Where is gas produced? Extractive industry of Russia

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 the export of 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 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 difficult climatic conditions, up 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, pure 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 of the Russian Federation is occupied by forest belts, mostly formed by 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 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 are already operating 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 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 the 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. In addition, 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 the production of nuclear fuel is mined in Russia from more than 50 deposits. 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 (Urals, Krasnoyarsk Territory, 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

Natural gas rises through the well at the expense of natural energy. It is mined in America, Europe, Africa and other regions. One seventh of all world production falls on the share of Gazprom.

Mining "blindly"

Natural gas is trapped in the smallest pores that some rocks have. The depth at which natural gas is located ranges from 1000 meters to several kilometers. After geological exploration, when it is established exactly where the deposits are located, the process of gas production begins, that is, it is extracted from the bowels, collected and prepared for transportation.

The main feature of gas production in comparison with the extraction of solid minerals is that the gas remains hidden in sealed structures at all stages - from the moment it is extracted from the reservoir to the moment it reaches the consumer.

Drilling of the wells

Gas is extracted from the subsoil with the help of specially drilled wells, which are called production or production wells. In general, there are many varieties of wells - they are used not only for production, but also for studying the geological structure of the subsoil, searching for new deposits, auxiliary work, and so on.

Why drill with a "ladder"

Pipes for strengthening the walls of wells can be nested one inside the other - according to the principle of a telescope. So they take up much less space and store them more conveniently.

The pressure must be evenly distributed.

The depth of the well can reach 12 km. This depth can be used to study the lithosphere.

The wellbore is strengthened with special casing pipes and cemented.

After the well

Natural gas rises to the surface due to natural energy - tending to the area with the lowest pressure. Since the gas obtained from the well contains many impurities, it is first sent for processing. Complex gas treatment plants are being built near some fields, in some cases gas from wells immediately enters the gas processing plant.

Production volumes

Today, Gazprom accounts for 74% of Russian and 14% of global gas production.

The table below compares gas production worldwide, in Russia as a whole, and Gazprom's production:

Data on world gas production is taken from the BP report.

The vast territory of our country is rich in valuable resources, including coal, oil, natural gas, precious stones, and minerals. What minerals are rich in the central part and other regions where the richest deposits of these riches, what are their reserves and what is Russia's share in the world. Let's answer these questions.

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Fossil types

Minerals are minerals, rocks and combustible raw materials laid down in the depths of the earth's crust and are valuable to humans. The wealth of these resources, among other indicators, determines the position of the country on the world market. It is customary to distinguish types of fossils depending on the purpose of their use. The list of minerals is quite impressive.

combustible

In most cases, they are used as fuel. These include:

Oil is an oily liquid, which is an excellent fuel and raw material for many substances. Oil in Russia is called black gold.

It is used in almost all industries and brings enormous profits. In terms of its reserves, Russia is in 7th place among all countries, however, it has been established that the possibilities of oil production are only half realized.

An important characteristic of oil is its density: the smaller it is, the more the product is valued.

Gas- the most convenient and environmentally friendly fuel, which is extracted from the voids of rocks. Natural gas is formed due to the breakdown of organic compounds in the depths. In terms of deposits of this substance, Russia ranks first in the world.

Coal- is the result of the decomposition of a huge number of plant organisms. It lies in layers, the process of formation of which takes thousands of years. This is the most demanded combustible material, actively used in metallurgy and industry. Only the United States and China are ahead of Russia in coal reserves.

Peat- a combustible substance (contains up to 50% carbohydrate), which is the result of rotting plants, mainly mosses. Places of peat deposits are swamps. The thickness of the peat layer is at least 30 cm. The demand for it is huge, as it burns well and is used to fertilize the soil. There are more than 40 thousand peat deposits, most of them are located in the Asian part of the country.

oil shale, on the contrary, are mined in the west. This is a combination of organic matter and siliceous clay, solid formations of a gray or brown hue. Oil shale deposits are found at the bottom of reservoirs. During the processing of this material, a resin is extracted, which in its properties is similar to oil. Shale is an additional source of heat, but since their reserves exceed the amount of all fossil fuels in the world, it is possible that in the foreseeable future, shale will become the main raw material for fuel.

Ore

Ore is not one specific type of raw material, but a combination of several components with the content of the main substance in such an amount that the extraction and processing of ore is profitable and justified from an economic point of view.

Minerals mined in this way are called ore minerals. Central Russia is rich in these reserves.

metal ores- these minerals of Russia are named so because they contain various metals in their composition. These are deposits of iron, copper, nickel, cobalt, tin, tungsten, aluminum.

On the territory of our country, gold is mined (our country is in 4th place together with Canada), silver (first place in terms of reserves on the planet), and polymetals.

Iron ore- This is a mineral formation that has a large amount of iron in its composition. This fossil is the main raw material for the manufacture of cast iron.

Gold- fusible, soft, very dense, but ductile in its properties precious metal. Jewelers allocate yellow, white, red gold (the color depends on the added metals; additives give gold products greater strength). Gold is also used in manufacturing, medicine, and cosmetology.

