Terms

How are minerals used by humans? The main types of natural resources. Mineral resources, their distribution, the largest deposits and countries distinguished by the reserves of the main types of mineral resources

The mineral resources of the world are all the variety of minerals that nature gives to mankind. Fuels, metals, building materials, chemical raw materials, precious alloys and stones - all these natural resources people have been using for many years. Although the mineral raw materials the planets are great, they are still not unlimited, so the successful development of mankind is impossible without them rational use.

Mineral Resource Classification

Depending on their purpose and geological origin, mineral raw materials are divided into 5 main classes:

mineral fuel;
metals of their iron and ferroalloys;
non-ferrous metals;
precious metals;
industrial minerals.

Also, mineral raw materials can be divided into two large groups:

conditionally renewable- products of organic origin (coal, oil, methane), the formation of which requires specific conditions in nature and more than one thousand years;
not renewable- minerals and metals, whose reserves will never be restored in nature.

Rice. 1. Coal

Mankind continues to steadily increase the pace of use of the Earth's resources. Only in the first half of the twentieth century, the total amount of mined mineral raw materials exceeded by several times what the human race has used throughout its existence. At the same time, the need for resources continues to grow.

Geography of mineral raw materials

Distribution mineral resources on the planet is uneven: some regions are rich in all kinds of minerals, others are in great need of them. The placement of natural raw materials largely depends on the features of the terrain, its location above the level of the World Ocean, and the nature of its origin. These and many other issues related to mineral raw materials are dealt with by the science of geology.

Large deposits of fuel and energy resources are located in Russia, the USA, Canada, China, Venezuela, and in the Persian Gulf. The largest volume is occupied by coal and oil.

Rice. 2. Oil production

Ore minerals, as a rule, are located on ancient platforms and folded areas. Often they form extended ore belts. The USA, Russia, India, and China are the richest in all kinds of ores. The most common metal on earth is aluminum.

Non-metallic minerals are distributed throughout the world, both in folding areas and on platforms.

Rice. 3. Asbestos

Table “World reserves of mineral resources”

The value of mineral resources

The resource endowment of countries is the ratio between the natural reserves of minerals and the rate of their consumption. This concept, first of all, is socio-economic, since it depends not only on the number natural resources, but also on how quickly humanity uses them.

Resource availability is an important, but not a determining factor in improving the state's economy. Thus, many Western European powers, Korea, Japan, with an insignificant potential of natural raw materials, were able to achieve tremendous success using other tools for shaping the economy: the achievements of scientific and technological revolution, international integration, financial and human resources.

Of great importance for the development of the world economy is the territorial combination of natural resources - the totality of mineral resources within a particular region, country, necessary for the complex processing of raw materials. Thanks to this factor, the management and planning of socio-economic development is much more efficient.

It should be remembered that the mineral resources of water, land, mineral and forest resources must be used very carefully, rationally. Natural raw materials, with the exception of certain species, are irreplaceable, and sooner or later the moment will come when the Earth's reserves will be exhausted. At present, there is already a threat of an acute shortage of some resources, and every year the situation will only worsen.

In order to prevent a global catastrophe, humanity should seek alternative ways solutions for production and economic needs.

What have we learned?

When considering the topic "Mineral Resources of the World" in the 8th grade program, we learned what are the main types of natural raw materials and how they are distributed around the planet. We also found out what a territorial combination of mineral raw materials is and what the rational use of resources is.

Topic quiz

Report Evaluation

Average rating: 4.6. Total ratings received: 154.

The main types of natural resources. Mineral resources, their distribution, the largest deposits and countries distinguished by the reserves of the main types of mineral resources.

Natural resources are natural resources or natural substances and types of energy that serve as the means of existence of human society and are used in the economy. The concept of "natural resources" is changing with the development of science and technology: substances and types of energy, the use of which was previously impossible, become natural resources. There are several classifications of natural resources. By belonging to different geospheres of natural resources, the resources of the lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and climatic resources are distinguished. According to their applicability in various sectors of the economy, they are grouped into energy, metallurgical, chemical natural resources, etc. According to the possible duration and intensity of use, they are divided into drawable and practically inexhaustible natural resources, renewable and non-renewable natural resources.

Practically inexhaustible natural resources are resources, the decrease of which is imperceptible even in the process of very long use: the energy of solar radiation, wind, sea tides, climatic resources, etc. Drawable natural resources are resources that decrease as they are used; most types of natural resources refer to exhaustible natural resources, which are divided into renewable (or renewable) and non-renewable natural resources. Renewable natural resources are resources whose recovery rate is comparable to the rate of their consumption. Renewable natural resources include resources of the biosphere, hydrosphere, land resources. Non-renewable natural resources are resources that do not regenerate themselves and are not artificially restored. These include mainly minerals. The process of ore formation and formation rocks goes continuously, but its speed is so much less than the rate of extraction of minerals from the earth's interior that in practice this process can be neglected.

