Tungsten

There are no explored tungsten deposits in Ukraine, although numerous ore occurrences are widespread in the territory of the Ukrainian Crystalline Shield. The state's needs for this mineral are met through imports.

The state's needs for this mineral are met through imports.

In recent years, promising tungsten occurrences have been discovered in the Eastern Azov region. The increased tungsten content in some parts of the Sergiyiv gold ore deposit in the Dnieper region indicates the potential for discovery of similar ore occurrences (except for industrial molybdenum) and tungsten ores within the specified area.

To increase the mineral and raw material base of tungsten ores, it is planned to conduct exploration work on tungsten mineralization within the promising areas of the Ukrainian Crystalline Shield.

Tin

On the territory of Ukraine, tin occurrences are found in the northwestern and southeastern parts of the Ukrainian Crystalline Shield and are represented by two mineral-genetic types - columbite-cassiterite in placers and cassiterite-columbite in weathering crusts.

According to the results of exploration work, a promising area with tin and rare-earth and rare-metal mineralization has been identified in the central part of the Sushchano-Perzhanskaya zone.

Some occurrences (Kar'yer, Zakhidny, Girnyatsky, Zakhidno-Yastrebetsky) contain cassiterite (wolframite)-quartz type ores, which can be extracted as associated minerals during the comprehensive development of these subsoil areas.

To increase the mineral resource base, it is planned to conduct:

-a complex of drilling, mineralogical-petrographic and technological research in the process of exploration and exploration and appraisal works;

- geological and economic assessment and determination of the feasibility of exploration of ore occurrences.

Titanium

Ukraine has a powerful mineral and raw material base of titanium (there are 122 occurrences in total), is among the top ten countries in the world in terms of explored reserves and provides over 7 percent of global production.

The titanium metallogenic province covers the northwestern part of the Ukrainian Crystalline Shield, the state balance of mineral reserves of Ukraine includes 28 deposits, including 1 unique, 13 large, 10 medium, and the rest with insignificant reserves.

According to the geological and industrial type, titanium deposits are divided into placer, basal and hypergenic residual deposits of the weathering crust of crystalline rocks. So far, only placer deposits have been developed.

Titanium ores are always complex and usually also contain iron, zirconium, phosphorus, vanadium, scandium and other minerals.

Continental ilmenite placers are represented by the Irshan group of deposits, located in the northwestern part of the Ukrainian Crystalline Shield, and placers of the Korsun-Novomyrhorod pluton.

Native titanium deposits are represented by the large Stremyhorod deposit, prepared for industrial development, and the smaller Fedoriv and Zlobytske deposits, located in the northwestern part of the Ukrainian Crystalline Shield.

Exploitation of these deposits requires the capital construction of new mines and enrichment plants, which requires significant investment and time.

To increase the mineral and raw material base of titanium ores, it is planned to carry out:

- search, evaluation and exploration works at established sites (similar to Stremyhorod) of native titanium ores of the northwestern part of the Ukrainian Crystalline Shield;

- exploration and exploration and evaluation works at promising sites of alluvial titanium-zirconium ores in the Volyn, Novomyrhorod and Srednepridniprovsk ore regions.

Lead and Zinc

Lead-zinc ores of sufficiently high quality are known in two regions of Ukraine - in Transcarpathia and in the southeastern part of the Dnieper-Donetsk depression.

Prospects for the extraction of lead and zinc are associated with the gold-polymetallic deposits of Transcarpathia. The exploitation of the Muzhiyiv gold-polymetallic deposit can only partially satisfy the needs of Ukraine.

The most promising sites for increasing industrial reserves of lead and zinc are the Beregov gold-polymetallic deposit and the Bigan complex alunite-barite-polymetallic deposit in Transcarpathia.

Within the Chortomlytsky greenstone structure, a gold-polymetallic type of ore (copper, lead, zinc) was discovered, typical of global analogues, but due to improper management of reporting processes, there is still no report on the work performed, so the results are known only to the work performers.

To increase the mineral and raw material base of lead and zinc ores, the following are planned:

-geological study and reassessment of reserves of associated lead and zinc ores within the gold-bearing objects of the Beregovo and Muzhiyiv ore districts;

-reassessment of lead and zinc resources of promising ore occurrences of the Rakhiv and Vyshkiv ore districts;

-assessment of the industrial significance of the Bilyaiv and Novodmytriv deposits.

Nickel and Cobalt

Deposits and 60 occurrences of both metals on the territory of Ukraine are represented by silicate ores of the weathering crust of hyperbasites and are concentrated in two areas - in the Middle Pobuzh (Kirovohrad region) and the Middle Prydniprov'ye (Dnipropetrovsk region).

However, due to unsatisfactory mining conditions and low ore quality, almost all domestic demand for nickel and cobalt has been met through imports in recent years.

Linear weathering crusts with industrial nickel and chromium contents have been discovered in the Middle Bug.

Total prospective nickel resources within areas with linear and planar weathering crusts amount to 52 thousand tons and are located near the Pobuzhsky Nickel Plant.

The prospects for sulfide nickel bearing in Ukraine are limited, but there are some prerequisites for the exploration of industrial sulfide nickel deposits. Thus, sulfide copper-nickel mineralization has been established in the northwestern part of the Ukrainian Crystalline Shield.

To increase the mineral and raw material base of nickel and cobalt ores, it is planned to conduct:

-exploration and exploration and evaluation works for silicate chromium-nickel and nickel-cobalt ores in planar and linear weathering crusts within the Kapitaniv ore field;

-exploration work for sulfide copper-nickel ores within the distribution of gabbroic massifs of the northwestern part of the Ukrainian Crystalline Shield.

Copper is a mineral

Ukraine does not have industrial reserves of copper ores, despite quite significant prospective and forecast resources. 

