History

Decision No. 442 of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated August 10, 2006 "On the effective use of the mineral resource base of polymetallic ores of the Khonjiza and Uch-Kuloch mines" laid the first foundation stone for the history of the Khondiza Mining Department.

It was in August of this year that the full right to develop this polymetal mine was given to the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex. Foreign investors are not expected to participate in this project.

By the second half of 2007, the Almaliq Mining and Metallurgical Complex started working on the polymetallic field of the Khondiza mine.

They say that it is good to look at the past. If we look at the history, we can see that the study of polymetallic ores of Khondiza mine continued from 1961 to 1974. Mining reserves here were confirmed in 1974.

In 1970-1971, "Sredazniprosvetmet", in 1971 SNIGRI, in 1972 SAIGIMS, in 1974 SNIGRI, VNIISVETMET, SAIGIMS institutes carried out research and industrial tests at the VNIISVETMET pilot plant. Enrichment technology has been developed.

"Marakand Minerals" company has developed a technical economic basis (TEO) based on the results of a number of studies conducted in Khondiza during the former union. He also presented technological indicators of semi-industrial tests conducted by VNIISVETMET.

In 1997, average ore samples were extensively studied by the Canadian "Lakefield Research" company. Both organizations have demonstrated superior mineralization rates compared to previously submitted projects.

Our motherland has preserved these jewels in the Surkhan Mountains, which were explored during the time of the former Soviet Union and were found to have high values, but remained undiscovered. With the honor of independence, the people whose cotton and gold, culture and silk became their own became the real owners of these underground resources.

The construction of the mine-concentration complex based on the polymetallic ore reserves of the Khondiza mine with a capacity of 650 thousand tons has been started. This project was financed at the expense of 46.5 million dollars of own funds of the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex, as well as 60 million dollars from the Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Uzbekistan and 40 million dollars from the banks of our country. The technical and economic basis of this large project was prepared with the participation of the Russian Institute "Mechanobr Engineering" (St. Petersburg) and the working documents were developed.

Scope of activity

The lifeblood of the Khonjiza mining complex begins with the Khondiza mine. It is located in the central part of the Surkhantog mountains in the Hisar range, in the Sariosia region, 54 km from the district center. The Khonjiza mine has an area of 40 km2, irregularly extending in the north and north-west directions.

Geographically, the area of the mine is characterized by a distinct mountainous terrain. The ore field is surrounded by the Hisar mountain range, the highest point of which is 3075.2 m in the north, and in the area of the central part from 1300 m (Khondiza river valley) to 1800 m. It is located 60 km away from Saryosi railway station.

In the mining area, rocks with three structural layers lie flat.

- lower: at about 280 m, the Khonjiza Range of rocks is represented by Precambrian metamorphic rocks, crystalline shales, two-mica gneisses and gneissic granites;

- medium: characterized by volcanogenic-sedimentary rocks of the Carboniferous period;

- upper layer: in the sediments of the lower and middle layers, Jurassic terrigenous sedimentary rocks are formed in the form of a shell.

The main ore deposits combine a series of layered ore bodies with solid ore alternating with lenticular and vein-granular zones. In general, it stretches in the sublatitude. The decline is relatively steep, 25-300 in the south and 45-600 in the north.

The greatest strength is characteristic of the inclined and flexural bending sections, and it is sharply expanded on the slopes. The deposit is bounded from above and below by the terrigenous-carbonate-pyroclastic pack on the thrust side and the volcanogenic pack on the overhang side by the contact with the horizon rocks. Within the bedrock and ore layers, there are folds with a brachiform structure. The peculiarity of the ores is their fine-grained structure with a quantitative ratio of chalcopyrite to galena, sphalerite and pyrite of 0.5:1:3:4.

In general, the ore bodies are located in a section of several hypsometric levels, separated by non-ore layers of volcaniclastic rocks, 10 to 30 m thick. No 3, No 2, No 4, No 6 and No 8 are the largest bodies. Small lenticular bodies No 5, No 7 and No 9 are placed in the intervals between them.

Ore body No. 3 is one of the main deposits in the mine. It has more than 80% of all explored mineral reserves. It is 600 m in length, 780 m in roll, and 14 m in average real capacity. The ore body is not completely contoured to the north and east.

The position of ore body No. 3 is determined by rhyolite-porphyry tuffs of rhyolite-dacite porphyry of the lower volcanogenic horizon.

Other ore bodies are calculated as percentages of reserves: No 4-5%; No 5-5.7%; No 6-4.7%; No 8-2%; No 7.9 to 0.5%; No 5-0.3%.

The highest strengths of ore bodies No. 3 (18-21.6 m) adjusted to the central part of the body are between the +1300 and +1000 m marks and adjusted to the slope of the flexure. Below the +1000 m mark, the average power decreases to 6-8 m.

Mining ores make up the main part of the deposits and are divided into vein-particle and solid massive types and form small ribbon-shaped accumulations within the main mass of ores. A special feature of mining ores is the small content of barite (1-1.5%). Elements of mixtures are found both in the main sulfides (sphalerite, galena, pyrite, chalcopyrite) and as independent materials.

Silver is isomorphically bound to major sulfides to form argentite, freybergite, prustite, and other independent minerals. In the ores, gold is found as a fine dispersion and also as admixture in the form of galena, chalcopyrite, pyrite and possibly telluride. Cadmium occurs as an admixture in sphalerite ores. The main minerals in the host rocks are quartz, plagioclase, potassium feldspar, muscovite and biotite.

Thus, the chemical composition of ore massifs and pile rocks is drastically different. Mineral sulphides are not characteristic of aggregates or loose rocks. This makes it possible to characterize them as inert and non-aggressive rocks when exposed.

“Khondiza” mine

In November 2007, JSC "Almaliq mining-metallurgical combine" started to carry out mine preparation works at the Khandiza mine, the capital mine section belonging to the Kovuldi mine. In December 2009, for the first time, ore was mined from the "Khonjiza" mine. 

The total land area of "Khonjiza" mine is 128 ha.

In 2019, in order to extract ore from the mine and efficiently organize ore extraction and drilling operations, 5 MT-2010 underground dump trucks, 1 SBU Simba K-102 drilling machine manufactured by the Swedish company "Epiroc" and 5 LH-307 load-carrying machines, 1 TH-320 dump truck, and 1 SBU DL-210 drilling equipment manufactured by the Finnish company "Sandvik" were delivered.

Khondiza mine includes the following sections:

- Underground mining site

- Section of ventilation and reinforcement of mine solders

- Surface section of the mine

- Mine preparation site

- Electricity supply section.

Mining operations in the mine are carried out in two systems:

- by dropping from below the floors;

- camera-column.

Director: Khujamurotov Botir Ravshanovich

Phone: (+998 78) 141-90-09

E-mail: info@agmk.uz