Mineral reserves in the world. What is coal
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 the well under petroleum 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 downloading hot water, solutions into 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, so it is necessary to use them more economically and fully.
There are several ways to do this:
- reducing losses of minerals during their extraction;
- more complete extraction from the rock of all useful components;
- 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 diamond deposits 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 gems, as a rule, are of igneous origin. However, pearls, amber, coral are minerals 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 fibers of greenish-yellow or almost white. It occurs in the form of veins (a vein is a mineral body that fills a crack in earth's crust, usually has a plate-like shape, going 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 widespread 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, 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 the ores of 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.
It is 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.
I would be grateful if you share this article on social networks:
The 24/7 Wall Street website conducted detailed analysis 10 countries with the largest and most valuable natural resources on Earth. Using estimates of each country's total reserves and the market value of these resources, the 10 countries that have the most valuable reserves were identified natural resources.
Some of these resources, including uranium, silver, and phosphates, are not as valuable as others due to low demand or due to their rarity. However, in the case of oil, natural gas, timber, coal, these natural resources can be worth tens of trillions of dollars, because the demand for them is high and these resources are relatively abundant.
1. Russia
Total resource value: $75.7 trillion.
Oil reserves (value): 60 billion barrels ($7.08 trillion)
Natural gas reserves (value): 1.680 trillion. cubic feet ($19 trillion)
Timber reserves (value): 1.95 billion acres ($28.4 trillion)
When it comes to natural resources, Russia is richest country in the world. It leads among all countries in the world in terms of natural gas and timber reserves. Huge size country is both its blessing and its curse, since the construction of pipelines for gas transportation, as well as railways transportation of wood costs incredible sums.
In addition to having such large reserves of gas and timber, Russia has the second largest coal deposits in the world and the third largest gold deposits. In addition, it has the second largest deposits of rare earth minerals, although they are not currently mined.
2. United States
Total resource value: $45 trillion
Natural gas reserves (value): 272.5 trillion. cube m ($3.1 trillion)
Timber reserves (value): 750 million acres ($10.9 trillion)
The United States has 31.2% of the world's proven coal reserves. They are valued at 30 trillion dollars. Today they are the most valuable reserves on earth. The country has about 750 million acres forest plantations, which are worth about $11 trillion. Timber and coal together are worth approximately 89% of the total value of the country's natural resources. The US is also among the top five countries with global reserves of copper, gold and natural gas.
3. Saudi Arabia
Total resource value: $34.4 trillion
Oil reserves (value): 266.7 billion barrels ($31.5 trillion)
Natural gas reserves (value): 258.5 trillion. cubic meters ($2.9 trillion)
Saudi Arabia owns about 20% of the world's oil, the largest share of any country. All of the country's significant resources are in carbon - oil or gas. The Kingdom has the fifth largest natural gas reserves in the world. As these resources dwindle, Saudi Arabia will eventually lose its high position on this list. However, this will not happen for several decades.
Total resource value: $33.2 trillion
Oil reserves (value): 178.1 billion barrels ($21 trillion)
Timber reserves (value): 775 million acres ($11.3 trillion)
Before the discovery of oil sands deposits, Canada's total mineral reserves likely would have kept it out of this list. The oil sands added about 150 billion barrels to Canada's oil supply in 2009 and 2010. The country also produces a decent amount of phosphate, although its phosphate rock deposits are not among the top 10 in the world. In addition, Canada has the world's second largest proven uranium reserves and the third largest timber reserves.
Total resource value: $27.3 trillion.
Oil reserves (value): 136.2 billion barrels ($16.1 trillion)
Natural gas reserves (value): 991600000000000 cubic meters. m ($11.2 trillion)
Wood reserves (value): not in the top 10
Iran shares with Qatar a giant gas field in Persian Gulf South Pars/North Dome. The country has about 16% of the world's natural gas reserves. Iran also has the third largest proven amount of oil in the world. This is more than 10% of the world's oil reserves. IN this moment The country is experiencing problems in realizing its resources due to its alienation from international markets.
Total resource value: $23 trillion.
