Institute of Mining, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Khabarovsk, Russia:

G. S. Mirzekhanov, Chief Researcher, Doctor of Geologo-Mineralogical Sciences
V. S. Litvintsev, Chief Researcher, Doctor of Engineering Sciences, litvinzev@igd.khv.ru

The modern state and problems of mining waste management at placers are described, and structural features of placer mining waste dumps are presented. The important role of placer mining waste as a resource potential of gold in the conditions of a significant decrease in the volume of gold production from natural placers is substantiated. It is noticed that the resource prospects of natural placers and placer mining waste are mainly associated with the remaining pockets of valuable components in pitwalls and in adjacent rock mass inside and outside the ultimate pit limits. To solve the question on feasibility of cost-effective processing of gravel dumps and fine-grained tailings dumps, each specific case should be studied individually. There are few underlying conditions: low metal content, small volume and cut up arrangement of the dumps, or accomplished reclamation which largely dilutes promising pockets in waste as they get mixed with burden. Therefore, legislation solutions on reclamation of mined-out placers should be revised. It is required to set that the decision on reclamation should be made at the stage of placer mine closure and based on the check sampling results. This will significantly reduce the loss of metal in subsoil while the national economy will benefit from severance tax and other fiscal charges.

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