The Kamenushka deposit is located in the Kemerovo Region of Western Siberia, in the upper reaches of the Big Talmovaya River, 6 km north of the city of Salair. The village of Kamenushka, probably named for the occurrence of semi-precious stones almost on the surface, is directly alongside the deposit. Individual prospectors still mine here. The village is abandoned.

The first geological information about the deposit dates back to 1788, when silver was mined here. In the 1920s, this territory was explored by individual prospectors in search of gold. In 1950, copper ores were discovered in deep wells, but it was not until 2009–2010 that a copper quarry was opened and copper ore mining began. In consequence of low profitability due to the poverty of the ore, the operation of the enterprise was terminated on March 1, 2013.

The site is an abandoned monument to mining and exploitation, a multi-colored rock visible from satellite view amidst green Siberian forest and sprawling black coal pits. Parts of the pit are gradually overgrown with plants of unnaturally saturated colors. I take soil samples, looking for the most pronounced pH reaction. Near a large gray boulder with a distinct sulfur smell and no vegetation, I find soil that, according to litmus paper, is comparable to battery acid. It should make an excellent electrolyte.