What group do minerals belong to? Classification of minerals
Natural minerals, used in the national economy, are called minerals, and their accumulations in the bowels or on the surface of the Earth are called deposits. Minerals are solid, liquid and gaseous. Based on their area of use, they are divided into five groups. The first group consists of fuel and energy mineral resources(coal, oil, natural gas, peat, oil shale, uranium). The second includes ores of metals: ferrous (iron), non-ferrous (copper, aluminum, zinc, tin), rare and noble (vanadium, germanium, etc.). The third group is chemical raw materials: sulfur, potassium salts, apatites, phosphorites, etc. The fourth group is building materials, ornamental and precious stones (granite, marble, refractory raw materials, jasper, agate, diamond, etc.). Fifth - hydromineral minerals (underground fresh and mineralized waters).
In the bowels of the Earth there is very a large number of coal - its estimated reserves are, according to some sources, 15 trillion. t. There are very large deposits of iron ore in the depths. There are large reserves of oil shale, peat and natural gas. The scale of mining is indicated by the following fact: for each inhabitant of our planet, on average, about 5-6 tons are mined annually.
IN last years needs for various types mineral resources are increasing. From different places Geologists report the discovery of new and new mineral deposits. Advances in engineering and technology make it possible to extract valuable substances from the poorest ores and the most inaccessible deposits.
Mineral reserves of the subsoil are not unlimited. And although nature can restore its strength and in the depths of the Earth there is a constant process of formation and accumulation of mineral wealth, the pace of this restoration is incommensurate with the current rate of use of the earth's resources.
In just one day, in various furnaces and power plants around the world, as much mineral fuel is burned as nature has created in the depths over many, many years. long years. Counted today total reserves many minerals. Taking into account the rate of their production, the approximate time frame within which they can be exhausted has been determined.
For some types of minerals these periods are short, so the attitude towards mineral wealth must be very careful.
It is necessary to introduce integrated use of mineral resources everywhere.
With this method of using minerals, everything that is raised from the bowels of the Earth is subjected to complex processing at mining and processing and mining and metallurgical plants using various mechanical and physical-chemical processes. And at each stage of processing, more and more new elements are extracted. Wastes from one process serve as valuable raw materials for another.
There are already many examples of this in the Soviet Union complex method mining and processing of minerals. At non-ferrous metallurgy enterprises, along with 12 main non-ferrous metals, another 62 elements are simultaneously extracted from ore. Thus, together with copper and aluminum, silver, bismuth, platinum, and platinoids are obtained. Sulfur and helium are being extracted as a by-product from natural gas deposits, and rare metals are being extracted from coal deposits. Even waste rock that has to be brought to the surface to open up valuable deposits can be used to make building materials.
Mineral beneficiation. Mineral resources extracted from the depths, as a rule, cannot be immediately sent to metallurgical furnaces or thermal power plants. The coal is clogged with pieces of sandstone, limestone, and clay; ores are a solid mixture of minerals and a wide variety of substances. Even in a rich iron ore pure iron rarely exceeds 50%, and in copper, lead, tin, and zinc ores there is only a few percent or fractions of a percent of these essential metals. The process of isolating the most valuable component from minerals and freeing them from various impurities is called enrichment.
The process of ore enrichment begins in powerful crushers, where massive steel rods, cones or balls are used to grind and crush fossils, turning large pieces into small ones.
The second stage is sorting the ground minerals by size. Crushed ore and coal are sifted on vibrating sieves and sieves with “windows” of different sizes. Large pieces sent again for crushing, the rest goes to the final stage of enrichment.
At the final stage, grains of valuable minerals are separated due to their special, unique properties. If they are heavier than others, the so-called gravitational method is used. Minerals of different densities are also separated in a centrifuge, for example, diamonds are separated from their less valuable companions. Many metal ores enriched by magnetic separation, using the ability of metals to be attracted to a magnet. Electrical separation is based on the different ability of minerals to conduct electric current.
Each mineral has its own special color, luster, shape, coefficient of friction, and interacts differently with acids and alkalis. All this is used in the enrichment of various minerals.
