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Minerals of the world. Mineral resources

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 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 rocks. earth's crust(their clarks).

Certain types of minerals

Oil and gas

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

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

oil shale

Main shale deposits are located in the European part of the Russian Federation. The most important in prom. relation is the St. Petersburg (former Leningrad) deposit, which is part of the Baltic shale basin. Oil shale deposits associated with Upper Jurassic rocks have also been found in the Volga, Timan-Pechora, and Vichegoda shale basins. In Siberia, shale formations of the early Paleozoic were found in the basin of the city of Olenyok and in the Leno-Aldan region.

Peat

Carbonatite deposits - perovskite-titanomagnetite and apatite-magnetite deposits of the Baltic Shield (Afrikanda, Kovdorsky) and the Siberian Platform (Gulinsky massif). Skarn deposits are developed in the Urals (Vysokogorskoye, Goroblagodatskoye, Sev.-Peschanskoye, etc.) and in the West. Siberia (Tashtagol, Abakan, etc.). Magnetite deposits of the magnesian-skarn formation are located mainly in the areas of development of ancient shields and Precambrian folding. Such deposits are known in the Kuznetsk Alatau (Teiskoe), in Gornaya Shoria (Sheregeshevskoe) and Yakutia (Taiga). Volcanogenic hydrothermal deposits are widely developed, paragenetically associated with the traps of the Siberian Platform (Angara-Ilimsk iron ore basin, Angara-Katsky, Seredneangarsky, Kansko-Taseevsky, Tungussky, Bakhtinsky and Ilimpeysky iron ore regions). The largest deposits of this group are Korshunovskoye, Rudnogirskoye, Neryundinskoye and Tagarskoye. Ore bodies - dissemination zones, veins and sheet-like deposits. The Tersinskaya group (Kuznetsk Alatau) and the Kholzunskoye deposit (Gorny Altai) belong to volcanogenic-sedimentary deposits. The ocherous oolitic ores of weathering crust deposits are represented in deposits of the North. Ural (Elizavetinskoye, Serovskoye), Yuzh. Ural (Akkermanivskoe, Novokievskoe, Novopetropavlivskoe, etc.), to the North. Caucasus (Malkinskoe).

Manganese

Deposits of manganese ores in the territory. RFs are numerous, but small, predominantly of the carbonate type. The State Balance includes 14 deposits, the explored reserves of which are about 150 million tons - 2.7% of the world (). The ore quality is low. OK. 91% of the reserves are of the carbonate type with low grade and heavy washability. The largest deposits are known in the Urals, Siberia, and the Far East. The largest of them in the Urals are Yurkinskoye, Ekaterininskoye, Berezovskoye and others (Carbonate ores), Novoberezovskoye, Polunochnoye (oxide ores). Ores Sev. Ural bass. characterized by a manganese content of approx. 21%. To the South In the Urals, numerous small deposits of oxidized manganese ores are associated with the volcanogenic-sedimentary formation of the Magnitogorsk synclinorium. The largest in Siberia is the Usinsk manganese deposit (Kemerovo region), which contains 65% of the reserves of manganese ores in Russia, ores in the main. carbonate. In addition, there are small accumulations of manganese on the Yenisei Ridge (Porozhinskoe deposit.), Salair Ridge, Angarsk Ridge, in the west. coast of the lake Baikal, in a number of regions of Siberia, the Far East (a group of deposits. Small Khingan), Irnimiyskoye field. in the Udskaya-Shantarsky district, to the North. Caucasus (Labinsk). In Russia, the carbonate type of ores prevails with an average manganese content of 20% (more than 90% Russian reserves). Oxide ores (with a content of 21%) are 4.7%, oxidized (27% Mn) - 4.5%, mixed (16% Mn) - hundredths of a percent.

