Scientific exploration

At the end of last year, the Institute of Geology and Economics of Mineral Raw Materials was presented in Almaty. It will work as part of the RSE "National Center for Integrated Processing of Mineral Raw Materials of the Republic of Kazakhstan" (NC KPMS RK). It is assumed that the new institute will fill the gap in scientific support of geological exploration in Kazakhstan. Ginayat Bekzhanov, the director of the institute, told about the tasks the institute sets for itself, how it is going to solve them and what difficulties it faces.

– Ginayat Rakhmetullich, what are the strategic goals of creating a new Kazakh Scientific Research Institute of Mineral Resources and Economics of the Republic of Kazakhstan?

– Kazakhstan, as God willed, is rich in almost all minerals that are used by mankind. And the purpose of geology in economics is always the same – to study the subsurface to obtain data on minerals and the possibilities of their economically efficient extraction. Now it is an urgent need for Kazakhstan. Before the collapse of the USSR, production organizations had their own institutes. Kazakhstan had its own Ministry of Geology, the second most important in the Union. At first, geology was called a service. Geologists worked with a hammer and a magnifying glass. And then they started drilling deep wells, exploring mines, and geology turned into an entire industry that received its own applied science. At one time, the Mingeo of the USSR included 54 institutes. The Kazakh SSR Mingeo had three research institutes: oil and gas, geophysics, and the Institute of Mineral Raw Materials (KazIMS). 7-8 leading all-Union institutes worked for the geology of Kazakhstan.

– What is happening now?

– After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the transition to a new socio-economic structure, the entire well-established geological system collapsed. And then she began to reorganize, let's say. And now it is being debugged anew. But this process is far from over. The President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, recently said that now the republic uses what was discovered earlier by the older generation. Despite the vast wealth of the Kazakh land, its depths have hardly been explored. He is confident that currently only a small fraction of Kazakhstan's resources are being developed. In the 20 years of Kazakhstan's independence, not a single field has been discovered. The groundwork made by the Kazakhstan Geological Survey was enough for 20 years and will last for 10-15 more years. But the problem is that existing reserves are being extracted, but not replenished. There are two scientific metallurgical institutes in Kazakhstan, there is an institute for mining (Institute of Mining), for enrichment (Kazmehanobr), but the first link of the triad – exploration – mining – processing – has dropped out. Yes, there is the K.I.Satpayev Institute of Geology, but it is engaged in unsatisfactory tasks. He is an academic, so he is not prepared to perform the function of scientific support for practical geology.

– What problems did the institute face in the process of its formation?

– The main problem is the lack of personnel. Over the past 20 years, geology in Kazakhstan has suffered greatly from this. 25 years ago, when we created KazIMS, we were able to open it in just 2 months, counting from the release of the order. The republic had its own geology, geophysics, geochemistry, and technology, and we employed up to 10,000 engineers. And now, thank you if we recruit a thousand people in total. At the K.I.Satpayev Institute of Geology, the average age of employees is 70 years old, universities graduate 2-3 dozen people a year – there is simply no one to cooperate with. The vast majority of graduates go to private institutions. Not to mention the fact that the teaching staff is outdated, and the research and laboratory facilities are weak.

– Where is the army of geologists that used to work?

– Someone went into business, someone left, some simply dropped out due to their advanced age. Someone has moved to a private company - the family needs to be fed.

– Will the new institute cooperate with private companies?

– Yes, otherwise it won't work. First of all, it concerns geophysics and geochemistry. Competent specialists work in these areas in private organizations. We are talking about such companies as Geoken, Kazzarubezhgeologiya, and RSE Spetsgravimetry.

– The Institute has developed five areas of work. Please tell us more about them.

– The first block is a scientific program. It is necessary to master at least 1-2 directions of studying the subsurface. The issue of copper and gold is particularly acute in Kazakhstan, so the focus should be on them. The second set of questions is the scientific directions of the search. One of the most important tasks is the discovery of new deposits. In particular, we are considering the possibility of discovering new deposits in Altai. The third block is the frames. We have come to the conclusion that the only possible and promising way today is to train young specialists ourselves. Existing universities cannot cope with this task. It is necessary to attach them to experienced specialists who could show the subtleties of the work in practice. Thus, we hope to train at least about a dozen specialists within 2-3 years. The third block is joined by the fourth – training. We have made it a separate option, because we intend to organize lectures and invite specialists, including those who had previously left Kazakhstan. We cannot invite them on a permanent basis, but they can come for a month, I have already talked with some of them. Finally, the fifth block is the technical equipment, that is, the purchase of equipment, instruments, drilling equipment.

– What kind of money are we talking about?

– The money has not been allocated yet. At first, we were promised that the budget would be determined at the end of August, then by the end of the year. But for now, this question remains open. According to preliminary data, the budget will be adjusted in February, and then the money may appear. The need for equipment – first of all, geochemical and geophysical – is a priority issue, since many deposits have been studied using conventional geological methods and require geophysics and geochemistry.

– What are the scientific objectives of the institute?

– Development of long-term programs for the reproduction of the mineral resource base and evaluation of alternative sources of raw materials, preparation of recommendations for the reproduction of mineral raw materials. In addition, it is necessary to systematically study the patterns that determine the placement of minerals, taking into account the latest data. Monitoring of modern methods, technologies and trends in the practice of forecasting and prospecting for mineral raw materials is mandatory. We will develop recommendations for the introduction of optimal predictive and search technologies into the practice of exploration and project expertise for special tasks. Finally, there are publications on the problems of subsurface use and information support for government agencies on the state and prospects of development of the mineral resource complex.