The Atasu mine is located near the town of Karajan in the Atasu district. The mine deposit is a skarn. The ore is composed by 25% Hematite and 75% Magnetite. The Atasu mine is hosted by the West Karazhal deposit, which is a primary hematite ore with associated manganese mineralization. Studies have indicated that the deposit could have a sedimentary-volcanogenic origin caused by underwater hydrothermal activity. The analogous bedding of sedimentary breccias is typical of the Karazhal deposits in Central Kazakhstan and probably of other manganese bearing regions as well. The deposit is located within the wing of the Zhailma trough and extends from west to east for 5500 m with a southern dip at an angle of 350. The ore deposit that makes up the deposit is a consistent mineralization in the form of layers of iron and manganese ores with a thickness of iron ores (2.0 - 20.6m), manganese ores (2-8m) with blow-ups up to 30m. The ore deposit has been traced to a depth of up to 1720m, dipping to the west at an angle of (10-150). The deposit is conditionally divided into three mine fields: I - 64m, II - 46m, III - 24m. The total thickness of the ore strata averages 44 m. According to the mineralogical composition, the iron ores of the Western Karazhal deposit are a mixture of the main ore minerals hematite and magnetite with a variable amount of quartz and calcite. Minor minerals are siderite, ferruginous chlorites, stilpnomelane, and pyrite. According to the predominance of iron minerals, hematite, magnetite-hematite and magnetite natural types of ores are distinguished. According to the predominance of the main ore minerals, brownite, hausmanite, jacobsite and hematite-brownite ores are distinguished among manganese ores. The average content of the main chemical components (iron and manganese) in the balance ores of the Western Karazhal is respectively: iron ores - 51.06 and 1.03%; manganese ores - 9.28 and 20.04%. In both iron and manganese ores, the content of such harmful components as arsenic and phosphorus pentoxide is low (0.01–0.02% and 0.04–0.09%, respectively). The basicity coefficient of iron ores is low (0.14 - 0.18), therefore, in the metallurgical processing, iron ores require fluxing. The sulfur content in manganese ores is low - 0.05–0.06%, arsenic - 0.01–0.02%. Relatively increased content of lead (up to 1.92%) and zinc (up to 0.68%).

Ore is currently mined from the +44m Level by the sub-level caving method, using portable drilling and blasting equipment, scraper winches during loading and underground electric locomotives for transportation.


A project is currently underway to complete a detailed study for the development of the -10m level, which is anticipated to replace the current ore source once it is fully depleted.

Excavated iron ore is treated at the processing plant by crushing, classification and wet jigging to produce lumps and fines iron ore products.