Norilsk Is The Most Resource Rich City On Earth

Plants grow strong in mineralized soil
Plants grow strong in mineralized soil

Nickel Copper Zinc Lead Tin Platinum Palladium Gold Silver

Beneath Norilsk lays the richest polymetallic ore on Earth. Deposits are found at depth, in ancient veins, the now cold, hardened passageways of volcanic magma. Miners dug these passageways of mineral wealth for nearly a century and have barely dented proven reserves. Grades below are so high and voluminous, they enriched the surface soil hundreds of meters above.

Over half a billion years, by the simple process of osmosis, some metallic particles migrated to the surface. In nearly all underground discoveries, minuscule concentrations are found in top soil, measuring just parts per billion, but are a useful for identifying drill targets. Norilsk's top soil contains enough metal to be dug up by hand, put in a wheelbarrow, smelted, and sold at a profit! Given the city's high salaries and generous benefits, no one must stoop to the desperate pursuit of artisanal mining. Residents prefer to plant gardens, then eat the over-sized mineral rich vegetables that sprout from the black, glittering soil of their beloved Norilsk.

Abu Dhabi of the North

Hyper inflation of the Greenspan-Bernanke biumverate transformed Norilsk into an ATM machine, whose smelters churn out billions in hard, non-fiat currency every day. Whether the world's central banks print money or not, production in Norilsk shall continue at an industry record profit margin. Ore grades are so high that mines operate economically even during times of catastrophically low commodity prices. The 2008 base metals crash bankrupted many resource companies around the world, but mining in Norilsk remained profitable despite nickel, copper and zinc plunging 70%.

In most countries, greedy corporations strip every resource, pay out bonuses to the connected elite, and leave behind an uninhabitable wasteland. Not so in Norilsk. The underground riches of Norilsk gush (not trickle) *up* to every level of its social strata. Enormous tax surpluses allow city planners to build infrastructure on an epic scale. Monuments to culture are sprouting alongside freshly paved, pothole free, cobblestone streets. By referendum, the hero workers of Norilsk voted for construction of art galleries, opera houses, globe theaters and multi-faith houses of worship - a direct reflection of the tolerant, cultured masses who reside in the world's most northerly city.