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Minerals and other natural resources of Russia. The largest mineral deposits in Russia and in the world

Sedimentary minerals most characteristic of platforms, as there is a platform cover. Mostly these are non-metallic minerals and combustibles, the leading role among which is played by gas, oil, coal, oil shale. They were formed from the remains of plants and animals accumulated in the coastal parts of the shallow seas and in the lacustrine-marsh conditions of the dry land. These plentiful organic remains could accumulate only in sufficiently moist and warm conditions favorable for luxuriant development. In hot dry conditions in shallow seas and coastal lagoons, salts accumulated, which were used as raw materials in.

Mining

There are several ways mining. Firstly, it is an open method in which rocks are mined in quarries. It is economically more profitable, as it contributes to obtaining a cheaper product. However, an abandoned quarry can lead to the formation of a wide network. The mine method of coal mining is expensive, therefore it is more expensive. The cheapest way to extract oil is the free flow, when oil rises through the well under oil gases. The pumping method of extraction is also common. There are also special ways of extracting minerals. They are called geotechnical. With their help, ore is mined from the bowels of the Earth. This is done by uploading hot water, solutions into layers containing the required mineral. Other wells pump out the resulting solution and separate the valuable component.

The need for minerals is constantly growing, the extraction of mineral raw materials is increasing, but minerals are exhaustible Natural resources Therefore, it is necessary to use them more economically and fully.

There are several ways to do this:

  • reduction of losses of minerals during their extraction;
  • more complete extraction of all useful components from the rock;
  • integrated use of minerals;
  • search for new, more promising deposits.

Thus, the main direction of the use of minerals in the coming years should not be an increase in the volume of their extraction, but a more rational use.

In modern exploration of minerals, it is necessary to use not only the latest technology and sensitive instruments, but also a scientific forecast for the search for deposits, which helps to purposefully, on a scientific basis, conduct exploration of the bowels. Thanks to such methods, diamond deposits in Yakutia were first scientifically predicted and then discovered. A scientific forecast is based on knowledge of the connections and conditions for the formation of minerals.

Brief description of the main minerals

The hardest of all minerals. Its composition is pure carbon. Occurs in placers and as inclusions in rocks. Diamonds are colorless, but there are also dyed in different colors. A cut diamond is called a diamond. Its weight is usually measured in carats (1 carat = 0.2 g). The largest diamond was found in the South: it weighed over 3,000 carats. Most diamonds are mined in Africa (98% of the production in the capitalist world). In Russia, large diamond deposits are located in Yakutia. Clear crystals are used to make gemstones. Until 1430, diamonds were considered common gemstones. The trendsetter for them was the Frenchwoman Agnes Sorel. Opaque diamonds, due to their hardness, are used in industry for cutting and engraving, as well as for grinding glass and stone.

Soft malleable metal yellow color, heavy, does not oxidize in air. In nature, it is found mainly in its pure form (nuggets). The largest nugget, weighing 69.7 kg, was found in Australia.

Gold is also found in the form of a placer - this is the result of weathering and erosion of the deposit, when grains of gold are released and carried away to form placers. Gold is used in the manufacture of precision instruments and various ornaments. In Russia, gold lies on and in. Abroad - in Canada, South Africa, . Since gold is found in nature in small quantities and its extraction is associated with high costs, it is considered a precious metal.

Platinum(from Spanish plata - silver) - a precious metal from white to gray-steel color. Differs in infusibility, resistance to chemical influences and electrical conductivity. It is mined mainly in placers. It is used for the manufacture of chemical glassware, in electrical engineering, jewelry and dentistry. In Russia, platinum is mined in the Urals and in Eastern Siberia. Abroad - in South Africa.

Gems(gems) - mineral bodies that have the beauty of color, brilliance, hardness, transparency. They are divided into two groups: stones for cutting and ornamental. The first group includes diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald, amethyst, aquamarine. To the second group - malachite, jasper, rock crystal. Everything gems are usually of igneous origin. However, pearls, amber, coral are minerals organic origin. Precious stones are used in jewelry and for technical purposes.

tuffs- rocks of various origins. Calcareous tuff is a porous rock formed as a result of precipitation of calcium carbonate from springs. This tuff is used to produce cement and lime. Volcanic tuff - cemented. Tuffs are used as a building material. Has different colors.

micas- rocks that have the ability to split into the thinnest layers with a smooth surface; found as impurities in sedimentary rocks. Various micas are used as a good electrical insulator, for the manufacture of windows in metallurgical furnaces, in the electrical and radio industries. In Russia, micas are mined in Eastern Siberia, c. Industrial development of mica deposits is carried out in Ukraine, in the USA, .

