equipment and uniforms will be purchased, time spent and staff hired. It is profitable to carry out mining yourself only in those places where there are definitely gold sources.

In 2016, 10% more gold was produced than in the previous period. The cost of production decreased by 19%, which was the result of the introduction of modern technology for processing soil, sand and water.

The cost of an ounce of gold on the interbank exchange decreased by 20% (the more gold is mined, the cheaper it is on the exchange), but the pricing policy for finished products from this precious stone increased by 5-7%. Despite the crisis state of the economy, the demand for gold jewelry, items or bank bars not only did not decrease, but also increased by almost 30%.

Who doesn't dream of finding treasure! But few people know that in the city of Zeya, Amur Region, the chances of sudden enrichment increase significantly. Here, with regularity of several months, local residents find caches of gold bars. If you believe the testimony of these lucky ones, the treasure can be found here on the side of the highway, near the river bank, or just under a bush.

A common story for this place: a certain Bagaudin Estemirov wandered through the forest and found three knitted socks in the bushes, in which gold bars were neatly wrapped. Only 18 pieces for a total amount of 10.5 million rubles.

Unspeakable luck. But for some reason, local residents and operatives are not surprised by such stories.

MK found out the ins and outs of all these finds.

On October 20, 2016, 35-year-old resident of the city of Zeya Marina Moskaleva was incredibly lucky. On this day, citizen Moskaleva became richer by 19 million rubles. To be absolutely precise, another plus 246 thousand 41 rubles and 63 kopecks. That’s exactly how much the 24 gold bars that the woman found (at least that’s what she claims) are worth on the side of the Zeya-Tynda highway. The gold was lying in a plastic bag under a bush, five meters from an abandoned traffic police post.

It’s hard to even imagine how Marina Nikolaevna rejoiced at such enchanting luck. But common sense did not leave her either. The lady threw the bag into the back seat of her car and drove home. And four more days later she set off in the same car with 24 gold bars in the back seat “to go about her business” (at least that’s what is written in the criminal case). But Moskaleva never reached her destination. She was stopped by FSB officers who noticed a large black bag in the car. And there...

In general, the gold was confiscated and the lady was charged under Part 1 of Art. 191 (“illegal storage, transportation of precious metals”). The court sentenced her to two years of suspended imprisonment and a fine of 200 thousand rubles. The bullion, naturally, was confiscated and turned into state income.

But here’s a coincidence: in the same Zeya, happiness smiled on 45-year-old Alexei Egorov. Alexey Valerianovich does not work anywhere, at least officially, and therefore he has a lot of time to wander through the surrounding forests. During one of his walks, a man came across a bundle of 2.4 kilograms of gold while crossing the Gilyuy River. Citizen Yegorov could have gotten rich by more than five million rubles, but he also fell into the hands of the FSB.

There are more than one or two such stories in the vicinity of Zeya, and indeed in the Amur region. For example, Magomed Tochiev (also, by the way, unemployed and, apparently, a very lucky man) was walking through a forest area within the city in March 2016 and came across a cache. And it contains 6 kg of gold. There are only 17 bars totaling more than 13 million rubles.

But probably the most enchanting story happened with Bagaudin Estemirov, who in the bushes found three black knitted socks containing 18 gold “hemispheres”. They weighed more than eight kilograms, and cost about 10.5 million rubles at the exchange rate at that time. By the way, Comrade Estemirov is not only incredibly lucky - he also has a business sense. At least a limited liability company engaged in the extraction of non-ferrous metal ores is now registered under it.

It’s hard to believe, but in Zeya there are people who have found treasure not for the first time. The chairman of the Zeya District Court told us about such “lucky ones squared off.”

“That year, a decision was made in the case of one man who found three kilograms of alluvial gold in a three-liter jar in a hard-to-reach forested area. This comrade has no obvious source of income and does not work. I started looking at his personality, and it turned out that he had been convicted twice for similar crimes. But at the time I considered this case, his convictions had already been expunged.

