Mineral resources of the earth. Mineral resources

Topic "Geography of the world natural resources" is one of the central topics in the school geography course. What are natural resources? What types of them are distinguished, and how are they distributed throughout the planet? What factors determine geography? Read about this in the article.

What are natural resources?

The geography of the world's natural resources is extremely important for understanding the development of the world economy and the economies of individual states. This concept can be interpreted in different ways. In the broadest sense, this is the entire complex of natural benefits, necessary for a person. In a narrow sense, natural resources mean a set of goods of natural origin that can serve as sources for production.

Natural resources are not just used in economic activity. Without them, it is essentially impossible to exist. human society as such. One of the most important and current problems modern geographical science is the geography of world natural resources (10th grade of secondary school). Both geographers and economists study this issue.

Classification of the Earth's natural resources

The planet's natural resources are classified according to various criteria. Thus, they distinguish between exhaustible and inexhaustible resources, as well as partially renewable ones. According to the prospects for their use, natural resources are divided into industrial, agricultural, energy, recreational and tourist, etc.

According to genetic classification, natural resources include:

• mineral;
• land;
• aquatic;
• forest;
• biological (including resources of the World Ocean);
• energy;
• climatic;
• recreational.

Features of the planetary distribution of natural resources

What features does geography represent? How are they distributed across the planet?

It is immediately worth noting that the world's natural resources are distributed extremely unevenly between states. Thus, nature has endowed several countries (such as Russia, the USA or Australia) with a wide range of minerals. Others (for example, Japan or Moldova) have to be content with only two or three types of mineral raw materials.

As for consumption volumes, about 70% of the world's natural resources are used by the countries of the USA, Canada and Japan, where no more than nine percent of the world's population lives. But a group of developing countries, which account for about 60% of the world's population, consume only 15% of the planet's natural resources.

The geography of the world's natural resources is uneven not only in relation to minerals. In terms of forest, land, and water resources, countries and continents also differ greatly from each other. Yes, most fresh water The planet is concentrated in the glaciers of Antarctica and Greenland - regions with minimal population. At the same time, dozens of African states are experiencing acute

Such an uneven geography of the world's natural resources forces many countries to solve the problem of their shortage different ways. Some do this through active financing of geological exploration activities, others implement Newest technologies energy saving, reduce the material consumption of their production as much as possible.

World natural resources (mineral) and their distribution

Mineral raw materials are natural components (substances) that are used by humans in production or to generate electricity. Mineral resources have important for the economy of any state. Our planet's crust contains about two hundred minerals. 160 of them are actively mined by humans. Depending on the method and scope of use, mineral resources are divided into several types:

Perhaps the most important mineral resource today is oil. It is rightly called “black gold”; major wars were (and are still being) fought for it. Typically, oil occurs along with associated natural gas. The main regions for the extraction of these resources in the world are Alaska, Texas, the Middle East, and Mexico. Another fuel resource is coal (hard and brown). It is mined in many countries (more than 70).

Ore mineral resources include ores of ferrous, non-ferrous and precious metals. Geological deposits of these minerals often have a clear connection to the zones of crystalline shields - protrusions of the platform foundations.

Non-metallic mineral resources have completely different uses. Thus, granite and asbestos are used in the construction industry, potassium salts- in the production of fertilizers, graphite - in nuclear energy, etc. Below, the geography of the world's natural resources is presented in more detail. The table includes a list of the most important and sought-after minerals.

Mineral resource	Leading countries in its production
	Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, USA, Iran
Coal	USA, Russia, India, China, Australia
Oil shale	China, USA, Estonia, Sweden, Germany
Iron ore	Russia, China, Ukraine, Brazil, India
Manganese ore	China, Australia, South Africa, Ukraine, Gabon
Copper ores	Chile, USA, Peru, Zambia, DR Congo
Uranium ores	Australia, Kazakhstan, Canada, Niger, Namibia
Nickel ores	Canada, Russia, Australia, Philippines, New Caledonia
	Australia, Brazil, India, China, Guinea
	USA, South Africa, Canada, Russia, Australia
	South Africa, Australia, Russia, Namibia, Botswana
Phosphorites	USA, Tunisia, Morocco, Senegal, Iraq
	France, Greece, Norway, Germany, Ukraine
Potassium salt	Russia, Ukraine, Canada, Belarus, China
Native sulfur	USA, Mexico, Iraq, Ukraine, Poland

Land resources and their geography

Land resources are one of the most important resources of the planet and of any country in the world. This concept refers to the part of the Earth's surface suitable for life, construction and agriculture. The world land fund is about 13 billion hectares of area. It includes:

Different countries have different land resources. Some have vast expanses of free land at their disposal (Russia, Ukraine), while others experience an acute shortage of free space (Japan, Denmark). Agricultural land is extremely unevenly distributed: about 60% of the world's arable land is in Eurasia, while Australia has only 3%.

Water resources and their geography

Water is the most abundant and most important mineral on Earth. It was in it that earthly life originated, and it is water that is necessary for every living organism. Under water resources planets include all surface as well as The groundwater that are used by humans or may be used in the future. Fresh water is especially in demand. It is used in everyday life, in production and in the agricultural sector. The maximum reserves of fresh river flow fall in Asia and Latin America, and minimal ones - for Australia and Africa. Moreover, on one third of the world's landmass there is a problem with fresh water is particularly acute.

The richest countries in the world in terms of freshwater reserves include Brazil, Russia, Canada, China and the USA. But the five countries least supplied with fresh water look like this: Kuwait, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Jordan.