Marble- a crystalline rock formed as a result of limestone metamorphism. It comes in various colors. Marble is used as a building material for wall cladding, in architecture and sculpture. In Russia, there are many of its deposits in the Urals and the Caucasus. Abroad, marble quarried in is the most famous.

Asbestos(Greek inextinguishable) - a group of fibrous fireproof rocks that split into soft fibers of a greenish-yellow or almost white color. It lies in the form of veins (vein is a mineral body that fills a crack in earth's crust, usually has a plate-like shape, going vertically to great depths. The length of the veins reaches two or more kilometers), among igneous and sedimentary rocks. It is used for the manufacture of special fabrics (fire insulation), tarpaulins, fire-resistant roofing materials, as well as thermal insulation materials. In Russia, asbestos is mined in the Urals, in, abroad - in other countries.

Asphalt(resin) - a fragile resinous rock of brown or black color, which is a mixture of hydrocarbons. Asphalt melts easily, burns with a smoky flame, is a product of the transformation of certain types of oil, from which some of the substances have evaporated. Asphalt often penetrates sandstones, limestones, marl. It is used as a building material for road surfacing, in the electrical engineering and rubber industry, for the preparation of varnishes and mixtures for waterproofing. The main asphalt deposits in Russia are the Ukhta region, abroad - in, in France,.

Apatity- minerals rich in phosphoric salts, green, gray and other colors; found among various igneous rocks, sometimes forming large clusters. Apatites are mainly used for the production of phosphate fertilizers, they are also used in the ceramics industry. In Russia, the largest deposits of apatite are located in, on. Abroad they are mined in the Republic of South Africa.

Phosphorites- sedimentary rocks rich in phosphorus compounds, which form grains in the rock or hold together various minerals into a dense rock. Phosphorites are dark grey. They are used, like apatites, to obtain phosphate fertilizers. In Russia, phosphorite deposits are common in the Moscow and Kirov regions. Abroad, they are mined in the USA (Peninsula Florida) and.

aluminum ores- minerals and rocks used to produce aluminium. Main aluminum ores are bauxites, nephelines and alunites.

bauxites(the name comes from the Bo area in the south of France) - sedimentary rocks of red or Brown color. 1/3 of their world reserves lie in the north, and the country is among the leading countries in terms of their production. In Russia, bauxites are mined in. The main component of bauxite is aluminum oxide.

Alunites(the name comes from the word alun - alum (fr.) - minerals, which include aluminum, potassium and other inclusions. Alunite ore can be a raw material for obtaining not only aluminum, but also potash fertilizers and sulfuric acid. There are deposits of alunites in the USA , China, Ukraine, and other countries.

Nephelines(the name comes from the Greek "nephele", which means cloud) - minerals of complex composition, gray or green, containing a significant amount of aluminum. They are part of the igneous rocks. In Russia, nephelines are mined in and in Eastern Siberia. The aluminum obtained from these ores is a soft metal, gives strong alloys, is widely used, as well as in the manufacture of household goods.

Iron ores- natural mineral accumulations containing iron. They are diverse in terms of mineralogical composition, the amount of iron in them, and various impurities. Impurities can be valuable (chromium manganese, cobalt, nickel) and harmful (sulfur, phosphorus, arsenic). The main ones are brown iron ore, red iron ore, magnetic iron ore.

brown iron ore, or limonite, is a mixture of several minerals containing iron with an admixture of clay substances. It has a brown, yellow-brown or black color. It occurs most often in sedimentary rocks. If the ores of brown iron ore - one of the most common iron ores - have an iron content of at least 30%, then they are considered industrial. The main deposits are in Russia (Ural, Lipetsk), in Ukraine (), France (Lorraine), on.

Hematite, or hematite, is a red-brown to black mineral containing up to 65% iron.

Found in various rocks in the form of crystals and thin plates. Sometimes forms clusters in the form of hard or earthy masses bright red. The main deposits of red iron ore are in Russia (KMA), Ukraine (Krivoy Rog), USA, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Canada, Sweden.

Magnetic iron ore, or magnetite, is a black mineral containing 50-60% iron. It is high quality iron ore. Composed of iron and oxygen, highly magnetic. It occurs in the form of crystals, inclusions and solid masses. The main deposits are in Russia (Urals, KMA, Siberia), Ukraine (Krivoy Rog), Sweden and the USA.

manganese ores- mineral compounds containing manganese, the main property of which is to impart malleability and hardness to steel and cast iron. Modern metallurgy is unthinkable without manganese: a special alloy is smelted - ferromanganese, containing up to 80% manganese, which is used for smelting high-quality steel. In addition, manganese is necessary for the growth and development of animals, it is a microfertilizer. The main ore deposits are located in Ukraine (Nikolskoye), India, Brazil and the Republic of South Africa.

