The Kalgutinskoye tungsten-molybdenum deposit is located in the south-eastern part of the Altai Mountains in the western slope of the Sailuygemsky Ridge in the basin of the Argut River. In terms of the current administrative-territorial division the site is located in Kosh-Agachsky district of the Republic of Altai, Russia close to the state borders on Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan.

Mining and geological conditions are favorable – the Kalgutinskoye rock mass is composed of high category (XIV-XX) hard rock. Water seepage was not observed in underground workings and drillholes driven at the Kalgutinsky mine. Small surface water streams and superpermafrost and interpermafrost waters developed solely in unconsolidated sediments can be observed at exploration sites of the deposit. Currently about 600 quartz veins (including 72 balance veins) and veinlets with the total tracked horizontal length of above 7000 m were identified at the deposit. About 100 quartz veins were tracked along the strike; from among them max 15 of the main ones were explored in depth by workings and drillholes. The biggest ore body at the deposit containing up to 40 % tungsten and molybdenum balance reserves is blind vein ?87 characterized by thickness up to 3.2 m, vertical and horizontal length above 400 m. In addition to quartz vein mineralization the following mineralization types have been identified at the Kalgutinskoye deposit by now: near-vein vein-disseminated, pegmatite, vein-disseminated porphyry copper and peralkaline in kalgutites (ongonites). The main gangue minerals include quartz, muscovite, orthoclase, albite, fluorite, sericite and the main ore minerals include tungstenite (1-40%), molybdenite (1%), chalcopyrite (1%), beryl (0,1%), sheelite, (0.1%), bismuthinite (0.1%) and subordinate development of other sulphides (fahlore, chalcocite, covellite, bornite, arsenite, pyrrhotine, galenite and other) and products of their hypergenesis (limonite, goethite, malachite, azurite). Distribution of tungstenite is extremely nonuniform; its grade in veins varies from 0% to 30-60 %. All the above ore minerals are contained as finer dissemination in host rocks as well, forming a wide halo of vein-disseminated mineralization – greisen fringes up to 1-4 m thick. Pegmatite type mineralization is represented by quartz, orthoclase, muscovite, molybdenite (0.8%), beryl (0.1%), chalcopyrite (0.1%), covellite and chalcocite (0.2%), tungstenite (0.1%), pyrite. Veinlet-disseminated copper-molybdenum (porphyry) ores contain quartz, feldspar, biotite, fluorite (2%), chalcopyrite (0.7%), molybdenite (0.3%), and tunstenite (0.2%).

1937 – The Kalgutinskoye deposit was discovered by the geologist V.A. Zhurkin who tracked down talus quartz with molybdenite and wolframite mineralization; samples were collected from a microgranitic storkwork body as well and analyzed for molybdenum. Later it was named Molybdenovy Shtock (Molibdenum Stock).

1938-40 – Geological exploration and mining of the deposit. These were supervised by M.S. Baklakov. During these years M.S. Baklakov prepared 10 geological and industrial reports that were substantiating a large scale of the Kalgutinskoye deposit based on consistent discovery of 60 wolframite-quartz veins and consistent extension of tungsten ore reserves.

1941-1944 – The Oirotskaya exploration and operation crew of Zapsibtsvetgeologia carried out exploration and actual mining of the Kalgutinskoye deposit under the supervision of the geologists M.G. Rusanov, P.M. Bolshakov, L.M Zaretsky. The geological exploration carried out made it possible to make estimates of the Kalgutinskoye deposit reserves at: 2843.0 kt ore reserves, 38.97 kt reserves of tungsten trioxide, 9.913 kt molybdenum reserves.

1948-1954 – In this period the Kalgutinskoye deposit was mined by a cooperative association of prospectors of the Aktashsky ore mining department of Glavvolfram at the USSR Ministry of Non-Ferrous Metallurgy. During development of one of the latest adits ? 15 massive bonanza wolframite-quartz vein ? 87 was discovered at the Kalgutinskoye deposit.

1982-83 – The Yuzhny Kalguty (South Kalguty) deposit was discovered. That was completed owing to geological survey by V.A. Omelchenko who made a detailed pattern of ore mineralization at the Yuzhny Kalguty deposit.

1979-1992 – the Aktashsky ore mining department resumed geological exploration of the Kalgutinskoye deposit aimed at prospecting of tungsten ores and start of developing adit ?18– an underground working more than 2,500 m long that was to become the main haulage level.

1992-1998 – B.G. Sementsov made “General Revised Estimation of the Kalgutinskoye Molybdenum-Tungsten Reserves as of 01 January 1997”, with reserves and resources estimated. The main result of the work done was ranking of the Kalgutinskoye deposit as a large-scale porphyry-copper deposit with copper reserves of 585.0 kt, molybdenum reserves of 147.0 kt and tungsten of 162.0 kt. B.G. Sementsov described “rare alkaline metals” mineralization with estimation of lithium, rubidium and caesium resources.

2005-2008 – OOO “Kalgutinskoye” was mining high-grade ores of wolframite-quartz vein ? 87, producing 19-21 kt wolframite ore per summer.

2012-2013 – IMC Montan completed “Report on Mineral Resources of the Kalgutinskoye Tungsten-Molybdenum Deposit” and confirmed the dominating stockwork porphyry copper-molybdenum mineralization as prospective for commercial mining.

Porphyry Copper Ores

Porphyry copper mineralization was explored only on some sites of the mine claim. C1+C2 ore reserves are 350.0 Mt, P1 resourcesare 2.1 bn t at the average content of 0.06% WO3, 0.04% Mo and 0.17 %Cu.

Given tungsten/copper and molybdenum/copper conversion ratios of 6/1 and of 5/1 respectively, the average content of copper equivalent in porphyry copper ores will be 0.73%.

Since at present ores involved into surface mining are at the average content of 0.38% Cu (the Tominskoye porphyry copper deposit, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia) and 0.47% Cu (Oyu-Tolgoi, the largest copper deposit in the world, Mongolia), the Kalgutinskoye ores at the average content of 0.73 (copper equivalent) have good prospects of surface mining at annual production of 10.0 and more million tonnes.

Presence of mineralization areas at higher Cu and Mo content enables planning porphyry copper ores at the average content of 1.0-1.5 % for surface mining within first 10-15 years. For example, Las Bambas operating project, Peru, with resources of 500.0 Mt at the average content of 1.14% Cu has similar ore parameters.

By-product extraction of such economic components as bismuth, beryllium, lithium, rubidium, caesium, osmium, niobium, tantalum that are contained in the Kalgutinskoye ores, and infrequently in commercial content, considerably improves technical and economic indicators of porphyry copper ore surface mining.

Quartz-Vein and Pegmatitic Ores

Quartz-vein ores are distinct for higher content of economic components and hence higher commodity value. These ores have been explored well; and presence of all the required infrastructure and underground workings ensures prompt organization of annual production of 360.0 kt – 1.0 Mtpa. The Kalgutinskoye high-grade ore reserves and resources of 18.2 Mt enable highly profitable mining of the ore for 20-30 years.

High content of tungsten, molybdenum and copper in quartz veins ensures output of 2.0 kt tungsten and 1.0 kt molybdenum per year at annual production of 360.0 kt ore.

The Yuzhny Kalguty quartz-vein ores are distinct for their high tungsten content (0.89%) and commercial fluorite content (19%). The Yuzhny Kalguty resources ensure organization of highly profitable production of 0.5-1.0 Mtpa ore for the period of 15-25 years.