Amber is a petrified resin of extinct coniferous trees. This gem lies on the territory of Russia in many places. However, there are very few large placers of such an organic mineral in the world, as in our country, as well. On the territory of the Russian Federation by industrial method, the solar gem is mined in only one place.
Where does it lie
So where is amber mined in Russia? The most famous deposits of this stone in our country are reservoir placers located on the shores of the Baltic Sea, about 40 km from Kaliningrad. Amber on these deposits has been mined since ancient times. But still thousands of tons lie here. At present, in this area near Yantarny there are a total of three deposits, one of which is mothballed. It is this site that is today the largest and richest placer not only in Russia, but throughout the world.
Of course, in the Russian Federation there are other areas of amber deposits. There are small deposits of this stone in our country, for example, in the Urals, Siberia and Sakhalin. You can find amber in some other places in Russia. The peculiarity of the deposits of the solar gem is, first of all, that they are located on a special grid consisting of straight and broken lines. At the same time, the richest vein passes from the Jutland Peninsula through the territory of the Baltic States, through Finland and further to the Kola Peninsula. Here, across the Arctic Ocean, it continues to the "Amber Crown" of the planet.
The largest deposits are located in our country, of course, in the Kaliningrad region. Where amber is mined in the Russian Federation on the Baltic Sea and we will consider a little later in the article in full detail. In addition to the three Kaliningrad, in our country there are only two more or less large deposits of this gem. One of them is located in the Khatanga Depression (North Siberian), the second in the Far East. However, industrial development of stone in these areas is not conducted. The fact is that there are no large pieces of amber.
Types of deposits
All amber deposits are divided into two large groups: primary (primary) and secondary (placers). In our country, the first type of sediment includes the Ural, North Siberian and Far Eastern. The deposits of this variety are always associated with coal seams. Amber in such rocks lies in the form of inclusions. Deposits of this type are located where coniferous forests grew in ancient times.
Loose deposits can be river or marine. They are usually located at some distance from the indigenous. Amber accumulates here, being brought by water, glaciers or talus. In Russia, the city where amber is mined is Kaliningrad. The deposits located here are of the type of loose ones.
Such secondary sites are in turn classified into:
- alluvial;
- deltian;
- coastal;
- sea;
- glacial.
Amber's feature is, among other things, a low density indicator. That is why such gems are easily tolerated by water. Alluvial deposits are those where amber, moving with the flow, was once stopped by some obstacles, for example, boulders or wood congestion.
The delta deposits of this gem are located on the coast on the shallows and in the estuaries. Coastal deposits are formed due to erosion by waves of sediments located below sea level.
Sea placers once appeared at the bottom of deep bays, sheltered from the winds. Amber-bearing rock in these places has a heavenly hue and is accordingly called the “blue earth”. Glacial deposits occur in glaciation areas due to the destruction by previously frozen deposits of moving frozen masses.
What is the Palmnikensky site
So, then let's look at how amber is mined in Kaliningrad and where specifically the development is carried out. The total area of this gem deposits in the Baltic Sea in Russia is more than 300 km 2 . The largest, not only in the Russian Federation, but also in the world at the moment is the Palmnikenskoye deposit located near Yantarny. About 70% of all amber deposits on the planet are concentrated here.
The Palmnikenskoe deposit was commercially developed as far back as the century before last - in 1872. All subsequent years, up to 300-800 thousand tons of amber were mined in these places. At the moment, the Palmnikenskoye field is mothballed. Development today is carried out in two adjacent areas: Seaside and Beach.
Where amber is mined in Russia: Primorsky deposit
Geologists attribute amber deposits in the Kaliningrad region to a unique mineral object. The stone here lies very close to the surface. It is mined from a depth of 8-50 m. Near the coastal villages, amber in this place is often found simply on the beaches. The Primorsky deposit in the Kaliningrad region, according to scientists, already existed during the Paleolithic. This is evidenced by pieces of amber found in the parking lots of primitive man.
The amber-bearing “blue earth” in this place lies at a depth of 2-6 m. The content of gems in it ranges from 587 to 1464 g / m.
Beach plot
This quarry is also one of the answers to the question of where amber is mined in Russia. In this field, gems most often reach from a depth of 8-10 m. The average amber content in this case is 1588-2471 g / m 3 . This placer is located under the bottom of the Baltic Sea and on the adjacent beach. On the shore, it also lies below sea level. Along the Baltic, the field is stretched by about 750 m. Its width is 150-200 m.
The Beach deposit is composed of rocks of the Neogene, Paleogene and Quaternary periods. Amber here, as well as on the Primorsky site, is mined from the "blue land". Gems of marine origin lie in this place in the Paleogene rocks.
How amber is mined in the Kaliningrad region: technology
Engaged in the development of deposits on the Baltic Sea in Russia, Kaliningrad Amber Plant JSC. This plant was created in 1947 on the basis of a pre-existing manufactory. Today, this company annually supplies about 300 thousand tons of gems to the domestic and world market.
Above in the article we found out where amber is mined in Russia. But how is the solar gem extracted from ancient sedimentary rocks?
Amber is being mined in the Kaliningrad region using approximately the following technology:
- in the quarry, the upper layers of the rock are removed in order to expose the "blue earth";
- a walking excavator, whose weight is about 800 tons, extracts amber-bearing rock and puts it in a special cone for loosening;
- with the help of a 500 l hydraulic gun, the rock is “shot” with sea water;
- the resulting liquid pulp is fed to a suction unit.
Valuable stones
At the next stage, during the extraction of amber at the plant, employees of a special specialization, the Sachkolovs, set to work. Standing waist-deep in a muddy pulp, they pull large stones out of it to prevent breakage during further processing of the rock.
Sometimes the Sachkolov manage to get stones from the pulp, which are simply of great value. Amber weighing more than 1 kg in our country is equal to the national treasure and is not even sold. If in some stone there is an inclusion in the form of a plant or an insect, its cost rises by a factor of ten. At a price such amber is no longer comparable with gems, but with gems of the corundum level.
The final stage
After sacchkolov pulp at the Kaliningrad plant enters the enrichment unit. Here, dirt is cleared and smaller stones are sifted.
The technology described above is the answer to the question of how amber is mined in the Kaliningrad region. This technique is currently applied only at the Yantarny plant and is considered innovative. Ultimately, the enterprise extracts all semiprecious stone larger than 2 mm from the “blue clay”.