Forest resources and their geography

Forests are often called the “lungs” of our planet. And completely justified. After all, they play an important climate-forming, water-protection, and recreational role. TO forest resources include forests themselves, as well as all their useful qualities - protective, recreational, medicinal, etc.

According to statistics, about 25% of the earth's land is covered by forests. The bulk of them are in the so-called “northern forest belt,” which includes countries such as Russia, Canada, the USA, Sweden, and Finland.

The table below shows the countries that are leaders in terms of forest cover in their territories:

	Percentage of area covered by forests
French Guiana
Mozambique

Biological resources of the planet

Biological resources are all plant and animal organisms that are used by humans for various purposes. More in demand in modern world namely floristic resources. In total, there are about six thousand species of cultivated plants on the planet. However, only one hundred of them are widely distributed throughout the world. In addition to cultivated plants, people actively breed livestock and poultry, uses bacterial strains in agriculture and industry.

Biological resources are classified as renewable. Nevertheless, with their modern, sometimes predatory and ill-considered use, some of them are threatened with destruction.

Geography of the world's natural resources: environmental problems

Modern environmental management is characterized by a number of serious environmental problems. Active mining of minerals not only pollutes the atmosphere and soil, but also significantly alters the surface of our planet, changing some landscapes beyond recognition.

What words are associated with modern geography of world natural resources? Pollution, depletion, destruction... Unfortunately, it's true. Thousands of hectares of ancient forests disappear from the face of our planet every year. Poaching is destroying rare and endangered species of animals. Heavy industry pollutes soils with metals and other harmful substances.

There is an urgent need to change the concept of human behavior at a global level. natural environment. Otherwise, the future of world civilization will not look very bright.

The phenomenon of the “resource curse”

“The paradox of abundance”, or “the curse of raw materials”, is the name of a phenomenon in economics that was first formulated in 1993 by Richard Auty. The essence of this phenomenon is as follows: states with significant natural resource potential, as a rule, are characterized by low economic growth and development. In turn, countries “poor” in natural resources achieve great economic success.

There are indeed a lot of examples confirming this conclusion in the modern world. People first started talking about the “resource curse” of countries back in the 80s of the last century. Some researchers already traced this trend in their works.

Economists identify several main reasons explaining this phenomenon:

• lack of desire on the part of the authorities to carry out effective and necessary reforms;
• development of corruption based on “easy money”;
• a decrease in the competitiveness of other sectors of the economy that are not so heavily dependent on natural resources.

Conclusion

The geography of the world's natural resources is extremely uneven. This applies to almost all of their types - mineral, energy, land, water, forest.

Some states own large reserves of mineral resources, but the mineral resource potential of other countries is significantly limited to just a few types. True, an exceptional supply of natural resources does not always guarantee a high standard of living or the development of the economy of a particular state. A striking example of this are countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and others. This phenomenon has even received its name in economics - the “resource curse.”

Certain types of minerals

Oil and gas

In terms of oil reserves, the Russian Federation ranks fifth, and gas reserves - 1st in the world (). The country's total forecast oil resources are estimated at 62.7 billion tons. Most of these resources are concentrated in the eastern and northern regions countries, as well as on the shelves of the Arctic and Far Eastern seas. IN beginning of XXI century, from 2152 oil fields discovered in Russia, less than half are involved in development, and the reserves of exploited fields are depleted by an average of 45%. However, the initial potential of Russia's oil resources has been realized by about a third, and in the eastern regions even by Russian shelf- by no more than 10%, so it is possible to discover new large reserves of liquid hydrocarbons, including in Western Siberia.

Oil and gas deposits are found in sedimentary rocks from the Vendian to the Neogene, but the greatest hydrocarbon resources are concentrated in the Paleozoic (Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian) and Mesozoic (Jurassic, Cretaceous) sediments. On the territory The Russian Federation distinguishes the following oil and gas provinces: West Siberian, Timan-Pechora, Volga-Ural, Caspian, North Caucasus-Mangyshlak, Yenisei-Anabar, Leno-Tunguska, Leno-Vilyui, Okhotsk and oil and gas regions: Baltic, Anadyr, East Kamchatka .

Oil shale

Basic Shale deposits are located in the European part of the Russian Federation. The most important in industrial relation is the St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad) field, which is part of the Baltic shale basin. Oil shale deposits associated with Upper Jurassic rocks were also discovered in the Volga, Timan-Pechora and Vichegoda shale basins. In Siberia, shale formations of the Early Paleozoic were discovered in the basin of the city of Olenyok and in the Leno-Aldan region.

Peat

Carbonatite deposits - perovskite-titanomagnetite and apatite-magnetite deposits of the Baltic shield (Afrikanda, Kovdorsky) and the Siberian platform (Gulinsky massif). Skarn deposits are developed in the Urals (Vysokogorskoye, Goroblagodatskoye, North-Peschanskoye, etc.) and in the West. Siberia (Tashtagolskoye, Abakanskoye, etc.). Magnetite deposits of the magnesian-skarn formation are located mainly in areas of development of ancient shields and Precambrian folding. Such deposits are known in Kuznetsk Alatau (Teyskoe), in Gornaya Shoria (Sheregeshevskoe) and Yakutia (Taezhnoe). Widely developed volcanogenic hydrothermal deposits, paragenetically associated with traps Siberian platform(Angaro-Ilimsky iron ore basin, Angaro-Katsky, Seredneangarsky, Kansko-Taseevsky, Tungussky, Bakhtinsky and Ilimpesky iron ore districts). The largest deposits of this group are Korshunovskoye, Rudnogirskoye, Neryundinskoye and Tagarskoye. Ore bodies are impregnation zones, veins and sheet-like deposits. Volcanogenic-sedimentary deposits include the Tersinskaya group (Kuznetsk Alatau) and the Kholzunskoye deposit (Gorny Altai). Ocher oolitic ores from weathering crust deposits are represented in the deposits of the North. Urals (Elizavetinskoe, Serovskoe), South. Urals (Akkermanivskoe, Novokievskoe, Novopetropavlivskoe, etc.), to the North. Caucasus (Malkinskoye).

