Cocotohai mining area was discovered in 1930. At that time, only local minorities exploited the outcrop of vein No.3, and the products were used as jewelry decoration materials. 1935, two geological teams of the former Soviet government came to Altay. In order to promote the prospecting, they carried all kinds of non-ferrous and rare metal mineral samples with them, mobilized farmers and herdsmen to collect useful minerals in Altai Mountain area, and handed them over to geological teams to buy them at high quality and at low price. According to the location reported by herdsmen, geologists marked eight beryl mineralization points on the geological map of Altay region for the first time, among which the Keketuohai deposit in Fuyun County was discovered by Ayakuzibai (ethnic group unknown) in 1935 and listed as one of the eight beryl mineralization points. The discovery of this rare metal deposit rich in beryl (beryllium) has attracted the attention of the former Soviet government, scientific and technological circles, geological survey and mining personnel. They have visited China many times for geological exploration, and carried out trial mining in the Keketuohai mining area, mainly in vein No.3, and mined beryl and tantalite. According to the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Mutual Assistance, Ashan Mine Management Office of Sino-Soviet Nonferrous Rare Metals Co., Ltd. was established in March 1, 65438. 65438+ 1 0955 1 month, all enterprises in the mining area were handed over to the Chinese side for independent operation, and the former Ashan Mine Management Office was renamed as Keketuohai Mine Management Office of Xinjiang Nonferrous Metals Company, General Administration of Metallurgical Industry, directly under the central management. 1958, renamed Keketuohai Mining Bureau.
In 1950s, when the country developed the rare metal mine of Keketuohai, the town gathered more than 40,000 people from all over the motherland. Experts from the former Soviet Union brought advanced equipment and built Russian-style buildings, making Keketuohai the richest "little shanghai in the West" in Xinjiang at that time.
In addition to the No.3 mine pit, the most striking thing in the geological exhibition hall of Keketuohai Town is a transparent glassy ore the size of a fingernail. This is the first Erqi stone in the world so far.
1982 Han, a geological engineer in Chengdu, found a white translucent rock crystal weighing 5g on the banks of the Irtysh River. 1984, recognized by the International Mineral Society as the first new mineral discovered in the world. Because it is the only one in the world, it is named Erqi Stone. Han selflessly donated it to the geological exhibition hall and became the treasure of the town hall.
This priceless Erqi stone was discovered and named nearly 20 years ago. Before that, it has been lying quietly in the glass windows of two bungalows, and only distinguished guests can see it when they visit the Cocoto Sea. Ordinary tourists have only heard of it and have never met it.