A 180-Ton Boulder Found at Issyk-Kul — It Could Be a Rare Natural Mineral

In the Jeti-Oguz district of the Issyk-Kul region, in the village of Kyzyl-Suu, a large and rare stone weighing over 180 tons has been found. It is believed to be jade.

Local authorities reported that jade is a unique natural mineral characterized by high strength and durability. A find of this size is of significant importance to the region, as it could become a natural heritage site and attract tourists, which in turn would raise interest in scientific research.

From a geological perspective, such finds are extremely rare. Jade forms as a result of complex deep processes and possesses high density, strength, and resistance to damage.

In the southern part of the village of Chon-Kyzyl-Suu, 3 kilometers from the settlement, there is also a boulder of jade-like rock in the riverbed of the Chon-Kyzyl-Suu River. This site has become a point of interest for local residents, who for the past 2–3 years have been appealing to the authorities to open the boulder for tourists and create a demonstration area.
In 2013-2014, attempts were made to extract and sell this stone, but its enormous weight, which was then estimated at 162 tons, became a serious obstacle. At that time, the stone was considered the second largest in the world after a similar object in Canada, but later the youth of the village decided to cover it with earth for preservation.
A recent meeting held on January 13 at the district state administration confirmed the intention to organize the "Ak Ilbirs" festival in the Chon-Kyzyl-Suu gorge with the unveiling of the stone. Local authorities, in cooperation with the municipal enterprise "Ishteman," are preparing the site for the opening.

Reminder of the 2013 find
In 2013, a jade nugget weighing about 100 tons was discovered in the village of Chon-Kyzyl-Suu. The State Agency for Geology and Mineral Resources of Kyrgyzstan provided photographs of the find. A special commission was established to verify the jade discovery and went to the site to collect rock samples.
The villagers decided to protect the find from theft, assuming that the stone's value could reach 7-10 million dollars, which they planned to use for infrastructure improvements. In 2013, the nugget was even hidden underwater with the help of a small river.
Experts confirmed that the jadeite found in this area is of low quality, but did not rule out the possibility of high-quality jade existing within the boulder. In August 2013, it was concluded that the rock has only a distant relation to jade and can be used as raw material for crafts, albeit in limited quantities.
The issue of distributing potential profits from the jade deposit was even discussed in the Jogorku Kenesh in 2014. According to expert estimates in 2022-2023, the cost of jade extraction ranges from 2 to 5 dollars per kilogram, while the price on the international market fluctuated between 10,000 and 20,000 dollars depending on quality and characteristics.
The stone is particularly valued in China.