Gold in the vicinity of the wonderful city was regularly found before. For example, in October 2010, in the village of Svetly, in a garage cooperative behind the Pyramid shopping complex, a certain Knuni Bagdasaryan found a plastic bag with placer gold walled up in one of the reinforced concrete slabs. The weight of the package was small, only 700 grams. But by selling it, the man would then be able to enrich himself by a million rubles.

But, despite such wonderful stories, for some reason there is no pilgrimage of treasure hunters to Zeya. And local residents even move to other cities, where, although they don’t find treasures on every corner, there is work and the opportunity to feed their families.

It is 600 kilometers from Blagoveshchensk along the highway to Zeya. You can get there by car in about six hours. A harsh town on the right bank of the river of the same name. Among the local infrastructure facilities, it is worth mentioning only the Zeya hydroelectric power station, which supplies electricity even to China, and several gold mining enterprises. In fact, the city itself was founded by gold miners. In the 1860s, after private gold mining was allowed in the Amur region, mines opened in these remote taiga regions. In 1879, the first artel called the Zeya Warehouse appeared here.

“Do you really think that we really have gold lying around here on every corner?” These “lucky ones” wash it illegally or steal it from the mines. And when they are caught, they say that they have found them,” Andrei Lozhechkin does not even hide his surprise at the metropolitan journalist’s lack of understanding. And he adds to clarify the situation: “All these people are “black miners.”

There are several schemes by which illegal gold miners operate. One of the most common is this: an artel launders gold in one place, skims off the cream, and then moves on to another. Free prospectors come to this site and mine the remains. However, it is not so easy to find a dump that is not completely used up, where you can still wash a kilogram or two. Especially without guidance. But the coordinates of promising sites are often leaked to free miners by their legal colleagues. It’s clear that it’s not a thank you.

In Central Russia, they don’t even imagine the scale of underground gold mining. This is a whole industry - with its own laws, schemes and methods of getting rid of unwanted people.

“For the 18 bars seized, the counter was set at a decent price...”

Freelance gold miners are also called “predators.” These people are extremely reluctant to talk about their work. If they agree to an interview, they ask not to indicate their real name. For Alexey, searching for gold is not a means of earning money—it’s a hobby. He hunts in the Moscow region and regularly publishes reports and photographs of the wealth he finds on his blog. It turns out that you don’t need to go to the Far East to buy precious metal. Alexey assures that even in the Moscow region, if you know the places, you can mine several tens of grams of gold.

— For example, near Iksha, until the war, collective farmers mined 150 grams per season. And in Moscow, during the reconstruction of Kudrinskaya Square, three nuggets weighing about 700 grams were found. So you understand, this is great luck. Usually prospectors deal with gold dust and grains.

Alexey knows many people in this shadow segment. He agreed to tell us how the “predators” work.

“Most likely, the people caught in Zeya are not even direct miners, but buyers or carriers of the recovered metal. They buy gold from miners at bargain prices. Moreover, it is clear to everyone who understands even a little about this business that these people were hired for a reason. An extra buyer appeared - and they decided to merge him into the operational development of the FSB.

What “extra” means is also clear to all those involved in this business. The fact is that for the last few decades, all illegal gold mining has been covered by the Chechens and Ingush. They buy sand from miners at half price. And even cheaper. It is clear that sooner or later there will be people who will want to sell their gold for a higher price. These are the kind of people they hand over to the FSB.

We have been trying to reach those involved in the “found gold” cases for several weeks. To no avail. No one answered the phone. Alexey is not surprised by this.

“I think they have no time for journalists now.” Because if 18 other people’s gold bars were confiscated from you, which you were supposed to deliver to the customer, they gave you a decent counter. These people now shy away from any shadow.

In the illegal transportation of gold, the main thing is reliable people and well-functioning logistics. Alexey said that some particularly enterprising businessmen make chains from “black” gold for coupling railway cars, which are then painted to resemble steel. At the destination station, the precious chains are removed and real ones are installed.