In general, there are notable differences in the level and nature of natural resource endowment in different countries. So, the Middle East stands out large resources oil and gas. Andean countries are rich in copper and polymetallic ores. States with large arrays rainforest, have resources of valuable timber. There are several states in the world that have almost all famous species natural resources. These are Russia, the USA and China. Highly prosperous, in terms of natural resources, are India, Brazil, Australia and some other countries. Many states have large reserves of world significance of one or more resources. So, Gabon stands out for its manganese reserves, Kuwait for oil, Morocco for phosphorites. Of great importance for each country is the complexity of the available natural resources. For example, for the organization of ferrous metallurgy in a single country, it is desirable to have resources not only iron ore, but also manganese, chromites and coking coal.

Most countries have some set of natural resources. However, there are states with very meager volumes. But this does not always doom this country to a miserable existence, and vice versa, having a large number and quantity of them, you can use them irrationally. For example. Japan, being a highly developed country, has a limited amount of mineral resources. In contrast to Japan, one can give examples of many states that have the richest resources, but have not achieved great success in socio-economic development.

The demand for mineral raw materials, which form the basis for the production of industrial products, is increasing from year to year. Every year, more than 100 billion tons of various mineral raw materials and fuels are extracted from the bowels of the world. The size of reserves and the scale of extraction of mineral resources from the bowels of the earth are different - from thousands of tons per year (gold, uranium, tungsten, cobalt) to more than 1 billion tons (iron ore, coal, oil).

Primary energy resources are oil, natural gas, hard and brown coal, oil shale, peat (which are practically non-renewable resources of the lithosphere), wood (renewable resource), and hydropower (inexhaustible). The energy reserves of atomic decay are also physically inexhaustible.

Up until the beginning of the 20th century. main energy resource there was wood on the planet. Then coal became widely used. It was replaced by oil and natural gas, nuclear energy.

Geological reserves of coal in the world are estimated at 14.8 trillion tons. The largest reserves of all types of coal are in the USA, China, Russia, Poland, South Africa, Australia, Germany.

Oil reserves are estimated at 400 billion tons. The main oil and gas basins are located in the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Mexico, in the West. Siberia and the Caspian Sea basin. The largest reserves of natural gas are in Russia and the United States.

Mineral resources are called minerals, extracted from the bowels. In turn, minerals are understood as natural mineral substances of the earth's crust, which, at a certain level of technological development, can be positively economic effect extracted and used in national economy in its natural form or after preliminary processing. The scale of the use of mineral resources is constantly growing. While in the Middle Ages only 18 chemical elements were extracted from the earth's crust, at present this number has increased to more than 80. Since 1950, mining has increased 3 times. Every year, more than 100 billion tons of various mineral raw materials and fuel are extracted from the bowels of the Earth. The modern economy uses about 200 types of mineral raw materials. When using mineral resources, it must be taken into account that almost all of them are classified as non-renewable. In addition, the stocks of their individual species are far from being the same. For example, the general geological reserves of coal in the world are estimated at 14.8 trillion. tons, and oil - 400 billion tons. However, it is necessary to take into account the ever-growing needs of mankind.

Types of mineral resources

There is no single generally accepted classification. However, the following division is often used: fuel (combustible), metallic (ore) and non-metallic (non-metallic) minerals. On the basis of this classification, a map of mineral resources was built in the educational atlas. Distribution of minerals in earth's crust subject to geological laws.

Fuel (combustible) minerals are found primarily in coal (there are 3.6 thousand of them and they occupy 15% of the land) and oil and gas (more than 600 have been explored, 450 are being developed) basins, which are of sedimentary origin, accompany the cover of ancient platforms and their internal and edge deflections. The main part of the world's coal resources falls on Asia, North America and Europe and lies in the 10 largest coal basins located on the territory of Russia, the USA, Germany. The main oil and gas resources are concentrated in Asia, North America, and Africa. Among the richest basins are the basins of the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Mexico, and the West Siberian. Sometimes this group is called "fuel and energy" and then, in addition to coal, oil and gas, it includes uranium, which is fuel for nuclear power plants. Otherwise, uranium ores are included in the following group.

Ore (metallic) minerals usually accompany foundations and ledges (shields) of ancient platforms, as well as folded areas. In such areas, they often form huge ore (metallogenic) belts, for example, the Alpine-Himalayan, Pacific. Countries located within such belts usually have favorable conditions for the development of the mining industry. Within this group, ferrous, alloying and refractory metals (ores of iron, manganese, chromium, nickel, cobalt, tungsten, etc.), non-ferrous metals (ores of aluminum, copper, lead, zinc, mercury, etc.), noble metals ( gold, silver, platinoids). Large reserves of iron ore are concentrated in the USA and China. India, Russia. IN Lately some countries of Asia (India), Africa (Liberia, Guinea, Algeria) were added to them, Latin America(Brazil). Large reserves of aluminum raw materials (bauxites) are found in France, Italy, India, Suriname, the USA, the states of West Africa, the countries of the Caribbean, and Russia. Copper ores are concentrated in Zambia, Zaire, Chile, the USA, Canada, and lead-zinc - in the USA, Canada, Australia.

In addition, non-metallic minerals are almost ubiquitous. Within this group, chemical and agronomic raw materials (potassium salts, phosphorites, apatites, etc.), technical raw materials (diamonds, asbestos, graphite, etc.), fluxes and refractories, cement raw materials, etc. are distinguished.