The most common enrichment method is flotation (from the French flotation - swimming) - based on the difference in the wettability of substances with water. Substances that are well wetted are called hydrophilic, and substances that are not wetted by water are called hydrophobic. Hydrophobic substances collect air bubbles around themselves and rise to the surface. The operation of the flotation machine is based on this property. In its large tanks, crushed ore is mixed with water, to which special substances are added - foaming agents. Air is forced through this mixture. A huge amount of foam is formed - tiny air bubbles. They stick to particles of copper, silver or lead, but do not stick to grains of impurities. The waste rock sinks, and the necessary particles, although they are heavier, float up along with the foam. The main advantage of flotation is that it allows you to isolate any minerals contained in the ore.
Minerals and rocks that are used or can be used in the national economy are called minerals ( mineral raw materials). This concept is relative, because over the years, more and more new products from the earth’s interior become minerals. For example, relatively recently the exceptional value of uranium minerals was discovered; mining of potassium salts and bauxite began... Minerals are divided in different ways. In one case, their physical state: solid (ores, coals, marble, granite), liquid (oil, The groundwater), gas (flammable gases, helium). In another case, their use is taken as a basis: combustible, ore, non-metallic minerals.
Clusters and deposits of minerals are called deposits. Large territories, where there are several deposits, - provinces fossils.
Lineage diagram ore deposits: 1, 2, 3-igneous deposits; 4-contact (in places of contact of magma with the rocks into which it is embedded); 5, 6, 7-hydrothermal (associated with rising hot aqueous solutions); 8-volcanic deposits (formed during the solidification of magma that erupted onto the surface); 9-sedimentary (in modern reservoirs); 10-result of weathering of rocks remaining at the site of formation (eluvium); 11 - the result of weathering, transport and deposition of rocks water streams(placers); 12-year-old buried placer.
Each geological era has left us deposits of various minerals. For example, sediments of the ancient, Precambrian era are rich in iron, nickel, and copper. And in modern river sediments there are placer deposits of gold, platinum, and diamonds. Therefore, before looking for deposits, geologists need to thoroughly study the geological structure of the area, determine the composition and age of the rocks common here, and the conditions of occurrence of the strata (tectonics).
Find clusters in the ground useful minerals or rocks - that's half the battle. This completes the geological exploration work. Then follows new stage: deposit exploration. To do this, detailed studies of the quality of ore, the characteristics of its occurrence are carried out, and mineral reserves are calculated. After this, methods for mining and processing the ore are developed. And even when mines, mines, and processing plants are already operating (they purify and concentrate ore), geologists continue to study the deposit, clarify mineral reserves, and explore new areas.
Minerals.
Typically, mineral deposits located near the site are discovered first. earth's surface. And the richest, most concentrated ores are developed first. However, over time, such easily accessible and rich deposits are becoming fewer and fewer. Man, in search of underground storerooms, penetrates deeper and deeper into the depths.
The open-pit method of extracting minerals in quarries is more economically profitable than the mine method. Quarry of the Leninogorsk polymetallic plant in Kazakhstan.
Geological section of the Mikhailovskoye iron ore deposit (KMA). 1-cover rocks; 2-rich iron ores; 3-iron quartzites (poor iron ores).
Section of the developed vein deposit.
Exploration wells reach depths of 10 kilometers, and mines go more than 3 kilometers deep.
Low-grade ores, containing a relatively small percentage of useful components, are gradually moving into the category of minerals. (Previously, they were not mined or used, i.e., they were not considered minerals.) This became possible after new, powerful mining machines appeared that processed entire mountains of rocks, and new enrichment methods made it possible to extract even small quantities of chemical elements and connections.
There are special methods of mining (except open - in quarries and mines). They're called geotechnological. With their help, ore is mined in the depths. This is done by downloading hot water, solutions into formations containing soluble minerals. Other wells pump out the resulting solution. Even bacteria are used to dissolve or concentrate some ores (such as copper).
Nowadays, minerals are needed everywhere. Mineral raw materials are called food industry. Ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy operates entirely on mineral raw materials. For chemical industry its share reaches 75%. Most of electricity is generated from thermal and nuclear power plants using coal, gas, fuel oil, radioactive substances. Almost all transport (road, rail) runs on fossil fuel energy. The basis of the building materials industry is rocks. In addition, minerals are necessary for modern agriculture.
Mineral fertilizers are widely used: potassium salts, phosphate raw materials, limestones, dolomites.
The demand for minerals is constantly growing, and the extraction of mineral raw materials is increasing. IN natural conditions Mineral deposits are formed over many thousands and millions of years, and they are usually developed over decades. This forces us to use mineral resources with utmost frugality and to the fullest extent possible. Sometimes it is possible to restore reserves of certain minerals (say, soluble salts). But for now the main task subsoil protection - rational exploitation of underground resources, careful and most complete, comprehensive use of them.