Tin ores- Numerous minerals containing tin. Tin ores with a tin content of 1-2% or more are being developed. These ores require enrichment - an increase in the valuable component and the separation of waste rock, therefore, ores with a tin content increased to 55% are used for smelting. Tin does not oxidize, which has led to its widespread use in the canning industry. In Russia, tin ores occur in Eastern Siberia and on, and abroad they are mined in Indonesia, on the peninsula.

Nickel ores- mineral compounds containing nickel. It does not oxidize in air. The addition of nickel to steels greatly increases their elasticity. Pure nickel is used in mechanical engineering. In Russia, it is mined for Kola Peninsula, in the Urals, in Eastern Siberia; abroad - in Canada, on, in Brazil.

Uranium-radium ores- mineral accumulations containing uranium. Radium is a product of the radioactive decay of uranium. The content of radium in uranium ores is negligible - up to 300 mg per 1 ton of ore. have great importance, since nuclear fission of each gram of uranium can give 2 million times more energy than burning 1 gram of fuel, so they are used as fuel in nuclear power plants to produce cheap electricity. Uranium-radium ores are mined in Russia, the USA, China, Canada, Congo, and other countries of the world.


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Mineral resources are commonly referred to as minerals extracted from the bowels. Minerals are natural mineral substances in the earth's crust, which, under a given state of development of technology, can be with sufficient economic effect extracted and used in the national economy in natural form or after pretreatment.

The modern economy uses about 200 types of mineral raw materials. There is no single, generally accepted system of their classification. Depending on the physical or chemical properties of the extracted raw materials, on the branch of the economy where it is used, on the characteristics of its occurrence in the earth's crust, known minerals are divided into groups.

The classification of minerals based on the technology of their use is widely used: fuel and energy raw materials (oil, coal, gas, uranium), 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), chemical and agronomic raw materials (potassium salts, phosphorites, apatites, etc.), technical raw materials (diamonds, asbestos, graphite, etc.), fluxes and refractories, cement raw materials.

The world predicted geological reserves of mineral fuels exceed 12.5 trillion tons. modern level the extraction of these resources should be enough for 1000 years. These reserves consist of coal (up to 60%), oil and gas (about 27%), as well as shale and peat.

Among the fuel and energy resources, the largest reserves in the world are coal. The world's proven reserves of hard and brown coal are over 5 trillion tons, and reliable - about 1.8 trillion tons.

Coal resources are explored in 75 countries of the world. The largest deposits coal is concentrated in the USA (445 billion tons), China (272 billion tons), Russia (200 billion tons), South Africa (130 billion tons), Germany (100 billion tons), Australia (90 billion tons), Great Britain (50 billion tons ), Canada (50 billion tons), India (29 billion tons) and Poland (25 billion tons).

In general, the world's coal resources are plentiful, and the supply of them is much greater than that of other types of fuel. At the current level of world coal production (4.5 billion tons per year), the reserves explored to date can be enough for about 400 years.

In European countries, as well as in many coal basins in Russia, the upper layers of deposits have already been developed, and extracting coal from a depth of more than 1000 m is unprofitable with the current technology and technology. Profitable remains only the development of coal deposits in an open way (in the Western basin of the USA, Eastern Siberia, South Africa, Australia). Thus, the extraction of 1 ton of anthracite in Germany costs three times more than imports from South Africa, including delivery costs.

Most of oil fields dispersed over six regions of the world and confined to inland territories and the outskirts of the continents: the Persian Gulf - North Africa; Gulf of Mexico - Caribbean Sea (including coastal areas of Mexico, USA, Colombia, Venezuela and Trinidad Island); islands of the Malay Archipelago and New Guinea; Western Siberia; northern Alaska; the North Sea (mainly the Norwegian and British sectors); about. Sakhalin 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 possessed by: Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, UAE, Kuwait, Iran, Venezuela.

The volume of world oil production is about 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 United Arab Emirates(3.4%), Kuwait (3.3%), Nigeria (3.2%), Canada (2.8%), Indonesia (2.4%), Iraq (1.0%).

It should also be taken into account that with the current production technology, only 30-35% of the oil deposited in the subsoil is extracted to the surface on average.

The explored reserves of this type of fuel over the past 15 years have increased from 100 to 144 trillion m 3 . The increase is explained as the discovery of a number of new fields (in particular, in Russia - in Western and Eastern Siberia, on the shelf Barents Sea), and the transfer of part of the geological reserves into the explored category.

