/Abishev V.M., Bespaev H.A., Globa V.A., Gulyaeva N.Ya. — Almaty: Information & Presentation center MS of the RK, 1996. — 144 p.Источник: http://www.geokniga.org .
There has been gold production in Kazakhstan since the ancient times, the earliest primary gold workings having been dated to the Bronze Age (2000-4000 BC). Ancient workings, otherwise called "Chudskie" pits that often contain implements dating to the Stone or Bronze Age, still survive to the present at many gold deposits in the north and east of the country.
Gold production in Kazakhstan resumed only at the beginning of the 18th century, with the first gold produced in 1725 at the Kolyvano-Voskresensky plant in Russia having been recovered from Kazakhstan's pyrite-polymetallic gold-silver deposits at Rudnoi Altai. More than 191 of by-product gold were mined here between 1745 and 1800. Gold production at these properties had increased steadily in the 19th and 20th centuries, and has accounted for 30-40% of the country's total output in recent years. The inception of the local gold industry dates back to 1833 when a placer was discovered in the Kalba district of East Kazakhstan. More than 150 placers were subsequently discovered between 1834 and 1890; these gave over 121 of gold in 1880-1913. The first primary gold deposit - Baladzhal - was also discovered in the Kalba district in 1886, paving the way for the development of the local gold mining industry in Kazakhstan. Since the follow-up of gold production up to the year 1926, 203 t of gold had been produced in Western Siberia, with most coming from East Kazakhstan. Large gold deposits were discovered in the 1930s in the north and east of Kazakhstan. These include Zholymbet, Bestube, Aksu, Kvartsitovye Gorki, Maikain, etc. A number of notable discoveries were also made in the principal regions of the country in the 1950s through the 1960s. Among them are Bakyrchik in the east, Yubileinoe in the west, Vasilkovskoe in the north, and Akbakai in the south. The country now has more than 2000 gold deposits and occurrences, of which only around 200 have been proven and not less than 60 are currently in operation. Reserves have been proven for 196 properties, including 126 primary deposits, 47 complex, 28 placers. Of these, complex gold-bearing deposits represent 35,3% and placers 0,5%. In terms of proven gold reserves, Kazakhstan ranks third amongst the CIS countries. Around 20 gold-bearing regions have been identified in Kazakhstan. Regions with developed gold production include Stepniak-Bestube, Kalba, Maikain, Rudnoi Altai, Shu-Ili, Kokshetau, Mugodzhary, and South Dzhungary; Regions currently being explored are Zhetygara, Karatau, Chingiz-Tarbagatai, North Balkhash, and North Dzhungary. Those that require further studies include Talas, Kirgizsky, Kendyktas-Kastek, Ulytau-Argynatinsky, Erementau-Niyazsky, Sarysu-Teniz and Zailiisky. 7 gold-bearing and 2 gold-silver belts, as well as two gold-bearing provinces, have been outlined in the following regions of Kazakhstan: West Kazakhstan - the Ural belt that forms part of the West Mugodzhary, Troitskaya and Denisovskaya gold-bearing zones; North Kazakhstan - the North Kazakhstan province without division into zones; Central Kazakhstan - the Ulytau-Argynatinsky and Chingiz-Tarbagatai belts (the last-mentioned constitutes the Maikain-Kosmurun and Central Chingiz zones); East Kazakhstan - the Kalba and Altai (Irtysh and Rudnoi Altai zones) belts; South Kazakhstan - the Dzhungary-Balkhash province, as well as the Karatau and Shu-Ili belts without division; the Balkhash-Ili and Zharminsky gold-silver belts that cover part of the territory of the central, eastern and southern part of the country. The deposits are represented by ten geologic-economic types: quartz veins, stockworks, mineralized zones, weathering crusts, placers; pyrite polymetallic-silver-gold; complex deposits with by-product gold; pyrite-gold-silver-polymetallic, porphyritic gold-copper, and pyrite gold-copper.he location of the principal deposit types is shown on the attached scheme (Fig. 1), as well as on the map of the gold content of Kazakhstan found in the Atlas "Mineral Resources of Kazakhstan" In terms of size, they have been divided into four groups: unique, large, medium- and small-sized. The reference books contains a brief geologic and economic description of more than 150 deposits arranged according to regions and geologic-economic types. Complex gold-bearing deposits have only been characterized in form of a table, since they have been described in detail in other reference books that deal with the principal mineralisation only. The reference book may be useful to the heads of local administration and geological organizations, as well as to businessmen interested in the development of local production infrastructure, including to economists, production geologists, research workers, teachers, students, and simply book lovers.
