Ussr military Topographic map

1)
identify and geolocate 
the turquoise 
mines mentioned in previous studies, particularly 
those summarized by 
Vinogradov, Lopatin, 
and Mamedov 
in the only available report 
produced by the Ancient Mines Mapping Party 
(AMMP); and 
2)
collect geological samples 
for chemical analysis. 
In an initial phase, samples were analyzed in collaboration Federico Carò (research scientist 
at the department of Conservation and Scientific Research/Metropolitan Museum of Art). 
This exercise had already been performed on specimens from Nishapur and the Sinai, with 
positive results in matching the source of archaeological material to known elemental 
composition of geological samples. 
GIS will be used to illustrate and compute two important lines of 
inquiry that can be best observed at a landscape scale:
Bibliography
Most mining areas in Djaman Kaskyr and 
Tazkazgan mentioned by 
Vinogradov, 
Lopatin, and Mamedov
were identified 
on Google Earth and USSR Military 
Topographic maps. The survey focused 
on 15 locations and mapped all the 
main turquoise working areas. Samples 
were collected from 20 contexts, 
including directly from the bedrock. 
Most, however, were taken from spolia 
around mining shafts or open-air pits.
After discovering the location of the 
first mines in the Bukantau, it became 
easier to locate the remaining regions 
solely using Google Earth. Most of these 
are easily identifiable because of their 
characteristic donut-shaped pit features. 
Modern mining prospection lines are also 
visible in satellite imagery and, because 
they are often superimposed over pre-
modern workings, can serve as helpful 
pointers of ancient mining activity.
Scientific analyses will be used to verify a