THE BASIC OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE ALTAI REPUBLIC`S MINERAL RESOURCE COMPLEX
The exploration maturity of the Altai Republic is obviously inadequate. A great many deposits and ore occurrences were investigated in the 1930s-1960s only at the stage of exploration and evaluation and have no proved mineral reserves. The level of knowledge of the process properties of raw materials is low; the economic-geological evaluation and environmental impact assessment of their commercial development are lacking. At the same time, the forecast potential of the available minerals as regards the scales and concentration of their occurrences and deposits allows counting on the expansion of the republic's mineral resource base (MRB). In the future, volumes of exploration should be substantially increased to detect targets attractive for investing under current economic conditions and achieve the balance of the MRB components: explored reserves, inferred reserves, and expected resources. The lack of specialists with relevant skills is a serious factor hampering the development of mineral exploration, mining, and processing in the republic. In connection with the absence of demand for a large number of minerals from the Russian industry, the development of only highly liquid minerals (precious metals, specularite, and wollastonite) is now practicable in the republic.