Mariupol Iron-ore Deposit (Маріупольський залізорудний район; Mariupolskyi zaliznorudnyi raion). An iron ore source in Donetsk oblast 20 km west of Mariupol. The deposit covers an area of approximately 150 sq km and consists of iron quartzites (principally magnetite) with an iron content of 20–30 percent. The seams, 20–160 m thick, are found 80–600 m underground and can be mined by open-pit or deep-shaft methods. The ores contain few impurities and are easily concentrated. The deposit was discovered in 1963 but has yet to be exploited. It is a potential source of iron ore for the nearby iron and steel center of Mariupol (see Mariupol Azovstal Metallurgical Complex).

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 3 (1993).]