DIFFICULT FATE OF THE NORIL'SK MIRACLE

The basic stages of a study, discovery and mastery of the Taimyr north in this article are briefly illuminated: from the first scientific expeditions and the separate searches of private individuals and to the creation of the valuable, complex, contemporary mining and processing production. Special attention is given to the pre-war, military and postwar time, when in the history of the region in question occurred the most important and dramatic events, which in many respects predetermined main directions and special features of the subsequent development of territory. Pre-war decade of the stormy industrialization of the country past here under the sign of the accelerated creation of the enterprises of nonferrous metallurgy on the base of the relatively middle-sized layers of the cupronickel and polymetallic ores, investigated by that time by the expeditions of A. Sotnikov, N. Urvantsev and other outstanding geologists. Similar to other impact building of the Soviet Union, Noril'sk combine was assembled with the large-scale attraction of the labor of prisoners, up to the middle 1950 yr. bulk of the workers of region. Under the severe and extreme natural climatic conditions of the Transarctic, multiplied by all difficulties of camp life, the morbidity and the mortality of prisoners were very great. Especially difficult situation occurred during the years of the war, when into Norillag mass were transferred prisoners from other regions of the country, supply rate with food and nonfood items were reduced, and delivery system along the northern seaway gave frequent failures. It is important to also consider that at the beginning of war into Norilsk was evacuated The Monchegorskiy plant “Severonickel”. Moreover its colleagues evacuated together with the families, which increased number and fraction of the civilian population of Noril'sk region. However, critical for the Yenisey north became the postwar period, when by the efforts of Soviet geologist opened the richest in the world layers Talnakh and October, together concentrating near 20% proven reserving of nickel on the entire planet.