Subsoil in diamonds: are there deposits of precious stones in Belarus? Sergei Satsuk: Will a gold rush hit Belarus? Is there gold in Belarus?

According to archaeologists, about 300 thousand tons of gold and more than 2.5 million tons of silver have been buried in the ground throughout the entire existence of mankind. Among the countries of the Commonwealth, Belarus holds the lead in the number of treasures found on its territory. What secrets does the Belarusian land keep, and are the treasures revealed to everyone?

Center of Grodno. Old Quarter. The reconstruction of the ancient building is in full swing here. The current owner of the building, Oleg Razin, says: the house was built by a wealthy citizen in 1894 and was the only one of all the houses on the street to survive a fire at the end of the 19th century.

“Today we have already poured new floors - before that they were wooden. By the way, pay attention to the thickness of the walls – 70 centimeters,” said Razin.

According to him, there used to be furnished apartments here, which were heated with stoves.

For the last 20 years, the building stood abandoned and gradually collapsed. Then local authorities decided to put it up for auction. At that time, Oleg was just looking for premises for a future medical center. However, there were many who wanted to purchase the building.

“We were determined that we would buy this building. The price went up, but we stood until the end. As a result, our competitors, seeing such persistence, gave up. And when we were already leaving the auction, we even had a joke: since we wanted to buy this house so badly, God would definitely send us some kind of surprise,” Razin noted.

Back then, no one could even imagine that the joke would turn out to be prophetic.

“Here, on the third floor, in the corner we found a box - it was hidden under the mauerlat. It was discovered by a worker. Called me. We took it out and opened it together. There were gold coins, medallions, bracelets and rings,” said Alexander Korney, director of the construction organization.

An interesting fact: long before the auction, the building repeatedly became a filming location. According to the plot of one of the films about the Great Patriotic War, a Jewish ghetto was located in the house, and the Gestapo was located in the building opposite.

“In one of the episodes, a ghetto prisoner grabs a machine gun, runs up to this floor and starts shooting fascists from the window. At this time, the German sniper is trying to “remove” the suddenly appeared firing point: he shoots and hits the wall, and gold begins to fall out of it. In essence, it was a treasure, so in a sense, history repeated itself,” noted Oleg Razin.

Now the find is kept in the Grodno Historical and Archaeological Museum. Experts even managed to identify the owner of the treasure. According to the chief custodian of the funds, Elena Zharina, the box belonged to a dentist.

“The find includes dental crowns. Moreover, not used. But the pearl of this treasure is the Maltese ring. By the way, a very rare exhibit. This is the ring of the corps of pages that existed under the senior leadership Russian Empire. It is completely gold on the inside and steel on top. On the metal there is an inscription in French: “My God. My king. My Lady,” Zharina explained.

Experts valued the found treasure at $20 thousand. In the near future, everyone involved in the discovery will receive the compensation required by law.

According to the law, the finder of the treasure receives half the amount of its value. If several people found the treasure, then this 50% is divided among everyone. But only if the treasure was discovered by chance - for example, during the reconstruction of buildings or excavation work. But if the treasure was found by archaeologists or specialists from the Academy of Sciences in the process of research work, then in this case there is no talk of compensation.

However, there are other nuances on which the payment of remuneration may depend. For example, the owner of the land or building must be aware that work is planned at his site and give consent to it.

“Even if a person voluntarily brought and handed over this treasure to local executive and administrative bodies, but the work was carried out without approval, without knowledge and without the permission of the owner, this person will not receive anything,” explained Natalya Khvir, deputy head of the department of the Ministry of Culture of Belarus.

According to the law, the finder of the treasure must notify local authorities in writing - and no later than two days from the moment the treasure is discovered. For concealment, administrative and even criminal liability is provided.

August 4, 1988. Center of Minsk. Excavation work is underway on one of the streets. An excavator digs a trench.

“About lunchtime, a call came from the operational duty officer - an urgent departure. I took the folder, went downstairs, asked what happened, and the duty officer said: “It seems like they found a treasure,” recalled Valery Meleshko.

On that day, Meleshko was the investigator on duty in the Moskovsky district of Minsk.

“I’m arriving at the place. The pit has been dug, a hydraulic excavator stands nearby, and around are workers and, of course, onlookers. I ask what happened. They say they found a box in a pit, and in the box there were antiques,” the investigator recalled.

He looked into the pit and gasped. Cups, boxes, dishes, coins, awards...

“Twenty St. George crosses of the IV degree hung on a silver wire. I immediately noticed that they somehow walked one after another. There were also soldiers' silver St. George medals. They’re also new,” Meleshko said.

Witnesses were identified. They started to extract. A little later it turned out that the weight of the silver find was 13 kilograms. Number of items – more than 500.