Silver- white metal, soft, ductile, conducts electricity well. Silver is used for the manufacture of jewelry, dishes, cutlery, as well as electrical engineering.

Non-metallic ores (as the name implies, not containing metals): titanium, uranium, manganese, mercury and others.

uranium ore- a mineral with a high concentration of uranium. This is a radioactive element used in nuclear fuel, geology, machine and aircraft building. In addition, this substance generates heat many times more powerful than oil or gas. Uranium is a very common element in nature.

manganese ore, the main component of which is manganese, is used very widely in metallurgy, ceramics, and medicine.

Nonmetallic

Precious and ornamental stones are rocks of organic and inorganic origin, used in jewelry, industry, and often in medicine. The main wealth is diamonds, the first of which was found at the end of the 19th century. Also mined:

• topaz,
• emeralds,
• sapphires,
• rubies,
• rhinestone,
• cornelian,
• amethysts,
• malachite,
• amber.

Diamond- This is a mineral that is the hardest in the world, but at the same time very fragile. Diamonds are widely used in jewelry, and due to their strength also in the nuclear industry, optics, microelectronics, for the manufacture of sharp cutting and grinding objects.

Rhinestone- a transparent mineral used in the manufacture of jewelry and some interior details, as well as in radio engineering.

Other minerals include amber, topaz, malachite, ruby, and so on.

Note! What mineral is called a fertility stone. These are minerals from which mineral fertilizers are produced: phosphorite, potassium salts, apatite

Building rocks: various types of sand, gravel, granite, basalt, volcanic tuffs. The bowels of the earth also store graphite, asbestos, mica of various types, graphite, talc, kaolin. Widely used in construction.

Place of Birth

Mineral deposits in our country are distributed throughout the territory. are located in the southern, eastern and northeastern parts, as well as on. Valuable rocks are mined in these areas. In the central and European parts of Russia, which are more flat, rich deposits of ore have been discovered.

Detailed mineral map in Russia looks like this:

1. Combustible minerals are concentrated in the northwestern part of Siberia and the Volga delta, that is, in the European part of Russia, and the largest deposits are Sakhalin and the Yamalo-Nenets district.
2. Gold is mined in five large deposits, 200 primary and 114 complex. The regions richest in gold are Magadan, Yakutia, and Sakha.
3. Silver is mined in the Urals and Eastern Siberia. Almost 98% of the deposits are located in the region of the Okhotsk-Chukotka and East Alin volcanic belts.
4. Most of the numerous sources of peat are located in the Urals and Siberia, in marshy places. The Vasyuganskoye field, which is located in Western Siberia, is considered the largest.
5. Coal is mined almost throughout the country, but the main wealth is concentrated in the east (more than 60% of the total).
6. Deposits of gypsum, sand, limestone rocks are located in the area. Potash salts are mined in the Perm region, rock salt - in Eastern and Western Siberia.
7. The location of building raw materials is recorded in the Urals, the Sayans, Transbaikalia, the Irkutsk region, the Krasnoyarsk Territory, and Siberia.
8. Aluminum ores can be found in large quantities in the northern Urals and the Komi Republic.

Expert forecast

Information on the share of minerals in Russia among world reserves varies somewhat, but on average it is very significant indicators. So, in Russia there is about 12% of the total oil reserves, 32% - natural gas, 30% - coal, 25% - iron.

Note! The problem is that, according to experts, the main part of Russian deposits is not of high quality compared to world ones (in terms of the ratio of useful components, they are less valuable than samples from other countries of the world, but their extraction is much more difficult due to natural and geographical conditions) .

To improve the situation, a strategy has been developed up to 2020, the result of which should be a more rational and expedient use of raw materials.

The situation is aggravated by the reduction of replenishable mineral reserves in Russia. As a result, many oil companies are losing profitability.

Coal mining is carried out at a low rate and does not provide industrial sectors with a sufficient amount of raw materials. Many enterprises for the extraction of iron ore are provided with reserves for no more than 2 decades. Working with other metal ores is also very difficult and continues to deteriorate.

The main types of minerals in Russia

Minerals of Russia - ores, diamonds, oil

Output

Now, despite the colossal reserves of minerals throughout the vast territory, our country lags far behind most countries in the world in terms of their development and use. The improvement of the country's economy and development prospects largely depend on the solution of this problem.

This article is about the mineral resources of the Earth. In particular, we will talk about the main types of minerals that are distinguished by geological science....

By Masterweb

Even in the early stages of its development, a reasonable person actively used the resources that nature provided him. At first, it was what was in plain sight - water, wood, stones. In the future, people began to increasingly ask themselves the question: what can be useful hidden underground? And the bowels of our planet presented him with many pleasant surprises.

This article is about the mineral resources of the Earth. In particular, we will talk about the main types of minerals that are distinguished by modern geological science. Where are they mined, and in what sectors of the economy are they used? And what types of minerals are considered the most valuable and in demand today?

