Non-Volcano localities of Kamchatka
Aginskoye is a gold deposit in Kamchatka. It is the type locality of Balyakinite, Bezsmertnovite and Bogdanovite.
mineralogy
Balyakinite Bezsmertnovite Bilibinskite Bogdanovite Chalcopyrite Gold
A gold occurence. More information is welcome.
geology
A hydrothermal gold deposit in dacite rock
mineralogy
Gold Orthoclase Quartz
geology
Ametystovoye is a hydrothermal gold deposit in dacite rock. Apart from the
mineralogy below, selenides are reposted from here.
mineralogy
Gold Quartz
geology
The Apapel deposit is a mercury deposit of the Travertine type.
Apapel is a hot spring near the village of Esso, along a tributary of the
Anavgay river. Apapel consists of about 14 hotsprings dispersed over a 1 square
kilometer marshy area. The geothermal energy is related to tertiary and
quartenary volcanism of the central Kamchatka Graben.
.mineralogy
Calcite Cinnabar Gold Metacinnabar Orpiment Pyrite Pyrolusite Realgar
H.U. Barnes, Geochemistry of Hydrothermal Ore deposits, 2nd Edition, 1979, John Wiley & Sons Inc., pp754-755
Avacha Guba
(Avacha bay)
The large bay on which Petropavlovsk is situated. On the beaches of the bay agate can be found. The problem is that the beaches in town are mostly pebble beaches, which make the agates hard to find. A good spot for agates is locally known as Maly Lagerny. It is an old disused GULag from the Stalin era a little east of town. Close by high volcanic cliffs meet the Avacha bay. When the tide is low the white agates stick out on the black beach. My agates are only a few centimeters, but the volcanological institute has pretty banded agates of several decimeters.
Located along the Bolshoi Anui river in the Aluchinski massif.
mineralogy
Anyuiite Cassiterite Chromite Cooperite Erlichmanite Gold Herzenbergite
Hollingworthite Irarsite Isoferroplatinum Kashinite Laurite Lead Magnetite
Platinum Sorosite Stistaite Tin
A hydrothermal gold deposit in the Sredji Khrebet.
geology
The Chempura deposit is a mercury deposit connected with Tertiary volcanism. The
deposit consists of andesite-dacites, andesite and tuff, cut by quartz-diorites.
All these rocks are hydrothermally altered.
mineralogy
Alunite Antimonite Barite Calcite Cinnabar Diaspore Dickite Fluoroapatite
Freibergite Ilmenite Kaolinite Opal Orpiment Pyrite Quartz Realgar Rutile
Sulphur
Ore Deposits of the USSR, V.I. Smirnov, 1977, Vol II pp337-337
geology
The Dvukhyurtochnye hotsprings are located in the Central Kamchatkan ridge.
Surrounding rocks are compised of andesitic basalts, pyroclastics and tuffaceous
sediments. The spring itself has a temperature of about 74°C.
mineralogy
The mineralogy of Dvukhyurtochnye is simple. So far only pyrite is know from
here, but the pyrite has an unusual high mercury content of ~2% and contains
about 2.7% arsenic.
H.U. Barnes, Geochemistry of Hydrothermal Ore deposits, 2nd Edition, 1979, John Wiley & Sons Inc., pp755
Galmoenansky massif
geology
Galmoenansky is an ultrabasic complex consisting of dunite, clinoperoxenite and
gabbro. The massif is the genetic origin of three placers, the Levtyrinyvayam
river, the Ledyanoi river and the Penistiy river. Because the
placers all erode differnt parts of the intrusive complex and are all at
different distances from the massif, their mineralogy differs. Ledyanoi and
Levtyrinyvayam are discussed below.
mineralogy
Awaruite Erlichmanite Hollingworthite Irarsite Isoferroplatinum Laurite Osarsite
Platarsite Sperrylite
N.D. Tolstykh et al. (2004) Platinum-Group minerals in lode and placer deposits associated with the Ural-Alaskan-type Gal'moenan complex, Koryak-Kamchatka platinum Belt, CanMin Vol 42/2 pp619-630
Interesnoye is a hydrothermal gold deposit.
