FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[ACC79]

This summer (2015) trip to cacholong mine. Some pictures..

[Mike Wood]

Thanks for showing us your photo's! I don't know much about opals but I like the shape/form of them; and the pictures of the land is very interesting to me because it is somewhere different, somewhere new.

Bolshoe spasibo!

Mike

[ACC79]

Thanks, Mike. This area is south of the Ural mountains, close to Kazakhstan, and this mine is quite new even for Russian prospectors. Only a couple of guys know about it. Such kind of cacholong specimens were known before only in Uzbekistan.

PS. Unfortunately the majority of russians can not speak English, but prospecting is quite popular here, and all of us were glad to communicate with others in other countries. We also have specific forums in Russia, but I will not give links, as all of them are in Russian. I can give more information, but I don't know what is interesting. If anybody has questions regarding Russian prospecting, they are welcome.
Cheers, Andrey.

[Mike Wood]

Thank you Andrey for your information, I didn't know about how many prospectors there are in Russia. I guess that there will be plenty of areas to explore because it is such a huge country. I like the solitude and peacefulness of empty landscapes, though I would go for more mountainous areas by preference. I like the look of the Ural Mountains, from pictures I have seen, especially to the North (Polar Urals?).

In your first and second photo there is a very large pile of carbonaceous shale (I presume) - did you dig all that yourself?! Looks like hard work, and it must be hot weather in the summer. Do you camp near the dig site when you are looking for cacholong?

Cheers, Mike

[ACC79]

Hi, Mike!

Prospectors.... quite a lot!))
In general, we divide the Ural area for south, middle, north, subpolar and polar mountains.
Polar Urals are most famous for quartz group, corundum, and other specimens.
My friends are working in Polar Ural. Later on I will take and post some photos of this mining.
You are right about carbonaceous shale, that's why I'm a little black)) Of course this is not only my work there, unfortunately I'm not a excavator))
Yes, we are camping all the time when mining, it is still quite a wild life here. There are no private lands, no need to ask anybody, but it is illegal, as to get official licence is probably not real, it is very expensive.

Regards, Andrey.

[Mike Wood]

Hi Andrey, it sounds nice to be in Russia, with so many places to look for minerals, and nobody around in the wild places.
I am looking forward to see some photo's of the Polar Urals !

Cheers, Mike