Mineral wealth of the Earth

In the depths of our planet lie hundreds, if not thousands of different types of minerals. Some of them are harder than steel (like, for example, diamonds), while others crumble and crumble from the lightest blow (a vivid example is kaolin). Certain types of extracted minerals are in a liquid (oil) or gaseous (natural gas) state of aggregation. Their development is carried out using a system of special wells.

Minerals in the earth's crust can be in the form of placers, nests, layers, lenses or veins. Accumulations of several deposits often form entire basins, provinces, and ore fields. The development and extraction of mineral resources is carried out by a separate branch of science and technology, called mining.

What types of minerals are isolated by scientists today? We will talk about this in more detail in the next section of our article.

Types of minerals

The genesis of certain mineral substances and compounds can be completely different. For example, the origin of many ores is associated with magmatic processes occurring in the depths of the earth's crust. But oil was formed from the remains of plants and animals that died millions of years ago. Therefore, it is quite logical to distinguish two types of minerals:

• Organic.
• Inorganic.

There are also a number of other classifications. So, according to the state of aggregation, solid, liquid and gaseous minerals are distinguished, according to the conditions of occurrence in the earth's crust - reservoir, vein, etc. The following types of minerals are also distinguished by origin and conditions of formation:

• Endogenous (formed at great depths in the thickness of the earth's crust).
• Exogenous (formed on the surface of the lithosphere - at the bottom of lakes, swamps, seas or oceans).
• Metamorphic (substances formed under the influence of ultra-high temperatures and pressure).

There is another, generalized classification. So, according to it, the most important types of minerals are fuel (or combustible), ore (metal) and non-metallic. Sometimes raw materials for the construction industry are distinguished as a separate subclass. We will dwell on these 3 types of minerals in more detail.

fossil fuels

Combustible (or fuel) minerals are a type of mineral resources characterized by such a property as combustion. And they are used mainly as a source of thermal energy. The main types of fuel minerals include oil, natural gas, hard and brown coal, peat, anthracite and oil shale.

The combustion of all of the above fuels releases a large amount of energy. This is facilitated by carbons, which are contained in all, without exception, combustible minerals. It is impossible to imagine the life of a modern city without oil, from which gasoline is obtained, or without gas, which is spent on heating many residential buildings. Coal is widely used in heavy industry, in particular, in thermal power engineering and ferrous metallurgy.

metal ores

Metals are present in many things we use every day: cars, laptops, mobile phones, household appliances, and even the most common light bulbs. Moreover, most often these are not pure metals, but alloys created by man artificially. So, widely used steel is an alloy of iron with carbon and some other elements (for example, manganese). But the very first stage in the process of production of any metal or alloy is the extraction of the necessary ore raw materials.

There are five main types of ore minerals. This:

• Ferrous metals (iron, chromium, manganese).
• Non-ferrous metals (copper, aluminum, nickel).
• Rare metals (tungsten, molybdenum, tin).
• Radioactive compounds (radium, uranium).
• Noble metals (gold, silver, platinum).

Iron ores (as the basis for the production of various alloys), as well as aluminum and copper-nickel ores, are of the greatest importance for mankind at the present stage of its development. In particular, the presence in the bowels of the country of large deposits of non-ferrous metals largely contributes to its technical progress. After all, they are widely used in electrical engineering, aircraft engineering, astronautics and the production of high-precision instruments.

non-metallic minerals

Non-metallic mineral raw materials are a type of minerals that do not contain metals in their composition and are used mainly in the construction industry. In total, this group includes about 100 names of rocks and minerals. And modern volumes of extraction of mineral resources of non-metallic type are quite large.

There is no unified and generally accepted classification of non-metallic minerals. Here it is customary to highlight:

• Mining raw materials (asbestos, graphite, talc).
• Chemical raw materials (potassium salt, native sulfur, phosphorites).
• Building materials (limestone, sand, marble, granite, sandstone, tuff, clay and others).
• Piezo-optical raw materials (Icelandic spar, quartz, optical fluorite).
• Precious and semi-precious stones (labradorite, sapphire, ruby, amethyst, opal and others).

Geography of the mineral resources of the planet

The distribution of certain minerals on the surface of our planet is connected, first of all, with the geological structure of the territory. So, on the shields of ancient platforms there are numerous deposits of ferrous and non-ferrous metals. But significant deposits of oil, gas, coal, and salt are confined to the zones of marginal and foothill troughs. Minerals of non-metallic type are dispersed everywhere: both within folded (mountainous) areas and within platform areas.

On geographical maps, deposits of mineral resources are indicated by special graphic symbols and signs. Moreover, each mineral has its own designation (see photo below). So, for example, coal is indicated by a filled square, salt by an empty square, iron ore by a black equilateral triangle, and so on.

Oil and gas

If you list the types of minerals that are used by man today, then the bill will go to hundreds, or even thousands. The mineral and resource potential of the earth's interior is simply amazing! But few will argue with the fact that the most important types of minerals, as of the first quarter of the 21st century, are oil and natural gas.

