MANGANESE OF THE TOMTOR ORE FIELD

Within the Tomtor ore field, the prospects of detecting significant manganese resources at high concentrations in a hypergenic complex under layers of unique niobium-rare earth ores. The formation deposits of manganese ores are confined to the limonite horizon of the laterite crust of carbonatite weathering. The ore composition is predominantly oxide (pyrolusite-psilomelan-groutite) with signs of widespread carbonation (with siderite, oligonite and rhodochrosite). The estimated resources of manganese oxide only within the limits of only one Northern section exceed 17 million tons. Further prospecting for manganese of this deposit, as well as the Southern and Buranny sections, followed by exploration of the most ore-bearing allocated areas, according to preliminary data, will increase manganese resources within the Tomtor ore field to 100 million tons with MnO contents of about 15-20%.