Reducing the cost of finished products by using the most economically advantageous processes and techniques for the extraction and beneficiation of minerals is one of the most pressing tasks in mining industry. The width of front bank has a significant impact on the cost of placer deposits mining. Existing methods for calculating the most advantageous width of front bank are based on ensuring dredge maximum productivity that is justified in placer bulk mining. With increasing depth of a placer deposit occurrence and thickness of overburden, traditional methods for calculating the optimal width of a front bank do not ensure minimizing production costs. The aim of the research is to determine the most advantageous width of a front bank, taking into account a peat (overburden) thickness and acceptable stripping flow sheet. The idea behind this work is that the optimal width of a front bank should be determined not only based on the maximum productivity of a dredge, but also on the condition of ensuring the lowest cost of extraction of valuable components (taking into account the productivity of all mining equipment and the stripping costs). The study analyzes the impact of placer parameters (peat thickness and productive layer thickness, front bank width) on the cost of sand extraction and processing, and identifies the dependencies of mining parameters on technical and economic performance. The study examined more than 100 process flow sheets for the integrated operation of stripping and mining equipment and provided an economic assessment of their effectiveness. Recommended values for correction factors for determining the optimum front bank width are given. The study findings serve as methodological material for substantiating the parameters of a placer mining system.

The study of the geological setting features of the West Siberian Oil-and-Gas Province (OGP) is relevant for establishing the relationship between the spatial distribution of local strike-slip dislocations (Russko-Chaselsky Ridge) and the structure of the regional Pai-Khoi-Altai shearing zone. The work aims to identify the regularities of hydrocarbon accumulations location associated with fault systems of this zone. The paper presents the results of studies aimed at assessing the nature of the Earth crust disturbance within the regional Pai-Khoi–Altai shearing zone and the prerequisites for the occurrence of hydrocarbon accumulations within it. A complex set of regional and detailed geophysical data, including 2D and 3D seismic surveys and digital models of gravity and magnetic fields, was used as a factual basis. Based on these materials, cross-sections and maps were drawn showing the structural features of the sedimentary cover and consolidated basement, and an analysis of the nature of the Earth crust disturbance within the shearing zone was performed. It was revealed that the disjunctive dislocations of the regional Pai-Khoi–Altai shearing zone have a characteristic morphology described by a right-lateral strike-slip (dextral) fault strain ellipsoid. Within the Russko-Chaselsky Ridge, patterns were identified in the manifestation of strike-slips and graben-rifts systems caused by the tectonic activity of the regional Pai-Khoi–Altai shear. The shearing zone, en echelon faulting, and associated Riedel shears constitute a single, hierarchically subordinate system of the upper Earth crust disturbance. It is characterized by the development of en echelon system of disturbance zones in the platform cover and the upper part of the consolidated basement, interpreted as Riedel shears of prevailing submeridional strike. Based on the interpretation of seismic cross-sections along the Riedel shears, "flower structures" extending from the Lower Cretaceous to the top of the Paleozoic were distinguished. Structures of this type, located within the West Siberian Oil-and-Gas Province and represented by dislocation systems, may act as drainage in further substantiation of the mechanisms of migration and accumulation of hydrocarbons.

The relevance of this study stems from the need to obtain a comprehensive picture of the state of the cobalt mineral resource base of the Russian Federation. Objective: to examine the current state of Russia’s cobalt mineral resource base, the spatial distribution of cobalt deposits by ore formation types and within ore provinces, and the prospects for national cobalt production. Methods: statistical, graphical, and logical analysis. Results: a consolidated schematic map of Russia is presented, featuring 25 cobalt-bearing provinces and a sample of 150 of the most significant cobalt deposits across various ore formations, along with prospective sites and areas. Key characteristics are provided for the main ore formations hosting cobalt deposits in Russia, as well as for cobalt-bearing provinces and deposits outside these provinces. In Russia, cobalt is extracted as a by-product from sulfide copper-nickel ores (9.2 Kt in 2022). As of January 1, 2023, Russia’s balance reserves of cobalt totaled 1,562.3 Kt. The largest volumes of cobalt reserves are associated with the copper-nickel formation (62.5%) and the silicate-cobalt-nickel formation (19.9%), with the remaining 17.6% distributed among all other ore formations. By province, the Norilsk province accounts for 47.0% of Russia’s cobalt reserves, the Ural province – 24.7%, the Kola and Shoria-Khakass provinces – 7.4% each, the Easten Sayan province – 6.1%, and all other provinces – 7.7%. The Russian Federation has been allocated exploration areas on the international seabed in the Pacific Ocean, where geological surveys are underway in the cobalt-rich ferromanganese crust formation of the Magellan Mountains (resources of 110 Kt Co, with 0.50–0.61% Co) and in the ferromanganese nodule formation of the Clarion-Clipperton ore field (resources of 985 Kt Co, with 0.22–0.29% Co). Despite a substantial base of prepared cobalt reserves, Russia lacks a systematic accounting of forecast cobalt resources, complicating the planning of geological exploration for cobalt. A systematic review of existing geological and geochemical data on known occurrences and points of cobalt mineralization is proposed, with the aim of assessing forecast resources using a unified methodology and producing a consolidated forecast resource balance for cobalt in Russia. For deposits of the silicate-cobalt-nickel formation, where previous assessments were based on maximizing nickel reserves, a reassessment is proposed with 3D special modeling of cobalt distribution as the primary ore component. Such deposits can then be managed specifically for cobalt production. Advancements in underground and heap leaching technologies, as well as bioleaching of cobalt-bearing ores, will enable the development of cobalt deposits with low-grade ores and small reserves, as well as the reprocessing of technogenic materials derived from beneficiation and metallurgical processes. The most promising targets for cobalt extraction using in-situ leaching, heap leaching, and bioleaching technologies are the deposits of the silicate-cobalt-nickel formation.

