Konder is a mountain range in the Ayano-Maisky district of the Khabarovsk Territory. It is composed of alkaline-ultrabasic igneous rocks. Link
The ridge is best known for its almost perfect ring shape, about 8 kilometers in diameter at a height of 1200 m to 1387 m.
In the beliefs of the Evenks and Yakuts, Konder has long been considered a holy mountain called Urgula.
It is located 75 km west of the village of Dzhigda and 100 km west-southwest of the village of Nelkan, downstream of the Maimakan River, and 1100 km north of Khabarovsk.
The ridge is located in a severely picturesque, but inaccessible place. It does not belong to the number of tourist attractions precisely because there is a platinum deposit here. state significance
Link on the map. Coordinates 57° 37" 50.50" N 134° 39" 22.92" E
The official explanation for this massif geology is:
The ridge owes its origin to igneous intrusion. In other words, as a result of volcanic activity in the bowels of the earth, molten masses got from the deep to the upper layers. earth's crust. Since the igneous masses were pushed to the surface with insufficient force, they only uplifted the surface shale, thus forming a round ridge.
Another unique feature of the Konder Ridge is one of the world's largest platinum deposits located on its territory. Scientists came to this conclusion in the late 1970s, and before that they believed that this was an episodic phenomenon.
Since 1984, regular work on the extraction of platinum by the prospectors of the Amur artel has been started. As it turned out, platinum deposits are huge, as evidenced by nuggets weighing from one and a half to three and a half kilograms. In addition, there were also nuggets of crystalline form. In addition to platinum, a number of other platinoids were found on the territory of the ridge, which also began to be mined industrially, as well as deposits of nepheline, black garnet, monticellite, and blue calcite. There is also an endemic mineral - conderite.
At present, the Artel of prospectors "Amur" (part of the Russian Platinum group of companies) continues to develop the placer platinum deposit "Konder".
It's not a volcano. In favor of the version that the Kondyorskaya structure was not a volcano in the past is the fact that in the course of large-scale studies during the exploration period and subsequent during operation, no traces of volcano activity were found in the area of the deposit - the so-called effusive (outflowing) rocks of various composition, on the contrary, all rocks studied on the massif, including rocks bearing platinum-metal mineralization, can form only at a pressure much higher than atmospheric, i.e. are intrusive (deep).
This video says that initially, platinum was found exactly inside the ring structure, but it ended and the miners switched to mining it in the river valleys.
So, having read the official information, let's look and think about this education from a different point of view:
We see that the ring ridge (in itself - not natural in form and impossible in formation) is without forest cover on the slopes. It means that it is young in geological age. There can be no talk of any millions of years if even a layer of turf is not formed to fix the trees on the slopes.
But perhaps the height of the ridge does not allow vegetation to appear here due to the severity of the climate. This is observed in the massifs to the west.
A river flows out of the center of the massif, which indicates a large debit of water from the depths
I know what they'll say to this whole picture isofatov
, Kushelev . And I, perhaps, will join their opinion that this ring-shaped massif was a place where platinum was mined sometime in the past. Our advanced ancestors, Gods, evil aliens, devastating planets - this is a difficult question. And I'm not going to answer it. But that's the picture that emerges. It is possible that the extraction was underground, the dumps were brought to the surface in the form of a ring, which we now perceive as natural.
But the most important fact that screams “for” is the presence of platinum here on an industrial scale.
On the height map, the Kondyor ridge looks just as unnatural
At the top of the ridge
As you can see, the rock that makes up the massif is a crushed rock
View of the basin
No trees on slopes
At the entrance to the "ring"
Prospectors turned the river valley
Such platinum crystals are sometimes found in the deposit near Konder: native platinum; twin crystals about 2 cm; ridge Konder
It is hard to imagine that quite recently our Earth was mercilessly developed. But many facts speak about it.
***
Addition. For an analogy, I will add photos of circular shafts:
Allegedly Xico volcano. It is located at the southernmost end of the Mexico City metropolitan area.