The study of minerals, the discovery of new deposits is very difficult task. It is solved on the basis of complex theoretical research, use modern technology, economic calculations, scientifically based forecasts. Various specialists are involved in this matter.
To discover mineral deposits, you need specialized knowledge, carrying out complex, technically complex geological exploration work. And yet local historians can discover, or even more so study, deposits of certain minerals. First of all, local building materials (limestones, gravel and pebbles, coarse sands, rubble stones) and raw materials for local crafts (pure quartz sands, clays, etc.), as well as peat, bog ores, etc. Very interesting and important task- compile a collection of minerals in the area, indicating their properties and ways of use. Mineral resources may also include some industrial waste, such as slag used in construction.
It should be remembered that it is not always possible to correctly determine (by eye) the signs of a possible mineral deposit. For example, an oily film on the surface of a swamp is usually not associated with oil at all, and a single piece of ore can be brought from afar.
Finally, sometimes there are ancient wells, mines, and faces where our distant ancestors once mined minerals. These excavations sometimes contain stone tools or remains of iron tools. Such finds are extremely interesting for a local historian, but, of course, are rare. Ancient mine workings are found in Central Asia, in the Caucasus, Urals, Ukraine, western Belarus.
Think about the phrase “minerals”. "Fossils" means we're talking about about something that is extracted from the bowels of the earth. It can be solid (for example, it can be a mineral), but it can be liquid and even gaseous. “Useful” means that we are talking about something necessary for people, something that brings benefits.
Everything seems to be clear. But there is a subtlety here associated with understanding what exactly appears to a person useful. Many centuries passed before our distant ancestors began to realize the usefulness of the stone picked up on the river bank and learned to process this find of theirs. Over the centuries, man's understanding of what a rich storehouse lies beneath his feet has grown. By by and large there are no “unuseful” minerals. In fact, everything that is in the earth's crust can become useful to humans. If not today, then in the future.
And here a very difficult problem arises. By extracting all kinds of minerals from the depths of the earth, people deplete these subsoils, disrupt the geological structure of the subsoil, and overload the earth's surface with both mineral processing products and waste generated during processing. It is clear that this ecological problem is becoming more and more aggravated as the extraction of minerals increases and the range of minerals that people include in the category of “useful” expands.
Fossil fuels
You can probably guess which fossils are classified as fuels. This peat, brown and hard coals, oil, natural gases, oil shale. However, the term “flammable” is not very appropriate. It suggests that these fossils are used only as fuel. Fuel for industrial enterprises, power plants, various engines, etc. This is true, but not the whole truth. So-called fossil fuels are widely used for many other purposes, especially in the chemical industry. This is especially true for oil. It is often said that “to drown with oil is the same as to drown with banknotes.”
Peat, brown coals, and oil shale formed on the site of lakes, which over time turned first into swamps and then into plains (the so-called lake plains). The remains of plants and other organisms were deposited at the bottom of the lake over many years. All this gradually rotted and turned into the so-called sapropel.“Sapros” means “rotten” in Greek, and “pelos” means “dirt.” So sapropel is “dirt” from the rotted remains of living organisms. Gradually, as the lake turned into swamp, and the swamp into a lake plain, sapropels became peat bogs or turned into brown coals or oil shale. By the way, oil shale is also called sapropelites.
Note that the processes of formation of combustible minerals from sapro-pels are very complex processes, which also require considerable time. Peat bogs, for example, take thousands of years to form. This, by the way, should be remembered by all lovers of swamp drainage. The first deposits of oil shale were formed in the Proterozoic - they are more than a billion years old. About 40% of all oil shale was formed during the Paleozoic era.
As for coal, almost all of its layers were formed 350-250 million years ago - in the Carboniferous and Permian periods Paleozoic In those days, the Earth was covered with lush thickets of giant tree ferns, mosses, and horsetails. The soil did not have time to “digest” all this woody mass. When the trees died, they fell into the water, were covered with sand and clay and did not decompose (rot), but gradually turned into coal. Take a piece of coal in your hands and imagine that in front of you is an “alien” from a time that ended approximately 300 million years ago.
The origin of coal, peat, and oil shale is quite well understood today. This, however, cannot be said about oil. About five thousand years ago, residents of the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates (where the states of Iraq and Kuwait are now located) noticed fountains of dark oily liquid erupting from the ground, which burned well. They named it "nafata", which means "erupting" in Arabic. And now millennia have passed, but there are still discussions about the origin of “nafata”.