“They collected it, loaded it into the UAZ and brought it to the regional department - straight to the duty station. And they began to decide what to do with this treasure,” the investigator recalled.

How to place such a voluminous treasure in a relatively small duty room? However, they found a way out - they placed him in a room for storing weapons.

“The Minsk treasure was kept in one of the safes for several days. I sealed this safe with my personal seal. And only I had the key to it,” said Valery Meleshko.

And then a flurry of calls began: journalists learned about the find and asked for an interview. However, the investigator and colleagues pestered him.

“Almost the entire district department came in full force - from the investigation, from the search, from the OBKhSS, the leadership of the district department - show, show! Well, he showed it. As soon as I took everything back to its place, they came from the police department: “Show me!” Then from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, from the administration, the district committee: “Show me!” Show me! And instead of investigating criminal cases, I had to do this,” the investigator recalled.

The Minsk treasure was the last of the largest discovered in the USSR. An interesting fact: fifteen years before the discovery of the treasures, signalmen worked at the same place - laying out a telephone line. But they were unlucky: the workers walked just a few centimeters from the treasure.

“The oldest item in this treasure is a Swedish beer mug with a medallion of King Charles X Gustav of Sweden. Dates from 1693. By the way, then a special commission valued the treasure at 31,282 rubles. But there is an opinion that the figure was greatly underestimated,” said historian Vladimir Volozhinsky.

However, the large-scale find had great historical and artistic value.

“The Leningrad Hermitage even aimed at it, but they managed to defend the treasure and leave it within its borders,” Volozhinsky stated.

The treasure remained in Belarus thanks, among other things, to investigator Valery Meleshko, who led this case.

“A man from the local history museum called me - most likely it was the director. He said: “If we now inform Moscow that a treasure has been discovered, then he will most likely leave Belarus.” I say: “Well, how can I help you? We must also transmit information about the discovery of treasures through our line.” And the man asked me to stall for time,” Meleshko explained.

A few days later, the treasure, according to the inventory, was handed over to Belarusian museum workers. Today it is kept in the National Historical Museum of Belarus. But who owned the treasure and who hid it is still unknown.

“Based on the latest coin, it has been established that the treasure was hidden after 1918 - somewhere during the period Civil War. And, most likely, the treasures are related to a not entirely legal group of people who stole and looted, collecting these items,” the acting officer noted. Head of the Department of Archeology, Numismatics and Weapons Lyudmila Tolkacheva.

For discovering a treasure in Soviet times the finder was entitled to 25% of the value of the find. In 1988, rumors spread around Minsk that the excavator operator Leonid Blatun, who dug the treasure, was given an incredible monetary compensation. And allegedly for this money the worker bought a four-room apartment and a black Volga. However, historian Vladimir Volozhinsky is skeptical: “I don’t really believe it, because for the eight thousand rubles received as compensation it would hardly have been possible at that time to buy a black Volga, which cost about 15 thousand, and, even more so , four-room apartment."

Brest region, Kossovo. The reconstruction of the Puslovsky Palace has been going on here for several years. And Leonid Chuiko works here. In the fall of 2018, a worker was laying communications near the palace and discovered an ancient chest.

“When they were laying the next pedestrian path, a metal box was discovered while removing the soil. The first thought was that this was a box of ammunition - this is where the Germans stood during the war. In terms of weight, I pulled 25 kilograms. The most interesting thing is that he lay in yellow sand at a depth of one and a half meters. Not “packed” either in wood or in anything else – i.e. It was just buried and that's it. In thirty years of work, I have never had such finds,” Chuiko explained.

A special commission established that the chest was made by a master from St. Petersburg. When the safe was opened, several coins from 1906 and two books were found. One of them fell into complete disrepair. The second was placed in a special freezer - the book will undergo restoration.

Experts from the National Library of Belarus are bringing ancient books back to life. The head of the restoration and conservation department, Zoya Kovalenko, shows the finished volume.

“This is the Triodion in color. Beginning of the 17th century. We received it in a deplorable condition and took a long time to put it in order. In general, the restoration process can last almost a year,” Kovalenko said.

First, the publication is checked for mold and mildew. This happens in a biological laboratory. Before our eyes, a specialist takes out “glasses” with samples from the refrigerator.

“These are the beautiful mushrooms that grow on our books. Indeed, they can be very beautiful – in shape. But in terms of content, they are destroyers. The book is devoured quickly. So wash your hands after reading,” Kovalenko noted.

Microbiologists work wearing gloves and a mask. Some books are “cured” manually, others in a special chamber.

“The work cycle lasts eight hours. We disinfect the books with formaldehyde vapor and then ventilate them,” the specialist explained.

The integrity of the sheets is restored using a special sheet-splitting machine - by the way, the only one in Belarus.

