The Formation Conditions of the Volga Basin Oil Shales in Relation to Their Metallogeny on Rhenium and Other Valuable Elements

The Volga oil shales are located on the Russian platform and represent a potential non-traditional and promising source of rhenium and other valuable metals. Concentrations of rhenium at the level of industrial types of ores have been identified at the Perelyubskoe and Kotsebinskoe deposits. The complex of lithological and geochemical studies suggests that the metallogeny of the Volga oil shales is associated with the influence of volcanism and anoxic conditions during the sedimentation period. The main criteria have been identified by which high concentrations of rhenium in the Volga oil shales can be predicted: the content of organic carbon, molybdenum, and the DOPr indicator. Based on the analyzed data, promising layers have been identified for the Perelyubskoe and Kotsebinskoe deposits to detect industrial concentrations of rhenium.