Manganese

Deposits of manganese ores in the territory. RFs are numerous, but small, predominantly of the carbonate type. The State Balance Sheet takes into account 14 deposits, the proven reserves of which amount to about 150 million tons - 2.7% of the world's reserves (). The quality of the ores is low. OK. 91% of reserves are of the carbonate type with low content and heavy dressing. The largest deposits are known in the Urals, Siberia and the Far East. The largest of them in the Urals are Yurkinskoe, Ekaterininskoe, Berezovskoe and others (carbonate ores), Novoberezovskoe, Polunochnoe (oxide ores). Rudy North Ural bass. characterized by a manganese content of approx. 21%. To the South In the Urals, numerous small deposits of oxidized manganese ores are associated with the volcanogenic-sedimentary formation of the Magnitogorsk synclinorium. The largest in Siberia is the Usinsk manganese deposit (Kemerovo region), which contains 65% of Russia's manganese ore reserves, ore mainly. carbonate. In addition, there are small accumulations of manganese on the Yenisei Ridge (Porozhinskoe deposit), Salair Ridge, Angara Ridge, and in the west. coast of the lake Baikal, in a number of regions of Siberia, Far East (group of the Lesser Khingan deposits), Irnimiyskoye deposit. in the Udskaya-Shantarsky district, in the North. Caucasus (Labinskoe). In Russia, the carbonate type of ore predominates with an average manganese content of 20% (more than 90% of Russian reserves). Oxide ores (with a content of 21%) make up 4.7%, oxidized (27% Mn) - 4.5%, mixed (16% Mn) - hundredths of a percent.

Tin

In terms of explored reserves of tin, the Russian Federation occupies one of the leading places in the world. In terms of tin resources, Russia ranks sixth among the countries of the world (after Brazil, China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand) - 7.6% of the world's resources (3.6 million tons). The basis of the mineral resource base of tin in Russia is made up of Mesozoic primary deposits of vein and stockwork ores (over 86% of explored reserves of the metal), reserves of alluvial deposits account for less than 14%. Almost 95% of all Russian reserves of explored deposits are concentrated in the Far Eastern region, including 41% in Yakutia, 20% each in the Khabarovsk Territory and Magadan region, 13% - in the Primorsky Territory. Primary deposits of cassiterite-silicate (tourmaline and chlorite) geological-industrial type located in Yakutia are of leading industrial importance. Thus, the main deposits are associated with the Pacific ore belt and zones of Mesozoic activation in the East. Transbaikalia. The deposits are presented in the main cassiterite-sulfide and cassiterite-quartz ores. The largest deposits tin deposits are known in Yakutia (Deputatskoye, E.-Khaiskoye, Alis-Khaiskoye, Ilin-Taskaya, Burgochanskoye, Kesterskoye), in Chukotka (Iultinskoye, Valkumeyskoye, Pirkakaysky tin ore cluster), in the Khabarovsk Territory (Solnechnoye, Festivalnoye, Perevalnoye and other deposits . Komsomolsky ore district), in the Primorsky Territory (Khrustalnoye, Verkhneye, Arsenyevskoye, Levitskoye, Dubrovskoye), in Transbaikalia (Khapcheranginskoye, Sherlovogorskoye, Etikinskoye, etc.), in Karelia (Kitelskoye). There are tin-bearing placers in Yakutia and the Magadan region. The metal content in Russian ores is low - mainly 0.4-0.6%, while in the ores of Brazil, Bolivia, China - (1-1.5)%.

Polymetals

Silver

According to Russian sources, Russia ranks first in the world in terms of silver reserves. The main ones (73%) are concentrated in complex ores of deposits of non-ferrous metals and gold. Silver deposits themselves account for 27% of the reserves. Among the complex deposits, the largest amount of silver (23.2% of all its reserves) is characterized by copper-pyrite deposits (Gaiskoye, Uzelskoye, Podolskoye in the Urals, in the ores of which the silver content ranges from 4-5 to 10-30 g/t). The lead-zinc deposits of Gorevsky, Ozernoy, Kholodninsky in the East Siberian economic region, Nikolaevsky, Smirnovsky and Primorye contain 15.8% of silver reserves with an average content in ores of 43 g / t. 9.0-9.5% of reserves are contained in polymetallic deposits ores Novoshirokinskoye, Pokrovskoye, Vozdvizhenskoye in the Chita region, Rubtsovsk, Korbalikhinskoye in the Altai Territory, etc., sulfide copper-nickel deposits Oktyabrskoye, Talnakhskoye and Udokan deposits of cuprous sandstones. The silver content in this group of deposits ranges from 4.5 to 20 g/t. The actual silver deposits include 16 deposits, the ores of which have an average silver content exceeding 400 g/t. The main reserves of actual silver ores (about 98%) are located in the Okhotsk region. Chukotka and East Sikhote-Alin volcanic belts. All prom. deposits of silver ores are post-magmatic and belong to volcanic-hydrothermal formations. The deposit of the silver-gold formation is Khakanjinsk in the Okhotsk-Chukotka volcanic region. belt, silver-lead formation - Mangazeya group of silver-polymetallic deposits of Yakutia.

