Mining examples. Methods of mining in the natural environment around us

Tourism and rest 28.07.2019
Tourism and rest

The largest country in the world occupies one of the leading places in terms of mineral reserves.

This can be most clearly represented in numbers. More than 200,000 deposits have now been discovered on the territory of Russia, and the total value of all minerals is about 30 trillion rubles. dollars.

Here is the share of Russia in the world reserves of certain types of minerals:

  • Oil— 12%
  • Natural gas — 32%
  • Coal— 30 %
  • Potassium salts — 31%
  • Cobalt— 21%
  • Iron— 25%
  • Nickel— 15%.

Features of the relief of Russia

Russia occupies the largest territory in the world, and therefore has a diverse and complex relief. Among the features of the relief are:

1. The predominance of plains in the European part of the country and the central regions.

2. The mountains are located mainly in the south, east and northeast (not counting the Ural Range, which crosses Russia from north to south).

3. The relief has a general slope to the north, so most of the rivers flow into the waters of the seas of the Arctic.

These characteristic features of the relief affect the distribution of mineral deposits. Rocks are mined in the Caucasus and in Eastern Siberia, peat - in forests, bauxite and iron ores - on the plains.

Types of minerals

Minerals are minerals and rocks that are used by man. There are several classifications of minerals, but most often they are divided by type of use.

combustible

  • Coal- sedimentary rock, occurs in layers. The most important type of fuel used in metallurgy. The most important reserves of Russia are the Kuzbass, Pechora, and Tunguska deposits.
  • Peat formed in swamps from decaying plant residues. Contains up to 60% carbon. It is used as a cheap fuel, for fertilizers and for the extraction of acetic acid.
  • Oil— oily liquid of black color, perfectly burns. Occurs between sedimentary rocks at different depths. It is the most important fossil fuel. In the Russian Federation, the largest deposits are the West Siberian basin, the basins of the North Caucasus and the Volga region.
  • Natural gas- formed in the voids of rocks. Sometimes its accumulations can be millions of cubic meters. This is the cheapest and most convenient fuel.
  • oil shale- sedimentary rocks, which are a mixture of siliceous clay and organic residues. During the distillation of shale, a resin is obtained that is similar in composition and properties to oil.

Ore

  • Rocks(marble, mica, asphalt, tuff, potash salt, phosphorites). They have a different origin and are used in almost all industries.

Thus, tuffs and marble are used in construction, mica - in the electrical and radio industry, asbestos - for thermal insulation and fire insulation, asphalt - for road pavement.

  • metal ores(iron, copper, nickel, non-ferrous metals) - these are mountain clusters containing metals. For example, aluminum is mined from bauxites, nephelines and alunites, iron from iron ores, brown, red and magnetic iron ore.
  • Non-metallic ores(sand, asbestos).

Nonmetallic

  • Gems- natural stones of organic or mineral origin. Used in jewelry, medicine, chemical industry.
  • Sand, gravel, clay, chalk, salt- hard rocks used in almost all areas of industry.

Resources and deposits

About 30 types of fossils are represented on the territory of Russia. Here is a description of the main deposits and reserves of just some of them.

Oil and gas

Oil is produced mainly in the eastern and northern parts countries, as well as on the shelves of the seas of the Arctic and the Far East. Currently, 2,152 oil fields are being actively developed. Up to 600 million tons are mined annually, and the predicted reserves are estimated at 50 billion tons.

In terms of natural gas reserves, Russia ranks first in the world. About 650 billion cubic meters of gas are produced annually. More than 10 deposits have been explored, which are called unique, as the predicted reserves in them exceed 1 trillion. cubic meters.

Coal

In terms of coal production, Russia ranks third in the world. Only explored reserves will be enough for the country for 400 years. Coal basins are concentrated mainly in the east of the country - beyond the Ural Mountains. The largest deposits are the Tunguska (more than 2200 billion tons) and Lena basins (1647 billion tons).

oil shale

The main deposits are concentrated in the European part of the country. The largest is the Baltic shale basin.

