PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, September 26 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula contains at least 1,200 metric tons of gold and 8,000 tons of silver, a geological expert said Friday. (Gold for Russia - Image gallery)

Speaking at a scientific conference in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Viktor Okrugin of the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the Russian Academy of Sciences, said Kamchatka is one of the most promising gold regions in northeast Russia.

"Simply comparing Kamchatka and Japan makes it clear that the region holds no less than 1,200 tons of gold and more than 8,000 tons of silver," the expert said.

"A considerable part of Kamchatka is included in the system of Pacific island arcs holding the largest deposits of Japan and Indonesia. Another part - the Koryak Autonomous Area - is comparable to the geologic structure of Alaska, well-known for its gold deposits," Okrugin said.

Throughout its mining history Japan has produced some 1,000 tons of gold and over 5,000 tons of silver, whereas less than 20 tons of gold has been mined in Kamchatka.