There are two main hypotheses. According to one hypothesis, oil was formed organic by way, i.e. from the remains of plants and animals that lived many millions of years ago (similar to how peat, coal, and oil shale were formed). According to another hypothesis, oil has inorganic origin.
The organic hypothesis of the origin of oil was once put forward by the famous Russian scientist Mikhail Vasilievich Lomonosov(1711 - 1765). In his work “On the Layers of the Earth,” he wrote about oil: “It is expelled by underground heat from the preparations hard coals This brown and black oily matter protrudes into various crevices and cavities, dry and wet, filled with water...”
In 1919, Russian academician Nikolai Dmitrievich Zelinsky(1861-1953) performed double distillation of sapropel taken from Lake Balkhash and obtained gasoline. Scientists have now established that organic compounds are indeed capable of turning into oil and that this occurs best at temperatures of 100-200 °C. But these are the temperatures that are characteristic of depths of 3-5 km, which are considered the main zone of oil formation. Then how deep with higher temperature belongs to the zone of formation of natural gases.
One version of the inorganic hypothesis of the origin of oil involves the formation of oil at great depths from igneous rocks. For the first time such an assumption was made in 1805 by a German naturalist. Alexander Humboldt. While traveling around South America he watched as oil oozed from such rocks. In 1877, the famous Russian scientist Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev (1834-1907) spoke in favor of the mineral origin of oil in the depths of the earth. And today, some scientists continue to defend the “magmatic version” of the formation of oil at great depths in the earth’s mantle, where, with sufficient high temperatures carbon and hydrogen form various hydrocarbon compounds.
Disputes about the origin of oil continue to this day. It is suggested that there are different types oils of different origins.
Metal ores
Surely you've heard about ferrous metals And non-ferrous metals. I hope you understand that “ferrous metals” do not have to be black in color. This is the name of the metals used in the smelting of cast iron and steel. These are silver-white (not at all black!) iron, manganese, titanium, vanadium, and also bluish-gray chromium. And the so-called non-ferrous metals are silver-white aluminum, tin, nickel, silver, platinum, zinc, red copper, yellow gold, bluish gray lead and a number of other metals.
Most metals were formed in deep igneous rocks. They rose to the earth's surface along with molten magma, which, when solidified, created hills and mountain ranges in the form of intrusive igneous rocks (mainly in the form of granites). Then natural influences (sun, water, air) destroyed the mountains, and metal deposits appeared in sedimentary rocks.
One should not think that when they talk about the formation of metals and their deposits, then we are certainly talking about metals in their pure, native form. Some metals, as you know, actually occur in this form. However, metals are extracted mainly from the corresponding metal ores. So deposits of metals are, as a rule, deposits of corresponding ores. No wonder metal mining is called mining production.
Among the ores gland need to mark magnetic iron ore (magnetite), red iron ore (hematite) And brown iron ore (limonite). Magnetite got its name due to its magnetic properties. This ore is the richest in iron (up to 70%). But hematite, the most common iron ore in the earth’s crust, is of greater importance for ferrous metallurgy. Her chemical composition: Its 2 0 3 plus impurities of manganese (up to 17%), aluminum (up to 14%), titanium (up to 11%). Large deposits of hematite are located in Ukraine in the Krivoy Rog region and in Russia in Kursk region(the so-called Kursk magnetic anomaly).
Aluminum obtained mainly from bauxite ores, which contain alumina, silica, iron oxides. Alumina is aluminum oxide (A1 2 0 3); its content in bauxite reaches 70%. In addition to bauxite, raw materials for the production of aluminum also serve nephelines - gray and reddish minerals of the silicate class (KMa 3 [A18Yu 4] 4) and alunites- minerals of the sulfate class (KA1 3 2). Alunite ores are used to produce not only aluminum, but also sulfuric acid, vanadium, and gallium. Let us also note kaolin- clay
white, raw materials for the production of aluminum, porcelain, earthenware. It contains the mineral kaolinite (A1 4).