Peat

The main peat reserves are located in the Asian part of Russia. In total, more than 46 thousand deposits have been explored. The largest is Vasyuganskoye, where 15% of peat reserves in the Russian Federation are mined.

Iron ores

In terms of iron ore deposits, Russia ranks first in the world. The largest deposits are concentrated in the European part (the Kursk magnetic anomaly, the Baltic Shield on the Kola Peninsula, the KMA basin).

Manganese

In the Russian Federation, manganese is mined mainly of the carbonate type. To date, 14 deposits have been explored in the Urals, Siberia and the Far East. The total amount of reserves is about 150 million tons. The largest deposits are Yurkinskoye, Berezovskoye, Polunochnoye.

Aluminum

Russia has a sufficient amount of bauxite and nepheline reserves in the Urals and Western Siberia. But the problem is that the ores are of low quality, and the extraction of aluminum seems to be costly. The most promising in this regard are the bauxite reserves of the North Ural region.

Non-ferrous metals

In terms of reserves of non-ferrous metal ores, Russia ranks first in the world, and the total value of explored reserves is more than 1.8 trillion. dollars. The richest deposits of ores are found in Eastern Siberia and Taimyr. For example, Russia's share in the world's diamond production is 25%. More is mined only in South Africa.

Nonmetallic building materials

Experts note the main problems that prevent Russia from fully exploiting its potential in the field of mineral reserves are insufficient funding for geological surveys, problems with taxation, a lack of manufacturing enterprises and the inability to provide a sufficient sales market.

Introduction

1. Ore minerals

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

Over the past 200 years, the demand for metals has increased so much that already in the 21st century, the reserves of ores of some metals, especially strategically important for industry, may be exhausted.

Some metals, such as gold, are often found in pure form, but most are smelted from ore. Ore - a mineral formation containing any metal or several metals in concentrations at which it is economically feasible to extract them. Sometimes it can be non-metallic minerals.

Gold was perhaps the first metal that attracted the attention of primitive people with its beauty and brilliance. There is evidence that copper began to be obtained from malachite (a low-melting green mineral) about 7,000 years ago.

Although commercial oil extraction first began in the second half of the nineteenth century, for centuries oil has been extracted by people who lived in different parts of the world where oil seeped to the surface. In Russia, the first written mention of obtaining oil appeared in the sixteenth century. Travelers described how the tribes living along the banks of the Ukhta River in the north of the Timan-Pechora region collected oil from the surface of the river and used it for medical purposes and as oils and lubricants. Oil collected from the Ukhta River was first delivered to Moscow in 1597.

In 1702, Tsar Peter the Great issued a decree establishing the first regular Russian newspaper, Vedomosti. In the first issue of the newspaper, an article was published about how oil was discovered on the Sok River in the Volga region, and in later issues there was information about oil shows in other regions of Russia. In 1745, Fyodor Pryadunov received permission to start oil production from the bottom of the Ukhta River. Pryadunov also built a primitive oil refinery and supplied some products to Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Coal mining began almost simultaneously with oil extraction, although coal has also been known to people since time immemorial.

1. Ore minerals

Many ores were formed during the cooling of magma (molten mass of the deep zones of the Earth). In the process of its cooling, the minerals crystallize (harden) in a certain order. Some heavy minerals, such as chromite (chromium ore), separate and settle at the bottom of the magma, where they are deposited in a separate layer. Then feldspar, quartz and mica form rocks, such as granite.

The concentration of the remaining liquid increases. Part of it is pressed into the cracks of the new rock, forming large deposits in them - pegmatites. Other substances are deposited in the voids of the surrounding rock. Finally, only liquids, called hydrothermal solutions, remain. These solutions, often rich in liquid elements, can flow over long distances, forming the so-called solidification when solidified. veins.