Territorial combinations of minerals are most advantageous for economic development. The scientific concept of such combinations, developed by geographers, is of great practical importance, especially in the formation of large territorial production complexes.

Currently, the search for minerals is carried out in two ways. If there is a poorly explored territory, then the study area expands and due to this there is an increase in explored minerals. This method prevails in the Asian part of Russia, Canada, Australia, Brazil. In the second case, deeper deposits are being studied. This is due to the long-term development of the territory and the strong development of deposits located close to the surface. This path is typical for countries Foreign Europe, for the European part of Russia, for Ukraine, USA.

Many scientists of the world talk about the movement of society towards a system of recycling of resources, when waste will become the main raw material in the economy. On the present stage many developed countries use deep recycling of industrial and household waste. First of all, these are the states Western Europe, USA and, especially, Japan.

Taxes. Principles and methods of taxation. The main types of taxes in Russia.

The prototype of the modern system of taxes and taxation arose already on early stages development of mankind.

The emergence of a taxation system is connected, rather, not with the process of the emergence of a surplus product and the class stratification of society, but with an objectively urgent need for the division of labor and the professionalization of labor activity.

Tax is a mandatory, individually gratuitous payment collected from organizations and individuals in the form of alienation of funds belonging to them by right of ownership, economic or operational management for the purpose of financial support for the activities of the state or municipalities.

Signs of tax payments are:

The obligation to allocate from the received individual or group labor a share that goes to the maintenance of individual community groups carrying out specialized activities;

Transfer free of charge material assets;

The absence of a clear relationship between the transfer of material values and the performance of certain actions by public authorities and public protection.

Tax is a necessary condition for the existence of the state, therefore the obligation to pay taxes, enshrined in Article 57 of the Constitution in Russia, applies to all taxpayers as an unconditional requirement of the state.

The collection of tax cannot be regarded as an arbitrary deprivation of the owner of his property, it is a legal seizure of part of the property, arising from a constitutional - legal obligation.

The equal tax method means that all taxpayers pay the same amount of tax regardless of their income or property.

The method of proportional taxation determines the amount of the tax rate, which is the same for all payers, and the amount of the tax payment, depending on the size of the object of taxation.

The method of progressive taxation provides for the application of several tax rates, while the larger the size of the object of taxation, the greater the tax rate.

The method of regressive taxation also implies the application of several tax rates, but the larger the size of the object of taxation, the lower the applied tax rate.

The division of taxes into direct and indirect was established in the practice of taxation as early as the 17th century. It was made depending on the method of withdrawal of tax or income from the taxpayer.

Three-tier system state structure Russian Federation predetermines its three-tier system of taxation. All taxes are divided into:

federal - nationwide taxes and fees established by federal law and valid throughout the country;

regional - taxes of the subjects of the Russian Federation, acting on the territory of this subject of the Russian Federation;

local - taxes of municipal formations (districts and cities), acting on the territory of this municipal formation.

COMBUSTIBLE RESOURCES .............................................................................. ............ 3

Coal................................................. ................................................. .................... 3

Oil and gas............................................... ................................................. ........... 3

ORE MINERAL RESOURCES ............................................................... ............... 4

HEAVY METALS................................................ ............................................ 4

Iron................................................. ................................................. ................. 4

Chromium................................................. ................................................. ..................... 4

NON-FERROUS METALS.............................................. ............................................. 5

Aluminum................................................. ................................................. ............ 5

Copper................................................. ................................................. ..................... 5

Nickel................................................. ................................................. .................. 5

Mercury................................................. ................................................. .................. 5

PRECIOUS METALS.................................................................... ................................. 6

Gold................................................. ................................................. ................. 6

Silver................................................. ................................................. ............... 6

Platinum group metals (platinum and platinoids).................................................. 6

RADIOACTIVE METALS AND THEIR ORES...................................................... 6

Uranus................................................. ................................................. ................... 6

Thorium................................................. ................................................. ................... 7

Nitrates .................................................. ................................................. ............ 7

Phosphates ............................................... ................................................. ............ 7

Salt................................................ ................................................. ..7

INDUSTRIAL MINERALS......................................................................... 8

Diamonds ................................................ ................................................. ................. eight

Optical Quartz and Piezo Quartz............................................................... ............................. eight

PROMISING SOURCES OF MINERAL RAW MATERIALS AND NEW MATERIALS 8

MINERAL RESOURCES - minerals in the bowels of the Earth, the reserves of which are estimated according to geological data. Mineral deposits are unevenly distributed in the earth's crust.

Most types of mineral raw materials are represented by ores consisting of minerals, i.e. inorganic substances natural origin. However, some important types of minerals, in particular energy raw materials, are of organic origin. They are attached to mineral raw materials conditionally.

The value of certain types of mineral raw materials is determined depending on the area of their application, as well as on how rare they are.

The mineral raw materials necessary to ensure the defense industry and the uninterrupted functioning of its raw material base are sometimes called strategic. Chromium, tin, zinc, tungsten, yttrium, manganese, platinum and platinoids, as well as bauxite, occupy an important place among imported materials.

FUEL MINERALS

Coal

Most of the energy around the world is obtained by burning fossil fuels - coal, oil and gas. In the nuclear power industry, the fuel elements of industrial reactors at nuclear power plants consist of uranium fuel rods.