“This restoration is considered complex and requires a so-called cellulose mass. Pour this mixture into a reservoir of water and mix. Then we turn on the pump, and the liquid from the reservoir is pumped into the bath where the sheets to be restored lie,” leading engineer Lyudmila Poltoran said and showed.

A little water later the bath is drained, and the fiber settles exactly where the paper was damaged the most. Excess moisture is removed on a vacuum table. Here the sheets are glued, strengthened with starch and sent for drying.

“After everything is dry, the sheets are pressed. This may take a day, or two, or three. Well, then the paper is folded, folded and sent for binding. And this is also labor-intensive work. Therefore, the people who work here are true patriots. Unfortunately, now nowhere in Belarus are they training or producing paper restorers,” the specialist noted.

The book, which was restored by a specialist before our eyes, is from the rare collection of the National Library of Belarus. Year of publication: 1763. As for the books found in Kossovo during the restoration of the Puslovsky Palace, it is not yet clear what kind of books they are and what their contents are. But Leonid Chuiko has an assumption:

“As far as I know, the palace was lost in cards. Perhaps these are some kind of debt books.”

The fact that one of the descendants of the old noble family of the Puslovskys was indeed an avid gambler is confirmed by experts. The palace changed its owners several times. Survived the First world war, and during the Second World War - in 1944 - it almost burned down.

“It burned for seven days, and, according to eyewitnesses, the smoke spread for another month,” said researcher Olga Parkhuta.

Archaeological excavations on the palace grounds began in 2006. Thus, fragments of cast iron from the entrance gates, decorative elements from statues and fountains, and not only that, were found.

“Cutlery, medical bottles, and some tiles were also found. However, the reconstruction of the palace continues. And perhaps there will be new finds,” noted Olga Parkhuta.

For many centuries, Belarus has been the scene of military operations. From the impending danger, people tried to hide what they had that was valuable. Or in peacetime they put it off for a rainy day. Today it is rare to find treasures - coin treasures are much more common.

Viktor Kakareko is the chairman of the Belarusian Numismatic Society. He has been studying numismatics for almost 40 years. The map he compiled contains all the information about the treasures found on the territory of the Grodno region. From the 18th century to the present day. Places are marked with flags. And each has its own color.

“I noted the earlier ones yellow. Then come the red ones, well, and the later ones are marked blue,” the numismatist explained.

“If this is a map of treasures found only in one Grodno region, then what can be found throughout Belarus?” – the journalist asked a rhetorical question, but received an answer.

“Well, you understand: a person always has the feeling that a treasure is something large-scale. So he found it and quickly became rich. If someone finds a handful of copper coins, they will not get rich,” Kakareko laughed.

He described museum numismatic collections and systematized them into catalogs. And in the 2000s, I visited those places where coin treasures were accidentally found in the post-war period. Met people.

“An amazing thing: let’s say they found a treasure in 1953. I come to those places, find the person who discovered the cache. Yes, the man is already elderly, but alive and well and ready to tell his story. And then I go to another place where the treasure surfaced in the seventies. But there is no one who discovered it, no witnesses, no eyewitnesses. Everybody died. That’s when you start to think: maybe there are some enchanted treasures out there? Some archaeologists say that their health is poor because they were digging up graves.

According to the average person, the rarer a coin is, the more expensive it is. But experts say that the value of a coin can be influenced even by such a factor as the desire of a potential collector to purchase such an item for his collection.

"This is true. It is necessary that they want to buy this or that coin. And they always pay attention to its prestige,” stated Victor Kakareko.

It happens that treasures end up in private collections, but this kind of information is difficult to find. As for state funds, treasures get there in different ways: museum employees periodically go to excavations, and people bring something after finding it on their summer cottage. Today, the collections of the National Historical Museum of Belarus contain 118 treasures.

“I want to show you an interesting treasure. It is small, but the highlight is that these are Spanish coins - Spanish Netherlands, 17th century. As you can see, the coins are large and very well minted. They circulated on the territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth,” said the acting. Head of the Department of Archeology, Numismatics and Weapons Lyudmila Tolkacheva.

Another of the most famous treasures presented in the museum is Vishchinsky. It is also valuable because it consists not only of money, but also of objects.

“Means of payment here are represented by hryvnias various types. But the most interesting thing is the large quantity of silver women’s jewelry. All of them are made at a high technological level,” Tolkacheva explained.

Often, treasures and the places where they were found help historians determine trade routes. And even historical events that took place there.

“With the help of coins, you can determine the dating of the hidden treasure. For example, if the latest coin in the cache is dated 1900, then the treasure could not have been hidden years earlier. That is, they hid the treasures exactly after 1900,” Tolkacheva noted.