“Some very complex scheme,” I notice.

- But throughout Russia, gold can travel freely, without inspection.

The work of miners is harsh. Few people understand what people sacrifice for the sake of metal, which will later turn into earrings and rings. For several months, gold miners live deep in the taiga, in tents or dugouts.

“One prospector told me how he entered the taiga, threw away his provisions and went to put the equipment on the stream. He returns to the parking lot, and there all the cereals are torn, the cans of stew are open. The bear was in charge of his camp. It would be logical to return, but this guy went into the taiga for a week. In general, he decided to stay. For two weeks while I was working, I ate only fish.

— And how much do miners produce per season?

— If a single person lathers 100-200 grams, that’s already happiness. If we assume that they sell gold at a price of two thousand rubles per gram, then during the season they will be able to raise a maximum of 200 thousand. For those who work in illegal cooperatives, gold allows them to survive the winter. But still, this is not the money for which you can risk your health and freedom. An ordinary worker can easily receive these. But he doesn’t live in the taiga - in an apartment. It is not overgrown or dirty. And there is no risk of being put on trial.

“You can sell the washed metal in stores for your own...”

Direct gold mining by private owners is not prohibited in our country. There is no article for this in the Criminal Code. The maximum, according to Alexey, for which a hard worker can be brought in is for muddying the water in the river or cutting down a tree. But for all this there is an administrative penalty.

— But the storage and transportation of precious metals is prohibited in our country. But if they find gold in your hands worth less than 2 million 250 thousand rubles, only a fine will be imposed for this. If it’s more, you already fall under the Criminal Code,” explains the blogger.

However, operational services are unlikely to go to the places where miners work. It's too far. For example, one former gold miner from Zeya (he now holds a fairly high position, and therefore asked not to indicate his name) told us that “black miners” often mine in places that can only be reached on a winter road. In spring and summer there is simply no road there.

— In winter, equipment and people are brought there. In late autumn, when there is frost, they are taken away. In summer, you can only get there by helicopter. Sometimes food is delivered to prospectors on all-terrain vehicles. And then imagine: FSB officers reached a secret place deep in the taiga and spent a lot of money on this special operation. And what did they see? Several people wash basins in water. What can they be charged with? - Alexey says in turn.

“Surely the gold itself lies somewhere nearby.”

- Who will put it in the open? They hide it, of course. And if the operatives find the bookmarks, it doesn’t matter. You can always tell that it's someone else's. “What if it’s not yours?”

- “And so, someone dropped it.”

- But there is special equipment nearby.

- So what? I'm just testing the equipment. This is not prohibited by law.

But you can’t take this illegal gold to a pawnshop. If natural metal is brought in to be handed over, the jeweler or pawnshop employee is obliged to inform the authorities.

— Now all pawn shops have cameras. In the event that some ignorant person brings panned gold, the receivers are obliged to hand over the recording from them to FSB officers. You immediately fall under the clause of sale,” explains Alexey.

But their own stores have been created to accept shadow gold. There are these in every city in the gold-bearing regions.

“No one will dig you out from under the collapsed pit...”

- All this is rented out in the so-called “Chechenzoloto” and “Ingushzoloto” in the common people. Usually this is some kind of grocery store where the buyer sits. The miner is given 50 percent of the market value of the metal. They can also give you food. It is clear that if you do not share with people in uniform, then your store will be closed very quickly. However, there is no zest in this scheme - it is standard, as in any illegal business.

— Russia is perhaps the only country in the world in which private individuals cannot mine gold. Only an enterprise that has received the appropriate license is allowed,” explains Rudolf. “It costs millions, it’s too much for an individual to afford.”

Actually, it was the ban on private mining of the yellow metal that gave rise to shadow gold mining. The volume of this business is amazing.

