Join us for a digest of key findings straight from the geo webinar library! In this episode, we take a deep dive into the history and future of the Sukhoi Log gold deposit in Siberia, described as one of the largest undeveloped gold deposits in the world with an estimated 81 million ounces. We explore its long, challenging discovery history, including the pivotal role of geologist Vladimir Buryak and the pushback faced despite early gold finds. Learn about its geological setting in metamorphosed sedimentary rocks hosted by an inverted anticline structure and the tricky nature of its ore, where most gold is fine-grained and locked inside pyrite, making simple extraction difficult. Crucially, we see how Sukhoi Log serves as a prime example for Situational Mineralogical Analysis (SMA), an advanced method vital for predicting how complex ores will behave during processing by analyzing their texture and composition. This revealed that the presence of flaky native gold could lead to significant losses if not accounted for in processing design. We then shift geographically to the Russian Far East, where we examine regional highlights like the large Pashanka copper-molybdenum-gold porphyry and learn how Zircon Geochemistry is being applied. Discover how this method uses the chemistry locked inside zircon crystals to identify potentially fertile magmas capable of forming large porphyry deposits. We discuss its application to sites like Melmis, the potential new ore field Geon (which intriguing zircon results suggest might be a shifted tectonic block), and Ponyi, showing how the technique differentiates prospects and guides exploration. We also briefly touch on Kazakhstan's importance for rare metals like molybdenum and tungsten. This episode highlights how applying new analytical methods and perspectives to existing geological knowledge can unlock significant hidden potential in both known and underexplored areas.

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