Coal is an important national natural resource primarily due to its energy value. Among the world's leading powers, only Japan does not have large coal reserves. Although coal is the most common type of energy resource, there are vast areas on our planet where there are no coal deposits. Coals differ in calorific value: it is the lowest for brown coal and the highest for anthracite. World coal production is 4.7 billion tons per year (1995). However, in all countries in last years there is a tendency to reduce its production, as it gives way to other types of energy raw materials - oil and gas. In a number of countries, coal mining becomes unprofitable due to the development of the richest and relatively shallow seams. Many old mines are closed as unprofitable. China leads the world in coal production, followed by the United States, Australia and Russia. A significant amount of coal is mined in Germany, Poland, South Africa, India, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

Oil and gas

conditions of education. Oil and gas bearing sedimentary basins are usually associated with certain geological structures. Almost all large oil deposits are confined to areas of the earth's crust, which have experienced subsidence for a long time, as a result of which especially thick sedimentary strata have accumulated there.

Oil and gas occur in rocks different ages Cambrian to Pliocene. Sometimes oil is also extracted from Precambrian rocks, but it is believed that its penetration into these rocks is secondary. The most ancient oil deposits associated with Paleozoic rocks have been established mainly in North America. This can probably be explained by the fact that here the most intensive searches were carried out in rocks of this particular age.

Most oil fields dispersed over six regions of the world and confined to inland territories and the outskirts of the continents: 1) the Persian Gulf - North Africa; 2) Gulf of Mexico - Caribbean Sea (including coastal areas of Mexico, USA, Colombia, Venezuela and Trinidad Island); 3) the islands of the Malay Archipelago and New Guinea; 4) Western Siberia; 5) northern Alaska; 6) the North Sea (mainly the Norwegian and British sectors); 7) Sakhalin Island with adjacent shelf areas.

World oil reserves amount to more than 132.7 billion tons. Of these, 74% are in Asia, including the Middle East (more than 66%). The largest oil reserves are: Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, UAE, Kuwait, Iran, Venezuela.

The volume of world oil production is approx. 3.1 billion tons, i.e. almost 8.5 million tons per day. Production is carried out by 95 countries, with more than 77% of crude oil production coming from 15 of them, including Saudi Arabia (12.8%), the United States (10.4%), Russia (9.7%), Iran (5.8%). %), Mexico (4.8%), China (4.7%), Norway (4.4%), Venezuela (4.3%), United Kingdom (4.1%), United Arab Emirates (3.4 %), Kuwait (3.3%), Nigeria (3.2%), Canada (2.8%), Indonesia (2.4%), Iraq (1.0%).

The total world production of iron ore exceeds 1 billion tons. Most of the ore (in million tons) is mined in China (250), Brazil (185), Australia (more than 140), Russia (78), USA and India (60 each) and in Ukraine (45). On a significant scale, iron ore is also mined in Canada, South Africa, Sweden, Venezuela, Liberia and France. The total world resources of raw (unenriched) ore exceed 1400 billion tons, industrial - more than 360 billion tons.

Australia occupies the first place in the world in terms of exports of commercial iron ore (143 million tons). The total ore reserves there reach 28 billion tons. Mining is carried out mainly (90%) in the Hammersley region (Pilbara district, Western Australia). In second place is Brazil (131 million tons), which has exceptionally rich deposits, many of which are concentrated in the Minas Gerais iron ore basin.

Chromium

- one of the main components of stainless heat-resistant, acid-resistant steel and an important ingredient in corrosion-resistant and heat-resistant superalloys. Of the 15.3 billion tons of estimated reserves of high-grade chromite ores, 79% are in South Africa, where production is 5.1 million tons, Kazakhstan (2.4 million tons), India (1.2 million tons) and Turkey ( 0.8 million tons). A fairly large chromium deposit is located in Armenia. Russia is developing a small field in the Urals.

NON-FERROUS METALS

Aluminum

Bauxite, the main raw material of the aluminum industry. Bauxites are processed into alumina, and then aluminum is obtained from the cryolite-alumina melt. Bauxites are distributed mainly in the humid tropics and subtropics, where processes of deep chemical weathering of rocks take place.

Guinea (42% of world reserves), Australia (18.5%), Brazil (6.3%), Jamaica (4.7%), Cameroon (3.8%) and India (2.8%) have the largest bauxite reserves. ). In terms of production scale (42.6 million tons), Australia occupies the first place.

Copper

- the most valuable and one of the most common non-ferrous metals. The largest consumer of copper is the electrical industry. Copper is widely used in the automotive and construction industries, and is also used in the production of brass, bronze, and copper-nickel alloys.

The most important raw materials for copper production are chalcopyrite and bornite (copper and iron sulfides), chalcocite (copper sulfide), as well as native copper. Oxidized copper ores consist primarily of malachite (copper carbonate). The mined copper ore is often enriched on site, then the ore concentrate is sent to the copper smelter and further - to refining to obtain pure red copper. The cheapest and most common way of processing many copper ores is hydrometallurgical.