Platinoids

Russia, based on estimates from the US Geological Survey, accounts for 10.7% of the world's reserves of platinum group metals and 8.1% of platinum. In terms of predicted resources, Russia ranks third in the world - 6-10 thousand tons (after South Africa - 15-25 thousand tons, and the USA - 9-10 thousand tons; in the world total - 40-60 thousand tons). Metal deposits platinum group(PG) are represented by late magmatic bedrock and placer types. The platinum belt of the Urals includes the late magmatic Nizhny Tagil deposit. Eluvial, deluvial and alluvial placers of platinum group metals are known. Among them are industrial Late Quaternary alluvial placers of the Urals (mostly already mined) are important. Platinum and platinum group metals are also recovered along the way from sulfide copper-nickel ores of magmatic deposits. In the Murmansk region there is the country's largest deposit of low-sulfide ores in terms of palladium and platinum reserves, Fedorovo-Panskoye.

Antimony

In terms of antimony resources (8% of the world), Russia ranks third among the countries of the world (after China and Tajikistan). In terms of antimony reserves, the Russian Federation is ahead of all CIS countries. The antimony content in gold-stibium ores is high - up to 18-20% (in other countries from 1-1.5 to 5-10%). Antimony is localized mainly in vein-type hydrothermal deposits on the Yenisei Ridge (Razdolninskoye and Udereyskoye) and in Yakutia (Sarilah, Sentachanskoye).

Hydrothermal deposits of mercury ores are common in the North. Caucasus (Perevalnoye, Sakhalinskoye, Belokamenny, etc.), in Kuznetsk Alatau (Biloosipivskoye), in the Altai Mountains (Chagan-Uzunskoye, Aktashskoye), in Tuva (Chazadirskoye, Terlig-Khainskoye), in Chukotka (Zap.-Palyanskoye and Plamennoye) , on the Koryak Highlands (Tamvatneyskoye, Olyutorskoye, Lyapganaiskoye, etc.), on the Kamchatka Peninsula (Chempurinskoye, etc.), on the island. Sakhalin (Svetlovsky).

Ores of rare metals and elements

In the Russian Federation on the Kola Peninsula, in the foothills of the Caucasus, in the Urals, in Siberia and Far East There are known deposits, ore occurrences and zones of mineralization of various genetic types. A high tantalum content was noted in tantalum-bearing pegmatites of Eastern Siberia. According to various sources, the forecast beryllium resources in Russia amount to about a third of the world (that is, about 650 thousand tons), most of them are concentrated in Eastern Siberia (Buryatia, Khabarovsk Territory). Elevated concentrations germanium is found in iron ores and coal. Russia ranks 2nd among countries in the world in terms of predicted niobium resources (after Brazil). Russia has a unique Tomtorskoye deposit, which accounts for about 58% of the total reserves of niobium pentoxide in the world. 100% of Russian tantalum is currently mined from loparite ores of the Lovozero deposit. More than 50% of Russian reserves of lithium, rubidium and cesium are concentrated in rare-metal pegmatites of the central part of the Kola Peninsula.

Mining chemical raw materials

Mining chemical raw materials of the Russian Federation are represented by deposits barite, phosphate ores, potassium, potassium-magnesium and rock salts, sodium sulfate and natural soda, native sulfur, boron ores, etc. Stratiform barite and barite-containing polymetallic deposits are located in the Polar Urals, in the West. Siberia, Khakassia. Prom. deposits of boron raw materials are represented by endogenous and exogenous types - for example, deposits in Primorye. The largest actual barite deposit in Russia is Khoylinskoye in the Polar Urals, 95 km south of Vorkuta. The total reserves of the deposit in 2000 reach 9.2 million tons. The BaSO 4 content in the ore is 85.44%. Barite ore bodies of the deposits are sheet deposits and lenses localized in the Middle and Upper Devonian flyschoid terrigenous-carbonate-siliceous strata. The main reserves of the Khoylinsky deposit are concentrated in three ore bodies: Western (average thickness 3.5 m), Central (6.4 m) and Eastern (15 m). The deposit can be developed by open-pit mining with virtually no opening.

Russia is rich potassium salts The main deposits are of the sulfate-free (chloride) type. Approximately 95% of confirmed reserves of potassium salts are found in one deposit - the Verkhnekamsk salt-bearing basin in the Perm region. The main potassium minerals are sylvite and carnallite. Potassium salts are mined at depths of 250-350 m using the mine method. The average K 2 O content in ores is significantly lower than in Canadian deposits, about 17%. There are also deposits associated with salt-dome structures (for example, Elton). The Nepa-Gazhensky potassium basin in the Irkutsk region is promising.

Potassium salt

Fluorite.

Sedimentary deposits rock salt There are plastic and lens ones (Usolskoye, Ziminskoye in Eastern Siberia). Among the lake deposits, the largest are Eltonskoye, Baskunchak in the Caspian region, Kuchukskoye Lake, about. Kulundinskoe, Ebeity and other lakes in the West. Siberia. Sources sulfur are indigenous deposits of native sulfur, hydrogen sulfide gases (Orenburg and Astrakhan deposits), sulfur oil, sulfur pyrite (pyrite) and polymetallic ores. In addition, sulfur is present in volcanogenic genera. D. East: in Kamchatka (Maletoivayamskoe) and in the Kuril Islands (Novy).

Non-metallic industrial raw materials

The subsoil of the Russian Federation is rich in various types of these raw materials (asbestos, graphite, mica, etc.). Place of Birth asbestos are represented by various genetic and mineralogical types, but a large industrial. Accumulations of chrysotile asbestos are important. To the number most means. deposits belong to Bazhenovskoye and Krasnouralskoye in the Urals, Kiembayskoye in the South. Urals, Aktovrak, Sayanskoe and Ilchirskoe in the Sayans and Molodezhnoe in Transbaikalia.