Levtyrinyvayam placer
geology
This placer originated from the Gal'moenan ultrabasic complex, see above, also
for references.
mineralogy
Erlichmanite Irarsite Laurite Osarsite Platarsite Platinum
This is by far the easiest to reach locality on Kamchatka. It is right down
in the center of Petropavlovsk. It is a 600 meter high hill with some radio
antennea on top of it. There is a bus stop at the foot of the hill and a path to
the top. The hill consists of an extrusive rock, probably dacite. Nice
augite crystals can be found anywhere along the path to the top. Although I
listed the hill in the 'non-volcano' section, 'Die Vulkane der Sowietunion'
by V.L. Vlodavets 1954 lists Mishennaya as extinct volcano.
The Karaga deposit is a mercury deposit similar to Tamvatnei.
Kuyulski massif
geology
The Kuyulski massif is an ultrabasic intrusion
mineralogy
Datolite Diopside Pectolite
Ledyanoi
(Korf, Vyvenka river)
Ledyanoi [photo: Chaibukha
mining]
geology
Ledyanoi is a platinum mine in the northeast of Kamchatka, near the Vyvenka
river upstream from Korf settlement. The source of platinum is dunite rock, from
the Gal'moensky massif, see above. Some platinum
crystals are covered with a layer of gold.
mineralogy:
Chromite Gold
Platinum
Pekul'nei massif
geology
The Pekoulny massif is an ultrabasic intrusion/placer in Koryak Upland, known
for it's platinum mineralogy. Some sources place it in Chukotka.
mineralogy
Cherepanovite Ferronickelplatinum Irarsite Isoferroplatinum Kashinite Laurite Osmium
Rutheniridosmine Cooperite Hongshiite Platinum
Pustaya river
geology
The Pustaya river is located in Koryak province, about 60°N. Pustaya river is a
placer deposit. The placer material originated from several gabbro -
clinopyroxenite - dunite intrusion of late Cretacous age, located in the
mountains east of the river basin. There are more PGE phases present , which do
not have a mineral name yet. See the reference below for a much more detailed
description of these.
mineralogy
Bornite Chalcopyrite Cooperite Gold Hollingworthite Irarsite Iridium
Isoferroplatinum Keithconnite Osmium Platarsite Platinum Pyrrhotite Rhodarsenide
Sperrylite Sperrylite Stibiopalladinite Vasilite Vysotskite
The Association of Platinum Groupminerals in placer of the Pustaya river, Kamchatka, Russia. by N.D. Tolstykh et al, Canadian Mineralogist Vol 38, pp1251-1264 (2000)
Mount Phillip
geology
Mt.Phillip is an ultra basic PGM deposit
mineralogy
Bornite Bowieite Braggite Cooperite Cuproiridsite Cuprorhodsite Hollingworthite
Hongshiite Inaglyite Isoferroplatinum Sperrylite Tin
The violarite specimen below is not 100% certain from Mt.Phillip, but the picture is too nice to leave it out.
Violarite
geology
The Tamvanei deposit is located in the Koryak Upland, along the edge of the huge
Tamvatnei ultrabasic massif. The ultrabasic rocks have been thrust onto lower
Cretaceous terrigenous sediments. The ultra basic rocks consist mainly of
Serpentinites. The establishment of the exact topographical locality is a bit
troublesome. Most sources state it in Koryak Upland, some in Kamchatka. Smirnov
in the reference below states it is in Magadan Oblast, but mentions coordinates
in Chukotka!
mineralogy
Andradite Cinnabar Coquimbite Diopside Enstatite Karpathite Laurite Magnetite
Marcasite Mercury Orpiment Pyrite Quartz Realgar Tetraferroplatin Tungstenite
Xonotlite
Ore Deposits of the USSR, V.I. Smirnov, 1977, Vol II, pp324
Ust-Kamchatsk is, as the name implies located at the mouth of the Kamchatka river. Close to this village lays a PGM bearing ultrabasic complex. Details remain sketchy.
mineralogy
Awaruite Erlichmanite Laurite