The largest explored reserves of natural gas are concentrated in Russia (39.2%), Western Asia (32%), they are also in North Africa (6.9%), Latin America(5.1%), North America (4.9%), Western Europe (3.8%). IN Lately significant reserves have been identified in Central Asia. At the beginning of 1998, natural gas reserves were: Russia - 47,600 billion m 3; Iran - 21200 billion m 3; USA - 4654 billion m 3; Algeria - 3424 billion m 3; Turkmenistan - 2650 billion m 3.

security natural gas at the current level of its production (2.2 trillion m 3 per year) is 71 years. In terms of reference fuel, gas reserves approached the explored oil reserves (270 billion tons).

Reserves are important for the production of ferrous metals iron ore. The world forecast resources of iron ore reach approximately 600 billion tons, and explored reserves - 260 billion tons. The world's largest iron ore deposits are located in Brazil, Australia, Canada, Russia, China, the USA, India, and Sweden. Iron ore production in the world is 0.9-1.0 billion tons per year. The resource supply of the world economy with this type of raw material is approximately 250 years old.

Of the raw materials for the production of non-ferrous metals, bauxites are in the first place. The largest bauxite deposits are concentrated in Australia, Guinea, Brazil, Venezuela, and Jamaica. Bauxite production reaches 80 million tons per year, so that the current reserves should be enough for 250 years. In Russia, bauxite reserves are relatively small.

Geological reserves copper ores are estimated at 860 million tons, of which 450 million tons are explored (in India, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Congo, USA, Russia, Canada). With the current production volume - 8 million tons per year - the explored reserves of copper ores will last for about 55 years.

The largest reserves of bauxite (the main raw material of the aluminum industry) are located in Guinea (42% of world reserves), Australia (18.5%), Brazil (6.3%), Jamaica (4.7%), Cameroon (3.8%) and India (2.8%). In terms of production scale (42.6 million tons), Australia occupies the first place.

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 - by 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.

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). 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. The large uranite deposit Shinkolobwe is located in Democratic Republic Congo. China, Germany and the Czech Republic also have significant reserves.

Another important mineral resource - table salt - is obtained from deposits rock salt and by evaporating the water of 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.

Diamonds - the most famous of the gemstones - play important role in industry due to their exceptionally high hardness. World diamond production is 107.9 million carats (200 mg); including 91.2 million carats (84.5%) of technical diamonds, 16.7 million carats of jewelry (15.5%) were mined. In Australia and the Congo, the share of gem diamonds is only 4-5%, in Russia - about 20%, in Botswana - 24-25%, South Africa - more than 35%, in Angola and the Central African Republic - 50-60%, in Namibia - 100 %.

The mining industry in Russia is mining

Despite the fact that the Russian Federation is very rich in minerals, little was known about them even a hundred years ago. Active search for deposits began in the 1930s in the USSR.

The discovered large volumes of deposits in the bowels of the earth on the territory of the Union brought the country to the undisputed leaders. Russia inherited the bulk of the discovered deposits, thanks to which it received the status of the most mineral-rich country in the world.

According to the most conservative estimates of foreign and domestic experts, the cost of minerals is 27 trillion dollars. With the growth of the pace of technological progress, technologies are being improved, production volumes are increasing, labor intensity is decreasing, and the profits of mining companies are increasing.

Despite such impressive data and development prospects, the extractive industry needs significant capital investment, which, first of all, should be directed to providing infrastructure for deposits, establishing transportation, and modernizing processing plants. Big problems in Russia with the raw materials processing industry.

It turns out a paradoxical situation when huge volumes of extracted resources are exported for a small cost, and the country imports processed products for a price several times higher than the cost of raw materials. When it is much more profitable and economically more profitable to establish processing plants within the country, and to export surplus production.

Basic information

In Russia, mining is carried out in almost all directions; to a large extent, the country is rich:


Minerals map of Russia
  • natural gas;
  • oil products;
  • ores of ferrous and non-ferrous metals;
  • ores of precious metals;
  • rough diamonds;
  • peat shale;
  • deposits of natural salt;
  • ores containing precious and semiprecious stones;
  • ores containing radioactive metals;
  • mineral waters.

Federal legislation, preventing the formation of extractive monopolies, promotes business development by granting licenses for the extraction of minerals, tax incentives and deductions. The main requirements put forward to the enterprises of the industry are to ensure environmental and labor safety, as well as timely replenishment of the treasury with fees and taxes.