Tin

In terms of explored reserves of tin, the Russian Federation occupies one of the leading places in the world. In terms of tin resources, Russia ranks sixth among the countries of the world (after Brazil, China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand) - 7.6% of world resources (3.6 million tons). The basis of the mineral resource base of tin in Russia is Mesozoic primary deposits of vein and stockwork ores (over 86% of the explored reserves of the metal), the reserves of alluvial deposits are less than 14%. Almost 95% of all Russian reserves of explored deposits are concentrated in the Far East region, including 41% in Yakutia, 20% each in the Khabarovsk Territory and the Magadan Region, 13% in the Primorsky Territory. Primary deposits of cassiterite-silicate (tourmaline and chlorite) geological-industrial type located in Yakutia are of the leading industrial importance. Thus, the main deposits are associated with the Pacific ore belt and zones of Mesozoic activation in the East. Transbaikalia. Deposits are presented in main. cassiterite-sulfide and cassiterite-quartz ores. The largest deposits tin is known in Yakutia (Deputatskoe, E.-Khaiskoe, Alice-Khaiskoe, Ilin-Taskaya, Burgochanskoe, Kesterskoe), in Chukotka (Iultinskoe, Valkumeiskoe, Pirkakai tin ore cluster), in the Khabarovsk Territory (Solnechnoe, Festivalnoe, Perevalnoe and other deposits . Komsomolsk ore district), in the Primorsky Territory (Khrustalnoye, Upper, Arsenyevskoye, Levitskoye, Dubrovskoye), in Transbaikalia (Khapcheranginskoye, Sherlovogorskoye, Etikinskoye, etc.), in Karelia (Kitelskoye). There are tin-bearing placers in Yakutia and in the Magadan region. The metal content in Russian ores is low - mainly 0.4-0.6%, while in the ores of Brazil, Bolivia, China - (1-1.5)%.

Polymetals

Silver

According to Russian sources, Russia ranks first in the world in terms of silver reserves. The main of them (73%) are concentrated in the complex ores of deposits of non-ferrous metals and gold. Actually silver deposits contain 27% of the reserves. Among complex deposits the largest number silver (23.2% of all its reserves) are distinguished by copper pyrites (Gaiskoye, Uzelskoye, Podolskoye in the Urals, in the ores of which the silver content ranges from 4-5 to 10-30 g / t.). The lead-zinc deposits of Gorevsky, Ozerny, Kholodninskoye in the East Siberian economic region, Nikolaevsky, Smirnovsky and Primorye contain 15.8% of silver reserves with an average silver content in ores of 43 g / t. 9.0-9.5% of the reserves are found in polymetallic deposits ores Novoshirokinskoye, Pokrovskoye, Vozdvizhenskoye in the Chita region, Rubtsovsk, Korbalikhinskoye in the Altai Territory, etc., sulfide copper-nickel deposits Oktyabrskoye, Talnakhskoye and Udokan deposits of cuprous sandstones. The silver content in this group of deposits ranges from 4.5 to 20 g / t. 16 deposits belong to silver proper, in the ores of which the average silver content exceeds 400 g / t. The main reserves of silver ores proper (about 98%) are located in Okhotsk- Chukotka and East Sikhote-Alin volcanic belts. All prom. deposits of silver ores are post-magmatic and belong to volcanogenic-hydrothermal formations. The deposit of the silver-gold formation - Khakandzhinsk in the Okhotsk-Chukotsky volcanic. belt, silver-lead formation - Mangazeya group of silver-polymetallic deposits of Yakutia.

Platinum

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

Antimony

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

Hydrothermal deposits of mercury ores are common in the North. Caucasus (Perevalnoye, Sakhalinskoye, Belokamenny, etc.), in the Kuznetsk Alatau (Biloosipivskoye), in the Altai Mountains (Chagan-Uzunskoye, Aktashskoye), in Tuva (Chazadirskoye, Terlig-Khainskoye), in Chukotka (Zap.-Palyanskoye and Flame) , on the Koryak Highlands (Tamvatneyskoe, Olyutorskoe, Lyapganaiskoe, etc.), on the Kamchatka Peninsula (Chempurinskoe, etc.), on about. Sakhalin (Svetlovsky).

Ores of rare metals and elements

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

Mining and chemical raw materials

Mining and chemical raw materials of the Russian Federation are represented by deposits barite, phosphate ores, potash, potassium-magnesium and rock salts, sodium sulfate and natural soda, native sulfur, boron ores, etc. Stratiform barite and barite-bearing polymetallic deposits are located in the Polar Urals, in the West. Siberia, in Khakassia. Prom. deposits of boron raw materials are represented by endogenous and exogenous types - for example, deposits in Primorye. The largest barite deposit in Russia - Khoylinskoye in the Polar Urals, 95 km south of the year Vorkuta. The total reserves of the deposit for 2000 reach 9.2 million tons. The content of BaSO 4 in the ore is 85.44%. The barite ore bodies of the deposits are stratified deposits and lenses localized in the Middle and Upper Devonian flyschoid terrigenous-carbonate-siliceous strata. The main reserves of the Khoilinskoye deposit are concentrated in three ore bodies: Western (with an average thickness of 3.5 m), Central (6.4 m) and Eastern (15 m). The deposit can be developed by an open method practically without opening.

