Gold mining in Mongolia (24 photos) Bashny.Net

Over the past five years, the volume of legal gold mining in Mongolia decreased significantly, while the Chinese "black market" demand for this precious metal increased. Thanks to this illegal gold miners, or so-called "ninja miners' work appeared. Miners got this nickname for what is worn on the back of a large green bowls that resemble tortoise shell.

1. Horses grazing in the meadow to the south-east of Ulan Bator, capital of Mongolia. Gold mining in Mongolia began in prehistoric times. Gold deposits of these lands are very rich, no state has ever existed in the Mongolian steppes, has no shortage of this metal. (DAVID GRAY / REUTERS)


2. Illegal gold miner sits in a traditional Mongolian yurt camp in the south-east of Ulan Bator, capital of Mongolia. The greatest flowering of gold mining in Mongolia reached during the reign of Genghis Khan. It seemed that the placer gold in these areas will never end. (DAVID GRAY / REUTERS)


3. And in the modern history of Mongolia produces a relatively large amount of gold - more than 20 tons annually. In the photo: Old bus in a small miners' camp, located south-east of Ulan Bator, capital of Mongolia. (DAVID GRAY / REUTERS)


4. A total of Mongolia are more than thousands of gold mines, regularly give the state mined gold. However, according to the Mongolian authorities, that gold could be more. There are operating Illegal miners, gold sold for a song on the black market. According to specialists, prospectors mined each year to 7 - 8 tons of gold - almost half of the total production of the state. In the photo: Illegal gold miners resting on a small hill overlooking grasslands south-east of Ulan Bator. (DAVID GRAY / REUTERS)


5. Illegal miners dig for gold on a small hill overlooking grasslands south-east of the capital of Mongolia. Illegal miners in the country called "ninjas" - they are just as elusive for the law enforcement, break in the river valleys and streams and cause irreparable damage to the nature of the use of the imperfect means of obtaining gold. (DAVID GRAY / REUTERS)


6. Illegal miner resting near the deep well-Copanca. In connection with the economic situation in the world, the locals - the Mongols, pushed out of the "black" business even guest workers from China and began to engage themselves to this "underground" activities. (DAVID GRAY / REUTERS)


7. Zolotokopatel Ninja removes stones from the pit dug for gold on a small hill overlooking grasslands south-east of Ulan Bator. Currently in Mongolia there are more than 100 thousand people are engaged in illegal gold mining. (DAVID GRAY / REUTERS)


8. The majority of "black diggers" - are residents of villages, villages - the former herders, searchers a better life. They have long abandoned their traditional occupation, sold all his cattle, and became engaged in illegal gold mining. (DAVID GRAY / REUTERS)


9. Main place of gold mining "black diggers" - a place where previously granted gold mining company conducted their development. "Black diggers" digging in for a long time in the field of closed dumps of former industrial development, and wash gold, old-fashioned, manually. (DAVID GRAY / REUTERS)


10. Very often, these diggers and their families live in close proximity to the archaeological sites, and their children do not attend schools. (DAVID GRAY / REUTERS)


11. The disappearance of hundreds of lakes and rivers linked to gold mining in the headwaters of rivers. Errors a Chinese firm that properly designed hydroelectric power station in 2007, Mongolia is very expensive. This dam completely blocked the river, resulting in hundreds of kilometers below the dam of the river dried up. This resulted in the disappearance of 950 small rivers. In the photo: Illegal miners dig a pit on a small hill overlooking grasslands south-east of Ulan Bator, capital of Mongolia. (DAVID GRAY / REUTERS)


12. miner shows gold produced per working day. Mongolian Ninja mine gold hard work, but this activity allows them to earn good money by a decline in legal gold mining and growing demand on the black market in China. (DAVID GRAY / REUTERS)


13. Miners watch as their friend washes gold, on a small hill overlooking grasslands south-east of Ulan Bator. Terrible living conditions of families "black diggers" proximity to kopalnyam who developed industrial enterprises lay a mark on the lives of young born in such circumstances, children - there were cases of children born with various pathologies. This is attributed to the fact that the manufacturers are used to produce gold toxic substances - mercury, potassium cyanide, etc., And male diggers scavenge for poison these areas. (DAVID GRAY / REUTERS)


14. miner digs a pit in search of gold. (DAVID GRAY / REUTERS)


15. For the work "black diggers" are constantly behind her green metal cans. Because of the type referred to as - "Ninja", as they are similar to the heroes of popular cartoon about the Ninja Turtles. Photo: Shakhtar shows grains of gold, which lie at the bottom of the bowl on a small hill overlooking grasslands south-east of Ulan Bator. (DAVID GRAY / REUTERS)


16. Miners sitting outside the car, which separates the particles of gold from the rocks at a processing plant north of Ulan Bator. (DAVID GRAY / REUTERS)


17. mined gold filled with mud in such cages. (DAVID GRAY / REUTERS)


18. tools working in a small furnace is used for remelting gold. (DAVID GRAY / REUTERS)


19. Miners are waiting for their gold in ingot remelting, at a processing plant north of Ulan Bator. (DAVID GRAY / REUTERS)


20. Miner looks like worker refinery weighs his gold bar. (DAVID GRAY / REUTERS)


21. The woman determines the purity of the gold that has been mined Digger-illegals. (DAVID GRAY / REUTERS)


22. The resulting large settlements in the river valleys, are illegal extraction of gold. From the least to the greatest family member crawl along the rivers and streams, digging in the ground and are looking for gold. In these new settlements created even a variety of entertainment "complexes." Also been established Trade and Development serving various services such as repairs, hairdressing and others. (DAVID GRAY / REUTERS)


23. Shakhtar pours water into the crusher at a processing plant north of Ulan Bator, capital of Mongolia. (DAVID GRAY / REUTERS)


24. miner shows gold ingot. Picking up the crumbs of the official gold miners, "black diggers" mined in Mongolia, according to various estimates, up to 5-6 tons of gold a year. (DAVID GRAY / REUTERS)