The largest extractive industries in Russia are as follows:


Forecast of demand and supply of diamonds in the world market until 2020
  • Rosneft;
  • Lukoil;
  • Tatneft;
  • Gazprom;
  • Kuzbassrazrezugol;
  • Evraz;
  • Atomredmetzoloto;
  • Dalur;
  • Alrosa;
  • Severalmaz.

Obtain a license for individual fishing to an individual is also possible, however, this process is quite difficult, private entrepreneurs get out of the situation by concluding employment contracts with large enterprises. This situation is typical for the extraction of gold and precious stones, diamonds.

Mineral deposits in Russia

Mining operations are geographically distributed throughout almost the entire territory of Russia. However, some patterns and places of the highest concentration of individual species have been identified.


Russian coal basins

The basins of the Pechera, the Urals, and Bashkiria are rich in coal.

Ore minerals are concentrated in the Siberian platform, copper-nickel ores, platinum, cobalt are actively mined here.

Potassium salt is focused on Caspian lowland, on the territory of lakes Baskunchak and Elton. Cis-Urals is also rich in salt deposits.

Building materials such as glass sand, gypsum, sand, limestone are mined in the East European Plain.

The Baltic shield is rich in various ores of ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

The extraction of minerals, such as oil and gas, is carried out in the lower reaches of the Volga and Ural rivers, on the territory of the northwestern Siberian plate. The largest gas field is located in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, as well as on Sakhalin Island.


Most big quarry for diamond mining in Yakutia

Yakutia is rich in diamond ores, gold mines and coal.

Polymetallic ores occur in the bowels of the Altai Territory.

Gold, tin, polymetallic raw materials are mined in the Kolyma, in the Sikhote-Alin mountains and in the spurs of the Chersky Range.

The main uranium mining is concentrated in the Chita region.

Copper and nickel occur in layers located in the Urals, the Kola Peninsula. These ores are also rich in related minerals - cobalt, platinum and other non-ferrous metals. Near the active deposits of Eastern Siberia, the largest city has grown - the center of the Arctic - Norilsk.

Oil shale rocks are located in the European part Russian Federation, the largest deposit is St. Petersburg, which is part of the Baltic shale basin.

Peat is mined in 46 thousand deposits, most of which are concentrated in the Northern Urals and Western Siberia. General stocks are estimated at 160 billion tons. Some deposits have an area of ​​about 100 km2.

Manganese in the Russian Federation is mined in 14 deposits, they are small in terms of deposits, and the ore is of poor quality, it has a high content of carbonates, and enrichment of such ore is difficult. The largest deposits are recorded in the Urals - Ekaterininskoye, Yurkinskoye, Berezovskoye.

The extraction of minerals, such as aluminum ores - bauxites, is carried out in the Northern Urals - the Tikhvin and Onega deposits. In the Komi Republic, a group of bauxite deposits Srednetimanskaya was recorded. The ore here has high quality, and the volume of proven reserves is estimated at 200 million tons.

Lecture "Mineral deposit"

In terms of silver reserves, the Russian Federation ranks first in the world, the main deposits are observed in complex ores that contain non-ferrous metals and gold - 73%. Copper pyrite ores in the Urals contain up to 30 grams of silver per ton. Lead-zinc deposits in Eastern Siberia contain 43 grams of silver per ton. Actually silver ores are mined in the Okhotsk-Chukotka volcanic belt.


Precious and semi-precious stones such as:

  • Emerald;
  • beryl;
  • jasper;
  • nephritis;
  • cornelian;
  • malachite;
  • rhinestone

mined in the Urals and Altai.

Lapis lazuli in Transbaikalia, carnelian and chalcedony in Buryatia and the Amur region, amethyst in the White Sea region.

Main mining methods


Mining methods in Russia

Depending on the type of fossil raw materials, the forms in which it is contained, the depth of its occurrence, various ways mining.

In Russia, two methods are mainly used - open and underground. An open pit or quarry mining method involves the development of deposits by extracting useful ore using excavators, tractors and other equipment.

Before the start of development, blasting is carried out, the rock is crushed, in this form it is easier to extract and transport it. Open pit mining is suitable for minerals that are shallow underground.

Quarries, the depth of which reaches 600 m, can no longer be developed. In this way, 90% of brown coal, 20% of hard coal, about 70% of non-ferrous and ferrous metal ores are mined. Many building materials and peat are on the surface of the earth, they are mined in a quarry with full mechanization of production processes.

Extraction of minerals, such as gas and oil, is extracted from the bowels of the earth with the help of wells, the depth of which sometimes reaches several kilometers. Gas through the well rises to the surface under its own energy, in the depths of the earth it accumulates and is held by high pressure, and tends to the surface, since it is several times lower there.

