400-Million-Ton Kaolin Deposit Discovered in Orenburg Region, Russia

After a large-scale geological exploration in the area of ​​the Koskolsky lakes (Koskolskaya Ploschad deposit facility) of the Svetlinsky district of the Orenburg region, a deposit with reserves of eluvial kaolins of over 400 million tons was discovered. Five kaolin deposits have been identified, of which three were found to be effective with high quality kaolin. In the future, this discovery will make it possible to abandon the import of kaolin.

The Koskolskaya Plosсhad deposit facility is located eight kilometers south of the Blak village and five kilometers north-west of the Koskul village on the border with Kazakhstan. In the immediate vicinity there is an asphalt road to the village of Svetly. The commissioning of a new enterprise for the extraction of kaolin in the area will strengthen the mineral resource base and solve a number of important social problems that are relevant for the region, such as creating new jobs and stimulating the development of small business.

Koskolskaya Ploschad was identified by specialists in 2005-2008 during geological mapping with site exploration taking place in 2011-2013, and initial prospect evaluation in 2018-2019. 220 wells were drilled, 1646 samples were taken and analyzed. Final stage of the geological exploration works took place this fall.