Nya graphite known in the Urals, in the East. Siberia and the D. East. The predominant part of the deposits belongs to the metamorphic and metamorphogenic type (Taiginskoe and others in the Urals, Noginskoe, Kureyskoe, Soyuznoe, etc. in Eastern Siberia and the Far East). Botogol deposit in the Eastern Sayan Mountains, confined to the nepheline massif. igneous. The largest deposits with crystalline ores are Taiginskoye in the Urals, Bezymyanoye in Irkutsk region, and with amorphous ones - Kureyskoye and Noginskoye in the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

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 are contained in the depths 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 wealth is oil, natural gas, coal, iron, cobalt, potassium salts. Russia has 60% of the world's gas reserves, 30% of coal, 20% of oil.

Rice. 1. The largest deposits in Russia.

Despite the huge reserves of minerals, there may be even more. 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

Iron ores lie in the crystalline foundation of the platforms (Kola Peninsula), and 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.

Mountain areas are rich in ore minerals. Here are deposits of non-ferrous and rare metal ores: copper (Ural, Transbaikalia), lead, zinc (North Caucasus, Primorsky Territory, Altai), tin (Far East, Eastern Siberia), bauxite (Northern Urals, Krasnoyarsk Territory).

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 is a huge country, in the depths of which there is hidden a large number of natural resources. Our country produces ore, coal, oil, metals, gems 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.

Instructions

Minerals are rocks, minerals used in the sphere of material production, in the national economy. Currently, about 250 types of minerals are known. They are divided into:
- combustibles (coal, oil, natural gas, peat, oil shale);
- ore (ores of ferrous and non-ferrous metals);
- non-metallic (clay, limestone, various salts);
- stone-colored raw materials (jasper, agate, onyx, chalcedony, jade);
- (diamond, emerald, sapphire, ruby);
- hydromineral (underground and mineral water);
- mining chemical raw materials (apatites, barites, borates)

Minerals, by the will of man, are transformed into the most necessary things that provide safety, heat, transport, and food. They are needed everywhere in the modern world. Almost all of it is produced at stations operating on coal, gas, fuel oil, and radioactive substances. Most transport runs on fossil fuel energy.

The basis of the construction industry is rocks. Ferrous and metallurgy also operates entirely on mineral raw materials, as does industry, where its share reaches 75%. Most metals are used as structural metals (ferrous, alloying, non-ferrous), in mechanical engineering, and in electronics. Ornamental stones, such as jasper and ruby, are used in jewelry. Diamond, due to its hardness and strength, is used for cutting hard materials, and when cut it is a diamond. The mountain mineral apatite is necessary for the production of phosphate fertilizers. Transparent barite crystals are used in optical instruments.

The mineral reserves of the earth's interior are not limitless. And although the process of formation and accumulation of natural resources never stops, the pace of this restoration is completely incommensurate with the rate of use of the earth's resources.

Sources:

• Minerals

Minerals are natural mineral formations of inorganic and organic origin used in the field of material production. Currently, more than 200 types of mineral resources are mined.

Classification of minerals

There are several classifications of mineral resources. According to their physical properties, solid mineral formations are distinguished (various ores, coal, granite, salts), liquid (oil, water) and gaseous (gases, methane, helium).

Based on their origin, minerals are divided into sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous.

Based on the scope of use, a distinction is made between combustible resources (natural gas, coal, peat, oil), ore resources (rock ores) and nonmetallic resources (sand, clay, limestone, sulfur, potassium salts). Precious and ornamental stones are a separate group.

Mining

Modern searches for mineral resources are based not only on the use the latest technology and sensitive instruments, but also on scientific forecasts. A scientific forecast is based on knowledge of the connections between the geological structure and the conditions for the formation of minerals.

There are several ways to extract mineral resources. At open method rocks are mined in . This is a cost-effective method, but not an environmentally friendly method, since abandoned careers can cause education. Using the open-pit method, fossils located on the surface of the earth or lying shallow in the subsoil. Typically these are limestone, sand, chalk, peat, iron and copper ores, and some types of coal.

Solid minerals located at great depths are mined using underground mines. Most often this is how coal is obtained. The mine method is considered the most unsafe for the lives of workers.

Liquid and gaseous minerals (oil, groundwater, natural gas) are extracted using boreholes, sometimes using mines. A number of fields use a combination of extraction methods. The choice of method is determined mainly by the geological conditions of the occurrence of minerals and economic calculations.

New methods of extracting mineral resources are constantly being developed. But we must not forget that minerals are exhaustible, so it is necessary to spend them more economically and wisely.

To do this, we need to strive to reduce the loss of resources during their extraction, achieve a more complete extraction of all beneficial properties, pay more attention to the search for new, more promising deposits.

Related article

A huge amount of minerals have been found in Siberia, the deposits of which were formed as a result of various geological processes. The diversity of mineral resources is explained by the vast territory and complex history of the formation of this section of the earth's crust.

Hard and brown coal

Coal in most cases occurs in places where tectonic plates deflect. Two huge coal basins were found in Siberia: Lensky and Tunguska. Coal reserves in the first are 2,600 billion tons, and in the second, according to scientists, slightly less - approximately 1,750 billion tons.

In total, about 80% of Russia's coal reserves are located in Siberia. On this moment A minority of all coal deposits have been developed, since mining is impossible in some basins due to the harsh natural conditions of Siberia.

