At Muruntau - Background image:  Section of the upper benches of the Muruntau open pit.   Right:  A specimen of high grade Muruntau ore showing a thick low grade to barren quartz vein (top of specimen) cutting high grade, strongly altered sediment with folded, close-spaced, concordant quartz veining.   Left:  At the end of the visit the group spent time with the mine general manager, a geologist, Nikolai Snitka (left), who provided additional information on the operation and showed us very high grade ore specimens from his collection taken from upper mined out sections of the deposit.
Photographs by Mike Porter.