Methods for creating microfracture zones (loosening of reservoir rock) in well vicinity by significant reducing pore pressure and techniques for increasing well productivity based on these methods have been actively developed by Russian Academy of Sciences institutes over the past decades. A prerequisite for the application of such methods is the creation of a depression of sufficient magnitude and duration in wells to form man-made microfractures. The paper discusses cyclic geomechanical treatment (CGT), one of the methods for increasing the productivity of oil wells in carbonate reservoirs based on the creation of a deep depression in a well. Effective planning and application of such methods requires understanding the mechanism of microfracturing in the vicinity of a well when a critical pore pressure reduction value is reached. The aim of this study is to substantiate the geomechanical mechanism of microfracturing formation consistent with the results of laboratory studies of core samples and the application of CGT and related methods in wells. The objectives of the study included analyzing the characteristics of laboratory experiments and their results, identifying possible mechanisms and criteria for the formation of microfracturing, and conducting coupled hydrogeomechanical modeling with an assessment of the characteristic dimensions of the affected area. It has been shown that the results of the laboratory experiments and experimental application of the CGT method are inconsistent with the shear failure mechanism, but can be explained by the compaction failure mechanism. Coupled numerical hydrogeomechanical modeling of the pilot CGT application in a well was performed with an assessment of the compaction failure criteria parameters based on core data. The estimated radius of the stimulation zone was approximately 7 m, with the estimated increase in the productivity index to be consistent with actual data.

Prolonged operation of the mining and processing plant in Solnechny District, Khabarovsk Krai, led to the formation of a technogenic mining system. Biogeochemical zones with elevated concentrations of chemical compounds, including heavy metals and arsenic, developed in the area. Monitoring revealed that soil samples taken at varying distances from the second tailings dump of the Solnechny Mining and Processing Plant (MPP), including within the settlement of Solnechny, contained heavy metals – Cu, Zn, Pb, and Hg – at levels exceeding the maximum permissible concentrations (MPCs) by factors of 1.4 to 12.36. Arsenic levels reached 571 times the MPC. Surface water bodies showed excess concentrations of Cr, Cu, Fe, and Zn, ranging from 2 to 110 times the MPC. No arsenic excess was found in water samples. The elemental status of a developing child reflects the health of the surrounding ecosystem. Hair samples from children under 14 years of age residing in the settlement of Solnechny were analyzed. Girls showed elevated levels of Hg, Cr, Pb, and Cu, along with reduced concentrations of the essential element Zn. Boys showed increased levels of Hg, Fe, Cr, Zn, and Cu. To reduce the spread of pollutants from tailings dumps, including those of the Solnechny plant, technical solutions have been proposed.

The clarification of contaminated mine water by means of sedimentation in designated water collectors is accompanied by a gradual decrease in their effective volume due to siltation. The operation of pumping units within the drainage facility under conditions of silted water collectors at underground mining site adversely affects both their service life and energy efficiency. To prevent severe degradation in pump operating conditions, silted underground water collectors are regularly taken out of operation for cleaning, using self-propelled equipment. As Russian kimberlite mines reach their design capacity, the interval between cleaning cycles of the local drainage system’s water collectors has significantly decreased. Currently, at kimberlite mines, the cleaning of silted water collectors is routinely carried out using all available load–haul–dump (LHD) machines operated by the mine’s Mechanical and Power Service. The expansion of the LHD fleet is constrained by the high cost of these machines. In this context, reducing the intensity of mine water contamination entering the water collectors of the local drainage system has become a pressing and practically significant objective. Mathematical modeling has shown that a substantial reduction in mine water contamination within the local drainage system of a kimberlite mine can be achieved by eliminating sludge formation caused by ore spillage during transfer from the feeder to the main level conveyor belt. To eliminate this source of sludge formation, a mechanized system for collecting ore spillage has been developed, with a specially designed collecting and loading unit as its key component.

Russia possesses a significant but underutilized technogenic mineral potential, the development of which could expand the country’s mineral resource base and reduce environmental pressure. The aim of this study  is to develop an effective economic mechanism – including instruments suitable for small businesses – to stimulate investment in the development of technogenic deposits. The study analyzes existing economic instruments for incentivizing the processing of technogenic mineral accumulations (TMA), proposes a methodological approach for selecting the optimal set of instruments, and presents an integrated economic model. Special attention is given to a project prioritization system based on three key criteria: budgetary efficiency, economic efficiency, and environmental efficiency. For different project categories (green, yellow, red), the most effective instruments were identified, including tax incentives, state guarantees, and credit mechanisms. The proposed model of the economic mechanism is built on six fundamental principles: clarity, transparency, teamwork, modularity, controllability, and efficiency. The implementation of the proposed measures is expected to stimulate small business involvement in the development of technogenic deposits.