The most important copper ore - red-yellow chalcopyrite, or copper pyrite (CiGe8 2). To obtain copper, dark, copper-red is also used. bornite(Ci 5 Ge8 4). The main titanium ores are rutile(TYU 2) and ilmenite, or titanium iron ore (the name “iron ore” is explained by its chemical formula: HeTYu 3). Mined in limestone rocks lead ore galena, or lead sheen (Pb8). Next we note tin ore cassiterite, or tin stone (8p0 2), zinc ore sphalerite, or zinc blende (2p8), copper-red nickel ore nickel(SHAZ), red poisonous mercury ore cinnabar(H&8).
I hope you understand that all these names, and especially chemical formulas, do not need to be specially memorized. They are presented here, as they say, for the sake of completeness. In addition, it won’t hurt to gradually get used to chemical formulas. Moreover, if they are examined not in a chemical laboratory, but directly in nature.
All fossils are divided into many groups and subgroups based on different criteria. Each group accordingly has its own value for National economy. Economic potential A country’s production largely depends on the amount of different types of minerals and the country’s ability to wisely manage, sell or process them. It is important to know what types of minerals there are and at least several criteria for their classification.
Main groups of minerals
The wealth of the earth's interior is so huge and diverse that the classification may be unrealistic to remember, so it is worth highlighting three main groups of the mineral resources section:
- metal ores;
- combustible underground fossils;
- construction minerals.
Metal ores
Most large group In the list of what types of minerals there are, metal ores are occupied. This group is unique in its diversity: it consists of various types of ore, which necessarily includes metal, including gold, silver, zinc, iron and copper. Naturally, each ore contains different quantities metal, therefore they divide ores into poor and rich.
Iron ore is one of the most important sources of iron. Rich iron ore contains huge quantities this substance and its extraction is very profitable. This ore is the basis for steel production. Its deposits are found mainly among volcanic rocks, due to eruptions and movement tectonic plates new iron ore deposits are being formed.
Nickel ore, the mining and processing of which is also an important part of the national economy. Nickel mining is necessary because it is widely used for the production of stainless, heat-resistant steels.
Combustible minerals
Everything is simple here, this is for everyone famous oil and gas. Their deposits are often located under water, the Caspian Sea is especially rich in oil. These minerals are used by humans on the largest scale, and although in our globe There are many oil and gas deposits, scientists are already actively looking for an alternative, since in a few decades humanity risks exhausting all earthly reserves. Combustible minerals also include peat, hard coal and brown coal. Coal is actively used for the operation of power plants.
Construction minerals
The group is very diverse in its composition and is no less important than the previous two. This includes cheap limestone-shell rock, which has been the main building material for many centuries, and expensive granite and marble (the cost of rare varieties of the latter can be fabulous). This also includes clay and sand. Clay is a material that people have been using for thousands of years; it was from the remains of clay household items that scientists studied ancient civilizations.
It is impossible to learn what types of minerals there are without mentioning gemstones. They are mined all over the world, and the number of gems that humanity uses both in jewelry and in other industries is immeasurable.
Minerals – video
Sedimentary minerals most typical for platforms, since the platform cover is located there. These are mainly non-metallic minerals and fuels, the leading role among which is played by gas, oil, coal, and oil shale. They were formed from the remains of plants and animals accumulated in the coastal parts of shallow seas and in lake-marsh land conditions. These abundant organic remains could accumulate only in sufficiently humid and warm conditions favorable for lush development. In hot dry conditions in shallow seas and coastal lagoons, there was an accumulation of salts used as raw materials in.
Mining
There are several ways mining. Firstly, this open method, in which rocks are mined in quarries. It is more economically beneficial, as it helps to obtain a cheaper product. However, an abandoned quarry can cause a wide net to form. The mine method of coal mining requires large expenditures and is therefore more expensive. The cheapest method of oil production is flowing, when oil rises through a well under oil gases. The pumping method of extraction is also common. There are also special ways mining. They are called geotechnological. With their help, ore is mined from the depths of the Earth. This is done by pumping hot water and solutions into the layers containing the necessary minerals. Other wells pump out the resulting solution and separate the valuable component.
The need for minerals is constantly growing, the extraction of mineral raw materials is increasing, but minerals are exhaustible Natural resources, therefore it is necessary to spend them more economically and fully.
There are several ways to do this:
- reducing losses of minerals during their extraction;
- more complete extraction of all useful components from the rock;
- integrated use of mineral resources;
- search for new, more promising deposits.
Thus, the main direction in the use of minerals in the coming years should not be an increase in the volume of their production, but a more rational use.
