BRINGING NEW GEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES TO SURFACE

1. “It was a great experience collecting the samples, having a consultant for my
student’s Ph.D. thesis, and establishing a relationship between our universities for
further development.”
-Dr. Joyashish Thakurta, faculty specialist on economic geology at Western Michigan University
The geology of Kazakhstan boasts 99 of the elements of the
periodic table. Near the city of Oskemen, rock formations
are endowed with substantial reserves of precious metals,
including gold and rare earth metals. Even though
mineral resource extraction represents nearly one-tenth
of Kazakhstan economy, there is untapped potential for
sustainable exploration of precious metals and rare earth
elements, vital for renewable energy and electronic devices
With a grant awarded through the Central Asia University
Partnerships Program (UniCEN), administered by American
Councils and funded by the U.S. Department of State
through the Embassy in Kazakhstan, Western Michigan
University and East Kazakhstan State Technical University
(EKSTU) produced new data for the mining industry,
indicating the potential of untapped mineral resources.
The discovery of several small gold deposits in
eastern Kazakhstan region has sparked interest in the
exploration of precious metals. Dr. Joyashish Thakurta,
a faculty specialist focusing on economic geology in the
Department of Geological and Environmental Science
at Western Michigan University, noticed the potential of
resource mapping in Central Asia. “There is very little
pre-existing study on the isotopic characteristics of this
region,” says Dr. Thakurta.
Meanwhile, researchers at EKSTU sought international
collaborations to better understand mineral deposits and
evaluate the economic impact from geological research.
Both Western Michigan University and EKSTU saw an
opportunity to re-evaluate existing deposits and explore
new mineral deposits as stockpiles of known metallic
reserves steadily decline.
GOLDEN PROSPECTS
In July 2019, Dr. Thakurta and a team of EKSTU scientists
led by Dr. Marina Mizernaya met geologists and engineers
at the Sentash gold mine, where they observed mining
methods and the preparation of ore concentrate.
Dr. Boris Dyachkov, a well-known veteran geologist of the
region, organized a geological field trip to the Verkhnee
Espe deposit, a rare earth element enriched zone about
100 kilometers from Oskemen, to observe geological
characteristics of the area.
Under the supervision of Dr. Mizernaya, Ph.D. student Asel
Akilbayeva collected samples for study and processing at
the Center of Advanced Development, EKSTU’s state-of-
the-art laboratory, to determine chemical composition.
“Many U.S. universities would be envious of the laboratory,”
says Dr. Thakurta, recalling the X-ray diffractometer,
scanning electron microscope, and Inductively coupled
plasma mass spectrometry employed by EKSTU.
“Instrumentation could easily compare with any research
university in the U.S.”
Then, samples were shipped to Western Michigan
University’s Economic Geology lab where Dr. Thakurta
and a graduate student analyzed the powdered samples
and calibrated the results to international standards.
With the data analyzed at the lab, new clues were
discovered about the origin of hydrothermal gold
deposits to help industry expand exploration and
identify new prospects.
The team authored an article on recent developments on
the origin of gold mineralization in East Kazakhstan. In
August 2019, Dr. Mizernaya presented the initial results of
the data analysis at the 15th Biennial Meeting of the Society
for Geology Applied to Mineral Deposits at the University
of Glasgow, UK. In addition to promoting her institution at
a prestigious global meeting, she recalls that “it was a great
experience collecting the samples, having a consultant for
my student’s Ph.D. thesis, and establishing a relationship
between our universities for further development.”
BRINGING NEW GEOLOGICAL
DISCOVERIES TO SURFACE

2. UNIVERSITY-INDUSTRY COLLABORATIONS
The final dataset and interpretations will be published in a
peer-reviewed journal in 2021 for the scientific community
and local industry. In October 2019, Dr. Thakurta returned
to Kazakhstan to share his team’s initial research findings
to representatives from KAZ Minerals, KAZ Zinc, and other
industry experts to expand research with industrial support.
Research data produced by the U.S.-Kazakhstan team will be
utilized by industry to understand more about the economic
value of deposits in East Kazakhstan. “The Kazakhstan
government is now being more proactive to catalyze the
mineral industry to mobilize better expertise, equipment,
and use of modern technology,” says Dr. Thakurta.
In fall 2019, a delegation led by ESKTU rector Dr.
Zhassulan Shaimardanov visited the campus of Western
Michigan University to broaden the scope of research. A
Memorandum of Understanding was signed that outlined
far-reaching commitments in geophysics, new and remote
sensing, as well as student exchanges, dual degree
programs, and English training.
Looking to the future, university-industry collaboration can
also fund initiatives to meet critical needs for workforce
development, including industrial training to university
students, specialized training and curriculum in economic
geology, and integration of specialized software into the
educational process. Discussions centered on acquiring
research funds from the Government of Kazakhstan
to support collaborative study on mining and mineral
resources in Kazakhstan, in partnership with EKSTU
analytical facilities.
ABOUT UNICEN
Funded by the US Department of State through its missions
in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, UniCEN is a platform to
increase sustainable collaborations between US and
Central Asian higher education institutions. UniCEN builds
expertise in the areas of strategic planning, administration,
faculty policies and practices, student mobility, curriculum
development, and alumni relations to advance the
development of mutually beneficial partnerships.
ABOUT OUR PARTNERS
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a center for
education and research that is home to a diverse
community of faculty and staff members,
undergraduate and graduate students, visiting
scholars, researchers, and collaborators. The
Department of Geological and Environmental
Sciences is focused on research of hydrogeology,
geologic mapping, environmental geology,
applied geophysics, remote sensing, basin
analysis, and subsurface characterization. In
recent years, the department has extended its
scope to new frontiers of earth science, including
space and planetary sciences, astrobiology,
airborne geophysics, and detailed reservoir
characterization. The department includes
many active research laboratories, all of which
are state-of-the-art
East Kazakhstan State Technical University
Since 1958, the D. Serikbayev East Kazakhstan
State Technical University (EKSTU) has trained
specialists in engineering, information technology,
economics, management, natural sciences, and
architectural design on the undergraduate,
graduate, and doctoral levels. EKSTU is a leading
technical university in Kazakhstan that strives to
achieve excellence in all aspects of its educational
programs and offers innovative educational and
research solutions for contemporary economic
and social challenges facing the international
community.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Adrian Erlinger | aerlinger@americancouncils.org