Non-metallic fossils

Typically, Siberia's fossil resources include oil and natural gas. Oil fields in Siberia began to be developed recently. Thus, in the last few decades, the Markov oil field was discovered. Gas production is carried out in the Taas-Tumus field.

Western Siberia, in particular the Khanty-Mansi and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrugs, produce more than 90% of all natural gas produced in Russia and about 75% of crude oil.

In addition to oil and gas, non-metallic minerals of Siberia include rock salt. Basically, salt deposits are located at the bottom of ancient seas. For example, salt mining is carried out in Yakutia, near rivers such as the Lena and Vilyuya.

Diamonds

The first diamonds in Siberia were found in late XIX century. These minerals are located in places with increased volcanic activity. At first, diamantaires were not interested in them due to their small size. But in the 30s of the 20th century, Soviet geologist Alexander Burov discovered a fragment of a large stone, which made it possible to conclude that Siberia is diamond-bearing.

Large diamond deposits in Siberia have been discovered quite recently. In recent years, diamond mining has begun in Yakutia, in the basins of the Vilyuya and Olenyoka rivers.

Iron ores

There are huge deposits of iron ore in Siberia. The deposits of these minerals are among the most ancient. In this region you can find ores of metals such as tin, platinum, nickel, and mercury.

Gold

The gold reserves of Siberia have been known for several centuries. And gold mining has been going on for a very long time. The largest reserves of the metal are located in the Allah-Yun, Yan, Aldan, and Bodaibo regions.

When people begin to think about how much is made from, they are struck by the vast range of uses of this oily substance. It would seem that you poured gasoline into the car tank, bought motor oil - this limits the scope of its use. But many everyday things: lipstick, nylon stockings and even an aspirin tablet are made from oil.

Instructions

Oil is just organic matter, which is a host of molecules, by changing the structure of which, you can get an object with completely different characteristics. Just as diamonds are made from graphite under high temperatures and pressure, raw materials for fuel are also the basis for the production of cosmetics, household items, clothing and even food. Chewing gum has not been made from natural resins for a long time; it can only be found in pharmacies. Its main components are petroleum polymers. It is in vain that people who use chewing gum and throw it away on the street believe that any food will gradually dissolve. Chewing gum does not apply regular food and can lie on the ground for years in the form of a dense lump.

There is no need to be afraid that paraffin and other components of lipstick are petroleum derivatives, because they are the ones that have replaced the harmful components that were once present in this women's accessory. Eye shadows, corrective pencils for eyes and lips, nail polish - all these cosmetics contain a piece of natural substance. And housewives cannot imagine their lives without one more product - plastic, because the housings of household appliances are made from it, and plastic bags help carry heavy purchases from the store.

A complex chain of chemical transformations even makes it possible to obtain aspirin, an unsurpassed remedy for headaches and other types of pain, as well as a number of salicylic acids that are part of anti-tuberculosis and antibacterial drugs. Aniline, isolated from nitrobenzene, helped take a step forward in the fight against microorganisms. Diseases can be treated not only from the inside, but also from the outside - for this, doctors use prostheses made of medical plastic.

Women who study clothing labels have noticed that many items contain polyester, and some are 100% made from this synthetic material. Externally, it is similar to viscose and therefore is well suited for sewing dresses and blouses, as well as linings for jackets. Polyester clothing does not wrinkle and is durable, just like nylon tights. Petroleum products are found in abundance in the kitchen in the form of plastic utensils and furniture, and in the nursery - as dolls, tumblers, cubes and other toys. We can’t talk about their harmfulness or allergenicity, because absolutely all the food that is on store shelves is packaged with polyethylene, and some medications with the inclusion of oil derivatives successfully help get rid of allergies.

Video on the topic

Gravel is one of the most inexpensive and popular building materials. It is mined in open quarries and has many undeniable advantages. In order not to confuse gravel with crushed stone, you need to know the difference between these stones.

Instructions

Gravel is fragments of rock. These are mainly granites, sandstones, limestones and diabases. Gravel is mined by open-pit mining in sand and gravel deposits. These stones come in different sizes and are an inexpensive and sought-after building material. They are used as a filler in the preparation of concrete, in road construction, and for paving paths and areas in private households. After extracting the sand and gravel mixture, the sand is sifted out and the stones are sorted into the most popular fractions. In the construction of buildings and roads, this size is 20/40 mm.

How is gravel different from crushed stone? These two types of stones are often confused. However, there is a difference between them, and a significant one. Both of these products are inorganic bulk materials. But gravel is formed as a result of natural fractures of rocks, and crushed stone is a product of their artificial crushing. Gravel is predominantly round, and the shape of crushed stone is most often pointed.

All about gravel. These stones come in most different color: blue-gray, dark gray, brown, black, yellowish and pinkish. Many of them are intricately combined and tend to change shade depending on the degree of air humidity or lighting. For this reason, gravel is a favorite of landscape designers, who use it to decorate gardens and farmsteads, improve flower beds, and create pedestrian paths. The shape of stones of any size is solid, they never have cracks.

In nature, there are three main fractions: small (1-3 mm), medium (3-7 mm) and large (7-12 mm). These stones contain many impurities - particles of clay, sand, dust and dirt. Depending on the deposit there are different types gravel: lake, mountain, sea, river, glacial, etc. Cleaner stones - sea and river. Their surface is smooth, so they are widely used in laying and filling roads.