Oil reserves (value): not in the top 10
Natural gas reserves (value): not in the top 10
Timber reserves (value): 450 million acres ($6.5 trillion)
China's resource value is based largely on its reserves of coal and rare earth minerals. China has significant coal reserves, accounting for more than 13% of total number in the world. Recently, shale gas deposits were discovered here. Once assessed, China's status as a leader in natural resources will only improve.
7. Brazil
Total resource value: $21.8 trillion.
Oil reserves (value): not in the top 10
Natural gas reserves (value): not in the top 10
Timber reserves (value): 1.2 billion acres ($17.5 trillion)
Significant reserves of gold and uranium largely contributed to its place on this list. Brazil also owns 17% of the world's iron ore. The most valuable natural resource, however, is wood. The country owns 12.3% of the world's timber reserves, valued at $17.45 trillion. To ensure consistency and accuracy of the study, recently discovered offshore oil reserves have not been included in this report. According to preliminary estimates, the field may contain 44 billion barrels of oil.
8. Australia
Total resource value: $19.9 trillion.
Oil reserves (value): not in the top 10
Natural gas reserves (value): not in the top 10
Timber reserves (value): 369 million acres ($5.3 trillion)
Australia's natural wealth lies in its a huge number timber, coal, copper and iron. The country is in the top three in terms of general reserves seven resources on this list. Australia has the largest reserves of gold in the world, with 14.3% of the world's reserves. It also supplies 46% of the world's uranium. In addition, the country has significant natural gas reserves offshore its northwest coast, which it shares with Indonesia.
Total resource value: $15.9 trillion. Z
Oil reserves (value): 115 billion barrels ($13.6 trillion)
Natural gas reserves (value): 111.9 trillion. cube ft ($1.3 trillion)
Wood reserves (value): not in the top 10
Iraq's greatest wealth is oil - 115 billion barrels of proven reserves. This represents almost 9% of the world's total oil. Despite being relatively easy to produce, most of these reserves remain untapped due to political differences between the central government and the Kurdistan Region over ownership of the oil. Iraq also has one of the most significant phosphate rock reserves in the world, worth more than $1.1 trillion. However, these deposits have not been fully developed.
10. Venezuela
Total resource value: $14.3 trillion.
Oil reserves (value): 99.4 billion barrels ($11.7 trillion)
Natural gas reserves (value): 170.9 cubic meters ft ($1.9 trillion)
Wood reserves (value): not in the top 10
Venezuela is one of the 10 largest resource holders in terms of iron, natural gas and oil. Natural gas reserves in this South American country rank eighth in the world and amount to 179.9 cubic meters. lbs. These reserves represent just over 2.7% of global reserves. In Venezuela, according to experts, there are 99 billion barrels of oil, which is 7.4% of the total reserves in the world.
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 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 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.
Let us note that the processes of formation of fossil fuels from sapropel are very complex processes that 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: “This brown and black oily matter is expelled by underground heat from the preparing coals and appears in 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 of the variants of the inorganic hypothesis of the origin of oil assumes the formation of oil on 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 went up to earth's surface together 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 higher value for ferrous metallurgy, hematite is the most common iron ore in the earth's crust. 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 material 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.
The mineral resource base is the main wealth of Russia, on the solution of whose problems many issues of the economy and welfare of society depend. Russia meets its domestic needs for most types of raw materials and has significant export capabilities.
Minerals
Russia has the world's most powerful potential of mineral resources, occupying one of the first places on the planet in terms of explored reserves of the most important minerals. In particular, our country is one of the world leaders in reserves of such mineral resources as coal, iron ore, potassium salts and phosphorus raw materials. Here, Russia's share in world reserves is at least 30%. Per capita natural resource potential Russia's potential is 2-2.5 times greater than that of the United States.