Secondary deposits of minerals are formed under the influence of rivers, seas and wind, which together destroy soils and rocks, sometimes carry them over considerable distances and deposit them, usually in river deltas or relief depressions. Mineral particles are concentrated here, which then, being cemented, turn into sedimentary rocks, such as sandstone.

Sometimes iron accumulates among these rocks, getting there from the water and forming iron ores. In the tropics, intense rains break down rocks containing aluminosilicates by chemically attacking them. The silicates washed out by them form rocks rich in bauxites (aluminum ores). Acid rain also dissolves other metals, which are then deposited again in the upper layers of the lithosphere, sometimes being exposed on the surface.

Once upon a time, the search for metals depended on chance. But in our time, scientific methods and modern search equipment are used in geological exploration. Geological maps are compiled, often using satellite photographs. Geologists, deciphering these maps and images, receive the necessary information about the rocks and their structure. Sometimes chemicals found in the soil, water, and plants provide clues to the location of minerals. Geophysical methods are used for the same purposes. By measuring even the weakest electromagnetic and gravitational response signals of rocks with special instruments, scientists can determine the content of ore deposits in rocks.

Having discovered a deposit, prospectors drill wells to determine the size and quality of ore deposits and determine the economic feasibility of their development.

There are three ways to extract ore deposits, "Gam, where the ore comes to the surface or is located near it, it is mined by an open (quarry) method. When the ore is found at the bottom of a river or lake, mining is done using dredges. And the most expensive type of mining - construction of underground mines.

About 80 metals are currently used in industry. Some of them are quite widespread, but many are rare. Copper, for example, makes up 0.007% of the earth's crust, tin - 0.004%, lead - 0.0016%, uranium - 0.0004%, silver -0.000001% and gold - only 0.0000005%.

Once rich deposits will be exhausted too quickly. A little time will pass, and many metals will be rare and expensive. Therefore, in our time, the task of recycling scrap metal is acute.

According to experts, half of the iron and a third of the aluminum used by industry is already obtained from scrap. Recycling and reuse reduces pollution and saves the energy needed to smelt metals from ores and refine them. It takes only a twentieth of the energy to produce a tonne of aluminum from scrap as it takes to smelt the ore and process the same amount.

2. Coal

Coal is considered the most unusual rock for two reasons. Firstly, it is formed from organic material - once living tissue - and, secondly, unlike other rocks, it can burn and release heat.

Coal was the main fuel during the industrial revolution and played an important role in the development of many countries. It consists of carbon (hence its black color) and combustible gases - hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen. Part of the carbon and hydrogen form a hydrocarbon, which is also the basis of oil and natural gas.

Most of the coal deposits were formed 360-286 million years ago, and there was so much of it that geologists called this period the Carboniferous. The source of coal deposits were prehistoric rainforests that grew in swampy areas and differed from modern ones. Most of them consisted of giant tree ferns, as well as large horsetails and a number of smaller plants.

Dying tree ferns and other vegetation crumbled into swamps. There was very little oxygen in the swamp water, which accelerates the process of decomposition of organic material by bacteria, so slowly decaying trees turned into peat - the first stage of coal formation. In the process of peat formation, methane, or swamp gas, was released.

Peat, compacted, turned into coal. From a layer of peat 10-15 m thick, a thin (about 1 m) layer of coal is formed. The first stage of compaction took place in the ancient swamps, as more and more new layers of decaying vegetation appeared, under the mass of which the lower layers were compressed.

During the Carboniferous period, the uplift of the earth's crust took place, as a result of which sand and silt deposits accumulated on top of the leaves of plants. Subsequently, layers of soil and peat were buried under sea waters, and then again came to the surface.

Other swamps were formed, where new deposits of peat appeared. This process, called cyclic sedimentation, has been repeated many times. In coal regions there are a number of coal seams located one above the other, separated by layers sedimentary rocks. The thickness of these layers varies from a few millimeters to many meters.

There are three main types of fossil coal. The degree of its change in comparison with the original peat determines the level of its metamorphism (or coalification).

