The Pizhemskoye titanium deposit is a new object of the nearest development in the Arctic zone of Russia

Abstract

The Pizhemskoye titanium deposit (Middle Timan) has become one of the most attractive deposits for the industrial development in Russia as a result of the successful protection and approval of reserves at the State Reserves Committee (November 2020). 60 years have passed since the first finds of titanium mineralization in the basin of the Pechora Pizhma and Umba rivers by the thematic teams of the Ukhta Geological Exploration Department and the Komi branch of the Academy of Sciences, and now the deposit is considered one of the largest in Russia and the World. Together with the Yarega oil-titanium deposit, they contain up to 80% of the reserves and predicted resources of titanium in Russia. Timan becomes the largest raw material base of titanium in the world, the intensive development of which is possible for several hundred years. The article highlights the geological structure of the Pizhemskoye deposit (revealed a cellular, bowl-like structure of ore bodies); material and complex polymineral composition of ores; the Neoproterozoic age. The author proves the hydrothermal-metamorphogenic genesis of the ores, considers the sources of the mineral matter and solution of the technological scheme for processing refractory ores. The Pizhemskoye deposit is classified as a new pseudorutile-leucoxene-quartz subtype of primary metamorphogenic deposits.

Unique titanium Deposits of Timan: genesis and age issues

“…There are no other similar deposits in the world. In the classification of titanium ore deposits, one should distinguish a new genetic subtype, pseudorutile-leucoxene-quartz, among metamorphogenic deposits [1,6].…”

“…The hydrothermal-metamorphic (fluidization) model of the Yarega and Pizhemskoye deposits formation occurs in a series of works [1,3,31,32]. The fluidization model should be shownexemplified by the Ichetyu occurrence, located strictly above the Pizhemskoye titanium deposit.…”

“…Computer simulation enabled to construct a 3D model of the ore bed and specifythe morphology of the titaniferous Malorucheiskaya Fm. [1]. The ore sequence has a cellular structure and infills all the negative forms in the rugged topography of the Riphean basement, the difference in the absolute elevations of the roof of which exceeds 300 m. The most complete section of titaniferous rocks with a three-member division of the Malorucheiskaya Fm.…”

“…The ore sequence has a cellular structure and infills all the negative forms in the rugged topography of the Riphean basement, the difference in the absolute elevations of the roof of which exceeds 300 m. The most complete section of titaniferous rocks with a three-member division of the Malorucheiskaya Fm. (PR3mr [1][2][3] ) is observed only in the negative forms of the basement topography, where the Ichetyu conglobreccia bed is present.…”

“…It is clays that contain spores and pollen from the Starooskolsky superhorizon of the Eifelian stage of the Middle Devonian; therefore, the underlying titaniferous stratum without any biota should be considered pre-Middle Devonian. The geological structure of the study region and other deposits can be found in [1,2,15,16].…”