A new stage of geological exploration work is starting in Kazakhstan, aimed at expanding knowledge about resource potential countries. The government announced the start of a major program, within which about 240 billion tenge will be allocated.
The initiative is being implemented in furtherance of the instructions of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and involves a transition to a more accurate and technologically advanced format for geological analysis of the territory. Last year, 20 detailed geological survey projects at a scale of 1:50,000 were prepared for this purpose, covering about 100 thousand square kilometers. In the future, it is planned to add about 30 thousand square kilometers annually. promising zones. For comparison, previously the country used mainly maps of a much larger scale, created several decades ago.
The funding is designed for a three-year period and covers not only mapping, but also seismic exploration work in poorly studied sedimentary basins, as well as the creation of a modern material and technical base for the geological service. In terms of investment volume, the program is comparable to the total expenditures on geological exploration over the past fifteen years.
The projects will involve remote sensing data, airborne geophysical and geochemical methods, as well as integrated field research. When forming the list of sites, the degree of depletion of reserves, the level of interest on the part of subsoil users and the prospects for key types of raw materials were taken into account. As a result, territories potentially interesting for the search for copper, gold, lead, zinc, rare earth metals, barite and bauxite have been identified.
A separate area is associated with the study of oil and gas bearing structures. Seismic work is planned in the North Torgai, Shu-Sarysu and Syrdarya basins. At the same time, it is planned to modernize the laboratory facilities and transfer the accumulated geological materials into digital format.
The government notes that the transition to a more detailed study of the subsoil will improve the quality of forecasts, reduce geological and investment risks and create conditions for the influx of private capital into exploration and production. This approach corresponds to the practice of leading countries in the field of geological exploration and is considered as the basis for the sustainable development of the mineral resource complex of Kazakhstan.
Source: kazlenta.kz