Mineral raw materials extracted from the subsoil and their processed products provide 65-70% of Russia's foreign exchange earnings and account for 30-35% of its GDP. Oil and natural gas- the basis of the country’s fuel and energy balance and raw material exports. There are oil and gas fields in 37 constituent entities of the Russian Federation. In terms of oil and gas reserves and their production, the West Siberian (50-75%) and Volga-Ural oil and gas provinces (including the Volga-Ural and Timan-Pechora oil and gas regions) stand out especially. The most large reserves oil is concentrated in the central part Western Siberia(Samotlor, etc.), gas - in its northern regions ( New Urengoy, Yamburg, etc.). There are oil reserves on Sakhalin and in the Ciscaucasia. Proven oil reserves - 51.22 billion barrels (2002; almost 5% of world production, 7th place in the world), production - 7.286 million barrels per day (2001; almost 10% of world production, 3rd place in the world) world after Saudi Arabia and USA). Proven reserves of natural gas - 47.86 trillion m3 (2002, almost 32% of world production, 1st place in the world), production - 580.8 billion m3 (2001, almost 23% of world production, 1st place in the world). Russia has unique coal resources various types, which are estimated at 4 trillion tons, but most of them lie mainly in uninhabited areas of Siberia and the Far East. In terms of coal reserves, the Tunguska and Lena basins are distinguished. About 75% of Russian coal is mined in Siberia, with about 40% coming from the Kuznetsk basin (Kuzbass), which is famous for high-quality coal (balance sheet reserves - 114.3 million tons). In Siberia, production is also carried out in the Kansko-Achinsk, Cheremkhovo (Irkutsk region), South Yakutsk and some other, less significant basins. In the European part of the country, suppliers of hard coal are the eastern Donbass and the Pechora basin (Vorkuta, etc.). The Kansk-Achinsky, Lensky and Moscow region basins are distinguished by brown coal reserves.
Russia is one of the five world leaders in iron ore mining (along with China, Brazil, Australia and Ukraine). The world's largest iron ore deposits are located in the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly (KMA) region. Only three KMA iron ore mines provide more than 45% of the total volume of ore mined in Russia. Smaller iron ore deposits are scattered throughout the country: they are on the Kola Peninsula, Karelia, the Urals, the Angara region, South Yakutia and other areas. More scarce (after the loss of Ukraine, Kazakhstan, etc.) minerals include manganese, chromium and uranium ores.
Security certain types non-ferrous and rare metals are estimated at currently how stable. Non-ferrous and rare metals are contained in complex ores, their share in the total volume of ores is often insignificant, and when extracting them they are used complex technologies. Russia has reserves of various non-ferrous and rare metals. The Urals are distinguished by titanomagnetite ores and bauxites, which are also found in the north of the Russian Plain and in the mountains of southern Siberia. Copper ores found in the North Caucasus, Middle and Southern Urals, in Eastern Siberia (Stanovoye Highlands). Copper-nickel ores are mined in the Norilsk ore district, which plays special role in the country's economy and on the Kola Peninsula.
The main feature of Russian copper-nickel deposits is their enrichment in precious and platinum group metals, gold, silver and rare metals - selenium, tellurium. There are deposits of lead-zinc ores in the North Caucasus, Transbaikalia and the Far East, tin in Yakutia, the Magadan region, Chukotka, Khabarovsk and Primorsky territories, tungsten and molybdenum in the North Caucasus, Transbaikalia and the Far East.
Gold-bearing subsoil of Yakutia, Kolyma, Chukotka, mountains Southern Siberia. Murmansk region famous for its deposits of apatite-nepheline ores. Phosphorites are mined in a number of central regions the European part of Russia and the south of Central Siberia. The country is also rich in sulfur, mica, asbestos, graphite, and various precious, semiprecious and ornamental stones. There are especially many of them in the Urals, Altai, Transbaikalia and the Kola Peninsula. Table salt is mined in the Caspian region, the Urals, the Altai Territory and the Baikal region.
Diamond is the hardest of all natural materials. Diamonds vary in color, from colorless to dark gray. 80-85% of diamonds are mined from placers. In Russia, diamonds were first discovered in the Middle Urals, then in Yakutia and later in the Arkhangelsk region. The most beautiful and valuable diamonds are kept in the Diamond Fund of Russia. Products made from precious and semi-precious stones are also stored there. The Urals are richest in them, where emeralds, malachites, jasper, aquamarines, rock crystal, alexandrite, topazes, and amethysts are found. Altai jasper, Sayan jade, and Baikal lapis lazuli are also known. Natural resources extracted from the depths of our country constitute important Russian exports. 30-40% of produced gas, more than 2/3 of oil, 90% of copper and tin, 65% of zinc, and almost all raw materials for the production of phosphate and potash fertilizers are sent abroad.
