Rosgeologia identifies 'promising' U deposits in North-West Russia

Rosgeologia, the Russian state-run geological exploration services company, has identified "promising" uranium deposits in the North-West Federal District of Russia. The announcement yesterday followed completion of a survey of the Kuol-Panayarvinskaya area on the border of the Murmansk region and the Republic of Karelia.

"Complex geological and geophysical interpretation of the data highlighted two areas of potentially promising uranium ore mineralization," Rosgeologia said. "The results recommend further geological studies within the area," it added.

The study was commissioned by the A .P. Karpinsky Russian Geological Research Institute (VSEGEI) according to contract signed in July last year.

It was carried out by Rosgeologia subsidiary Alexandrovskaya Experimental Methodological Expedition, which conducts geological, geochemical, and geophysical surveys to different scales, and prospects for solid minerals in various regions across Russia.

Rosgeologia signed an agreement with state nuclear corporation in June last year that sets out "key cooperation principles" which they intend to foster in subsoil geological studies and the replacement of reserves of uranium, rare and trace elements, as well as in the import substitution of geology-prospecting equipment and software. The two companies will cooperate in the development of technologies for new types of uranium deposits as well as environmental and industrial safety.

Established in July 2011 by presidential decree, Rosgeologia consists of 38 enterprises located in 30 regions across Russia. Its assets include major hydrocarbon and solid mineral deposits and fields, such as the Astrakhan field that contains 2.5 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, the Tengiz field with 3.1 billion tonnes of oil, the Kovykta field with 1.9 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, the Sukhoi Log deposit with about 2000 tonnes of gold, and the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News