One of the largest coin treasures found on the territory of Belarus was discovered in the Smorgon region - silver Arabic dirhams. Today they are also presented in the museum’s exhibition.

Treasures were placed with the dead - for retribution in the next world. They were sacrificed to the gods. They were accidentally lost and carefully buried. Over the past 200 years, more than a thousand different treasures have been found on the territory of Belarus. And this is more than in all European countries combined.

It instantly became the most popular on the internet, even surpassing reports of corruption cases and the resignation of the Deputy Minister of Health, who was recently detained by the KGB on suspicion of bribery. Gold conquered everyone. Many readers have probably begun to imagine a golden and happy future for Belarus, which will affect all residents of the country. I myself immediately succumbed to euphoria, but then the healthy critical gaze of the journalist sobered me up.

As stated by the Deputy Head of the Main Directorate of Natural Resources, Head of the Geology Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Conservation environment Vasily Kolb, a promising gold-bearing area has already been identified near Stolbtsy - Zuberovo, where gold lies at a depth of 300 to 500 meters.

A completely reasonable question immediately arises: if the site is so promising, then why are we going to give it away as a concession, why aren’t we developing it ourselves, with our own people? In addition, there are very serious doubts that there will be an investor in the world who will invest in further exploration and subsequent development. If I had a couple of extra billions, I wouldn’t invest even a ruble. Even if it suddenly turns out that the site is promising and large deposits of gold are discovered at a depth of about 300-500 meters, I very much doubt that the state will give it to me. As soon as those prospects really become clear, the state will take them under its wing by hook or by crook. He will find some minor violation in the contract and say: “Be healthy, dear comrade, then we will do it ourselves.” It’s good if the jail time costs nothing.

But what causes me the most doubt is the very prospects of the deposit. I wasn’t even lazy, went online and studied the issue as thoroughly as possible.

In the world, depending on the process of formation and localization of gold, primary (primary) deposits are divided into secondary (placer) deposits.

Primary deposits are the result of the movement of magma during an era of volcanic activity.

Secondary gold deposits arose as a result of long-term mechanical and chemical effects on primary deposits.

It is important to note that the gold content in the magmatic fluid is much higher than in the earth's crust. Therefore, secondary gold deposits account for only about 7% of total global production. Simply put, the bulk of gold is mined in bedrock, igneous deposits.

There were also volcanoes on the territory of Belarus, but a very, very long time ago - more than 350 million years ago. Therefore, they are buried under a very thick layer of earth. And, most importantly, they are not located under Columns. It turns out that the Zubarevo site is a typical secondary gold deposit. And what are the real chances of Belarus to wedge itself into that meager 7% of world gold production? How profitable is it really, and even in a concession, to mine gold at a depth of 300-500 meters?

For comparison, the main gold deposits in the Muruntau deposit (Uzbekistan), which today is recognized as the largest and one of the most promising in the world, also lay at such a depth. Now development is being carried out at 600 meters below sea level. Development here is really profitable, but this is the world’s largest deposit, which Belarus, even in its dreams, will not even come close to a tenth of.

In general, there are a lot of truly promising and explored deposits in the world with confirmed volumes of gold occurrence. At the same time, many deposits were explored 10, 20, 30 years ago, but their development is not underway. There are even the world's largest fields where development stopped for years, since this is a rather expensive undertaking that does not always pay off.

For example, in Eastern Siberia (Irkutsk region of Russia) there is the Sukhoi Log deposit, which is characterized by significant gold reserves. But the problem is that the ore content there is low. Commercial development of subsoil was not carried out for several years, but in 2017, the largest deposit in Russia was purchased by two Russian investors for 855 million Russian rubles ($13.5 million).

Natalka deposit (Magadan region), with an area of 42 square meters. kilometers is also the richest mine in Russia, which also has not been developed for several years. And only very recently Russia took up it, as a result of which the plant now produces about 7 tons of gold per year.

These are the gold-bearing giants of Russia, where there are technologies and resources for mining, but they also stood idle for years. But in Russia there are still a large number of already fully explored and really promising deposits. In the Magadan region alone, two new mines are planned to be opened in the next five years.

In this regard, it is highly doubtful that, given the proven gold reserves that Russia has, any Russian investor will suddenly want to invest in a very dubious enterprise in Belarus. You can only count on Europeans, who have a very low level of trust in the Belarusian authorities, and, possibly, on your Chinese friends. We definitely won’t find a “prophet” in our own country, since Belarusian business is too broken.