Copper deposits are distributed mainly in five regions of the world: the Rocky Mountains of the USA; the Precambrian shield within the state of Michigan (USA) and the provinces of Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba (Canada); in Chile and Peru; on the Central African plateau - in the copper belt of Zambia and Democratic Republic Congo, as well as in Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Armenia. The main copper producers are Chile (2.5 million tons), USA (1.89 million tons), Canada (730 thousand tons), Indonesia (460 thousand tons), Peru (405 thousand tons), Australia ( 394 thousand tons), Poland (384 thousand tons), Zambia (342 thousand tons), Russia (330 thousand tons).

Nickel

About 64% of all nickel produced in the world is used to produce nickel steel, 16% of nickel is used for electroplating steel, brass, copper and zinc; 9% for superalloys for turbines, aircraft mounts, turbochargers, etc. Nickel is used in minting coins.

In primary ores, nickel is present in compounds with sulfur and arsenic, and in secondary deposits it forms dispersed dissemination of aqueous nickel silicates. Half of the world's nickel production comes from Russia and Canada, with large-scale mining also taking place in Australia, Indonesia, South Africa, China and Colombia.

There are no nickel ore deposits in the US, and nickel is recovered as a by-product from a single copper refinery and is also processed from scrap metal.

- the only metal and mineral that is liquid at ordinary temperatures (hardens at -38.9 ° C). The most well-known field of application is thermometers, barometers and other instruments. Mercury is used in electrical equipment, as well as for the manufacture of dyes.

Mercury and especially its vapors are very toxic.

The world production of mercury is 3049 tons, and the identified resources of mercury are estimated at 675 thousand tons (mainly in Spain, Italy, Yugoslavia, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine and Russia). The largest mercury producers are Spain (1497 tons), China (550 tons), Algeria (290 tons), Mexico (280 tons).

PRECIOUS METALS

Gold

The total volume of gold production in the world is 2200 tons. The first place in the world in gold mining is occupied by South Africa (522 tons), the second is the USA (329 tons). The oldest and deepest gold mine in the US is Homestake in the Black Hills (South Dakota); Gold has been mined there for over 100 years. Modern methods extraction (immanation) makes it profitable to extract gold from numerous poor and poor deposits.

Since gold is virtually uncorrodible and highly valued, it lasts forever. To date, at least 90% of the gold mined over the historical period has come down in the form of ingots, coins, jewelry and art objects. As a result of the annual world production of this metal, its total amount increases by less than 2%.

Silver

Like gold, it belongs to precious metals. However, its price compared to the price of gold used to be 1:16, and in 1995 it was reduced to 1:76. About 1/3 of silver goes to film and photographic materials (mainly film and photographic paper), 1/4 is used in electrical engineering and radio electronics, 1/10 is spent on minting coins and making jewelry, on electroplating.

Approximately 2/3 of the world's silver resources are associated with polymetallic copper, lead and zinc ores. Silver is extracted mainly along the way from galena (lead sulfide). The deposits are predominantly veined. The largest silver producers are Mexico (2323 tons), Peru (1910 tons), USA (1550 tons), Canada (1207 tons) and Chile (1042 tons).

Platinum group metals (platinum and platinoids)

Platinum is the rarest and most expensive precious metal. Its refractoriness (melting point 1772 ° C), high strength, resistance to corrosion and oxidation, high thermal conductivity are used. Platinum is most widely used in automotive catalytic converters, as well as in platinum-rhenium catalysts in the petrochemical industry. Serves for the manufacture of crucibles and other laboratory glassware. Almost the entire volume of platinum production is in South Africa (167.2 tons), Russia (21 tons) and Canada (16.5 tons)

Almost 22% of electricity in the United States is generated by nuclear power plants, which operate 110 nuclear reactors, which is much higher than the corresponding figures in other countries. For example, in the USSR in 1987 there were 56 operating reactors and 28 at the design stage. The leading place in the world in terms of consumption of nuclear energy is occupied by France, where nuclear power plants generate approx. 76% electricity.

Australia (more than 20% of the world reserves), Kazakhstan (18%), Canada (12%), Uzbekistan (7.5%), Brazil and Niger (7% each) have the largest proven uranium reserves. A large deposit of uranite Shinkolobwe is located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. China, Germany and the Czech Republic also have significant reserves.

Thorium

used for alloying alloys and is a potential source of obtaining nuclear fuel- light isotope of uranium-233. The only source of thorium is yellow translucent grains of monazite. Placer deposits of monazite are known in Australia, India and Malaysia. "Black" sands, saturated with monazite in association with rutile, ilmenite and zircon, are common on the eastern and western (more than 75% of the production) coasts of Australia. In India, monazite deposits are concentrated along southwest coast. In Malaysia, monazite is mined from alluvial tin placers.

NON-METALLIC MINERALS.

Nitrates

Nitrogen compounds are also used in the manufacture of explosives. Until the end of the First World War and in the first post-war years, the monopoly position in the nitrate market belonged to Chile. Later, the production of artificial nitrates using atmospheric nitrogen was widely developed. The United States, where the technology for obtaining anhydrous ammonia containing 82.2% nitrogen, ranks first in the world in its production (60%). The possibilities for extracting nitrogen from the atmosphere are unlimited, and the necessary hydrogen is obtained mainly from natural gas and by gasification of solid and liquid fuels.