Oil is often called black gold, thereby emphasizing the importance and value of this resource. This fuel is in demand all over the world, and some countries replenish their budgets quite well from its sale. Oil is the most important mineral resource for North Africa and Southwest Asia. Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Iran, Iraq and Canada are the leaders in the world in terms of total reserves of this mineral.

Oil production brings huge profits to countries. Oil is extracted from the bowels of the Earth in three main ways:

• Mechanical.
• Fountain.
• Slantsev.

The most common is the mechanical (or pumping) method of extraction. To do this, wells are drilled, after which the oil is pumped out using powerful compressor equipment. It should be noted that black gold is mined not only on land, but also at sea. For this, special floating platforms are installed on the water.

Gas deposits are often found near oil deposits. Together they often form entire oil and gas regions and provinces, occupying significant areas. Natural gas is a mixture of several gases at once (methane, propane, butane and some others), which is formed in the thickness of the earth's crust as a result of anaerobic decomposition of organic substances. From the bowels of the planet, it is mined using wells, the depth of which can reach several kilometers.

Coal

Fossil coal is one of the most abundant mineral resources in the world. Its deposits are found on all continents of the Earth. But the following countries have the largest deposits of coal: the USA, China, Russia, India and Australia.

Depending on the carbon content, there are three main types of this mineral:

• Brown coal (up to 65-70% carbon).
• Hard coal (75-95%).
• Anthracite (over 95%).

The color of coal varies from brown to dark gray and black.

From the bowels of the planet, coal is mined in two main ways:

1. closed.
2. open.

The closed (or mine) method of extraction is used at significant depths of coal seams (over 100 meters). For this, mines or adits are built. The main advantage of this mining method is environmental friendliness. Coal mines cause much less harm to the environment than quarries or cuts. At the same time, mining is extremely dangerous for the health and life of workers.

An open (or quarry) mining method is used in cases where coal seams are located as close to the surface of the earth as possible. In this case, the upper layer of the earth's crust (including soil) is opened and the direct development of the deposit begins. The rock is crushed using special machines (draglines and crushers) and transported to the surface. Among the advantages of open-pit coal mining are efficiency and relative safety. However, quarries “eat up” huge land areas and cause enormous harm to the environment. Plus, coal extracted in this way usually contains a large amount of various impurities.

Iron ore

Iron ores are natural mineral formations with an iron (Fe) content of 10% to 75%. In general, it is known about two hundred minerals, which contain iron. But the most important of them are magnetites and hematites. Ores with an iron content of up to 45% are considered poor and require additional enrichment.

Iron ore is the main raw material for ferrous metallurgy. Most of it goes to the production of iron and rolled steel. The largest suppliers of iron ore to the world market are India, China, Ukraine, Russia, Brazil, Kazakhstan and Australia. These countries account for over 80% of global production.

The extraction of this mineral is carried out in mines and quarries (less often in mines). Rich ores are immediately sent to open-hearth and converter shops for steel smelting. Poor ores with a low iron content need to be enriched. This process is carried out at special mining and processing plants (GOKah). First, the ore extracted from the bowels of the earth is crushed, and then the resulting mass is sent to a magnetic separator, which “pulls” iron particles out of it. After that, the enriched ore is sintered into small pellets (8-15 mm in diameter) and sent to metallurgical plants.

The volume of world iron ore production is growing rapidly. If in 2001 about 1 billion tons of this raw material was extracted, then in 2010 this figure already amounted to 2.4 billion tons. True, some highly developed countries are gradually reducing the consumption of iron ore and are switching to the recycling of scrap metal they already have.

Gold

Perhaps there is no person on Earth who would not hear the word "Klondike". The name of this region in Alaska has become a household name as a designation of a place full of precious treasures. At the end of the 19th century, colossal deposits of gold were discovered here. And thousands of adventurers went to a wild and distant land in search of him. A lucky few managed to get there and find a priceless yellow treasure.

Gold is still the most valuable metal on Earth today. Most often it is used in the jewelry industry and as an investment object. Gold bars are considered the most reliable way to keep your savings. In addition, the noble metal is also used in microelectronics, dentistry and the food industry.

Throughout history, mankind has extracted about 160 thousand tons of gold from the earth. In monetary terms, this is an amount that is approximately 8 trillion US dollars. The leaders in gold mining in the world are the following countries: China, Russia, Australia, USA, South Africa, Peru, Canada. There are 37 gold mining companies operating on the territory of the Russian Federation today. They are located in Buryatia, the Amur and Irkutsk regions, Transbaikalia, the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Republic of Tyva and some other regions of the country.

Diamonds

Diamond is a natural mineral, a form of carbon. It is characterized by extremely high hardness and thermal conductivity. A cut diamond is called a diamond. For quite a long time, it has been the most expensive and valuable decoration. True, the price of diamonds is largely due to the extremely high degree of monopolization of this market in the global economy.

In addition to jewelry, diamonds have found their application in electronics, aerospace and nuclear industries. Due to the exceptional hardness of the mineral, it is used in the production of heavy-duty drills and cutters.