NORILSK PARTNER
- Can Norilsk Nickel and Vladimir Potanin become your allies?
We had and still have good relations with Vladimir Potanin. We have worked together - and successfully - on a number of projects. A few years ago we discussed various options interactions and platinum. They also talked about a possible partnership. They talked about the exchange option, relatively speaking, "tails". For us, the main product is platinoids, while for Norilsk Nickel it is nickel and copper. It was about changing nickel and copper for platinoids at some ratio. I am sure our dialogue will develop. In any case, Russian Platinum will not be an elephant in a china shop in Taimyr, we intend to work normally in cooperation with all interested parties.
- Would you like to see Norilsk Nickel as a partner with a share in the capital of Russian Platinum? Have such proposals been made to Potanin?
Everything is possible with mutual interest. Back in 2009, we discussed the possibility of Norilsk Nickel's shareholding in our platinum assets. When considering a partnership, we must understand what Norilsk Nickel can offer us. They have the infrastructure, we don't. We need to either create everything of our own from scratch, or negotiate with a neighbor. Of course, it is necessary first to understand the economics of this infrastructure, and on this basis to clarify the economics of the development of the entire project. We are ready to continue the dialogue.
- Still, are you ready to sell your stake in Russian Platinum?
In business, something is being bought and sold all the time. But today we do not sell anything to anyone.
- In Taimyr there is another interesting platinum-copper-nickel deposit, Maslovskoye, which is adjacent to the southern part of Norilsk-1. Norilsk Nickel has included it in its long-term strategy and expects to receive it without bidding as a pioneer.
The fact is that since January 2013, a law has been in force in Russia, according to which the rights to subsoil plots of federal significance can only be acquired at auctions. We will definitely take part in the auction. And I am sure that having a license for the southern part of Norilsk-1, we will be able to offer a larger premium for the Maslovskoye field than other companies. For us, taking into account logistics and other things, it will be a single complex with the Chernogorsk field and Norilsk-1. Ore from all three sites will be processed at one GOK.
- But your victory in the tender for Norilsk-1 provoked such a strong protest from Norilsk Nickel... What kind of reaction do you expect, declaring your interest in Maslovsky, which the MMC considers in fact its own?
I don't expect any response. We work in the legal field. If the state puts the site up for auction and I participate in them, I should not think what other companies will think. I'm just calculating my economy. Of course, this takes into account the possibility of interaction with other partners, including Norilsk Nickel.
OPPORTUNITIES WITHOUT PARTNERS
- Potanin said that Norilsk Nickel is negotiating with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto on the joint development of the Maslovskoye field. How interested are you in foreign partners in Taimyr projects?
We believe that we can master this project on our own. But if we see that we are not coping, no one prevents us from attracting global companies as minority shareholders with their management capabilities, metal extraction technologies, and logistics. We will discuss, because the task of the project is to make its economy as profitable as possible.
- Have you already received offers from foreigners?
There is a working dialogue.
- This summer, Russian Platinum announced that if it does not get access to the port of Dudinka, it will build its own terminal on the Yenisei?
In the Khabarovsk Territory, we transport products from Konder (a platinum deposit) along the winter road for more than 500 kilometers towards the Sea of Okhotsk. There will be 230 kilometers in Norilsk. That is, the winter road will be more than two times shorter. If we fail to agree on Dudinka, we will build our own terminal. We are talking about investments of 20-30 million dollars, and the construction will take six months. So far, there has been no progress in the dialogue on Dudinka. However, every cloud has a silver lining: if we build a terminal in Igarka and a road from there, then we will not only increase our own capitalization - transport links all the main settlements of the north of the Krasnoyarsk Territory will finally be connected.
- Russian Platinum acquired the Zimniy gas site in the Krasnoyarsk Territory to supply its projects. And you have already said that you can sell it if you agree with Norilskgazprom on supplies. How are the negotiations going?