In the construction of houses and buildings, preference is given to mountain gravel, since it has a rougher surface and, therefore, provides better adhesion in concrete mixtures. Small fractions of stones are one of the components in the production of certain types of roofing materials. Gravel has the first

Minerals are formations of the earth's crust, consisting of minerals, the chemical and physical properties of which allow them to be used in the industrial and domestic sphere. Without the variety of substances that the Earth is rich in, our world would not be so diverse and developed. Technological progress would be unattainable and prohibitively difficult. Let's consider the concept, types of minerals and their characteristics.

Concepts and terms related to the topic

Before examining the types of minerals, it is necessary to know the specific definitions related to this topic. This will make it easier and easier to figure everything out. So, minerals are mineral raw materials or formations of the earth’s crust, which can be of organic or inorganic origin and used in the production of material objects.

A mineral deposit is an accumulation of a certain amount of mineral matter on the surface or in the interior of the Earth, which are divided into categories depending on the field of application in industry.

Ore is a mineral formation that has arisen in natural conditions and consists of such components and in such a ratio that its use is possible and advisable for the industrial and technical sphere.

When did mining start?

It is not known for certain when exactly the first mining took place. According to historians, the ancient Egyptians opened the veil. The expedition was sent to the Sinai Peninsula in 2600 BC. It was assumed that they would mine mica. However, there was a breakthrough in the knowledge of the ancient inhabitants about raw materials: copper was found. The mining and processing of silver is known from the history of Greece. The Romans learned about metals such as zinc, iron, tin and lead. Having established mines from Africa to Britain, the Roman Empire mined them and then used them to make tools.

In the 18th century, after the Industrial Revolution, minerals became urgently needed. In connection with this, their production developed at a rapid pace. Modern technologies are based on the discoveries of that period. In the 19th century, the famous “gold rush” occurred, during which a huge amount of the precious metal – gold – was mined. Several diamond deposits were discovered in the same places (South Africa).

Characteristics of minerals by physical state

From physics lessons we know that substances can be in one of four states of aggregation: liquid, solid, gaseous and plasmatic. In ordinary life, everyone can easily observe the first three. Minerals, like any other chemical compounds, can be found on the surface of the Earth or in its interior in one of three states. Thus, the types of minerals are primarily divided into:

• liquid (mineral waters, oil);
• solid (metals, coals, ores);
• gaseous (natural gas, inert gas).

Each of the groups is an important and integral part of industrial life. The diversity of resources allows countries to develop in the technical and economic spheres. The number of mineral deposits is an indicator of the wealth and well-being of a country.

Industrial types, classification of minerals

After the discovery of the first mineral rocks, man began to think seriously about the benefits they could bring to his life. With the emergence and development of industry, a classification of mineral deposits was formed based on their use in the technical field. Let's look at these types of minerals. The table contains full information about their characteristics:

Industrial types of deposits and minerals, their components

Fossil deposit type	Groups within it	Types of fossils
Combustible (fuel)	Solid state	Peat, coal
	Liquid/gaseous state	Gas, oil
Metal	Ferrous metals	Manganese, chromium, titanium, iron
	Non-ferrous metals	Lead, copper, cobalt, aluminum, nickel
	Noble metals	Platinum, gold, silver
	Rare metals	Tin, tantalum, tungsten, niobium, molybdenum
	Radioactive compounds	Thorium, radium, uranium
Non-metallic	Mining raw materials	Mica, magnesite, talc, limestone, graphite, clays, sands
	Chemical raw materials	Fluorite, phosphorite, barite, mineral salts
	Construction Materials	Marble, gypsum, gravel and sand, clays, facing stones, cement raw materials
	Gemstones	Precious and ornamental stones

The types of mineral resources considered, together with fresh water reserves, are main characteristic the wealth of the earth or of a particular country. This is a typical gradation of mineral resources, with the help of which all natural substances used in the industrial and domestic sphere are grouped depending on the physical and chemical properties. Let's get acquainted with each category separately.

Fossil fuels

What type of mineral is oil? What about gas? A mineral often appears to be a solid metal rather than an obscure liquid or gas. Familiar with metal early childhood, while understanding what oil or even household gas is comes a little later. So, what type, according to the classifications already studied, should oil and gas be classified as? Oil belongs to the group of liquid substances, gas – to gaseous substances. Based on their application, clearly, to combustible or, in other words, fuel minerals. After all, oil and gas are used primarily as a source of energy and heat: they power car engines, heat living quarters, and cook food with their help. The energy itself is released by burning the fuel. And if you look even deeper, this is facilitated by carbon, which is included in all fossil fuels. We figured out what type of mineral resource oil is.

What other substances are included here? These are solid fuel compounds formed in nature: hard and brown coal, peat, anthracite, oil shale. Let's look at their brief characteristics. Types of minerals (combustible):

• Coal is the first fuel that man began to use. The main source of energy used on a large scale in production, it was thanks to this fossil that the industrial revolution took place. It is formed by plant residues without air access. Depending on the specific gravity of carbon in coal, its varieties are distinguished: anthracite, brown and hard coal, graphite;
• Oil shale was formed on the seabed about 450 million years ago from the remains of vegetation and animals. Consists of mineral and organic parts. When dry distilled, it forms a resin that is close to petroleum;
• peat is an accumulation of incompletely decomposed plant remains in swamp conditions, more than half of its composition is carbon. Used as fuel, fertilizer, thermal insulation.

Flammable natural substances are the most important species mineral. Thanks to them, humanity learned to produce and use energy, and also created many industries. Currently, the need for fossil fuels is very acute for most countries. This is a large segment of the world economy, on which the well-being of countries around the world depends.

Metal minerals: types, characteristics

We know the types of minerals: fuel, ore, non-metallic. The first group has been successfully studied. Let's move on - ore, or metal, minerals - that's what industry was born and developed for. Since ancient times, man has understood that metal gives Everyday life much more possibilities than its absence. In the modern world it is no longer possible to imagine life without any metal. IN household appliances and electronics, in homes, in the bathroom, even in a small light bulb - it is everywhere.