Phosphates

Industrial deposits of phosphates are represented by phosphorites and apatite ores. Most of the world's phosphate resources are concentrated in widespread marine phosphorite sediments. The identified resources are estimated at billions of tons of phosphorus. Over 34% of the world's phosphate production comes from the United States, followed by Morocco (15.3%), China (15%), Russia (6.6%) and Tunisia (5.6%).

Salt

mined in over 100 countries. Its largest producer is the USA. Almost half of the extracted table salt is used in the chemical industry, 1/4 is spent on preventing icing of roads. In addition, it is widely used in the leather and food industries and is an important food product for humans and animals.

Table salt is obtained from rock salt deposits and by evaporating water from salt lakes and sea water. The world's salt resources are practically inexhaustible. Almost every country has either rock salt deposits or salt water evaporation plants. A colossal source of table salt is the World Ocean itself.

The first place in the production of table salt is occupied by the United States (21%), followed by China (14%), Canada and Germany (6% each). Significant salt mining is carried out in France, Great Britain, Australia and Poland.

INDUSTRIAL MINERALS

Diamonds

The most famous of precious stones, also play important role in industry due to their exceptionally high hardness. Technical diamonds are used as abrasive materials. Of the natural diamonds, only a small part is jewelry, the rest are technical crystals of non-jewelry quality. Technical diamonds are also obtained artificially. For example, only synthetic diamonds are produced in the USA.

Typically, diamonds are found in tubular bodies - explosion tubes (diatremes). However, a significant part of diamonds is mined from alluvial alluvial deposits. About 90% of the world production of natural industrial diamonds falls on the share of five countries: Australia (44.3%), Congo (DRC, 16.2%), Botswana (12.2%), Russia (9.3%) and South Africa ( 7.2%).

World diamond production is 107.9 million carats (200 mg); including 91.2 million carats (84.5%) of technical diamonds, 16.7 million carats (15.5%) of jewelry diamonds. In Australia and the Congo, the share of gem diamonds is only 4-5%, in Russia - approx. 20%, in Botswana - 24-25%, South Africa - more than 35%, in Angola and the Central African Republic - 50-60%, in Namibia - 100%.

Optical Quartz and Piezo Quartz

Quartz is the second most common in the earth's crust after feldspars, but its pure crystals (colorless transparent - rock crystal; dark, almost black, translucent or opaque - morion) are extremely rare. Meanwhile, it is precisely such quartz that plays an important role in optical devices (rock crystal) and in modern means connections. The most important application of piezoquartz is frequency filters and frequency stabilizers in electronic devices.

The main supplier of natural piezoquartz (rock crystal) is Brazil.

More than a hundred non-combustible minerals are mined from zeina bark at the present time. The use of a mineral resource includes several stages. The first is the discovery of a sufficiently rich deposit, the second is the extraction of the mineral by organizing some form of mining, the third is the processing of the ore, removing impurities and converting it into the desired chemical form, and the last is the use of the mineral to produce various products.

Mining. The processing and use of any mineral causes disturbance of the soil cover and erosion, pollutes the air and water. Underground mining is a more dangerous process, but it is much less disruptive ground cover. In most cases, the areas where mining is carried out can be restored, but this is a very expensive process.

Mineral resources are not renewable, so it is necessary to constantly search for new deposits. The importance of the seas and oceans as sources of oil, sulfur, sodium chloride and magnesium is increasing; their production is usually carried out in the shelf zone. In the future, there is the question of the development of the deep-sea zone. A technology has been developed for the extraction of ore iron-manganese nodules from the ocean floor. They also include cobalt, nickel, copper and a number of other metals.

Large-scale development of deep-sea minerals has not yet begun due to economic risk and the unresolved issue of the legal status of such deposits. agreement on maritime law regulating the development of mineral resources seabed, was not signed by the United States and several other states.

Ceramic and semiconductor materials are promising substitutes for natural mineral raw materials. Metals, ceramics and polymers are used as matrix and reinforcing components to strengthen various composite materials. Plastics, or polymers, are the most widely used material in the US (more than steel, copper and aluminum combined). The raw materials for the production of plastics are products of petrochemical synthesis. However, coal can also be used as a raw material instead of oil.

Ceramics are inorganic non-metallic materials densified by heat treatment and sintering. The usual constituents of ceramic materials are silicon and aluminum oxide (alumina), but they can also consist of boron and silicon carbides, silicon nitride, oxides of beryllium, magnesium, and some heavy metals (for example, zirconium, copper). Ceramic materials are valued for their thermal, wear and corrosion resistance, electrical, magnetic and optical properties (optical glass fiber is also a ceramic material).

Research continues to find promising materials suitable for use in electronic, optical and magnetic devices. So, for example, semiconductors are gallium arsenide, silicon, germanium and some polymers. The use of gallium, indium, yttrium, selenium, tellurium, thallium and zirconium is promising.

