 | |
| |
Accessibility, Climate, Local Resources, Infrastructure and Physiography
The infrastructure in the region is typical of the northern parts of the Khabarovsk Kray territory and reflects the region's economy and lack of resident population in the area. Transportation consists of two railway systems, a network of highways, primarily located in the southern half of the territory, and water transportation for up to half of the year. The port city of Vanino is one of the largest Russian Far Eastern seaports and can handle up to 12.2 million tonnes per year of all types of cargo including bulk ores and coal. The capital of the territory, Khabarovsk, located on the Amur River, is also a port, able to handle large ocean going vessels, and the airport serves international flights.
The nearest townsite is the Vostok support base at Kiran, which is located at the entry of the Kiran River, on the shore of the Sea of Okhotsk, 100 km from the exploration area. A dirt road suitable for four-wheel drive vehicles connects the exploration area and Kiran support base. Marine vessels at Kiran are unloaded offshore with cargo delivery by beaching barges and vessels at low tide, and off-loading the material onto trucks.
Apart from the Kiran support base, the exploration area is also connected to the townships of Chumikan and Nelkan by winter roads (130 and 300 km, respectively). Vostok also built and maintains, a winter road from the Postyshevo railway station to the Kiran support base, which continues through the project area to the northern areas of the exploration project. The typical operational period of the winter roads is 3.5 to 4 months.
Kiran has an airfield capable of accommodating AN-12, AN-26, AN-28 aircraft and all types of helicopters. Diesel power stations provide fuel and energy supply. There is no available labour force in the region.
The Avlayakan deposit is located in the upper reaches of the Avlayakan River, 5 km above the Left Avlayakan River entry; the Kirankan deposit is located on the right-hand bank of the same river, 35 km above the river entry.
Mountains and plateaus rising 2,500 m above sea level occupy 75% of the Khabarovsk Kray territory. The Avlayakan Project is situated in poorly accessible taiga upland. The main orographic mark is the southwestern tip of the Jugjur ridge that divides the mineral district into two approximately equal parts. The Avlayakan deposit is located on the northwestern, and the Kirankan deposit on the southeastern slopes of the ridge, which also serves as the watershed between the rivers of the Aldan Basin and the Sea of Okhotsk. The absolute watershed marks are 920 to 1,270 m; relative elevations above the bottoms of the valleys are 250 to 500 m. Paraxial elements of the Jugjur ridge are subdued in relief. Peaks are usually dome-shaped and, in some sections, narrow (5 to 10 m) ridges (watersheds) and conical peaks are present. Slope gradients in the area are 20 to 35º and average 27º.
The region has a continental climate but due to the proximity of the Sea of Okhotsk it is also affected by Pacific monsoons. According to the data from the Batomga weather station, the average monthly temperature in winter ranges from --7.4º to --40.2º C, with a January absolute low of --60º C; in summer the average temperature is +13º C, with a July high of +38º C. The average annual temperature is below zero (--11º C) which contributes to the development of permafrost.
The average annual precipitation is 500 mm, mostly in the form of summer and autumn rainfalls and fogs. A stable snow cover sets in from late September to early October, and most snowfalls typically occur in early winter. The spring snow melt usually begins in late May to early June. On the average, snow cover lasts seven months.
Permafrost is omnipresent in the area of the deposits. Its seasonal thawing on the open southern slopes reaches 0.5 to 1.5 m; on the northern and forest covered slopes it is less than 0.4 m and on the average reaches 0.4 m in the area.
|
| |