— For example, in the Irkutsk region, 16 tons of gold are officially mined. And exactly the same amount goes into the illegal cash register,” Kavchik assures. — Even special cover enterprises are being created. Imagine: there is a bulldozer in the taiga and a gold collection office has been built. But nothing is produced at this enterprise. Freemen bring gold here and sell it at half price. And this is just one of the schemes for the “gray” metal turnover.

—Where does this illegal gold go then? Is he being taken out of the country?

— I’ll say this: what kind of money do you think terrorist attacks in the Moscow and St. Petersburg metro come from? Perhaps even from the “golden ones”.

The ban on gold mining did not always exist; it was introduced only in 1956. Before this, private mining was even encouraged.

— During wartime, there were special cleanup days, during which schoolchildren were driven to the river. With the help of trays, they mined several grams of gold, which they then handed over and received their couple of rubles. They sent money “for the front, for victory.”

But as soon as the country recovered from the wounds of the war, those at the top became concerned: would some Soviet citizens earn more than others? After all, gold mining is an opportunity to earn beyond your needs. Although not the easiest. As Rudolph explained, a cube of rock typically contains one to two grams of gold. Five at best. Imagine: only two grams in a coma of earth measuring a meter long, a meter wide and a meter high.

- But you must carry this cube of rock with your own hands to the river, wash it in ice water. In a day, a miner can master a cube, at most two. That is, the maximum production of a worker is 5-10 grams of gold per day.

And for this you risk not only your health, but also your life. Cases where miners died under rubble are not so rare.

Often, when mining grandfather's pits, prospectors find the remains of their predecessors.

- In a word, this work is not up to everyone. And in our country, this real man is labeled “black miner.” In New Zealand, for example, this employee would be a wealthy and respected person.

By the way, not only men, but also women become prospectors. Although, of course, Amazons with a pick and a shovel are rather an exception to the rule.

“Such women are loved and appreciated. And luck often smiles on them even more often than on their partners. I once wrote down the story of a female prospector: “I went to the taiga to get my children ready for school; I really needed money. She probably really asked the Almighty to help, she believed, she didn’t ask for herself, but for the children. And this time, luck smiled at me in the form of several small gold nuggets with a total weight of almost one hundred grams.”

— What was the biggest nugget you found?

— My record is a nugget the size of a chicken egg. Rare luck, we thought for a long time what to do with it. It seemed that I was rich, at least enough for a car. In fact it turned out to be 175 grams. This is approximately 200 thousand rubles at black market prices.

Rudolf comes from the Irkutsk region. And there, too, as it turns out, the courts are overwhelmed with cases from the “found a bag of gold under a bush” series.

— This is a widespread practice in all gold-bearing regions. The country is in crisis, there are no jobs in these small towns, but we need to somehow feed our families. If a prospector is caught, he knows from the experience of his colleagues: say what you found, and there will be less hassle. By the way, if this guy had put a note in his pocket: they say, I came across a treasure, I’m going to hand it over, he wouldn’t even be given an administrative punishment. He is a good citizen. It’s like with weapons: write a note saying that you found an unregistered gun in the forest and are going to turn it in, and you’ll be fine with bribes.

— What is the income of the richest free miner with whom you ever communicated?

- No one will say how much he earns, this is the law of fortune. If you talk, your luck will run out forever. But in New Zealand I met a gold miner. I found his mini-dredge (equipment used for mining - “MK”) on the bank of a small stream, and the prospector himself in a nearby pub. He works four hours a day and does not deny himself anything, including a pint of beer after a working day. Every day he mines approximately 7 grams of gold. If you convert this into rubles, you get 15 thousand. And this person does not feel like a criminal.

Our prospectors can only dream of this for now.

Although for several years now a package of amendments on free income has been lying dead in the State Duma. If it is adopted, in Russia, as in many countries, gold mining will be completely legal work. All freestyle wrestlers really hope for this project. After all, in essence they are not criminals. They just want to do their favorite and not the easiest job.

VIDEO

Equipment for gold mining with your own hands.For free!