RUSSIAN IRON DEPOSITS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 9 April 1924, Page 8

RUSSIAN IRON DEPOSITS

The anomalous behgvioyr of the magnetic needle in the district of lioursk in Russia, was ascertained as early as 1876 by . Messrs Smirnoff and Paltchikoff, and formed for many years the object of systematic researches by the late Mr jLeist, professor at Moscow' University, who .expressed the opinion that .the anomaly was due to the presence of important iron deposits, existing in two zones, styled the north and south zones. He marked out as many as 4500 spots at which the magnetic needle was deflected. The Soviet Government took up the and not having sutcoeded in coming t.o an agreement witli lilt! lioirs of Professor Leist for the purchase pf the plans drawn up by the latter, decided 'fo 1919 to start fresh researches; these, it is announced, have been successful. Drilling at the site was commenced at the close of 1921, and in April, 1923, diamond drills had to be .resorted to owing to the great hardness of file formation. At the present tune the have reached .a depth of 755 ft. The fouryey at 10 000 places of the north zone shews this to cover a length of 170 miles a.p<)t p width of roughly one mile. Oilier researches have confirmed the evidence of the magnctoKApirical investigations. The deposit has beep found , to consist partly of magnetite and jjffls. tly of red hematite, the 'iron content m which is about 40 per cent, ip ,the upper layers at a depth of about 560 feet 1 from the ground level. The iron content increases with .the,depth. A ■french technical jourpal lays strops fippp the great importance pf this .new irop ,oi;e depvfii.t, -.which ;is close ,to -Koupsk, on the ' Moscow-Kharlioff apd Kieff•Vorpnege .railways;, -Nepr .the ore deMSjt' are a .number of peat .beds and •two «o.pl ibasins. Those .of Mpsqqw and ! -Uopatz ar,e pot for distapt.