Russia is rich potassium salts The main deposits are of the sulfate-free (chloride) type. Approximately 95% of the proven reserves of potassium salts are in one deposit - the Verkhnekamsk salt-bearing basin in the Perm Territory. The main potash minerals are sylvin and carnallite. Potassium salts are worked out at depths of 250-350 m by the mine method. The average content of K 2 O in ores is significantly lower than in Canadian deposits, about 17%. There are also deposits associated with salt-dome structures (eg, Eltonskoye). The Nepa-Gazhensky potassium-bearing basin in the Irkutsk region is promising.

Potassium salt

Fluorite.

Sedimentary deposits rock salt there are reservoir and lens (Usolskoye, Ziminskoye in East Siberia). Among the lake deposits, the largest are Eltonskoye, Baskunchak in the Caspian Sea, Kuchukskoye Lake, about. Kulunda, Ebeity and other lakes in the West. Siberia. Sources sulfur are primary deposits of native sulfur, hydrogen sulfide gases (Orenburg and Astrakhan deposits), sour oil, sulfur pyrite (pyrite) and polymetallic ores. In addition, sulfur is present in volcanogenic genera. D. East: in Kamchatka (Maletoivayamskoe) and in the Kuriles (New).

Nonmetallic industrial raw materials

The bowels of the Russian Federation are rich in various types of these raw materials (asbestos, graphite, mica, etc.). Place of Birth asbestos represented by various genetic and mineralogical types, but a large prom. accumulations of chrysotile asbestos are important. Among the most significant. deposits belong to Bazhenovskoye and Krasnouralskoye in the Urals, Kiembayskoye in the South. Ural, Aktovrakskoe, Sayanskoe and Ilchirskoe in the Sayans and Molodezhnoe in Transbaikalia.

Nia graphite known in the Urals, in Vost. Siberia and the Far East. The predominant part of the deposits is of the metamorphic and metamorphogenic type (Taiginskoye and others in the Urals, Noginskoye, Kureyskoye, Soyuznoye, and others in Eastern Siberia and the Far East). The Botogol deposit in the Eastern Sayan Mountains, confined to the massif of nephelines yavl. magmatic. The largest deposits with crystalline ores are Taiginskoye in the Urals, Bezymyannoye in Irkutsk region, and with amorphous ones - Kureiskoye and Noginskoye in the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

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. However clean sources make up less than half of them. The situation can be corrected only by carrying out environmental measures, 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 Russian Federation occupy forest belts, mostly formed coniferous trees. There are especially many of them in the Far East and 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 hot summer season leading to massive fires.

Renewable energy sources

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

Minerals

In Russia there are practically all types of 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. At the beginning of the 21st 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 minerals iron ore, 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 engineering and metallurgy, is extracted in Russia 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 has good quality, but its development is hampered by 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 Russian origin are little appreciated.

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





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 searches deposits were started in the 30s 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 mining industry needs significant capital investments, 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 semi-precious 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 fields of Eastern Siberia grew The largest city- the center of the Arctic - Norilsk.

Oil shale rocks are located in the European part of the 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. The total reserves 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 low 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.

Mining such as aluminum ores- bauxites, carried out in the Northern Urals - 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 excavation 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 is mined, 20% hard coal, about 70% of non-ferrous and ferrous metal ores. 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As is known, different metals different temperature melting, and the composition and location of accumulations of ore minerals depends on temperature.

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

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

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

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

Types of resources of our planet

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Availability of general mineral resources

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In search of fuel and other raw materials, humanity is moving more and more confidently to where black gold and natural gas is extracted at continental depths of more than 3,000 meters, because the bottom of this region of our planet has been little studied and definitely contains innumerable reserves of precious natural raw materials.

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

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