Here, too, there is no specifics yet. The fact is that we bought the field, proceeding from the fact that we do not have energy sources. But if we come to an agreement with Norilskgazprom and we have guarantees of supplies for 50 years, then the rights to the field can be transferred as payment or sold on the market.
- Do you have any problems with the administration of the city of Norilsk in terms of access to infrastructure and obtaining building permits?
At first, the city administration had a wary attitude towards our arrival in the Norilsk industrial region. Today, "the ice has broken", we are in dialogue. At a meeting in Krasnoyarsk on December 10, Alexander Uss, Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, and Oleg Kurilov, Mayor of the City of Norilsk, came up with the initiative to create a quadripartite working group with the participation of the Territory, the city, Russian Platinum and Norilsk Nickel to address urgent issues of interaction and determine areas for further cooperation in solving economic and social issues. We are ready for this work.
In the post I will try to introduce you to how the life of workers at the Kondyor mine is arranged - one of the largest deposits in Russia and the world for the extraction of platinum.
On the wiki they write:
The mountain range itself is located in the Ayano-Maisky district of the Khabarovsk Territory, 1100 km north of Khabarovsk. The ridge is known for its almost perfect ring shape with a diameter of about 8 kilometers, located in a picturesque, but inaccessible place. It does not belong to the number of tourist attractions because there is a platinum deposit of national importance here.
Beginning of November 2012. First snow in Yekaterinburg.
Flight Ekaterinburg - Moscow. 
Flight Moscow - Khabarovsk. 
Some 9 hours in the air and I'm in the Far East. The weather turned out to be much warmer than in the capital and in the Urals.
Dry and not a single hint of snow.
Airport "Khabarovsk" 
Amur is a father. 
In 2 days flight a/k "Amur". Khabarovsk - Mar-Kyuel.
On approach to the airport Mar-Kuel. 
Airport. Winter seems to be here for a long time. 
The building where the flight crew and airport staff live. 
A few hours in a shift bus and I arrived in Kondyor.
The village itself is located on the river of the same name, 10-15 km from the Konder ridge. built on this site in 2006. There is no permanent population in the village, the nearest locality- the village of Nelkan, with a population of 841 people according to 2011 data. Employees of the artel live in Kondyor, constantly about 600 people. Power supply - from a diesel power plant, all buildings are environmentally friendly - wooden.
We arrived at night, everyone was drawn to the bathhouse. Bath attendant responsible for the resettlement of first-time arrivals and the issuance of bedding.
During the day it was possible to see the village a little better. (photo borrowed from rusplatinum
"Conder - how the miners and platinum live in Russia").
Given the great distance from the regional center, life is very well established. So:
The first thing that should be in such places is a dining room. 
They feed very well, I heard from those working there for a long time that sometimes you have to endure,
when delivery of products is not possible due to weather conditions. But there are enough stocks and people do not starve.
In the morning porridge, butter, bread, boiled eggs and tea.
Lunch first, second and compote.
For dinner, I remember fried chicken hams, cooked very often.
The buildings are interconnected by wooden logs, this was done most likely because of the cleanliness.
Less clay and sand is brought into the premises on shoes. And it's easier to get up. 
Dormitories of working personnel are all the same. 
I didn’t go inside, I won’t say how. Beds, tables, chairs, workers.
I was pleasantly surprised by the sports hall, with a basketball / volleyball court and a gym, with a good set
inventory. 
There is also a shop (cigarettes, tea, sneakers, soap), a hospital complex (I even saw a dentist's office),
bath combined with laundry room, call center. The tower of the cellular operator was installed quite recently, I can imagine the queues that accumulated earlier. In the building of the ITR hostel, where I was placed, wi-fi routers were installed, but while I was working at the mine, I did not have time to use them. So, in general, all conditions have been created for an acceptable life and work at the mine. The miners have a working shift of 3 to 6 months, how can you not worry about the comfort of the working staff.