Mineral resources

(a. mineral resources; n. Mineral resourcen, mineralische resourcen; f. resources minerals; and. recursos minerales) - a set of minerals found in the bowels of a department. regions, countries, continents, the bottom of the oceans or the Earth as a whole, accessible and suitable for industrial. use and, as a rule, quantified geol. research and geol. intelligence. M.p. are non-renewable natural resources. The part of M. p. called the mineral resource base.
The concept of M. p. has several aspects. B mining and geol. aspect of M. p. are a set of clusters (deposits) of various p. and. identified in the bowels of the earth, in which chemical the elements and the minerals formed by them are in a sharply increased concentration compared to the clarke content in the earth's crust, which makes it possible for them to be industrialized. use. B economical aspect of M. p. serve as a raw material basis for the development of the most important industries ind. production (energy, fuel industry, black and, chemical industry, construction), as well as a possible object of international. cooperation. Under the conditions of capitalism. M. p. may be one of the reasons for international conflicts caused by the struggle of the capitalist. state-in for the capture of the richest sources of mineral raw materials.
By areas of use M. p. are divided into fuel and energy (, natural gas, coal, peat,); ores of ferrous metals (iron, manganese, chromium, etc.); ores of non-ferrous and alloying metals (aluminum, copper, lead, zinc, nickel, cobalt, tungsten, molybdenum, tin, antimony, mercury, etc.); ores of rare and precious metals; mining and chemical (, apatite, rock, potassium and magnesium salts, cepa and its compounds, bromine and iodine-containing solutions, fluorite, etc.); ; non-metallic industrial raw materials (mica, asbestos, quartz, etc.); non-metallic (cement and, marbles, slates, clays, tuffs, granite); hydromineral (underground fresh and mineralized waters, including balneological, thermal, etc.). The above is conditional, because industrial area the use of certain p. and. may vary, eg. are also raw materials for chem. prom-sti, etc. - raw materials for metallurgy, production, chemical. prom-sti and prom-sti builds. materials.
The concept of M. p. changes over time and depends on the level of development of society, on the needs of production, as well as on the level of technology and the possibilities of the economy. Natural minerals become M. p. only after the need arises for them and the ways of their practicality appear. use. The higher the tech. armament, the wider the range of items and. And more new types of mineral raw materials are involved in the industry. production For example, cam. became p. and., having prom. value, only c con. 17th century, oil - from cep. 19th century; ores of aluminum, magnesium, chromium and rare elements, etc. - c con. 19 - beg. 20th century; uranium ores - from cep. 20th century About the history of development of M. p. cm. in Art. Mining engineering .
Spaces M.p. in the bowels of the Earth as a whole, as well as otd. continents and countries is characterized by unevenness.
St. 80% of the explored coal reserves of industrialized and developing countries concentrated in the bowels of the five capitalist. countries - the USA, Germany, Great Britain, Australia and South Africa, 87% of manganese ores - in South Africa and Australia, 86% of potassium salts - in Canada. A significant part of M. p. pl. the most important types of p. and. concentrated in the bowels of developing countries (Fig. 1).

As a rule, M. p. quantified by Mineral Reserves and Inferred Resources. In the mineral resource balance of the world, as well as in the balance of otd. countries of St. 70-80% of the reserves of each type of p. and. accounts for a relatively small number of large deposits and giant deposits, the rest are concentrated in medium and numerous. small deposits. By prom. the value and size of stocks p. and. conditionally distinguish unique deposits with great importance in the world reserves of the planet as a whole, large - in reserves large in territory and provided with M. p. countries, average - in stocks cp. and small countries or dep. regions major countries, small and small - in the stocks of small countries or otd. p-news and enterprises. Stock data types of p. and. by continents are given in the table, and their distribution by country - in the articles about otd. types of p. and. and gos-wah.

The longest operating mining industry has been studied the most. p-ns, territories of the socialist. and industrialized capitalist. countries, to a lesser extent - the territory of the developing countries of Africa and Asia, some regions of Latin America, as well as the World Ocean;. Despite the depletion of long-exploited units. deposits and reduction of explored reserves p. and. in some countries, production levels achieved in the world in the beginning. 80s, provided for a long time. terms (Fig. 2).

However, it means. part of the identified p. and. concentrated in deposits with relatively poor ores or deposited on great depths and in complex mining and geol. conditions.
Prom. development of M. p. includes their assessment (n.-i., prospecting and geol.-exploration work) and the actual development (extraction, enrichment and processing), the scale and intensity of which are determined by the characteristics of the industrial. and socio-economic. development of society, the role of the mineral resource sector x-va in the country's economy. Non-renewability of M. p. necessitates their rational use, reduction of losses during extraction, processing and transportation, as well as recycling of secondary raw materials and compliance with environmental and economic standards. approach to the operation of M. p. Literature: Bykhover N. A., Economics of mineral raw materials, (vol. 1-3), M., 1967-1971; Mirlin G.A., Mineral resources at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, "Izv. AH CCCP, sep. Geol.", 1983, No 9. G. A. Mirlin.

Mountain Encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. Edited by E. A. Kozlovsky. 1984-1991 .