Oil during the initial development of the well may flow for some time and in this way rise to the surface. When the fountain stops, further production is carried out by gas lift or mechanical means. The gas lift method involves the downloading of compressed gas, thus creating conditions for lifting oil. The mechanized method is most often used, it involves the use of pumps:

Minerals are mined from underground and surface water e.g. gas and oil
  • electrocentrifugal;
  • electric screw;
  • electrodiaphragmatic;
  • hydropiston.

Extraction of minerals by mine or underground method is used in the case of deep occurrence of useful rock. The mine is a tunnel, the depth of which sometimes reaches several kilometers. This method is laborious and quite costly.

Deployed infrastructure and expensive equipment are required to ensure safe working conditions. The operation of mines is associated with great risks, rock falls are quite common in Russia. However, underground mining methods have a less detrimental effect on environment compared to career ones.

Some minerals are mined from underground and surface waters, for example, gold, lithium, copper. Gold sands can be found on the shores mountain rivers, swamps, lithium is found in groundwater in the form of simple compounds. Copper can also precipitate from some groundwater, dissolving sulfur compounds.

Production volumes

Despite the general economic downturn in 2015, the extractive industry recorded growth indicators. The total volume of mining in Russia increased by 1.3% compared to 2014. This was largely influenced by the discovery and development of new deposits; since 2011, more than fifty of them have been developed.

In terms of oil production, Russia ranks second in the world, second only to Saudi Arabia. About 530 million tons are mined per year. This industry has seen a steady increase in production volumes.

New fields increase the resource potential, so in 2015 the increase in oil reserves amounted to 600 million tons, which is 20% more loot. In total, more than 80,000 million tons of oil lie in the already discovered oil fields on the territory of the Russian Federation, according to this indicator, Russia is in 8th place in the world ranking.

Gas production in 2015 increased by 6.2% compared to the previous year and amounted to 642 billion cubic meters. According to experts, the proven volumes of gas in the country are 43.30 trillion tons, this figure indicates the unconditional leadership of Russia, Iran is in second place, its reserves are estimated at 29.61 trillion tons.

Gold production volumes in the first half of 2015 amounted to 183.4 tons, and Russia is also among the world leaders in this mineral.

Video: Diamond mining

Mineral deposit called a section of the earth's crust in which, as a result of certain geological processes, an accumulation of mineral matter occurred, which, in terms of quantity, quality and conditions of occurrence, is suitable for industrial use. Minerals are gaseous, liquid and solid. TO gaseous include combustible gases of hydrocarbon composition and non-combustible inert gases; to liquid - oil and The groundwater; to solid owns most of the minerals that are used as elements or their connections(iron, gold, bronze, etc.), crystals(rock crystal, diamond, etc.), minerals(fossil salts, graphite, talc, etc.) and rocks(granite, marble, clay, etc.).

According to industrial use, mineral deposits are divided into ore or metal; non-metallic, or non-metallic; combustible and hydromineral (Table 1).

Ore deposits in turn, they are subdivided into deposits of ferrous, light, non-ferrous, rare, radioactive and noble metals, as well as trace and rare earth elements.

TO non-metallic deposits include deposits of chemical, agronomic, metallurgical, technical and construction mineral raw materials.

Deposits of combustible minerals It is customary to divide into deposits of oil, combustible gases, coal, oil shale and peat.

Hydromineral deposits are divided into groundwater (drinking, technical, mineral) and oil, containing valuable elements in an amount sufficient to extract them (bromine, iodine, boron, radium, etc.).

Mineral raw materials are used for the needs of industry both directly, without preliminary processing, and for the extraction of valuable natural chemical compounds or elements necessary for the national economy. In the latter case, it is called ore.

Ore is a mineral aggregate in which the content of a valuable component (or components) is sufficient for industrial extraction. The amount of mineral raw materials in the bowels is called its reserves. The quality of mineral raw materials going for processing is determined by the content in it valuable components. For the industrial evaluation of certain types of minerals, in addition, the presence in them of harmful ingredients, hindering the processing and use of ores. The higher the content of valuable and the lower the concentration of harmful components, the greater the value of the ore.

The minimum reserves and content of valuable components, as well as the permissible maximum content of harmful impurities in mineral raw materials, under which the exploitation of a mineral deposit is possible, are called industrial conditions. Industrial conditions are not strictly defined and set once and for all.

First, they historically change with the development of mankind's needs for mineral raw materials.

Secondly, industrial limits are decreasing due to the improvement of the technique of extraction and processing of mineral raw materials. Thirdly, industrial standards for mineral raw materials are different for different natural conditions for finding mineral deposits and are determined using economic calculations.

