Our country occupies one of the first places in the world in terms of reserves of many minerals (and first in terms of reserves). In the case of the ancient platform, there are various minerals of sedimentary origin. Limestone, glass and construction sand, chalk, gypsum and others are mined on the Central Russian and Volga Uplands. and oil is produced in the basin (Komi Republic). There are in (to the west and south of Moscow) and (including phosphorites).

They are confined to the crystalline foundation of ancient platforms. Their reserves are especially large in the area of ​​the Kursk magnetic anomaly, where high-quality ore is mined in quarries.

A variety of ores are confined to the shield. These are (in the Murmansk region - Olenegorskoe and Kovdorskoe, and in - Kostomukshskoe), copper-nickel ores (in the Murmansk region - Monchegorskoe). There are also deposits of non-metallic minerals - apatite-nepheline ores (near Kirovsk).

It still remains one of the important iron ore regions of Russia, although its reserves are already heavily depleted. Siberia and are rich in iron ores.

Deposits of copper ores are concentrated mainly in the Urals, on (copper ores), as well as in the mountains of southern Siberia. In the area of ​​development of deposits of copper-nickel ores, as well as cobalt, platinum and other metals in the north, a large city of the Arctic - Norilsk has grown.

Siberia and the Far East are exceptionally rich in ore and non-ore regions of the Russian Federation.

The granite intrusions of the Aldan shield are associated with reserves of gold (placer deposits in the basins of the Vitim and Aldan rivers) and iron ores, mica, asbestos and a number of rare metals.

Industrial diamond mining is organized in Yakutia. Tin ores are represented in the Yanek Highlands, in the Pevek region, in the Kolyma Highlands, in the Far East (Dalnegorsk). Polymetallic ores are widely represented (Dalnegorsk, Nerchinsk deposits, etc.), copper-lead-zinc ores (at Rudny), etc.

Deposits of non-ferrous metals are also found in the Sadonskoye lead-pink deposit (Republic of North Ossetia) and tungsten-molybdenum in Tyrnyauz (Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria).

Of the deposits and areas of distribution of raw materials for (non-metallic) it should be noted: Kingisepp in the Leningrad region and Vyatka-Kama in the Kirov region (phosphorites), in lakes Elton, Baskunchak and Kulundinskoye, as well as in Usolye-Sibirskoye (table salt), Verkhnekamskoye deposit - Solikamsk, Berezniki (potash salt) and others.

In the 1940s, oil and gas fields and the Cis-Urals began to be developed (Romashkinskoye, Arlanskoye, Tuimazinskoye, Buguruslanskoye, Ishimbayskoye, Mukhanovskoye, etc.), and then the deposits of the Timan-Pechora oil and gas province in the northeast of European Russia (Usinskoye, Pashninskoye , gas condensate - Voyvozhskoye, Vuktylskoye). It was only in the 1960s that the deposits of the West Siberian Basin, which is now the largest region of oil and gas production in Russia, began to be quickly developed.

The largest gas fields of Russia (Yamburgskoye, Urengoyskoye, Medvezhye, Balakhninskoye, Kharasaveyskoye, etc.) are concentrated in the north of Western Siberia (Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District), and oil fields (Samotlorskoye , Megionskoye, Ust-Balykskoye, Surgutskoye and other deposits). From here, oil and gas are supplied through pipelines to other regions of Russia, neighboring countries, as well as to states.

There is also oil in Yakutia, it is being produced on the island of Sakhalin.

In recent years, new fields have been discovered in the Russian Federation: natural gas on the shelf (Shtokmanovskoye), gas condensate - on the shelf (Leningradskoye), oil - on the shelf of the Pechora Bay, etc.

In Russia there are almost all types of minerals.

In the world there is hardly such a huge space with a flat relief as the West Siberian Plain. Minerals deposited in this territory were discovered in 1960. Since then, this natural pantry has been of particular value to our state.

The age of the rocks of the West Siberian Plain indicates the presence of a huge amount of resources in them. The development of the northernmost deposits requires additional time and effort. Today, due to the huge area of ​​swampy swamps in such an area as the West Siberian Plain, minerals are mined at the cost of considerable effort.

Location

The West Siberian Plain is located within the boundaries of the epihercynian plate. It is located on the Asian mainland and occupies almost the entire part of Western Siberia, starting from the Ural Mountains and ending

The regions of Russia and Kazakhstan are located on this plain. The total area of ​​this area exceeds three million kilometers. The distance from north to south is two and a half thousand, and from east to west - one thousand nine hundred kilometers.

