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New relationships between Japan and Mongolia
Mongolia is an inland country of the Asian continent, and as well-known, a large proportion of the land is devoted to cattle breeding. Although livestock, agricultural and forest products represent main exporting materials of Mongolia, mineral products are also important exports accounting for more than 40 % of the net exports of Mongolia. While the country is approximately four times bigger than Japan, her population density is only one person / Km2. Therefore, most of the country is not exploited and future mineral resource developments are very promising.In recent ten years the Geological Survey of Japan (GSJ) has implemented many research cooperation projects concerning with mineral and fuel resources in several Asian countries other than Mongolia, i.e., China, Pakistan, Philippine, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. These projects have been organized within the framework of the Institute for Transfer of Industrial Technology (ITIT) by the Agency of Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MITI). On the other hand, the GSJ also has contributed to the technology transfer to Asian countries. The main programs are the PTTC (the Project-Type Technical Cooperation) and the Dispatch of Experts organized by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
IGMR (Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources), MEM (Ministry of Energy and Mining), Mongolia, is the main organizations with which the GSJ has been closely cooperating. The first project was an ITIT project between both organizations (FY 1990 - 1994). Successively JICA had promoted the PTTC (Mar. 1994 - Mar. 1999).
The Geological Survey of Japan also has close relationships with Mongolian governmental organizations such as the Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources since 1990. After preliminary works in Mongolia, a new project financed by ITIT started in FY 1991 and continued until FY 1994. The project, titled "Research on Exploration and Development of Mineral Resources in Mongolia" is a joint research work with the Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources of Mongolia. One of the objectives of the project is to characterized the geology and mineral resources of the inner Asian continent of Mongolia in comparison with those of island arc of Japan. The project also aimed to establish new exploration methods and to promote the development of mineral resources including fuel resources.
The main activities of the project were as follows:
The detailed surveys of the ore deposits were carried out in Erdenet Mine, the biggest porphyry copper mine of Asia, and in Mongon-undur and Undur-tsagaan polymetallic mines with Pb, Zn, Cu, Mo, W, Sn deposits. To check the metallogenic features in the Eastern and Southern Mongolia, several metal and nonmetal deposits such as Pb, Zn, Ag deposits in Tsav mine, porphyry copper in Tsagaan-suvarga mine and some fluorite deposits were examined.
With respect to the coals and oil shales, the geology and occurrence of the deposits were investigated in three coal fields and three oil shales fields of the Central Gobi Basin. Chemical analysis of the oil shales showed high contents of organic carbon in some of fields. Promising fields of oil shales will be found by further investigations including drilling surveys.
JICA dispatched four Japanese long-term experts as senior scientists to the Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources. Short-term experts also have been dispatched appropriately on specific geological problems and the project needs. The number of short-term experts is seven as of 1995, two of which are from GSJ. Besides the training in Mongolia, more than 12 counterparts will provisionally be invited to Japan for advance academic and professional training in Japanese research institutions and universities.The following training courses are planned for the project.
The GSJ's contribution to the projects related to geology and mineral resources in Pakistan
In recent ten years the GSJ has implemented several research cooperation projects concerning with geology and mineral resources in the following Asian countries; China, Pakistan, Philippine, Thailand, Mongolia and Indonesia. The projects have been organized within the framework of the Institute for Transfer of Industrial Technology (ITIT) Cooperation by the Agency of Industrial and Scientific Technology (AIST), MITI. The GSJ also has contributed to the technology transfer to Asian countries in the field of geology and mineral resources through JICA projects in which the main program is the Project-Type Technical Cooperation (PTTC) associated with the Dispatch of Experts and Acceptance of Trainees.
The Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP), the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources (MPNR), Pakistan is one of the organizations which the GSJ has been cooperating closely with for geology and mineral resources. The ITIT project between both organizations was implemented for four years during FY 1987 - 1990. Successively JICA has promoted the PTTC for the project on Geoscience Laboratory in the GSP during Oct. 1990 - Sep. 1995. The duration of the project is expected to be extended for a year and half in the JICAÕs Follow-up scheme.
The Mineral Resources Department and the Geology Department of the GSJ consistently have contributed to these projects with the aids from the other Departments and the International Geology Office.
The project between GSJ and GSP started in FY 1987 as described above. The joint research objective was characterizing the geology and mineral resources in the collision zone. The planned activities on the Record of Discussions were as follows:
According to the research plan, the collision areas were surveyed with the means of geology, petrology and geochemistry. The relationships of geologic bodies including ore deposits were persued. As the results, some geological knowledges were newly acquired: (1) the structure of the Kohistan block were outlined; (2) a transform fault caused by the collision was found in the margin of the Eurasia continent; (3) the research of ore genesis was advanced with introducing the isotope analyses of rocks. The most important result was that the joint research gave the basis of the mutual understanding and collaboration in the future on this kind of research. Some of subjects actually have been continued by both orgaizations.
Prior to the PTTC project, a JICA Grant Aid Program was performed to build the Geoscience Laboratory (GeoLab) in Islamabad as the main research arm of the GSP. The GSJ advised selecting suitable research instruments and designing functional arrangements of them for the GeoLab. It was established in October, 1991. The GeoLab has presently a strength of 20 Pakistani scientists. The number will be gradually increased in near future. Some of the major equipments and research facilities provided in the GeoLab include:The PTTC programme of JICA started in October, 1990. The objective is to transfer appropriate technology to the Pakistani counterpart personnel for the training skilled technical and professional manpower in the field of Geological and Mineral Prospecting Technology to contribute to the national policy for promotion of mineral resources development in Pakistan. The Pakistani counterparts are expected finally to acquire the prospecting technology for the ore deposits associated with igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks.
JICA dispatched eight Japanese long-term experts as senior scientists to the GeoLab. The disciplines of the experts are into stratigraphy, structural geology, petrology, mineralogy, paleomagnetism, geochemistry and analytical chemisty. Five long-term experts in a total of eleven have been occupied by scientists of GSJ including the retired. Short-term experts also have been dispatched appropriately on specific geological problems and the project needs. The number of short-term experts were ten per year in average. They have been constituted not only by scientists of GSJ but also professors of Japanese National Universities, engineers of mining companies and so on. So far the total number of 40 scientists and engineers have been dispatched as short-term experts, including 20 ones of GSJ. Besides the training in Pakistan, the total of 14 counterparts have visited Japan to go in for advance academic and professional training in Japanese research institutions and universities.
The following training courses were planned for the project. The activities until the end of FY 1994 were described below. Some locations of objective areas can be found with the index figure.
Though some of technical transfers are still delayed for various reasons, the objectives for the GeoLab project have been almost achieved by the cooperation and efforts of both Pakistani and Japanese sides. An evidence of the achievement is the first National Training Course on Paleomagnetic and Rock Magnetic Applications in Geological Scienses (the PARMAGS-I). It was held at the GeoLab from 12th to 22nd March, 1995 for 14 participants from different organizations in Pakistan. The PARMAGS-I was the first course managed and conducted by the GeoLab counterparts with the assistance of the Japanese experts. The second course planned by themselves will follow the PARMAGS-I in this year. Nowadays, collaborative research is being undertaken jointly by the Japanese and the GeoLab counterparts in order to strengthen the research base of the GeoLab and to effectively transfer research techniques.