But he is unlikely to get involved in gold mining in Belarus and China. They don't need it. The country has found its niche in the global economy and is confidently moving forward. In addition, the PRC has its own good mines, and if they want to expand production, the Chinese may well get involved in gold mining in Russia, with which they also have good relations. Given the confrontation between Russian deposits and the “promising” Belarusian one, there is hardly a single idiot who will bet on Belarus. Therefore, only Europeans remain, who have Lately doesn't get along with Russia. But this is not their field of activity at all, and they are unlikely to go there. True, there are several global concerns in the field of gold mining, but they are so shabby that they won’t even look in the direction of Belarus. Therefore, Vasily Kolb will almost certainly repeat for a long time: “The concessionaire has not yet been found.” Until such time as this deposit, which excited the minds of Belarusians, is safely forgotten.

Recently, reports appeared in the media about illegal mass mining of amber in Ukraine. Since Belarusian and Ukrainian Polesie are located in a geologically similar zone, perhaps our country also has deposits of this sun stone?

Uranium NZ of Belarus

Alexander Pavlovsky, head of the department of geography at Gomel State University, confirmed that there is indeed amber in Belarus. Polesie is rich in its reserves - in the Brest region and in the Lelchitsy district of the Gomel region.

But in the Gomel region its industrial development is not carried out - rock potassium salts, oil, construction crushed stone and granite, clay, glass sand are mined here, and reserves of brown coal have been explored.

“The subsoil in our region also contains more expensive minerals. There is uranium in the Lelchitsy region. Uranium raw materials lie here in deep sandy and coal layers,” Alexander Pavlovsky told Sputnik.

In addition, according to the specialist, kimberlite pipes with signs of diamond inclusions were also discovered on the territory of Belarus.

Does this mean that a “diamond” and “uranium” fever will begin in Belarus in the near future? Apparently not. Both uranium and diamond raw materials lie too deep in our country.

“The deposits have been explored and known, but the issue is technology. The extraction of these minerals at such a depth is unlikely to be economically justified today. Figuratively speaking, in this case half of the Gomel region will have to be opened,” explained Alexander Pavlovsky.

So natural deposits are “hidden away” until better times - when technology makes it possible to make the extraction of such deep-seated raw materials profitable.

Sun stone from the depths of Polesie

As for Belarusian amber, the leading specialist in this field can be considered an associate professor of Brest State University named after A.S. Pushkin, candidate of geological and mineralogical sciences, professor Maxim Bogdasarov. Maxim Albertovich admits that recently there has been too much unhealthy interest in Belarusian amber.

Indeed, both Belarusian and Ukrainian Polesie are located in the junction zone of the Ukrainian shield, the Volyn-Podolsk plate and the Pripyat trough. Millions of years ago, the Kharkov Sea flooded land covered with coniferous vegetation in this place. Pine resin fell into marine sediments, in the geochemical reducing environment of which it turned into amber. Scientists distinguish the places where amber is formed in the area of beaches and the coastal strip of the ancient sea, in areas of shallow and deep-sea shelves.

Forecasting of amber ore-bearing fields in Belarus is carried out not only by drilling wells, but by a complex scientific method that analyzes different ways a whole range of factors and characteristics.

Jurassic Beach

Where are the placers of this valuable golden mineral? “Beach” amber has now been discovered, for example, in the area of the village of Glushkovichi, Lelchitsy district. But “black diggers” are not recommended to take up a shovel - in addition to possible problems with the law, there will be a number of other difficulties. At a minimum, you will have to go 60-70 meters into the ground.

The Glushkovichi region, like the entire “beach-coastal zone”, is recognized as unpromising for identifying amber-bearing placers. Professor Bagdasarov and his colleagues give the same forecast for the deep-sea shelf zone.

The most promising zone for development is the shallow shelf zone, which extends to the territory of the Polesie saddle, the so-called lagoon-delta deposits. At a certain time, the earth's surface here bent somewhat, and sea water penetrated into the deltas of the ancient rivers that once flowed through Polesie. Fossil resins deposited in these sea-flooded paleo-river estuaries and lagoons lie quite close to the surface today.

Seven amber-bearing areas have been identified in Belarus, among them Zosintsovskaya (Lelchitskaya) and Stolinsko-Mikashevichskaya. Amber here can lie at a depth of 10 to 30 meters. But not only the depth of occurrence can be of interest when determining the prospects of these sites - but also the so-called “cut-off content” of amber.

At the Klessovskoe deposit in Ukraine, adjacent to Glushkovichi, it is, for example, 50 grams per cubic meter.

The main difference between Belarusian amber and deposits in Ukraine is not geological, but legal - its reserves are not yet threatened by predatory mining, which has already caused irreparable environmental damage to our neighbors.

Where does the equipment end up that has more than spent its entire service life allotted by the manufacturer? Usually the nearest landfill or trash can becomes a “computer heaven” if the “old man” could not be sold for spare parts. Larger and heavier equipment can gather dust for decades in the darkest corners of the apartment. Owners will tiptoe past rusty refrigerators and washing machines, terrified by the knowledge that sooner or later they will have to drag them to a landfill.