Description of the West Siberian Plain

This area is a surface with a slightly rugged relief, diluted with minor fluctuations in relative heights. All this leads to a clear zonality of the landscape.

Description of the West Siberian Plain gives an idea of ​​the characteristics of the area. The northern part of the territory is dominated by tundra, and the steppe extends to the south. Due to the fact that the plain is poorly drained, a large part of it is occupied by swampy terrain and swampy forests. The total area of ​​such complexes is more than one hundred and twenty-eight million hectares. Due to geographical features, the climate is changeable.

Plain structure

The structure of the West Siberian Plain is heterogeneous. At great depths are Paleozoic rocks, which are covered with Meso-Cenozoic deposits. The Mesozoic suites represent marine as well as continental deposits of organic matter.

The structure of the West Siberian Plain indicates repeated changes in climate conditions and the regime of precipitation accumulation on this plate. This was facilitated by its omission at the beginning of the Mesozoic period.

Gray clay, mudstones, glauconite sandstones represent Paleogene deposits. Their accumulation took place at the very bottom of the Paleogene Sea, which, in turn, connected the Arctic Basin with the seas of Central Asia by lowering the Turgai Strait. Subsequently, in the middle of the Oligocene, this sea left the limits of Western Siberia. In this regard, the Upper Paleogene deposits represent sandy-argillaceous continental facies.

Enormous changes in the nature of the accumulation of sedimentary deposits occur in the Neogene. A rock has been formed that rises in the southern side of the plain and consists of continental deposits of rivers and lakes. Their formation took place in the condition of a small dissection of the plain, which was covered with subtropical vegetation, then with broad-leaved deciduous forests. In some places it was possible to meet the territories of the savannas inhabited by giraffes, hipparions, camels.

The process of formation of minerals

The location of the West Siberian Plain suggests the presence of a folded basement of Paleozoic deposits. These deposits are covered by a cover of loose marine and continental Mesozoic-Cenozoic rocks (clay, sandstone, etc.). This gives reason to assume that in some places the age of the rocks of the West Siberian Plain reaches one billion years or more.

As a result of slab subsidence, organic matter accumulated in shallow lakes, which later turned out to be conserved under sedimentary rocks. As a result of pressure and exposure to hot temperatures, the formation of minerals began. The resulting substances moved to the sides with the lowest pressure. As a result of these processes, oil flowed from a submerged to an uplifted state, and gas compounds rose along the edges of the field basins. Above the places of the highest elevations of the basins there is a sedimentary rock - clay.

Available resources

Thanks to the work of geologists in such a territory as the West Siberian Plain, the minerals discovered in this area have become a powerful base for the development of Western Siberia. There are deposits of such resources as natural gas, brown coal, oil.

A large amount of oil is being produced at the developed wells in Western Siberia. Soft sedimentary rocks are easy to drill. One of the richest and highest quality is the West Siberian Plain. Minerals have been mined here for more than fifty years. The largest basin is the West Siberian oil and gas basin. Within the boundaries of the Khanty-Mansiysk syneclise, as well as the Krasnoselsky, Salymsky and Surgutsky regions, in the Bazhenov formation, there are the largest shale oil reserves in our country. They are mined at a depth of two kilometers.

The cuff of loose deposits encloses the horizon of underground fresh and mineralized waters. There are also hot springs, the temperature of which varies from one hundred to one hundred and fifty degrees.

West Siberian Plain: minerals (table)

Thus, the structure of the West Siberian Plain indicates the solid age of the rocks of this territory and the presence of rich mineral deposits. Despite this, there is a problem of gas and oil development. It lies in difficult natural conditions. The life and work of people in the northern part is greatly complicated by severe frost and hurricane winds. The soil in the north is covered with permafrost, so construction is not an easy task. In the summer, the number of blood-sucking insects increases, which create difficulties for workers.

Instead of a conclusion

To date, the issue of protection and rational use of the resources of Western Siberia remains relevant. Predatory destruction of the surrounding nature can lead to disastrous consequences. It must be borne in mind that everything in the natural system is interconnected, and therefore it is necessary to strive not to violate its harmony.

