Satka Magnesite Deposit Group

The Satka magnesite deposit group is a large cluster of magnesite deposits in the Satka municipal district of Chelyabinsk Oblast, near the town of Satka. The deposit consists of four magnesite-bearing belts — the Main, Nikolskaya, Berezovskaya and Elnichnaya belts — and the Main belt is worked by several open pits, including the Karagaisky, Gologorsky, Melnichny and Palenikhinsky quarries.

History

Magnesite deposits near the Satka ironworks, then part of the Zlatoust district of Ufa Governorate, were discovered in 1896 (some sources give 1894). Laboratory assistant P. G. Salnikov carried out the chemical analysis that confirmed the mineral's refractory properties. In 1898 M. I. Markuson obtained certificates for the right to mine magnesite at two sites, and on 24 July 1900 the "Magnezit Partnership of Markuson, Nemirovsky and Shuppe" was founded, starting industrial development of the deposit. In the early 20th century the plant began producing caustic (calcined) magnesite, and by 1913 Satka supplied almost 10 percent of the world magnesite market. The enterprise founded in that era eventually grew into today's Magnezit Group, which still works the deposit.

The quarries

The deposit is currently worked by the Magnezit Group of companies. One of its key sites is the Karagaisky quarry: its length along the upper edge reaches about 1,500 meters, its width is 1,200 meters, and its depth is 368 to 380 meters. A mountain 497.7 meters above sea level once stood where the quarry is now; it was completely removed over decades of continuous mining. The other quarries of the Main belt — Gologorsky, Melnichny and Palenikhinsky — are smaller in scale but belong to the same production complex and supply raw material to the plant.

Getting there

The nearest town is Satka, the administrative center of the Satka municipal district of Chelyabinsk Oblast. The town has a museum of the Magnezit plant, displaying models and exhibits about the mining process. The quarries remain working industrial sites, so there is no free access to them: visitors can see the workings up close only as part of organized tours, including a visit to the Karagaisky quarry's viewing platform.