DUSHANBE, October 12, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- Another alluvial gold placer deposit has been discovered in Muminobod district, Khatlon province, Azim Ibrohim, the chairman of the Main Geology Directorate under the Government of Tajikistan, announced at a news conference in Dushanbe today.

According to him, this deposit along with 22 other deposits, including 9 loam deposits, 9 sand-and-gravel deposits, two gypsum deposits, one coal deposit and one granite deposit, has been considered by the scientific and technical council of the Main Geology Directorate and submitted to the National Commission for Reserves.

“As far as the alluvial gold placer deposit discovered in Muminobod district is concerned, this deposit has possible gold reserves of some 500 kilograms,” Ibrohim said.  

Typical locations for alluvial gold placer deposits are on the inside bends of rivers and creeks, in natural hollows; at the break of slope on a stream; the base of an escarpment, waterfall or other barrier; and within sand dunes, beach profiles or gravel beds.

Tajikistan reportedly has 28 known gold deposits containing an estimated 429.3 tons of gold.  The country now produces on average 1,600 kilograms of gold per year, most of which comes from the Jilau deposit operated by the Zeravshan Gold Company (Tajik-Chinese gold-mining joint venture, located in Sughd province).  The other two gold producers are the gold-mining enterprise, Tilloi Tojik (formerly JV Darvaz), which produces gold from its alluvial operation at the Yakhsou deposit, located in Khatlon province in southern Tajikistan, and Tajik-Canadian gold-mining joint venture, Aprelevka, which is engaged in mining and processing of ores at Aprelevka, Qyzyl-Cheku, Burgunda, Ekiljon and other small deposits in northern Tajikistan (Sughd province).