Good afternoon my reader. Today I will tell you about the largest mineral deposits in the world and separately in our country. And to begin with, I will remind you what minerals are.

Minerals throughout the world are considered to be organic and mineral formations located in the earth's crust, the composition and properties of which can be effectively used by the national economy.

One of the varieties of natural resources are mineral resources - rocks and minerals used in the mineral resource base of the world economy.

Today the world economy uses over 200 types of ore, fuel and energy and mineral resources.

In the distant past, our Earth has experienced numerous natural disasters, one of which was volcanic eruptions. Hot magma from the vent of the volcano spilled over the surface of our planet and then cooled, flowing into deep crevices, where it crystallized over time.

Magmatic activity was most pronounced in areas of seismically active zones, where useful resources were formed over a long time of the development of the earth's crust, which are distributed relatively evenly throughout the planet. The main continents of distribution of raw materials are South and North America, Eurasia and Africa, Asia and Australia.

As you know, different metals have different melting points, and the composition and location of accumulations of ore minerals depend on temperature.

The placement of these deposits had its own specific patterns, depending on the geological features and weather factors:

1. the time of the appearance of the earth,
2. structure of the earth's crust
3. type and terrain,
4. shape, size and geological structure of the territory,
5. climatic conditions,
6. weather phenomena,
7. water balance.

Areas where minerals are located are characterized by a closed area where local mineral deposits are concentrated and are called basins. They are characterized by the commonality of rock formations, a single process of accumulation of sediments in the tectonic structure.

Large accumulations of minerals that are of industrial importance are called deposits, and their closely spaced, closed groups are called pools.

Types of resources of our planet

The main resources on our planet are found on all continents - South and North America, Africa and Eurasia, Australia and Asia, they are not distributed evenly and therefore their set is different in different territories.

The world industry requires more and more raw materials and energy every year, so geologists do not stop their search for new deposits for a minute, and scientists and industry experts develop modern technologies for the extraction and processing of extracted raw materials.

This raw material is already mined not only, but also at the bottom of the seas and coastal areas of the oceans, in hard-to-reach areas of the earth, and even in permafrost conditions.

The presence of explored reserves over time required specialists in this industry to account for and classify them, so all minerals were divided according to their physical properties into: solid, liquid and gaseous.

Examples of solid minerals are marble and granite, coal and peat, as well as ores of various metals. Accordingly, liquid - mineral water and oil. As well as gaseous - methane and helium, as well as various gases.

According to their origin, all fossils were divided into sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic.

Igneous fossils are attributed to places of surface or close occurrence from the surface of the outcrop of the crystalline basement of the platforms, during the period of activity of tectonic processes.

Sedimentary fossils have been formed over many centuries and millennia from the remains of ancient plants and animals, and are used mainly as fuel.

Fuel mineral resources form the largest oil and gas and coal basins. Metamorphic fossils were formed as a result of the change in sedimentary and igneous rocks due to changes in physico-chemical conditions.
According to the scope of use for combustible, ore and non-metallic, where precious and ornamental stones were designated as a separate group.

Fossil fuels are natural gas and oil, coal and peat. Ore minerals are mountain ore rocks, which contain metal components. Non-metallic minerals are rocks of substances that do not contain metals - limestone and clay, sulfur and sand, various salts and apatites.

Availability of general mineral resources

For industrial development, not all explored mineral deposits, due to their unfavorable and hard-to-reach conditions, could be mined by mankind, therefore, in the world ranking for the extraction of natural raw materials reserves, each country fills its own specific place.

Every year, mining engineers and geologists continue to discover new reserves of underground resources, which is why the leading positions of individual states change from year to year.

So it is believed that Russia is the richest country in the world in terms of production of natural resources, namely, 1/3 of the world's natural gas reserves are located here.

The largest gas field in Russia is Urengoyskoye and Yamburgskoye, which is why our country ranks first in the world ranking for this raw material. In terms of reserves and production of tungsten, Russia is in second place.

Our largest pools of coal are located not only in the Urals, but also in Eastern Siberia, the Far East and Central Russia, therefore, in terms of coal, Russia is in third place in the world ranking. In fourth place - in gold, in seventh - in oil.

The main gas and oil fields on the continents are located in piedmont troughs and depressions, but the world's largest deposits of this raw material are located on the seabed of the continental shelf. So in Africa and Australia, large reserves of oil and gas were found in the shelf zone of the mainland coast.