See what "Mineral resources" is in other dictionaries:

The totality of mineral reserves in the bowels of the Earth (district, country, region, continent, planet as a whole), suitable for use in various sectors of the economy. Many mineral resources (oil, coal, gold, silver, tungsten, ... ... Ecological dictionary

The totality of mineral reserves in the subsoil suitable for industrial use in modern conditions and in perspective. In English: Mineral resources Synonyms: Resources of the lithosphere See also: Exhaustible natural resources Lithosphere ... ... Financial vocabulary

mineral resources- Natural substances of mineral origin, suitable for obtaining energy, raw materials and materials in modern conditions and in the future. Syn.: minerals; mineral resources... Geography Dictionary

The totality of mineral reserves in the bowels of a region, country, group of countries, continent, world as a whole, calculated in relation to the existing conditions for minerals, taking into account scientific and technological progress (increase in depth ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Natural substances of mineral origin used to obtain energy, raw materials and materials. They belong to the category of renewable. Brief geographical dictionary. Edwart. 2008 ... Geographic encyclopedia - - 1). In accordance with the Convention on the Management of the Development of Antarctic Mineral Resources, m.r. are all non-living; in final act IV Special Consultative Meeting of the States Parties to the Antarctic Treaty provides that ... Legal glossary on integrated coastal zone management

mineral resources- 24 Mineral Resources Projected potential mineral reserves in the earth's crust, suitable for extraction and use both in present conditions and in the future

The mineral resources of the planet are all the minerals that mankind extracts. The resources available and suitable for industrial use are called the mineral resource base. And today more than 200 types of mineral raw materials are used.

Natural minerals become resources only after their extraction and use in industry and economy has been mastered. For example, people began to use coal a long time ago, but it received industrial significance only at the end of the 17th century. Oil began to be widely used in industry only in the 19th century, and uranium ores did so only in the middle of the last century.

Mineral resources map of the world

(Click on the picture to enlarge the image and download in full size 1600x1126 pxl)

The distribution of mineral resources on the planet is uneven, and is largely associated with the tectonic structure. Every year new deposits of minerals are discovered and developed.

Most of the reserves are found in mountainous regions. Recently, the development of mineral deposits at the bottom of the oceans and seas has been actively carried out.

Types of mineral resources of the Earth

There is no single classification of mineral resources. There is a rather conditional classification by type of use:

Non-ferrous metal ores: aluminum, copper, nickel, lead, cobalt, zinc, tin, antimony, molybdenum, mercury;

Mining and chemical: apatites, salts, phosphorites, sulfur, boron, bromine, iodine;

Ores of rare and precious metals: silver, gold,

Precious and ornamental stones.

Industrial raw materials: talc, quartz, asbestos, graphite, mica;

Building materials: marble, slate, tuff, basalt, granite;

There is another classification of types of mineral resources:

. Liquid(oil, mineral water);

. Solid(ores, salts, coal, granite, marble);

. gaseous(combustible gases, methane, helium).

Extraction and use of mineral resources in the world

Mineral resources are the basis of modern industry and scientific and technological progress. Without them, it is impossible to imagine the existence of most industries: chemical, construction, food, light, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy. Mechanical engineering, with its numerous branches, is also based on the use of mineral raw materials.

Fuel resources are of great importance. They are of sedimentary origin and are most often located on ancient tectonic platforms. In the world, 60% of fuel mineral resources are coal, 15% - natural gas, 12% - oil. Everything else is the share of peat, oil shale and other minerals.

Reserves of mineral resources (by countries of the world)

The ratio of explored reserves of mineral resources and the size of their use is called the resource endowment of the country. Most often, this value is measured by the number of years for which these same reserves should be enough. There are only a few countries in the world that have significant mineral reserves. Among the leaders are Russia, the USA and China.

The largest coal mining countries are Russia, the USA and China. 80% of all coal in the world is mined here. Most of the coal reserves are in the northern hemisphere. The poorest countries in coal are in South America.

More than 600 oil fields have been explored in the world, and another 450 are only being developed. The countries richest in oil are Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Russia, Iran, UAE, Mexico, USA.

At current rates of oil production, according to geologists, the reserves of this fuel in already developed fields will last for 45-50 years.

The countries that lead the world in terms of gas reserves are Russia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Rich gas deposits have been discovered in Central Asia, Mexico, USA, Canada and Indonesia. The world economy has enough natural gas reserves for 80 years.

All other mineral resources are also very unevenly distributed on the planet. Iron is mostly mined in Russia and Ukraine. South Africa and Australia are rich in manganese ores. Nickel is mostly mined in Russia, cobalt - in the Congo and Zambia, tungsten and molybdenum - in the USA and Canada. Chile, the United States and Peru are rich in copper, Australia has a lot of zinc, and China and Indonesia lead in tin reserves.

Problems of extraction and use of mineral resources

Mineral resources are among the non-renewable natural resources of our planet. That is why the main problem is the depletion of the world's mineral reserves.

In order to rationally use the mineral resources of our planet, scientists are constantly working to improve the methods of extraction and processing of all minerals. It is important not only to extract as many minerals as possible, but also to use them to the maximum, and take care of the complete disposal of waste.

(The biggest diamond quarry, Mirny village, Yakutia)

During the development of deposits, a whole range of works is carried out aimed at protecting environment: atmosphere, soil, water, flora and fauna.

In order to preserve mineral reserves, synthetic materials are being developed - analogues that can replace the most scarce minerals.

To create potential reserves of mineral resources, much attention is paid to geological exploration.