Russia's mineral resources are currently the main pillar of its struggling economy. Οʜᴎ are exported to the developed countries Europe, Japan, etc.
Posted on ref.rf
and to rapidly developing China. Minerals are non-renewable natural resources. Reasonable use of mineral resources is achieved by reducing losses during their extraction and processing, more complete extraction of all useful components contained in them, and integrated use of resources.
Reserves natural resources are distributed very unevenly throughout the country, most of them are in Siberia, which is rightfully considered the main storehouse of the country. About a third of all mineral resources in Russia are located in Western Siberia, and about a quarter in Eastern Siberia. Most of mineral resources are concentrated in the harshest, least developed zone, which is also remote from the base production capacity. For this reason, the main problem of developing Russia's mineral wealth is related to the high cost of their extraction and problems of transportation to consumers. It is no coincidence that mineral resources make up almost half of all cargo transported by rail and by water transport countries.
Exceptional underground wealth is concentrated in the depths of our Motherland. Russia occupies one of the leading places in terms of the number of deposits and production of minerals. What mineral resources contained in the bowels of our country?
Minerals of Russia
In the territory Russian Federation There are about 200 thousand deposits, and the total value of all underground resources is $30 trillion. Our most important underground resources are oil, natural gas, coal, iron, cobalt, and potassium salts. Russia has 60% of the world's gas reserves, 30% of coal, 20% of oil.
Rice. 1. Largest deposits Russia.
Despite huge reserves minerals, there may be even more of them. Indeed, in the geological sphere, the territory of Russia is poorly studied. Thus, the area of Eastern Siberia, where many deposits are located, has been studied only 4%.
Deposits of Russia
In the crystalline foundation of the platforms lie iron ores(Kola Peninsula), oil and gas deposits are located in sedimentary covers (Volga-Ural basin, West Siberian plate). The largest deposits of hard and brown coal are located in the Vorkuta region, in the Donetsk basin, Kuzbass, Tunguska, Lensk, Kansk-Achinsk basins.
Rice. 2. Kansk-Achinsk basin.
Iron ores occur in the area of the Kursk magnetic anomaly, the Aldan shield, the Angaro-Pitsky and Angaro-Ilimsky regions, nickel ores - on the Kola Peninsula, and polymetallic ores - near Norilsk.
Rich in ore minerals mountainous areas. Here are deposits of non-ferrous and rare metal ores: copper (Ural, Transbaikalia), lead, zinc ( North Caucasus, Primorsky Krai, Altai), tin (Far East, Eastern Siberia), bauxite ( Northern Urals, Krasnoyarsk region).
There are gold deposits in Eastern Siberia, Yakutia, and the north of the Far East, and platinum deposits in the Urals.
In the west of Yakutia there is a deposit of diamonds, on the Kola Peninsula - apatites, in the Volga region and in the Urals - potassium salts, and in the Far East - graphite.
Rice. 3. Diamond deposits in Yakutia.
Table “Our underground wealth”
Name | Properties | Place of Birth |
Oil | Dark flammable liquid | Samotlorskoye, Fedorovskoye, Romashkinskoye fields |
Coal | hard, but at the same time fragile; has black color | Donetsk basin, Kuzbass, Tunguska, Lenin and Kansk-Achinsk basins |
Natural gas | flammable and explosive | Urengoy, Yamburg, Leningradskoye, Rusanovskoye fields |
Cobalt | metal similar to iron, but darker | Murmansk region, Ural, Norilsk |
Iron ore | It has dark color, as well as the ability to attract metal objects | Region of the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly, Aldan Shield, Kola Peninsula |
Russia ranks first in the world in the production of diamonds, oil and natural gas
What have we learned?
Russia - huge country, in the depths of which is hidden a large number of natural resources. Our country produces ore, coal, oil, metals, precious stones and much more. In many sectors of the extractive industry, Russia is in first place (oil, gas production).
Evaluation of the report
Average rating: 4.6. Total ratings received: 19.