Few people know, but in Belarus there is a service that is ready to remove and dispose of any junk lying around for free, be it an outdated washing machine or a dot matrix printer. At the same time, the owner can take it all to a recycling center himself and earn a penny or two. However, not everyone agrees to do this.

How can you get rich from this in the literal sense of the word? Let's watch the report.

The BelVTI enterprise has existed for 40 years, but it began working closely with individuals quite recently, a little more than a year back. “Previously, equipment was accepted only from legal entities; no suitable compensation mechanism was developed for working with ordinary users; there was no transport,”- Head of the company’s technical department Igor Gorbachev.

Igor Gorbachev

One of the cars was on the way out

By the end of last year, a dispatch service and three brand new cars appeared, which were specially decorated in a bright corporate orange color. These trucks are loaded with old equipment, for which residents have submitted a request for removal. Every month the company deals with 800-900 calls. Each of the three vehicles serves its assigned areas. While there are enough bright orange “taxis”, no more than five days pass from the application to the removal of the equipment.

“Loaders come and help with loading. The service is especially in demand among pensioners,”- Igor clarified. Every month, trucks bring in about 60 tons of obsolete equipment. Almost a third of the total mass is made up of refrigerators, followed closely by televisions. They also bring a lot of stoves and washing machines.

Immediately after unloading, rough disassembly of the equipment takes place. Everything is divided into secondary resources: light and dark plastic, installation wires, non-ferrous and ferrous metals, as well as elements containing precious metals are stored separately. The resulting semi-finished product goes through different processing routes.

Plastic, for example, is pressed right here into cubes of 250 kilograms each. The installation operator ensures that no iron or glass gets into the receiver. To get one cube, you need to put four huge containers through the press. Every day, two or three “cubes” emerge from the depths of the installation.

A lot of plastic is exported almost immediately after pressing. The main consumer is China. According to Igor Gorbachev, phones or computers are not made from such recyclable materials; they are mainly used for the production of clothes hangers and other household items that do not require electronic filling. However, what to do with “recycled plastic” is a matter for the buyer, who rarely talks about his goals and plans.

Non-ferrous metals are sent for further processing to BelTsvetMet, ferrous metals are sent to Vtorchermet. But BelVTI deals with precious metals first. Wires, iron, and elements without precious metals are removed from the boards. Next, employees at one of the sites determine the amount of valuable materials in one or another element of an ancient computer or television.

“There is a group of workers who count element by element how many different precious metals. The work is sedentary, requiring attention and concentration, which is why women mostly work. The content of precious metals, accurate to four digits after zero, is determined using special reference books. Everything is sorted by type and name and weighed,”- noted our interlocutor.

In Belarus, it is impossible to smelt gold from circuit boards - the necessary equipment is too expensive and requires large quantity raw materials that are simply not available in the country. Therefore, collected recyclable materials are sent to recycling centers in Germany and Switzerland. Every year 15-20 kilograms of gold are returned back to Minsk, which ultimately replenishes the state fund. “This only applies to the capital. However, we also work in Mogilev, Gomel, Polotsk. So on a national scale we get even more. Considering that there are no gold ores in the republic, this is a good source for the state to replenish its gold reserves,”- Igor is sure.

There are very few Belarusians who are ready to make money by scrapping old equipment. This is not surprising - you can count on only 750 Belarusian rubles per kilogram. That is, for some washing machine You will be able to earn 30 thousand, and even less for a computer. Nevertheless, there are still those who bring televisions, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners and other household appliances themselves. On average, ten people visit the reception point per day.

“Of course, the money is very, very small. Where does this amount come from - 750 rubles per kilogram? In fact, these are the costs of the work of one transportation team. That is, a person can choose either to call our “taxi”, which will pick up the equipment for free, or, saving on the work of our employees, bring everything himself and receive money that is spent on the work of the team,”- explained the head of the technical department of BelVTI.

Sometimes interesting and even rare things are scrapped. For example, there were cases when an enterprise had to “waste” records from the middle of the last century in perfect condition or typewriters that were almost a century old. It's a pity. But this is the specifics of the work.

According to Igor Gorbachev, working with private owners of outdated equipment is more likely social project, since it does not represent any commercial benefit for the enterprise, and is even unprofitable. The company can afford such experiments due to the fact that 85% of recycling is associated with equipment from legal entities that pay for the disposal of equipment.

Banks, universities and schools bring the most computers and office equipment to BelVTI. Operators receive towers that have expired and, less often, telephones. Recently they started accepting LCD panels for recycling.

“It is still difficult to collect the same phones from the population. We need special containers that will be installed in large stores. There is a corresponding draft resolution of the Council of Ministers.”- said Igor Gorbachev.