The higher the value of mineral raw materials, the lower the industrial standard minimum for reserves and the content of valuable components. However, it is always greater than the average content of valuable elements in the rocks of the earth's crust (their clarks).

Russia is a huge country with practically inexhaustible natural resources. Minerals are the most diverse among them. The Russian Federation occupies a leading position in the world in terms of exports natural resources, which are estimated at trillions of rubles. However, not all deposits of oil, gas, coal or metals are easily accessible.

Despite the uniqueness, diversity and a large number of natural resources, they characterized by uneven distribution across the country. Unfortunately, they are often located in hard-to-reach regions, the extraction of which is very difficult due to remoteness and complex climatic conditions down to permafrost. At the same time, the large-scale exploitation of known sources leads to a rapid depletion of raw materials from them.

Currently, several types of resources are allocated to ensure the wealth of the country.

Fresh water is a vital resource, but its reserves are not endless. A large proportion of its total volume is in the form of glaciers and icebergs, which makes such water practically inaccessible. A potential source is permafrost. The water currently used comes from rivers, lakes, reservoirs and underground sources.

20% of the world's water reserves are in Russia, this fact provides the country with the first place in terms of the volume of the resource. but clean sources make up less than half of them. The situation can only be corrected by environmental activities, in particular, by limiting the flow of waste from enterprises into fresh water.

Land resources

Russia has millions of hectares of land, a quarter of which is actively used in agriculture. Thanks to arable land, which is especially abundant in Siberia and the Urals, and pastures for various farm animals, including deer, the population can be fully provided with food, and industrial complexes receive raw materials.

Forest wealth

Almost half of the entire territory of the Russian Federation is occupied by forest belts, for the most part educated coniferous trees. Especially a lot of them Far East and in Siberia. Russia's timber reserves are huge, but the approach to using this resource leaves much to be desired. Deforestation is more active than planting new trees. This does not allow full efficient use of the resource. The situation is aggravated by the need for long transportation through the country, as well as the hot summer season, leading to large-scale fires.

Renewable energy sources

solar energy, wind can be great alternative sources for power plants. In Kamchatka, Sakhalin and Chukotka, in the Krasnodar Territory, Kaliningrad and Leningrad regions A number of installations using the sun, wind or geothermal resources are already in operation. These projects are interesting, but so far they do not reach the level of industrial scale.

Minerals

In Russia there are almost all types mineral resources, developed in several tens of thousands of deposits, however, only about 7 thousand are used on an industrial scale. Oil, gas, coal, metals, mining and chemical raw materials, minerals and precious stones - Russia is fully rich in all this.

On average, Russia accounts for:

Due to its vast territory, Russia occupies one of the first places among countries rich in deposits of precious and rare earth metals. IN early XXI century, the total amount of minerals in Russia was estimated at about 840 trillion rubles. Of these, 270 trillion for the share of gas, 200 - coal, 130 - oil, 120 - non-metallic raw materials.

Further development of deposits, especially gas and oil, according to forecasts, will be estimated at 73 to 240 trillion rubles. However, minerals mined in Russia are often of poor quality due to the poor content of useful components, which can be half as much as in similar raw materials located in another territory. In addition, their extraction is complicated by climatic conditions and the inaccessibility of remote areas for transport.

Since fossils are distinguished by a variety of groups, they receive the most attention in the study of natural resources in geography. They are found almost throughout the country.

The diversity of natural resources is combined with very large reserves of some of their species, significant volumes of extraction and use. This determines the special role of the resource potential of the Russian Federation in the global natural resource complex.

Oil, gas and coal

Russia's first place in terms of gas reserves and seventh in terms of the number of oil sources allows the state to receive a stable income from the export of this raw material. At present, the country has 14 billion tons of oil, and in the future this figure may reach 63 billion. Deposits are rich in the north and east of the country, the shelves of the seas. Half of the known sources are not developed, only 50% of the total volume is sold from the open ones, researchers predict the discovery of new deposits in Siberia.

The deposits are usually found in sedimentary rocks and are thought to have been formed hundreds of millions of years ago. The main oil and gas provinces of Russia:

In each province, there can be up to three hundred springs, which are located throughout the thickness of the earth. Some oil and gas bearing rocks are more than 500 million years old and are the oldest.

Russia ranks third in coal production. It is overtaken by the United States and China. The total tonnage of coal is more than one and a half trillion. List of famous pools:

  • Kuzbass.
  • Pechorsky.
  • South Yakutsk.
  • Part of the Donbass.