At modern searches mineral resources must be used not only the latest technology and sensitive instruments, but also a scientific forecast for the search for deposits, which helps to conduct targeted exploration of subsoil on a scientific basis. It was thanks to such methods that diamond deposits in Yakutia were first scientifically predicted and then discovered. A scientific forecast is based on knowledge of the connections and conditions for the formation of minerals.
Brief description of the main minerals
The hardest of all minerals. Its composition is pure carbon. It is found in placers and as inclusions in rocks. Diamonds are colorless, but they are also found in various colors. A cut diamond is called a diamond. Its weight is usually measured in carats (1 carat = 0.2 g). The largest diamond was found in Yuzhnaya: it weighed more than 3,000 carats. Most diamonds are mined in Africa (98% of production in the capitalist world). In Russia large deposits diamonds are located in Yakutia. Clear crystals are used to make gemstones. Before 1430, diamonds were considered common gemstones. The trendsetter for them was the Frenchwoman Agnes Sorel. Due to their hardness, opaque diamonds are used industrially for cutting and engraving, as well as for polishing glass and stone.
Soft malleable metal yellow color, heavy, does not oxidize in air. Found in nature mainly in pure form(nuggets). The largest nugget, weighing 69.7 kg, was found in Australia.
Gold is also found in the form of placers - this is the result of weathering and erosion of the deposit, when grains of gold are released and carried away, forming placers. Gold is used in the production of precision instruments and various jewelry. In Russia, gold lies on and in. Abroad - in Canada, South Africa, . Since in nature gold is found in small quantities and its extraction is associated with high costs, then it is considered a precious metal.
Platinum(from Spanish plata - silver) - a precious metal from white to steel-gray color. It is characterized by refractoriness, resistance to chemical influences and electrical conductivity. It is mined mainly from placers. It is used for the manufacture of chemical glassware, in electrical engineering, jewelry and dentistry. In Russia, platinum is mined in the Urals and in Eastern Siberia. Abroad - in South Africa.
Gems (gems) - mineral bodies with beautiful color, brilliance, hardness, and transparency. They are divided into two groups: stones used for cutting and semi-precious stones. The first group includes diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald, amethyst, and aquamarine. The second group includes malachite, jasper, and rock crystal. All precious stones, as a rule, are of igneous origin. However, pearls, amber, and coral are minerals of organic origin. Precious stones are used in jewelry and for technical purposes.
Tuffs- rocks of various origins. Calcareous tuff is a porous rock formed by the precipitation of calcium carbonate from sources. This tuff is used to produce cement and lime. Volcanic tuff - cemented. Tuffs are used as construction material. Has different colors.
Mica- rocks that have the ability to split into thin layers with a smooth surface; found as impurities in sedimentary rocks. Various micas are used as a good electrical insulator, for the manufacture of windows in metallurgical furnaces, and in the electrical and radio industries. In Russia, mica is mined in Eastern Siberia, in. Industrial development of mica deposits is carried out in Ukraine, the USA, .
Marble- crystalline rock formed as a result of limestone metamorphism. It comes in various colors. Marble is used as a building material for wall cladding, architecture and sculpture. In Russia there are many of its deposits in the Urals and the Caucasus. Abroad, the most famous marble is mined in.
Asbestos(Greek: inextinguishable) - a group of fibrous, fireproof rocks that split into soft greenish-yellow or almost white fibers. It occurs in the form of veins (a vein is a mineral body that fills a crack in the earth’s crust, usually has a slab-like shape, extending vertically to great depths. The length of the veins reaches two or more kilometers), among igneous and sedimentary rocks. It is used for the manufacture of special fabrics (fire insulation), tarpaulins, fire-resistant roofing materials, as well as thermal insulation materials. In Russia, asbestos mining is carried out in the Urals, in, and abroad - in and other countries.
Asphalt(resin) - a brittle, resinous rock of brown or black color, which is a mixture of hydrocarbons. Asphalt melts easily, burns with a smoky flame, and is a product of changes in certain types of oil, from which some of the substances have evaporated. Asphalt often penetrates sandstones, limestones, and marl. It is used as a building material for road surfaces, in electrical engineering and the rubber industry, for the preparation of varnishes and mixtures for waterproofing. The main asphalt deposits in Russia are the Ukhta region, abroad - in, in France,.
Apatity- minerals rich in phosphorus salts, green, gray and other colors; found among various igneous rocks, in some places forming large accumulations. Apatites are mainly used for the production of phosphate fertilizers, they are also used in the ceramics industry. In Russia, the largest deposits of apatite are located in, on. Abroad, they are mined in the Republic of South Africa.