If I'm not mistaken, this marvel of engineering is called a dredge pump:
this is one of the elements of the entire chain of structures and structures, which allows washing up to 25 kg of platinum per day. 
By the time I arrived, the 2012 wash season was coming to an end.
The same 475, but many years older. A blade the size of a Sable car. I adjusted, compared). 
And small ones like this Komatsu D65E. 
for size comparison). Domestic worker Sobol and worker from Tokyo. 
And this is the work of the "hands" of low temperatures and frozen soil. The thermometer dropped to -52*C.
The handle of the excavator Komatsu PC1250 suffered. 
It was possible to get close to the very ring of the ridge only once.
The ring is on the right, behind the forest. 
And this is already close, as the snowdrifts allowed to drive up to it. 
One of the most interesting events at the mine, this is a landfill explosion.
The stone almost hit the windshield for 0.17 seconds, after which he stopped watching the explosions.
It remains a mystery to me what caused such bends in the trunks.
Looks very nice. 
Mailbox, googled that Dusmakit is such a mountain. I don't understand why she needs a mailbox. 
Road to civilization
It's not easy for two trucks to pass each other. It's easy to fly off the rolling snow
and spend long hours excavating. Although these meetings are very rare. I traveled about 150 km and met
only 3-4 cars. 
By 2013, the leadership of the artel planned to put into operation a local airport,
located in the village of Vorgalan, which will greatly facilitate logistics. But for a reason weather conditions these places
100% to solve the problem of delivery is not possible. According to the stories of "locals", sometimes you have to wait
more than a week of plane from Khabarovsk. Taking into account the fact that you are at the transshipment base of the car Mar-Kyuel.
There are no problems with food, but in terms of lodging for the night - wooden bunks.
The long-awaited end of 2012 has come and the end of my work shift at the mine. Where else, if not at work, will appear
the opportunity to see such places and the complex processes of metal production.
The ticket has been received, it remains to pass the pre-flight inspection, pass the stabbing and cutting and return to Khabarovsk. 
Few numbers:
at the time of writing the post (05/14/2014) the cost of platinum is 1458.50 USD per troy ounce.
artel production of at least 25 kg per day, 1 ounce = 31.103 grams. Total 803.769 ounces or 1172216.7 USD.
Such amounts.
Despite the incredible beauty and amazing shape, the Kondyor ring-shaped ridge is not included in the list of visited tourist attractions. Far East. And the point is not only that the nearest settlement is more than 75 kilometers away, and the territory itself is devoid of infrastructure and is replete with brown bears. Inside the ridge is the world's largest deposit of platinum - a noble metal, the value of which is comparable to gold, and in many ways exceeds it.
The Konder Ridge is located in the north of the Khabarovsk Territory, in the Ayano-Maisky district. The mountains form an almost perfect ring with a diameter of about 8 kilometers. The mountain ring opens only in one place, in the northern part, where the Kondyor River flowing from it made its way to freedom. Interestingly, despite the proximity of the Sea of Okhotsk, the river flows to the north and belongs to the basin of the Northern Arctic Ocean. The height of the ridge varies from 1200 to 1387 meters. The nearest settlement is the village of Dzhigda with a population of about 200 people, located 70 kilometers east of the Kondyor ridge.
Scientists became interested in the ring-shaped mountain back in the 30s of the last century. Initially, it was believed that the ridge was of meteorite origin and was formed as a result of an impact celestial body about the surface of the earth. But large-scale studies conducted in the 1970s showed that this was not the case. According to geologists, Konder was formed as a result of magmatic intrusion. In past geological epochs, this area was a zone of volcanic activity. Molten magma came to the surface, but in the case of the Konder Ridge, the buoyant force was not enough, and a huge “bubble” of magma only lifted the upper layers of rock, composed of shales. It was they who formed the mysterious ridge, which the ancestors of the Yakuts and Evenks considered holy and called Urgula.