Latin America has huge reserves of non-ferrous and rare metals, so this country ranks first in the world in terms of this natural raw material. In North America, there are the largest coal basins, so these natural resources have brought this country to the first place in the world in terms of its reserves.
The Chinese platform can be considered very promising in terms of oil reserves, where such fossil fuels as oil and gas have been used to light and heat human dwellings since the 4th century BC.

In foreign Asia, the richest in variety of minerals are concentrated, which was influenced by volcanic and seismic landforms, as well as the activity of permafrost, glaciers, wind and flowing waters.

Asia is famous throughout the world for its reserves of precious and semi-precious stones, so this continent is very rich in a variety of minerals.

The tectonic structure in the history of the geological development of such a continent as Eurasia determined the diversity of the terrain, which is why there are the richest world oil reserves in comparison with other countries.

Large reserves of ore minerals in Eurasia are associated with the basement of Mesozoic folding platforms.

In search of fuel and other raw materials, humanity is moving more and more confidently to where black gold and natural gas are mined at continental depths of over 3000 meters, because the bottom of this region of our planet has been little studied and definitely contains innumerable reserves of precious natural raw materials.

And that's all for today. I hope you liked my article about the largest mineral deposits in Russia and in the world, and you learned a lot of useful things from it. Maybe you also had to engage in amateur mining of some of them, write about it in your comments, it will be interesting for me to read about it. Allow me to say goodbye and see you again.

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The topic of the relief of Africa in geography is studied in the 7th grade. The relief of Africa is quite complex, although there are no high mountain ranges and lowlands. Basically, the mainland is dominated by plains, the average height of which is from 200 to 1000 meters (above sea level).

Relief types

The African plains were formed in different ways. Some were formed due to the destruction of the mountains that existed here in the Precambrian era. Others were formed due to the rise of the African platform.

The African-Arabian platform, on which Africa stands, is also a relief-forming one for the Arabian Peninsula, the Seychelles and Madagascar.

In addition to the plains in Africa, there are also:

• plateaus ;
• hollows (the largest are located in the states of Chad and Congo);
• faults (It is on this continent that the largest fault in the earth's crust is located - East Africa, from the Red Sea to the mouth of the Zambezi River, through the Ethiopian Highlands).

Fig 1. Map of the relief of Africa

Relief characteristics by regions of Africa

Judging by the height map, all of Africa can be divided into two parts: South and North Africa and East and West Africa. There is one more conditional division: High and Low Africa.

The lower part is wider. It occupies up to 60% of the entire territory of the continent and is geographically located in the north, west and in the central part of the mainland. Peaks up to 1000 meters prevail here.

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High Africa is the south and east of the mainland. The average heights here are 1000 - 1500 meters. Here are the highest point, Kilimanjaro (5895) and slightly inferior to her Rwenzori and Kenya.

Figure 2. Mount Kilimanjaro

If we talk about the characteristics of the reliefs, then they can be briefly represented as follows.

In terms of average height, 750 meters above sea level, Africa ranks third in the world after Antarctica and Eurasia. So, Africa can rightly be considered one of the "highest" continents on the planet.

Relief and minerals of Africa

The minerals of Africa, due to its tectonic structure, are diverse. In addition, the deposits of some of them are the largest in the world.

Since serious tectonic activity took place in Africa at the dawn of its formation, there are a lot of igneous rocks that led to the formation of various ore minerals. These deposits are not deep, especially in South and East Africa, where the crystalline rocks lie close to the surface, so that they are mined in an open way.

The largest deposits are located in South Africa:

• gold;
• uranium;
• tin;
• tungsten;
• lead;
• zinc;
• copper.

North and West Africa is also rich in:

• coal;
• salts (of various types and properties);
• manganese;
• oil (the coast of the Gulf of Guinea; Algeria, Libya, Nigeria);
• natural gas;
• phosphorites;
• chromites;
• bosquitoes.

Deposits of cobalt, tin, antimony, lithium, asbestos, gold, platinum and platinoids were discovered here.

The richest country in Africa is South Africa. Almost all types of natural resources are mined here, with the exception of oil, natural gas and bauxite. There is especially a lot of coal in South Africa, and its deposits here are as superficial as possible, so the extraction of this natural resource does not cause difficulties.