Phosphorites- sedimentary rocks rich in phosphorus compounds, which form grains in the rock or bind various minerals together dense rock. The color of phosphorites is dark gray. They, like apatites, are used to produce phosphate fertilizers. In Russia, phosphorite deposits are common in the Moscow and Kirov regions. Abroad, they are mined in the USA (Florida Peninsula) and.
Aluminum ores- minerals and rocks used to produce aluminum. Main aluminum ores- these are bauxites, nephelines and alunites.
Bauxite(the name comes from the area of Beau in the south of France) - sedimentary rocks of red or Brown. 1/3 of the world's reserves lie in the north, and the country is one of the leading countries in their production. In Russia, bauxite is mined in. The main component of bauxite is aluminum oxide.
Alunites(the name comes from the word alun - alum (French) - minerals that contain aluminum, potassium and other inclusions. Alunite ore can be a raw material for the production of not only aluminum, but also potash fertilizers and sulfuric acid. Alunite deposits are in the USA , China, Ukraine, and other countries.
Nephelines(the name comes from the Greek "nephele", which means cloud) - minerals complex composition, gray or green, containing a significant amount of aluminum. They are part of igneous rocks. In Russia, nephelines are mined in and in Eastern Siberia. Aluminum obtained from these ores is a soft metal, produces strong alloys, and is widely used in the production of household goods.
Iron ores- natural mineral accumulations containing iron. They are varied in mineralogical composition, the amount of iron in them and various impurities. Impurities can be valuable (manganese chromium, cobalt, nickel) and harmful (sulfur, phosphorus, arsenic). The main ones are brown iron ore, red iron ore, and magnetic iron ore.
Brown iron ore, or limonite, is a mixture of several minerals containing iron with an admixture of clay substances. It has a brown, yellow-brown or black color. It is most often found in sedimentary rocks. If ore brown iron ore- one of the most common iron ores - have an iron content of at least 30%, then they are considered industrial. The main deposits are in Russia (Ural, Lipetsk), Ukraine (), France (Lorraine), on.
Hematite, or hematite, is a red-brown to black mineral containing up to 65% iron.
Found in various rocks in the form of crystals and thin plates. Sometimes it forms clusters in the form of hard or earthy masses of a bright red color. The main deposits of red iron ore are in Russia (KMA), Ukraine (Krivoy Rog), USA, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Canada, Sweden.
Magnetic iron ore, or magnetite, is a black mineral containing 50-60% iron. This is high quality iron ore. Composed of iron and oxygen, highly magnetic. It occurs in the form of crystals, inclusions and solid masses. The main deposits are in Russia (Ural, KMA, Siberia), Ukraine (Krivoy Rog), Sweden and the USA.
Manganese ores- mineral compounds containing manganese, the main property of which is to give steel and cast iron malleability and hardness. Modern metallurgy is unthinkable without manganese: a special alloy is smelted - ferromanganese, containing up to 80% manganese, which is used to smelt high-quality steel. In addition, manganese is necessary for the growth and development of animals and is a microfertilizer. The main ore deposits are located in Ukraine (Nikolskoye), India, Brazil and the Republic of South Africa.
Tin ores- numerous minerals containing tin. Tin ores with a tin content of 1-2% or more are being developed. These ores require beneficiation - increasing the valuable component and separating waste rock, so ores are used for smelting, the tin content of which has been increased to 55%. Tin does not oxidize, which is why it is widely used in the canning industry. In Russia, tin ores are found in Eastern Siberia and on, and abroad they are mined in Indonesia, on the peninsula.
Nickel ores- mineral compounds containing nickel. It does not oxidize in air. The addition of nickel to steels greatly increases their elasticity. Pure nickel is used in mechanical engineering. In Russia it is mined at Kola Peninsula, in the Urals, in Eastern Siberia; abroad - in Canada, in Brazil.
Uranium-radium ores- mineral accumulations containing uranium. Radium is a product of the radioactive decay of uranium. The radium content in uranium ores is negligible - up to 300 mg per 1 ton of ore. have great importance, since the nuclear fission of each gram of uranium can produce 2 million times more energy than burning 1 gram of fuel, so they are used as fuel in nuclear power plants to generate cheap electricity. Uranium-radium ores are mined in Russia, the USA, China, Canada, Congo, and other countries of the world.
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