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Posted on 08/29/2025 1:13:26 PM PDT by Red Badger
Kazakhstan has revealed a major natural resource breakthrough with the discovery of 38 new mineral deposits, including 19 tons of gold and a vast reserve of rare earth metals. The discoveries mark a strategic shift for the Central Asian country, signaling its ambition to become a key supplier in global clean energy and tech supply chains.
These findings, published in the journal Minerals, were made during the first quarter of 2025 as part of a national initiative to accelerate geological exploration by 2026.
Gold And Rare Earth Metals Found Near The Capital
One of the most significant discoveries is a rare earth deposit located 261 miles from Astana, in a region referred to as Zhana Kazakhstan. According to the Ministry of Industry and Construction, the site contains over 20 million metric tons of material enriched with neodymium, cerium, lanthanum, and yttrium—critical components in electric vehicles, wind turbines, electronics, and defense systems. The average rare earth content is estimated at 700 grams per ton.
If fully confirmed, this deposit would position Kazakhstan just behind China and Brazil in terms of global rare earth reserves. The country, previously absent from the U.S. Geological Survey’s list of rare earth sources, could rapidly rise to the forefront of a tightly concentrated global market.
To support development, researchers have begun testing extraction methods suitable for Kazakhstan’s geology. A 2025 study on the Kundybay deposit focused on sulfuric acid leaching of weathered clays, offering insights into more sustainable, lower-temperature processing techniques.
Kazakhstan Just Supercharged Its Mineral Hunt
The discovery is part of a broader campaign to map 2.2 million square kilometers of Kazakhstan’s terrain by 2026. The program is led by Yerlan Galiyev, chairman of the National Geological Survey (JSC), which combines traditional geological fieldwork with satellite imaging and geophysical modeling to pinpoint mineral-rich zones.
Between 2018 and 2024, Kazakhstan attracted 424 billion tenge in exploration investments, and another 106 billion tenge has been allocated for 2025. A partnership with the Finnish Geological Survey is helping digitize geological data, streamlining exploration and enabling more accurate drilling decisions. Galiyev emphasizes that this digital integration is key to reducing delays and focusing efforts where they matter most.
Kazakhstan’s New Resource Deals
To avoid being just a supplier of raw materials, Kazakhstan is pursuing joint ventures with Italy, South Korea, and China to bring in advanced mining technologies and processing capacity. Officials aim to capture more value through domestic refining and manufacturing, rather than exporting unprocessed ore.
Although no development companies have been officially announced, early-stage offtake agreements with manufacturers are expected to play a central role in financing rare earth processing facilities—one of the most technically challenging and capital-intensive parts of the supply chain.
Can It Avoid a Dirty Energy Trap?
With the scale of the discovery comes the need for careful environmental oversight. Mining at depths reaching 300 meters will require robust water management, tailings handling, and land reclamation. At the same time, new findings of brown coal—included in the 38 deposits—complicate Kazakhstan’s energy strategy. While potentially useful for grid stability, coal’s role remains at odds with long-term decarbonization goals unless paired with cleaner energy solutions.
Government officials have acknowledged that public consultation and environmental permitting will determine how quickly exploration efforts translate into operational mines.
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Kazakhs also found a huge deposit of the rare mineral Boratium.
Putin will be claiming it has no right to be a state.
You load 19 tons and what do you get
Apologies to Tennessee Ernie Ford.
“...and it wasn’t found where you’d expect.”
I wouldn’t expect it anywhere else but in some fifth world backwater.
Did they find any unobtanium?
Thats the real stuff!!/s
Can they be extracted for a lower cost than they are worth on the market?
“With the scale of the discovery comes the need for careful environmental oversight.”
If you lock up any environmentalists that problem goes away quickly!
“Putin will be claiming it has no right to be a state.”
Putin’s tied up in Ukraine. Xi will take over Kazakhstan before Putin can free up his forces.
Somebody call Sean Connery!
Would have been nice to maintain a presence at Bagram just or discoveries like this, but here we are. Thank you Democrats.
Very niiicccee!!
Very niiicccee!!
ISWYDT
Careful! Putin might cast his covetous eyes on that nation now!
”If you lock up any environmentalists that problem goes away quickly!,”
.
Brazil 🇧🇷 and Colombia 🇨🇴 have both permanently eliminated at least one female environmentalist.
Typical time for a mining operation from discovery to harvesting is usually ten years, but that is in the West, where rules,regulations, and financing get in the way.
First potassium, and now this!
Kazakhstan is 70% Muslim.
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