Diamonds are the most important type of minerals in Africa. At least some of its countries. Thus, every second diamond in the world is mined in four states of the "black continent". These are Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Tanzania. Other major importers of the most durable mineral are India, Russia, Angola, Canada.

On the territory of Russia, the first diamond was found by serf Pavel Popov in the Perm province. For such a valuable find, he was granted freedom. Subsequently, large kimberlite pipes were discovered in Yakutia, as well as significant deposits in the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Arkhangelsk Region.

Rock salt

Talking about the most sought-after minerals, one cannot fail to mention salt. The value of this mineral and food product is unusually high. In ancient times, salt often performed the function of settlement money. It is vital for any human body. Salt deficiency is accompanied by weakness, headaches and nausea.

The chemical formula of this mineral is NaCl (sodium chloride). In nature, it occurs as colorless transparent crystals. Kitchen salt is obtained in several ways. Actually, rock salt is mined by the mine method. The mineral is also obtained by digestion of liquid salt solutions.

In total, about 200 million tons of salt are mined in the world per year. The largest producers of this product are such countries as the USA, China, India, Canada, France, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Chile. The oldest salt pans were discovered by archaeologists on the Black Sea coast (modern Bulgaria). Scientists have found that salt began to be mined here as early as the sixth millennium BC.

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There are 16,000 mineral deposits in Russia, thanks to which our country is the only country in the world that is fully provided with its mineral resources.

The available deposits can meet the needs of all sectors of the national economy, not only at the present time, but also for many decades in the future.

In contrast, in the United States, for example, most of the minerals are imported from abroad.

Deposits are natural accumulations of minerals in the earth's crust. And minerals, in particular ores, are natural mineral substances that can be effectively used in the national economy. Minerals can be solid, liquid and gaseous.

Solid minerals are divided into: a) combustible - coal, shale, peat; b) ore - metal ores of non-ferrous, ferrous, noble, radioactive, rare, rare earth metals and trace elements; c) ore non-metallic - potassium and sodium salts, micas, talc, graphite, apatites, phosphorites, barites, borates; d) non-metallic - building materials, asbestos, dolomites, diamonds, corundum, feldspar, raw materials for cement, etc.

Liquid and gaseous minerals are oil, combustible gases, therapeutic mud, mineral waters.

The main deposits of solid fossil fuels are: in the European part - Donetsk, Lvov-Volyn, Moscow and Pechora coal basins; in the Urals - Kizelovsky and Chelyabinsk basins, as well as oil shale deposits in the Leningrad region. About 23% of the country's total reserves are concentrated in this area, and about half of all coal is mined only by underground mining.

The main coal reserves (62.5%) are concentrated in Western and Eastern Siberia (Kuzbass, Kansko-Achinsk, Cheremkhovo, South Yakutsk basins, etc.), in which production is more than 30% of all coal (mainly Donbass, Irsha- Borodino and Nazarovsky quarries in the Kansk-Achinsk basin). About 10% of coal reserves are concentrated in Kazakhstan and Central Asia (Karaganda, Turgai and Ekibastuz basins, Angren, Tashkumyr, Kyzyl-Kiya, Kok-Yangak, Shurab, Sulukta, etc.), and production is about 14%, including about 100 million tons/year are provided by Karaganda and Ekibastuz.

About 5% of coal reserves are concentrated in the Far East and Sakhalin (Suchanskoye, Zeya-Bureiskoye, Sakhalinskoye deposits, etc.) and slightly more than 5% of the total production is carried out. If at present the share of all the eastern regions of the country in the total coal production is only 47%, then in the next decade it should increase to 60%.

First of all, due to the development of production in the Kansk-Achinsk basin up to 250 million tons / year. The first Berezovsky open pit with a capacity of 55 million tons/year is already being built in this basin, and 6 more open pits with a capacity of 30 to 50 million tons/year will be built. The construction of the Neryungri open pit with a capacity of 15 million tons per year in the South Yakutsk basin and the Bogatyr open pit with a capacity of 50 million tons per year in the Ekibastuz basin are also nearing completion. Fishing in the Kuznetsk Basin will increase, including through the development of open pit operations, up to 70 million tons per year.

The reserves of iron ore in our country are more than 63 billion tons. The main reserves of iron ore (1/3) are concentrated in the deposits of Ukraine (the Krivoy Rog basin, the Kremenchug and Karamysh-Burunskoye deposits), and more than half of the country's iron ore is mined here.

One quarter of the iron ore reserves are located in the region of the Center and North of the European part (Kursk magnetic anomaly and deposits of the Kola Peninsula and Karelia - Kovdorskoye, Olenegorskoye and Kostomukshskoye). In addition, there is an exploited iron ore deposit in Azerbaijan. Large reserves of iron ores (14%) are concentrated in the regions of the Urals (Kachkanarskoye, Gusevogorskoye, Goroblagatatskoye, Bogoslovskoye, Bakalskoye, Magnitorskoye deposits) and 11% in the deposits of Kazakhstan (Sokolovskoye, Sarbayskoye, Kacharskoye, Lisakovskoye, Atasuyskoye, Karadzhalskoye and other deposits). There are large deposits in Western and Eastern Siberia (Gornaya Shoria, Korshunovskoye, Rudnogorskoye, etc.), total reserves reach 16-18% of all iron ore reserves.

