Molodezhny deposit, 15 miles south of the Baikal-Amur railway, Buryat A.S.S.R. (printed "Burgat")

The Molodezhny deposit, in the Buryat A.S.S.R., appears in the sources only as a planned asbestos mine: the U.S. Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook for 1974, drawing on Pravda, reported "large deposits of long-fibered asbestos discovered at Molodezhny," with "a mine and mill" planned "at the site 15 miles south of the railway."¹ The yearbook for 1975 said "design of the complex to exploit the Molodeshny deposit" was "completed in 1974," but that construction would wait for "the western section" of the Baikal-Amur railroad; its 1977 report and Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, said the same.^2,3,4 In 1975 Asbestos, citing Industrial Minerals, wrote that chrysotile deposits "have been outlined at Molodezhnoye" and that "plans have been proposed for their development."⁵ The journal reported in 1981 that prospecting "was completed in 1979" and that the property "reportedly" held "about 18-million tonnes of asbestos ore," with "mine construction" still planned for when the railway was built.⁶ The 1982 yearbook said "the Molodezhnoye underground deposit, was evaluated as among the world's best."⁷

The documents describe this as a deposit or prospect: they report exploration or describe the deposit, not mining for sale.⁶

Year by year

Every statement about this mine in the documents, in each document's own words, by the year it is about.

1974

• Mill: “A mine and mill are planned at the site 15 miles south of the railway in the Burgat A.S.S.R.”, as reported by Pravda, p. 10¹
• Exploration: “large deposits of long-fibered asbestos discovered at Molodezhny”, as reported by Pravda, p. 10¹
• Mill: “Design of the complex to exploit the Molodeshny deposit in Buryat A.S.S.R. was completed in 1974”, p. 10²
• Exploration: “the Molodezhyy asbestos deposit was designated in 1974 for development when the western section of the Baykal-Amur Railway is built”, p. 34⁴
• Exploration: “designed in 1974 for construction when the western section of the Baykal-Amur railway is built”, p. 10³

1975

• Exploration: “other Chrysotile deposits have been outlined at Molodezhnoye and Il'chirsk in Buryat, ASSR”, as reported by Industrial Minerals, p. 38⁵

1979

• Reserves: “Prospecting at the Moladezhnoye asbestos deposit in North Buryatia was completed in 1979. Reportedly the property contains about 18-million tonnes of asbestos ore”, p. 28⁶

1982

• Reserves: “the Molodezhnoye underground deposit, was evaluated as among the world's best”, as reported by Industrial Minerals (London), p. 8⁷
• Description: “underground deposit”, p. 8⁷

Other names

Documents call this mine “Molodezhny”, “Molodeshny deposit”, “Molodezhnoye”, “Molodezhyy”, “Moladezhnoye”, “Molodezhyy asbestos deposit complex”, “Molodezhnoye underground deposit”.

References

1. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1974 (January 1, 1975), p. 10.
2. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1975 (January 1, 1976), p. 10.
3. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1977 (January 1, 1978), p. 10.
4. Asbestos Magazine, 1977, December 1977 (December 1, 1977), p. 34.
5. Asbestos Magazine, 1975, December 1975 (December 1, 1975), p. 38.
6. Asbestos Magazine, 1981, January 1981 (January 1, 1981), p. 28.
7. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1982 (January 1, 1983), p. 8.