According to the head of the technical department, it is impossible to do without recycling equipment. For example, a kinescope contains dangerous substance- lead oxide. Once in the ground, it contaminates the soil within a radius of several meters. “This is about the environment, not about making money,”- emphasized the representative of BelVTI.

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Recently, the issue of searching for non-traditional minerals for our country has been increasingly raised: gold, diamonds, shale gas. Along with the news about this, a lot of controversy and speculation arises. An Onliner.by correspondent found out what is actually being mined and can be mined from the Belarusian soil from Vladimir Varaksa, Deputy Director of the Department of Geology of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection.

Belarusian salt can “fill up” half the world

— Probably everyone knows how rich the republic is. First of all, these are potassium salts, in terms of reserves of which we rank third in the world. We provide for our needs, but the overwhelming majority of Belaruskali’s products are exported. In addition to the developed ones, there are several more deposits of potassium salts in Belarus. Several sections of the Starobinskoye field have already been transferred to foreign investors. So, two new mines will soon begin to be built - in the Lyuban region (Minsk region) and Petrikov (Gomel region). There are no problems with this raw material.

The republic also fully covers its needs for rock salt. Its reserves in Mozyr and Soligorsk are so huge that we can supply not only Europe and Asia, but also half the world. However, the world market dictates its terms.

In addition, Belarus is almost completely provided with its own raw materials for production. building materials: silicate products, ceramic bricks, panels. It is also sand, gravel for civil engineering, industrial construction. We purchase only certain types of raw materials for ceramic production.

We also have our own gypsum deposit in the Petrikovsky district. Detailed reconnaissance is now being completed there. And this year the deposit will be put up for international tender. When production begins, there will be no need to supply gypsum from Russia, Ukraine and Moldova.

Belarus' own oil will last for 25-30 years

— Vladimir Vladimirovich, how are things going with the extraction of Belarusian “black gold”?

— Oil has been produced in Belarus for more than 30 years. Recently - about 1.6-1.7 million tons per year. Production volumes are decreasing slightly. This is due to the fact that the growth of new fields is 10-15% less per year than oil production from existing ones.

The second reason for the decline in oil production is hard-to-recover reserves. Our technologists are working on this issue. There are some developments that make it easier to extract heavy oil.

At the same time, geologists are now reaching new depths of oil deposits. A well is being drilled at 5.5 km, Belarusneft is preparing a well at 6 km. It is also planned to reach 7000 meters or more. There is a possibility that large oil reserves can be discovered there. Naturally, this raw material is not enough for the country, but about 10% of the demand in Belarus is provided by its own oil.

— Is it profitable to produce your own oil at such a great depth?

— I don’t think that this oil will be more expensive than Russian oil. After all, oil sales are highly profitable. Of course, its cost will be slightly higher than raw materials from 4000 meters, but everything is economically profitable. Such oil will definitely not be more expensive than Norwegian oil produced in the North Sea.

Explored and confirmed oil reserves in Belarus today amount to about 30 million tons. At current production rates it will last for 20 years. But these are only confirmed ones, and there are also unconfirmed ones that we are looking for. I am sure that Belarus will continue to produce its own oil for 25-30 years.

— But the reserves of potassium salts are also being depleted?

— The situation with potassium is approximately the same as with oil. There are confirmed reserves that are ready for industrial development, where equipment can be driven today. Belaruskali now has them for about 30 years. I think that for today’s younger generation the issue of availability of potash fertilizers will not arise. The fact is that our mines now do not need to explore deposits 200 years in advance. That is, they exist, but as potential resources. It is not advisable to conduct a full reconnaissance right away.

— Nowadays, the topic of shale gas is actively developing in the world. Does it exist in Belarus?

— Belarusian geologists are at the beginning of their shale gas journey. This issue has really begun to rise widely in the world in recent years. But in reality, according to the information we have, only the United States produces shale gas. We have slightly different geological conditions, but based on the available materials that were obtained during other works, it can be assumed that there may also be shale gas in Belarus.

Several promising areas have now been identified for study. But the main issue is the problem of technology. The fact is that the technologies for exploration and production of shale gas are very complex. Our country does not yet have equipment that would allow drilling such wells. So, most likely, foreign companies will be involved.

In general, it is too early to judge whether shale gas will be found in the country, although areas of thick sedimentary cover - the Pripyat trough, the Brest-Podlaska depression and the Orsha depression - are promising. We will be able to answer more clearly only in a few years. Although we can already say that shale gas production can have an impact Negative influence on natural groundwater.

Belarus has its own gold and diamonds!

— Many people are concerned about the topic of gold. Could Belarus have its own Klondike?

— There are no gold deposits in Belarus yet. But during a detailed exploration of the Okolovskoye iron ore deposit in the Stolbtsy region, gold occurrences were identified in some parts - certain intervals with gold content much higher than the background.