In total, more than 150 copper ore occurrences are known on the territory of Ukraine, some of which can be considered as potential deposits.

The most promising is the Volyn-Podilsky metallogenic province, in which copper mineralization (native copper) was discovered in the trap formation and the promising Volynsky, Manevytsky and Kukhotsko-Volsky metallogenic regions were identified, and within their boundaries - ore fields. The total volume of promising copper resources (cat. P1 + P2) is 3.5 million tons.

To increase the mineral and raw material base of copper ores, the following are envisaged:

- increasing the volume of geological exploration work in order to identify new promising manifestations of native copper in the trap formation;

- conducting prospecting and prospecting and evaluation works in the territory of the Volyn, Manevytsky and Kukhotsko-Volsky metallogenic regions in order to prepare ore occurrences (areas) for exploration.

Aluminum as a mineral

The problem of meeting the needs of domestic industry in aluminum is urgent. 

Potential domestic resources of aluminum-containing minerals  (in particular, the Vysokopil deposit in the Dnipropetrovsk region, nepheline ores in the Azov region, Transcarpathian alunites, kaolin, and others), according to preliminary technical and economic calculations are uncompetitive compared to imported minerals and cannot be profitably processed at domestic enterprises using existing technologies.

To increase the mineral and raw material base of aluminum ores, geological additional study and assessment of industrial reserves of ferrous bauxite ores within the Vysokopil deposit are planned. 

The work will be carried out at the expense of the state budget, own funds of business entities and other sources of financing not prohibited by law.

Chromium ore reserves in Ukraine

The main consumers of chromium are the metallurgical industry, the production of ferrochrome and refractories, and the chemical industry.

Ukraine has nine manifestations of its own chromium mineral resource base.

The prospective and forecast resources of this type of mineral have been estimated in the Pobuzhsky ore district, within the Kapitanivsky ore field, in which, in addition to native ores, a new geological and industrial type has been discovered in recent years: complex chromium-nickel ores in weathering crusts and mineralization of metallic rhenium.

In addition, it is known that ultramafic rocks are accompanied by gold-platinum-bearing mineralization, the study of which may result in the discovery of new types of deposits.

To increase the mineral and raw material base of chrome ores, it is planned to conduct exploration and exploration and evaluation works at the most promising sites of the Kapitanivka ore field.

Manganese ore reserves in Ukraine

These ores are typically oxidized and easily beneficiated, making them cost-effective to process.

However, the existing structure of reserves and the technology of enrichment of manganese ores do not meet the growing needs of ferrous metallurgy in higher grades of manganese concentrates, primarily low-phosphorus ones.

In the Pobuzhsky ore district, in the weathering crusts of Precambrian crystalline rocks, 14 occurrences of iron-manganese and manganese iron ores were discovered, which can serve as a reserve for the manganese ore industry.

To increase the mineral and raw material base of manganese ores, the following are envisaged:

-conducting geological exploration works on the flanks of existing deposits;

-conducting exploration and exploration and evaluation works to evaluate oxide manganese ores within existing ore regions;

-conducting prospecting work on iron-manganese ores in the weathering crusts of Precambrian crystalline rocks in the Pobuzsky ore district;

-developing technological schemes for processing difficult-to-enrich carbonate and mixed types of ores.

Iron ore deposits

In Ukraine, iron ores and ferruginous quartzites are mined in the deposits of the Kryvyi Rih, Kremenchuk and Belozir iron ore basins. 

In total, there are 54 iron ore deposits, of which 22 are in operation. 

The explored reserves are 28 billion tons, and prospective and forecast resources are estimated at almost the same amount. 

However, despite significant reserves and resources, Ukraine has problems with providing mining enterprises with high-quality iron ore.

Rich ore resources within the ore fields of operating mining enterprises of the Kryvyi Rih Iron Ore Basin at acceptable depths (800-1000 meters) are limited. The economic feasibility of developing rich ores at greater depths has not been determined.

Many deposits of ferruginous quartzites with Fe-magnetite content less than 30-35 percent require assessment from the standpoint of a market economy. 

It is urgent to reassess existing reserves and resources in accordance with modern technological processes of metallurgy, in particular direct iron reduction.

To increase the mineral and raw material base of iron ores, the following are envisaged:

-conducting additional exploration within the boundaries of rich iron ore deposits;

-conducting prospecting, prospecting and appraisal works to identify rich ores and easily enriched magnetite quartzites within the boundaries of existing ore regions;

-development, testing and implementation of modern rational technologies for comprehensive research of iron ores to ensure an objective assessment of their quality, justified accumulation of reserves and operational support of extraction and processing while ensuring the liquidity of the final commercial product.

Natural hydrogen reserves

Hydrogen of natural origin, the so-called "white" hydrogen, devoid of all the disadvantages characteristic of industrial production, should be considered as a new direction in the development of hydrogen energy.

Deposits of free natural hydrogen in pure form are rare in nature.

To develop the search for free natural hydrogen, it is necessary to:

- conduct an in-depth study of the issue of hydrogen generation in the Earth's mantle and its migration into the overlying layers of the Earth's crust to identify ring structures on the Earth's surface (circumferences) that are formed by hydrogen releases;

- detection of hydrogen and helium concentration fields in groundwater under a hydraulic screen associated with deep hydrogen flow in hydrocarbon gas fields by conducting regional forecasting based on data from previously conducted geological and geophysical surveys, local forecasting based on data from aerospace and aerogeophysical sounding, seismic exploration, and ground geological surveys;

- studying world experience regarding problems and existing technologies for searching for and extracting free natural hydrogen;

- preparation and implementation (based on the conducted research and geological exploration work) of a pilot project for the search, exploration and production of free natural hydrogen at the most promising facility.