Oil shale and peat

Resin is obtained from oil shale, which has similar properties and composition to oil. The shale deposit, which has the greatest industrial significance, is located on the territory of St. Petersburg. In addition, deposits were found in Siberia, the Pechora and Volga regions.

Peat can be used as fuel and fertilizer. Previously, gas was extracted from it by distillation and used for lighting. The vast majority of Russian fuel deposits of peat are located in the Ural and Siberian districts.

metal ores

Russia occupies a leading position in the extraction of iron ore minerals, which are characterized by strength, as well as the complexity of the composition, which includes many components. The main iron ore basin of Russia is called the Kursk magnetic anomaly.

Mostly in the Urals and Siberia, there are several small deposits of manganese of low quality. The content of the base metal in them is low, for industrial use a complex enrichment process is necessary.

The bulk of the titanium mined in the country falls on alluvial deposits containing a small amount of iron titanate compounds. Also in Russia there are several primary deposits characterized by a low content of titanium oxides.

Chromium is mainly mined in Perm region , as well as a small share of production falls on the Urals. Researchers predict the discovery of new large bowels of this metal. Chrome ores contain a large amount of impurities of aluminum, magnesium and iron oxides and require additional enrichment.

Vanadium, whose alloys are widely used in nuclear power and metallurgy, on the territory of Russia it is extracted from titanomagnetite containing it. This iron ore is common near the Caspian Sea and on the Kuril Islands. Vanadium can be found in coal and iron deposits.

Aluminum is mined in the Urals and Siberia, but its volumes are not enough to cover all the needs of the country. And this is despite the fact that Russia ranks second after China in the production of primary aluminum. However, the ores are of low quality. The prospects for the discovery of new deposits are very doubtful.

Complex ores of molybdenum and niobium are found in the Caucasus, separately these transition metals are found in Yakutia, Chukotka and other regions. Ores usually contain too little trioxide. There are few molybdenum deposits, and its export is unprofitable on the world market, since mining is associated with great difficulties due to the inconvenient territorial location of the deposits. Moreover, it requires large financial costs, while the quality of the final product is very low. All this makes Russian molybdenum uncompetitive in Europe, but in the future it is possible to discover new deposits containing metal of better quality.

Russian copper is of good quality, but its development is difficult due to climatic conditions. Copper is rich in the Norilsk region, the Kola Peninsula, the Caucasus and the Urals. At the same time, the content of the metal itself in ores usually does not exceed 20%, and sometimes is at the level of tenths of a percent.

cobalt and nickel, along with platinum and copper, is common in Norilsk and the Kola Peninsula. The length of such deposits sometimes reaches several kilometers. In Tuva there is a deposit rich in arsenic along with the metals in question.

Tin, developed in the Far East region, accounts for almost 8% of the world production of this metal. Thanks to this, Russia ranks sixth in the extraction of this ore, however, the metal content in it is very low, tin is three times less than in the sources of other countries and does not even reach a percentage, and therefore the sources of Russian origin are little valued.

Zinc in Russia is often mined from ores that also contain large amounts of lead and copper. Along with them, tin, gold, silver, platinum and its transition elements, rare earth metals, inert gases and minerals are found in the deposits.

Uranium used in production nuclear fuel, in Russia is being developed from more than 50 fields. The main part falls on Transbaikalia. This is enough for development within 15-20 years. Currently, about two-thirds of all production is exported, the rest is used for the needs of nuclear power plants within the country.

Noble and rare metals

Gold resources in Russia allow to obtain this metal in the amount of more than 3 thousand tons per year. There are forecasts that this figure will increase several times. In the eastern regions there are several ore deposits, in Magadan and Transbaikalia - there are gold placers.

Silver is presented in ores complex with other noble metals and individual deposits. In terms of silver mining, Russia ranks first in the world.

8% of the world's platinum is divided between the Urals and the Murmansk region.

The list of rare metals in Russia includes:

  • tantalum in Eastern Siberia;
  • beryllium in the Khabarovsk Territory;
  • germanium in the Sakhalin Region, Primorsky and Zabaikalsky Territories;
  • niobium in Yakutia.

Mining and chemical raw materials

Among fossils related to mining and chemical raw materials, in Russia are common:

  • salts of potassium and magnesium (Perm region);
  • sodium cations (Siberia);
  • calcium salts (Primorye);
  • phosphates (Ural, Krasnoyarsk region, Irkutsk region);
  • sulfur (Far East);
  • barium sulfate minerals (Western Siberia, Khakassia).

Gems

Russia is rich in deposits of the following gems:

Thus, the mineral reserves in Russia are huge. There is practically no such resource that would be absent in the state. And the primary task should be the competent use of wealth and their renewal, as far as possible.

Natural resources of Russia