How do they get it? Only noble metals, which due to their chemical properties do not react with other simple and complex substances, can be found in their pure form. The rest actively interact with each other, turning into ore. The mixture of metals is separated if necessary or left unchanged. Alloys formed by nature have “taken root” due to their mixed properties. Iron, for example, can be made harder by adding carbon to the metal to create steel, a strong compound that can withstand heavy loads.

Depending on individual characteristics, as well as the area of ​​application, ore minerals are divided into groups: ferrous, non-ferrous, noble, rare and radioactive metals.

Black metals

Ferrous metals are iron and its various alloys: steel, cast iron and other ferroalloys. Used in the production of different directions: military, shipbuilding, aircraft manufacturing, mechanical engineering.

Many iron products are used in everyday life: steel is made from kitchen utensils, it covers many plumbing elements.

Non-ferrous metals

The group of non-ferrous metals includes a large number of minerals. The name of the group comes from the fact that many metals have a specific color. For example, copper is red, aluminum is silver. The remaining 3 types of minerals (noble, rare, radioactive) are essentially a subtype of non-ferrous metals. Many of them are mixed into alloys, because in this form they have better properties.

Non-ferrous metals are classified into:

• heavy – highly toxic with high atomic weight: lead, tin, copper, zinc;
• light, having low density and weight: magnesium, titanium, aluminum, calcium, lithium, sodium, rubidium, strontium, cesium, beryllium, barium, potassium;
• noble ones, due to their high resistance, practically do not enter into chemical reactions, beautiful to look at: platinum, silver, gold, rhodium, palladium, ruthenium, osmium;
• small (rare) – antimony, mercury, cobalt, cadmium, arsenic, bismuth;
• refractory have high temperature melting and wear resistance: molybdenum, tantalum, vanadium, tungsten, manganese, chromium, zirconium, niobium;
• rare earth - the group consists of 17 elements: samarium, neodymium, lanthanum, cerium, europium, terbium, gadolinium, dysprosium, erbium, holmium, ytterbium, lutetium, scandium, yttrium, thulium, promethium, terbium;
• scattered ones are found in nature only in the form of impurities: tellurium, thallium, indium, germanium, rhenium, hafnium, selenium;
• radioactive ones independently emit a stream of radioactive particles: radium, plutonium, uranium, protactinium, californium, fermium, americium and others.

Aluminum, nickel and copper are of particular importance to humanity. Developed countries are striving to increase their production, since the amount of these non-ferrous metals directly affects technical progress in aircraft construction, astronautics, atomic and microscopic devices, and electrical engineering.

Non-metallic natural elements

Let's summarize. The main categories from the table “Types of minerals” (fuel, ore, non-metallic) have been studied. What elements are classified as non-metallic, i.e. non-metallic? It is a group of hard or soft minerals occurring as individual minerals or rocks. Modern science More than a hundred such chemical compounds are known, which are nothing more than a product of natural processes.

In terms of the scale of their extraction and use, non-metallic minerals are ahead only of fuel types of minerals. The table below contains the main rocks and minerals that make up the non-metallic group of natural resources, and their brief characteristics.

Non-metallic minerals

Group of non-metallic minerals/rocks	Type of rock/mineral	Characteristic
Mining raw materials	Asbestos	Fireproof rock. Used for the manufacture of fire-resistant materials, roofing, fire-resistant fabrics.
	Limestone	Sedimentary rock widely used in construction. When it is fired, quicklime is obtained.
	Mica	Rock-forming mineral. By chemical composition subdivided into aluminum, magnesium-iron lithium mica. Used in modern technology.
Chemical raw materials	Potassium salts	Sedimentary rocks that contain potassium. It is used as a raw material for the chemical industry and in the production of potash fertilizers.
	Apatite	Minerals containing large amounts of phosphorus salts. Used for the manufacture of fertilizers, as well as in the production of ceramics.
	Sulfur	It occurs in the form of native sulfur ore and in compounds. It is used mainly for the production of sulfuric acid in the vulcanization of rubber.
Construction Materials	Gypsum	Sulfate mineral. It is used in various fields of human activity.
	Marble	A rock based on calcite. Used in electrical engineering, for the manufacture of plaster and mosaics, monuments.
Gemstones	Precious	They have a beautiful pattern or color, shine, and are easy to polish and cut. Used for making jewelry and other decor.
	Semi-precious
	Ornamental

Non-metallic minerals are very important for various industries, construction, and are also necessary in everyday life.

Classification of resources by exhaustibility

In addition to the gradation of minerals according to their physical state and characteristics, indicators of their exhaustibility and renewability are considered. The main types of minerals are divided into:

• exhaustible, which at a certain moment may run out and will be unavailable for production;
• inexhaustible – relatively inexhaustible sources of natural resources, for example, solar and wind energy, oceans, seas;
• renewable - fossils that, at a certain level of depletion, can be partially or completely restored, for example, forests, soil, water;
• non-renewable - if resources have been completely exhausted, it is usually not possible to renew them;
• replaceable – fossils that can be replaced if necessary, for example, fuel types.
• irreplaceable – those without which life would be impossible (air).

Natural resources require careful treatment and rational use, since most of them have an exhaustible limit, and if they are renewed, it will not be very soon.

Minerals play an important role in human life. Without them, there would be no technical and scientific discoveries, or even normal life in general. The results of their extraction and processing surround us everywhere: buildings, transport, household goods, medicines.