Igneous rocks always have a rich set of valuable elements, and the Konder Ridge is no exception in this regard. In its central part, a deposit of platinoids, unique in its parameters, was discovered. More than 50 minerals containing elements of the platinum group were found in it, some of which are extremely rare on the planet or even found only in the Konder deposit. The main platinum mineral of the deposit is isoferroplatinum, which, in addition to platinum, contains valuable iridium. In addition to platinoids, gold and silver were found here. The deposit of loose platinum inside the ridge, as well as deposits in the valley of the Kondyor River, have been developed since the 80s of the last century.
Platinum in its purest form is a lustrous, silvery-white metal. The main deposits of this most valuable metal are located in South Africa, Russia, China, Canada, Zimbabwe and the USA. Platinum and various alloys with its presence are widely used for the manufacture of jewelry, in medicine, in the production of electrodes, laser technology, electromagnetic devices, and much more.
The Devil's Tower rock in Wyoming, USA is famous all over the world, but few people know that in the Far East there is a similar geological formation, only several times larger, and even having huge reserves of precious metals.
The Konder Ridge is a mountain range located in the Ayano-Maisky district of the Khabarovsk Territory. It is interesting, first of all, for its shape. This is an almost perfect ring of hills with a diameter of about eight kilometers, which opens only in the northern part, opening the way for the river of the same name. The height of the mountains ranges from 1200 to 1387 meters. Even from a satellite it looks impressive!
This is a very picturesque, but extremely inaccessible place: from the nearest big city- Khabarovsk - Konder is located 1100 kilometers. The village of Dzhigda is located 75 kilometers west of the ridge, and the village of Nelkan is 100 kilometers to the southwest. Due to the mountainous landscape and the great remoteness, you can only get here by helicopter.
For a long time there were disputes about how this mountain range, as if drawn by a compass, could have formed. Such an unusual shape could have appeared due to the fall of a meteorite or asteroid. It may seem to many that this structure is the most common volcano. But everything is a little more complicated: several million years ago, molten magma was pushed out of the earth's interior into the upper layer of the earth's crust under the influence of internal processes. The pressure was not strong enough for it to flow out to the surface of the Earth, but it was enough to break and lift up the shales that built this even massif. When magma gets too high on the Earth's surface, it inevitably cools. But the surrounding layers do not allow it to cool too quickly, due to which it turns into rocks with a full-crystalline structure, which are called plutonic rocks in honor of the Roman god Pluto, king of the underworld. Geologists call this process "magmatic intrusion."
The notorious Devil's Tower was formed in a similar way. It also has an unusually regular shape - an even pillar almost 400 meters high, consisting of a bunch of individual stone pillars. But in this case, there was a magmatic melt - the red-hot mass rose up and froze on the surface in the form of elegant columns.
Like the Indians who lived in the vicinity of the Devil's Tower, the indigenous peoples of the Far East - the Yakuts and Evenks - considered the mountain sacred. They called her Urgula. The origin of the Russian name for this unusual array is also interesting. Konder is a rich camping soup, in which it has long been customary to put as many ingredients as possible: meat, potatoes, vermicelli, rice, peas. Most likely, this ridge reminded geologists of a huge cauldron that contained the same wide variety of ingredients - precious metals and minerals.
In the 1970s, scientists found a platinum deposit in the Kondyor area, which is rightfully considered one of the largest in the world, as well as impressive deposits of gold and silver. During mining, platinum nuggets weighing from 1.5 to 3.5 kilograms were found. More than 50 types of other platinum group metals, black garnet, blue calcite and nepheline, from which aluminum is produced, were also found on the territory of the massif. There is even one mineral that is mined only in this area, which is why it got its appropriate name - conderite. Such an abundance of minerals makes Konder an object of national scale - mining and exploration work is carried out on the territory of the ridge, and the place is carefully guarded. Tourists, unfortunately, are not allowed to enter the territory. Therefore, you can only enjoy the view from the air. But this is not so bad - from a height, the unusual shape of the mountain is even better visible.