Fig 3. Map of mineral resources of Africa

What minerals is Africa rich in yet? Naturally, diamonds, which are used not only for the manufacture of diamonds, but also in industry due to their exceptional hardness.

What have we learned?

The African relief is complex. Basically, it consists of plains, plateaus and highlands. There are very few lowlands, although there are faults and depressions.

Due to the fact that Africa once experienced the strongest tectonic activity, there are a large number of deposits of a wide variety of natural resources on the mainland.

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Before developing mineral deposits, they need to be found, identified, and evaluated. This is an exciting but not easy task. The bowels of our planet are fraught with huge reserves of minerals. Some of them lie near the surface of the Earth, while others - at great depths, under the thickness of "empty" rock. It is especially difficult to search for hidden deposits, even an experienced geologist can pass over them without noticing anything. And here science comes to the rescue. A geologist, starting a search, must have a clear idea of ​​what and where he will look for. Science theoretically substantiates the general direction of the search for deposits: it indicates in which areas, among which rocks, and by what signs, accumulations of minerals should be sought. When searching for deposits in a particular area, a geological map is of great help to a prospecting geologist. Scientists have developed various direct and indirect methods for prospecting and exploration of minerals. They will be discussed below.

Geological map.

A geological map gives a general idea of ​​the geological structure of the area where one or another mineral is being sought. It is compiled on the basis of materials from the survey of outcrops, i.e. outcrops of bedrock (for example, in ravines, gorges and along mountain slopes), as well as reference wells, from which rock samples are obtained from a depth of tens, hundreds and even thousands of meters.

The geological map shows which rocks and what age are in one place or another, in which direction they extend and sink to the depth. The map shows that some rocks are rare, while others stretch for tens and hundreds of kilometers. For example, the map indicates that granites occur in the central part of the Main Caucasian Range. There are many granites both in the Urals and in the Tien Shan. What does this tell the prospecting geologist? We already know that in the granites themselves and in igneous rocks similar to granites, one can find deposits of mica, rock crystal, lead, zinc, tin, tungsten, gold, silver, arsenic, antimony and mercury. And in dark-colored igneous rocks - dunites and peridotites - chromium, nickel, platinum, asbestos can be concentrated. Quite different minerals are associated with sedimentary rocks of different origin and age.

Geological maps of various scales have been compiled for the entire territory of the Soviet Union. In addition to the areas of distribution of various rocks, they distinguish folds, cracks and other areas in which ores can occur, as well as places where ore minerals are found. Based on these data, ore regions and larger areas are outlined - metallogenic provinces, in which signs of certain ores are established and their deposits can be found. In addition to the main maps, special forecast geological maps are compiled. Everything is put on them, even the smallest finds of minerals, as well as various indirect data that can suggest places where ore wealth accumulates.

By analyzing the forecast map, geologists outline the most promising areas for ore prospecting, to which expeditions are sent. A geological map is a faithful and reliable assistant to a prospecting geologist. With a geological map in hand, he confidently follows the route, because he knows where not only the rocks of interest to him, but also minerals can be found. Here, for example, is how the geological map helped in the search for diamond deposits in Siberia. Geologists knew that in Yakutia there are the same igneous rocks as the diamond-bearing rocks of South Africa - kimberlites. Mineral explorers concluded that diamonds can be found in Yakutia. But where to look for tiny diamonds in the impenetrable taiga? The task seemed fantastic. And here the geological map came to the rescue. According to it, it was established in which regions of the taiga there are rocks in which or near which diamonds can be found. Geologists persistently searched for diamonds in these areas - and finally found them. It is difficult to look for minerals not only in the taiga, but also in the steppe, where only feather grass and plowed virgin lands are visible. What's under them? Who knows? This is how the steppe looks like in Western Kazakhstan, in the area of ​​Aktobe. Now geologists know that a huge array of ultrabasic rocks lies under the steppe lands. From rare beams and logs, a few natural outcrops, they found out where dunites are located - varieties of ultrabasic rocks in which deposits of chromite ores usually occur, established and mapped the boundaries and shape of their massifs.

From the map, the geologist determines where the ore is most likely to be located. But even with a map in hand, it can be difficult for a prospecting geologist to search for deposits if they are completely covered by the soil layer, hidden under the taiga thicket or water column. In addition, lead-zinc ores or chromites occur in far from every discovered limestone massif. Search features come to the rescue, accumulated by many generations of subsoil explorers or established by science.