Perspectives of the Development and Problems of Exploration of a Resource Base of Deficient Strategic Mineral Deposits of Siberia

Abstract—The state of art of the mineral-resource base of strategic solid mineral deposits in Russia in general, and in Siberia in particular, is reviewed. Special attention is paid to the perspectives of the development of a resource base of Li, rare-earth metals (REMs), and ordinary and impact diamonds in Siberia. The characteristics of some deposits and scenarios of their exploration are estimated taking into account the quality of ores, geographical position, the state of infrastructure, and level of technologies of ore processing and the final product. The perspectives of the development of the Nb and REM resource base are assessed within the Tomtor pluton and the territory of the Udzha Uplift in general. The summarized results on multiannual regional field and laboratory studies of the distribution and variations in the composition of Cr-pyrope, which is most informative among index minerals for the recognition of the diamond potential of kimberlites and which was sampled from intermediate reservoirs of various ages of the Siberian Platform, are presented. Based on these results, the areas with possible new fields of potentially diamondiferous Middle Paleozoic kimberlites are revealed. The mineralogy of impact diamonds of the Popigai astrobleme and its explosion zone is described, and their technological characteristics are estimated. The visions of a new large region of the mining industry based on the strategic mineral resource base are substantiated for the territory of the Lena–Khatanga interfluve.