Work is currently underway there. What is a deposit? This is an accumulation of minerals, the extraction of which is currently economically profitable. Let there be 100 tons of gold there, but if it takes more money- no one will do this. The project in the Stolbtsovsky district will be carried out until 2015 in accordance with the state program. More than 18 billion rubles have been allocated for this work.

Interestingly, several years ago we carried out work to obtain fine gold from our sand and gravel deposits. Even the first kilogram was mined and then melted into an ingot. But this was a research project, and the cost of a given kilogram was higher than the market price. Our factories are not yet technically ready to cost-effectively carry out the entire process of obtaining gold in this way.

— Is the situation similar with diamonds?

— Targeted searches for diamonds in Belarus began in 1992. Some works even earlier. On the territory of Belarus they are associated with certain difficulties. Primary diamond deposits are represented by so-called “explosion tubes”, usually several hundred meters in diameter, which break through the earth’s crust. These pipes in Belarus are covered by Quaternary sediments.

It turns out that you need to find where this tube is located at a depth of hundreds of meters, which is very difficult. If the pipes came to the surface, like in Yakutia or South Africa, it would be easier to search, of course. Here everything is covered with sediment. Although, according to indirect evidence, several areas have been identified in Belarus where diamond-bearing pipes may be located. Now 33 of them have already been opened in our country, and diamond grains have been found in some. World practice shows that precious stones can be found in only one out of a hundred.

Over the past year or two, the pace of diamond work has dropped somewhat. Everything is becoming more expensive, and geologists are tied to equipment and components that are not produced in the country. The government has set the task of more actively developing potash and other deposits that can already generate income. It is possible that some diamond prospecting areas will be transferred to foreign investors.

Construction of a nuclear power plant will not interfere with swimming in Braslav lakes

— Yesterday, at a meeting with the Prime Minister, the issue of increasing the export of Belarusian water was raised. What are the prospects in this direction?

— We are talking about the sale of bottled water. Belarusians now consume about 25-30 liters of such water per person per year. In Europe, this figure is noticeably higher - from 150 to 220 liters. Our country has great potential in this direction. But this is not a question of geologists, but of trade and access to the markets of other countries.

There is also a subjective reason for the poor development - the lack of a special center that could certify our water. You have to take samples to Riga or St. Petersburg to obtain quality confirmation. However, yesterday the Prime Minister set the task of creating such a center in Belarus. For this, of course, you need money and equipment.

The quality of Belarusian water can be compared with that of the Caucasus. Promoted brands - “Frost”, “Minskaya”, “Darida” - you can drink everything calmly. They are no worse than the Caucasian and Baltic ones.

— Construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant is now starting. Will it not affect the Belarusian water system, the same Braslav lakes?

— The Chernobyl nuclear power plant stood on Pripyat and the Dnieper. And the water there was always fine; the accident had nothing to do with it. The Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant also stands on a huge lake - everyone swims and sunbathes. Stations operate all over the world, but our population is more frightened than others, this is understandable. But the issue of the dangers of nuclear power plants is often far-fetched and unfounded. The monitoring that should be applied will be fully carried out. And safety comes first here.

— What can you say about fuel for nuclear power plants? Are there uranium deposits in our country?

— The Geological Service of the USSR had a rule that searches for radioactive materials were carried out throughout the country. Even then, some potential deposits of uranium ore were identified in Belarus. Now, with appropriate work and funding, it is possible to find our own deposits, but the question is different: do we need to mine uranium? This question should not be decided by geologists.

In addition, the extraction and processing of uranium raw materials poses many problems. It is necessary to create an industry and negotiate within the framework of signed agreements with international organizations.

— In general, what are the prospects for Belarusian geology? What needs to be improved?

— Our main problem is financial. We need to reach new depths and develop new deposits. Although there is some progress. This year, for example, we will buy a fourth-generation seismic station. At the same time, with the arrival of foreign investors, one can count on an improvement in the situation. About 60% of funding will come from them, not from the budget.

The problem of personnel is also acute. I’ll be honest about this - let our geological universities in Minsk and Gomel be offended by me - students do not have enough practice, because geology is a very complex science. For example, applicants with low scores go to the Faculty of Geography of BSU. A student who fails at school can become an excellent specialist, but a foundation of basic knowledge is also needed.

We now still have a lot of specialists under 30 years old and people over 50. But this layer - between 30 and 50 years old - somehow fell out. There are very smart guys and girls. But someone comes, works for 2 years, and goes to Russia, where the salary is 4-5 times higher, and the personnel shortage is even greater.

Although the average salary in geology is now above 3 million rubles, it is growing compared to last year. Young professionals with higher education can immediately count on 2-2.5 million rubles.