Iron ore mining is currently carried out in 6 main areas: 1) In Ukraine - in Krivoy Rog, Kerch, in the Poltava region in Zaporozhye, where more than half of the extraction (more than 52%) of all iron ores in the country is carried out. Mining is carried out by a number of open pits (Central, Novokrivorozhsky, Inguletsky, Kamysh-Burunsky, Severny, Yuzhny, Dneprovsky GOKs) with a total capacity of about 150 million tons / year and mines (the Kryvbassrud association consisting of 23 mines, Zaporizhzhya ZhRK, etc.). In this area, about 50 million tons of ore per year (47.1 million tons in 1976) or 38% of the total production of the Ukrainian SSR is mined underground, of which more than 44 million tons per year are in Krivoy Rog. In total, Ukraine provides 1/8 of the world's iron ore production. 2) In the area of ​​the Kursk magnetic anomaly, where a number of large quarries operate on rich ores (Mikhailovsky, Ledebinsky, Stoilensky, etc.) and on ferruginous quartzites mine named after. Gubkin with a capacity of 3.5 million tons / year. 3) In the region of the Urals and Northern Kazakhstan, where a number of large mines operate (Magnetite, Exploitation, South, Yestyuninskaya at the Nizhny Tagil Metallurgical Plant, the mines of the Bakalsky Mining Administration, the Severo-Peschanskaya and Pervomaiskaya mines of the Bogoslovsky Mining Administration, the Western Karazhal Mine of the Atasu Mining Administration) and large open pits (Kachkanarsky GOK - 40 million tons/year of low-grade ore, Sokolovsko-Sarbaysky GOK - 36 million tons/year of rich ore, Lisakovsky GOK - 36 million tons/year, Magnitogorsk open pit - 7 million tons/year and many smaller ones). The Kachkanar GOK is under construction for 21 million tons per year. 4) In the region of the European North, there are three large mining and processing plants with quarries (Kovdorsky, Olenegorsky, Kostomukshsky is being built). 5) Azerbaijan GOK in the south. 6) In the Siberian region, the Korshunov GOK on the Angara, a number of mines in Gornaya Shoria (Tashtagol, Abakan, Kaz, Sheregesh, etc.). The extraction of iron ore by regions in 1978 was in %: in Ukraine - 52.1; in the Center - 16.4; in the Northwest - 4; in Azerbaijan - 0.5; in the Urals - 10.4; in Kazakhstan - 10.2; in Western and Eastern Siberia - 6.4% of the total amount of 244.2 million tons / year of marketable ore mined in 1978 (480 million tons / year of raw ore). In terms of marketable ore, 74% was mined by open pit and 26% by underground, and in terms of raw ore, 83.6% was mined by open pit and 16.4% by underground.

The reserves of manganese ore are about 3 billion tons and are mainly (90%) concentrated in Ukraine (the Nikopol and Bolshoy Tokmak deposits) and in Georgia (Chiatura). Their extraction is carried out in Nikopol and Chiatura by the Marganets GOK, the Nikopolmarganets and Chiaturmarganets combines. It will reach 27 million tons/year in 1980 (in 1978 it was equal to 21.5 million tons/year, of which 65% is open-cast.

The reserves of chromite ores are represented by large deposits in Western Kazakhstan (South-Kimpersai) and small deposits in the Urals (Saranovskoye), as well as in Transcaucasia. The content of chromium oxide in Ruach is from 2 to 52%. In 1980, 5 million tons/year of chromite ores will be mined, mainly by the Donskoy GOK for ferroalloys (Western Kazakhstan) and the Saranovskaya mine (Urals) for refractories.

Of the deposits of mining and chemical raw materials, it should be noted first of all the unique Khibiny apatite deposits on the Kola Peninsula with reserves of about 4.5 billion tons, the Karatau phosphorite basin with reserves of up to 2.5 billion tons, Egoryevskoye in the Moscow Region, Verkhekamskoye in the Leningrad Region, Maardu phosphorite deposit, as well as a number of new phosphorite deposits in the Aktobe region, in Siberia (BAM region), etc.

The main extraction of apatite ores is carried out by the mines and quarries of the Apatite Production Association. In 1978 alone, they produced 42 million tons per year, and in the coming years, production will reach 60 million tons per year. Phosphorite ores are mined by the enterprises of PO 2Karatau in South Kazakhstan, PA Phosphorit (Kingisepp), the Moscow Region Mining and Chemical Combine (Egoryevsky and Lopratinsky open pits), Maardu quarry and Verkhnekamsky, Bryansky and Chilisaysky mines. The total production of phosphorite ores is about 50 million tons/year. Of the total amount of apatite-phosphorite ores, 52% is mined in the European part of the country, 33.8% in Kazakhstan, 10.2% in Siberia and 4% in the Baltic. There are prospects for increasing production in Eastern Siberia.

