“Treasure Mountain” is rich in platinum, gold, and other precious metals, resulting from geological movements and erosion over a billion years.
According to Siberian Times, Kondyor Massif is a treasure trove of precious metals, with approximately 4 tons of platinum extracted from the site annually.
Kondyor Massif as seen in NASA satellite imagery. (Image: Siberian Times).
Kondyor Massif is located in the remote Khabarovsk region, approximately 600 km southwest of the Sea of Okhotsk and 570 km southeast of Yakutsk. This geological structure has a diameter of 8 km and rises 600 m above the surrounding land, nearly seven times larger than the meteor crater in Arizona, USA.
When viewed from above, Kondyor Massif resembles an ancient volcano or remnants of a meteorite impact. However, experts indicate that the unique shape of the massif is due to magma that crystallized from volcanic rock beneath the surface over a billion years ago, forming a perfect circular structure.
The massif has undergone long-term erosion. Being harder than the surrounding soil, Kondyor Massif represents the upper surface of a slowly sinking column of rock deep into the Earth’s crust, along with remnants of an eroded dome. A stream flows from the center of the massif, fed by melting snow from the mountain’s rim. Several smaller streams radiate from the rim, supplying water to the Kondyor River located on the northern side.
These streams contain platinum deposits in the form of crystals, grains, and nuggets, along with gold and many other precious minerals. Some crystals are sharply defined, while others have rounded edges. Notably, Kondyor Massif is home to a significant concentration of gold-plated platinum crystals, which are extremely rare and of the highest quality in the world. The annual platinum extraction from this site reaches up to 4 tons, earning Kondyor Massif the title of “Treasure Mountain.”
Gold-plated platinum crystal.
The streams radiating from the massif contain platinum sediments in the form of crystals, nuggets, and grains, along with various other precious metals like gold and gemstones. They are considered the “best ever found” in the world.
Additionally, this treasure mountain contains a unique mineral found only here, known as Konderite, which is a mixture of copper, platinum, rhodium, lead, and sulfur.
According to Siberian Times, the extraction of platinum at Kondyor Massif began in 1984. The platinum crystals from this massif were first showcased at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show in the United States in 1993. Typically, around 4 tons of platinum are extracted from here each year.
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