The reserves of potassium salts in the USSR amount to more than 5 billion tons in terms of potassium oxide (K 2 O). The content of potassium chloride in the ore is 24-40% of all reserves.

The second largest is the Starobinskoye field in Belarus (the city of Soligorsk), the development of which began relatively recently (1962). Here the content of potassium chloride is 22-23%. In the Carpathian basin, Stebnikovskoye and Kalush-Golynskoye deposits of potassium sulphate salts with a content of 9-11% potassium oxide can be noted.

In Central Asia, there are Karlyukskoe, Karabalskoe, Tyubegatanskoe, Gaurdakskoe and Kugitavskoe deposits with a content of 12 to 31% potassium chloride in ores.

In terms of reserves of native sulfur, the USSR, as well as other mining and chemical raw materials, is one of the first places in the world. The main sulfur deposits are: Razdolskoye and Yavorivskoye in Western Ukraine, Gaurdakskoye in Turkmenistan, as well as in the Volga region and the Far East. The extraction of potash salts is carried out by such plants as Bereznikovsky (4) and Solikamsky (2) GOKs in the Urals, Soligorsky (3) in Belarus, Kalushsky and Stebnikovsky GOKs and the Dombrovo mine in Ukraine, the Gaurdak mine in Turkmenistan, the Indersky GOK in South Kazakhstan, etc. The main part of potash salts is mined in the Urals (60%) and in Belarus (35%). Almost all salt extraction is carried out underground.

Sulfur ore is mined at the mines of the Razdorsky, Kuibyshev and Yavorovsky plants, the mines of Shor-Su, Chyngyrtash, Gaurdak in Turkmenistan and others. In addition, the Yavorovsky and Gaurdaksky plants and the Yazovsky mine have underground sulfur smelting shops, which produce 30% sulfur at a cost 25% less than from mines, and about half of the sulfur is produced from ore waste at non-ferrous metallurgy enterprises.

The main deposits of non-ferrous and rare metals have been explored and exploited in Kazakhstan, Northern Europe and Siberia, Central Asia, Ukraine, Western and Eastern Siberia, the Caucasus, the Urals, and the Far East. Explored reserves of high-quality aluminum ores (bauxites) are found primarily in Severouralsk (Sverdlovsk Region), in the South Urals (South Uralsky bauxite mine), in the Kustanai Region (Turgaiskoye and Kozyrevskoye deposits), in the Leningrad Region (Tikhvinskoye deposit), and also in Eastern Siberia. Nepheline deposits are represented by the huge Lovozero and Khibiny massifs, as well as large reserves in Siberia, Ukraine, Transcaucasia, the Urals, Central Asia and Kazakhstan Alunite deposits are found in Transcaucasia, Central Asia and Kazakhstan.

The main enterprises for the extraction of aluminum ores are SUBR, YuUBR, Turgai, Tikhvin and Kozyrevskoe mining departments.

Lead-zinc (polymetallic) deposits in Rudny Altai (Leninogorsk group of deposits, the main of which are Ridderskoye, Leninogorskoye, Tishinskoye; Irtysh group - Belousovskoye, Berezovskoye, Irtyshskoye; Zyryanovskaya group - Zyryanovskoye, Grekhovskoye, Zolotushinskoye, Orlovskoye, etc.), in Central Kazakhstan (Zhairemskoye, Karagaylinskoye) in Dzungarian Ala-Tau (Tekeli, Kok-Su), in Karatau (Mirgilimsaysky, Achisai, Baizhansai), in Siberia, a group of Nerchinsk and Salair deposits. In Central Asia (Alty-Topkan, Adrasman, Karamazar, Kansai), in the Far East, in the North Caucasus (Sadon group). Large deposits of lead-zinc ores are being developed, Ozernoye in the Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and Gorevskoye in Siberia (on the Angara).

Copper and copper-zinc ores are represented by such large deposits as Norilskoye and Talnakhskoye in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Dzhezkazganskoye, Kounradskoye, Sayakskoye, Boshchekulskoye, Nikolaevskoye in Kazakhstan, Kalmakyrskoye in Uzbekistan.

Group of deposits on the Kola Peninsula; deposits of the Urals (Gaiskoye, Uchalinskoye, Sibayskoye, Degtyarskoye, Krasnoturinskoye, etc.); deposits of the Caucasus (Kajaran, Zangezur, Kafan, Madneul, Urup). In Eastern Siberia, the Udokan copper ore deposit has been explored (in the BAM area - Berkakit).

There are deposits of tungsten-molybdenum in the North Caucasus (Tyrnyauzskoe), in Siberia (Sorskoe and Dzhidinskoe), in Uzbekistan (Ingichka), as well as in Transbaikalia, Altai Territory, in the BAM region, Yakutia, in the Far East, in Kazakhstan.

There are deposits of antimony and mercury in the Yakut Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (Saryly), in Kyrgyzstan (Khaidarkan, Kadamdzhai, Tereksai, Uluu-Too, Chauvay, in Tajikistan (Dzhizhikrut), in the North Caucasus (Novomikhaylovskoye), in Ukraine (Nikitovskoye and Transcarpathian), in Altai (Ak-Tash), etc.

Placer gold deposits in the USSR are being developed in the basins of the Yenisei, Lena, Vitim, Kolyma, Indigirka, Yana, Aldan, and Amur rivers. Primary gold deposits are found in the Urals (Berezovskoye), in Transbaikalia (Darasun, Balei, etc.), in Yakutia, in Transcaucasia (Zodskoye), in Central Asia, etc. The sources of gold are also complex polymetallic and copper pyrite deposits in Kazakhstan, the Urals, Central Asia and other regions.

Ores of non-ferrous, rare and precious metals are mined mainly in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, where a number of the largest mining and processing and mining and metallurgical plants operate: Almalyk, Dzhezkazgan, Leninogorsk, Irtysh, Zyryanovsky, East Kazakhstan, Achpolimetal, and smaller mining and processing and mining and metallurgical plants and ore management: Tekeli, Karagailinsky, Zheskentsky, Anzobsky, Adrasmansky GOKi, Zolotushinsky mining department, Kadamdzhaysky MMC, Ingichka and a number of others.

The North also occupies a leading position in non-ferrous metallurgy due to such large plants as the Norilsk Mining and Metallurgical Complex in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Pechenganickel Combine, the Zhdanovsky GOK and the Lavozero Combine in the European North, the Severovostokzoloto Association in the Magadan Region, the Yakutalmaz Association, etc. .d. A number of deposits of non-ferrous and precious metals are being developed in the Urals, Gaisky GOK, SUBR (Severouralsk), Sibaysky and Uchalinsky GOKs, Krasnoturinsky, Berezovsky, Kachkarsky, Degtyarsky Mining Administrations, etc., in Siberia (Nerchinsky GOK, associations "Baleizoloto", SOR tungsten-molybdenum plants, etc. In the Far East, the Dalpolimetal, Amurzoloto associations, the tin mining and processing enterprises Solnechny, Khrustalnensky and Sherlovogorsky are being built.

Non-ferrous metallurgy is represented by significant mining enterprises in the European part of the country. In the North Caucasus, this is the Tyrnyauz MMC, one of the main producers of tungsten and molybdenum in the country. The copper industry of the Caucasus region is represented by the Kajaran, Madneuli, Urup, Kafan GOKs, and the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine.

The lead-zinc industry of the Caucasus is represented by several mines of the Sadonsky GOK (North Ossetia), the Kvaisin mine (Georgia), etc. There is also the Zodsky gold mine in Armenia, etc.

There are large combines in Ukraine: the Upper Dnieper titanium-magnesium, Nikitovsky and Transcarpathian mercury, etc.

In the country as a whole, 65% of non-ferrous and rare metal ores and 35% underground are mined by the open method (1978). In terms of metal, the specific gravity of the underground method is more than 40%. In 1980, 2.5 billion tons per year of rock mass will be mined in non-ferrous metallurgy.

Stocks of industrial building materials are huge, and the industry for the extraction of building materials is the largest in terms of volume. In terms of mining costs, it approaches the costs of mining all ores combined. It is scattered throughout the country, but the main production of building materials is concentrated in the European part, where the largest volume of industrial and civil construction is carried out.

In the building materials industry, only sawstone-shell rock is mined underground by the underground method at the mines of the Cricov Production Association in Moldova, at some mines in the Odessa region, and in some cases flux dolomite is also mined.

The main reserves and production volumes of hard igneous and metamorphic rocks are concentrated in the regions of Ukraine, Central Asia, Eastern Siberia, North-West, the Urals, Altai, and the Far East. In terms of reserves, the Central Chernozem region is in the first place, Kazakhstan is in the second, the Central region is in the third, then the South-Western, Ural, Volga, North Caucasus, etc.

For the development of the extraction of sand and gravel mixtures, the greatest opportunities are available in the North-Western, Volga, North Caucasian, Ural, West Siberian, East Siberian and other regions.

Dense limestones and dolomites are mined mainly in the central regions of the RSFSR, in the North Caucasus, the Urals, Ukraine, the North-West, Kazakhstan, Western and Eastern Siberia, Central Asia, and the Far East. There are about 2,000 quarries in the North Caucasus alone.

Wall sawstone, which is mined at about 20 million m 3 / year, is mainly extracted from deposits of limestone-shell rocks in areas adjacent to the Black, Azov and Caspian Seas (Moldova, Odessa and Rostov regions, Azerbaijan, Armenia, etc.).

The main production of chrysotile asbestos is carried out by the quarries of the Uralasbest association in the Urals and the Dzhetygarinsky GOK in Kazakhstan (80% of the world production). The first stage of the Kiembayevsky GOK for 250 thousand tons per year was built in the Orenburg Region.

Mica is mined mainly on the Kola Peninsula (Kovdorslyuda), in Transbaikalia (Mamslyuda) and North Karelia.