Lignite, which is also called brown coal, has changed the least. It contains the least amount of carbon (about 30%), and when it is burned, it produces a lot of smoke and little heat.

The most common and heat-intensive is bituminous coal, which is characterized by a wide variety of varieties. Usually, in the seams of this coal, dull and glossy interlayers alternate. The lyantsevity interlayers were formed from the remains of trees, while the dull ones were formed from smaller vegetation. Bituminous coal contains a soft substance resembling charcoal; It's what gets our hands dirty.

Anthracite highest degree metamorphism. It is 98% carbon and has high hardness and purity. It is difficult to ignite, but when burned, it produces a very hot flame with little smoke.

Coal is mainly used as a fuel. Until recently, a significant part of it was burned to heat houses. Today, coal is mainly used to generate electricity or in industrial processes. However, before the start of large-scale natural gas production, many countries received gas from coal. This method is still used in countries without gas fields.

The production of coal gas is associated with the production of coke, a smokeless fuel needed to smelt iron ore. Coke is produced by heating coal in sealed ovens where it does not burn due to the lack of oxygen. However, the heat displaces ammonia, coal tar, gas and light oils, leaving only a solid. This is coke.

Coal serves as a raw material for various products. Ammonia, coal tar and light oils from the production of coke are used to make paints, antiseptics, medicines, detergents, perfumes, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and household chemicals. From coal, you can even get a sugar substitute - saccharin.

Of all fossil fuels, coal is the largest on earth. Its explored reserves will last more than 200 years at the current rate of consumption, and the number of undiscovered deposits, according to many experts, is 15 times higher than the known reserves. Two thirds of the explored coal reserves are concentrated in three countries: 30% - in the USA, 25% - in Russia and other CIS states and 10% - in China. The rest is mainly in Australia, Canada. Germany, India, Poland, South Africa and the UK.

AT South America Only on the territory of four states are significant deposits of coal - in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Colombia. Much of the continent's coal deposits lie deep beneath tropical forests. Only 8 out of 52 African countries produce coal - South Africa, Zimbabwe, as well as Algeria, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Sometimes coal comes to the surface on the slopes of hills or on the banks of rivers. This is probably how the Chinese first discovered it about 3,000 years ago. As soon as they found

coal, the top soil was removed, and then tunnels were dug in the coal seams deep into the earth. Today, geologists are engaged in the search for coal deposits. They know where coal can be deposited: mainly where there are rocks of the Carboniferous period. Aerial and satellite imagery helps identify promising areas.

The next step is seismic exploration. By using explosives and other means, geologists send shock waves deep into the earth. Sensitive seismic receivers (geophones) pick up the echoes of these shock waves after they are reflected from the layers of underground rock. different breeds have different reflection strengths, so the analysis of reflections allows you to determine the types of rocks, their structure and depth of occurrence.

To accurately locate coal seams and determine their depth, it is necessary to drill wells. The resulting cores (cylindrical samples) of the rock are studied and analyzed.

Another exploration method is logging. It was developed primarily to search for oil and natural gas deposits. In this case, a number of devices are introduced into the well to determine the nature of the rock. The logging tool is lowered into the well and then raised at a certain speed. The sensitive instruments of the probe determine the porosity and radioactivity of rocks, detect faults (gaps between different rock layers), as well as the electrical resistivity of rocks - that is, their electrical conductivity.

The thickness of coal seams can vary from a few centimeters to several meters. Regardless of this, two main methods of its extraction are used: open pit (quarry) and mine development. Open pit mining is done when the coal is close to the surface. This method is often used in Australia and the USA, as well as in the extraction of lignite in Eastern Europe. In most quarries in England, coal is mined at a depth of about 33 m. The deepest is in Germany - 325 m.

Quarry development disfigures the area. First, the upper layers of soil and rocks are removed, which are piled up around the workings. Such an embankment serves as a soundproofing screen and closes an unsightly picture from prying eyes.

The coal is then extracted using giant excavators. The largest excavator in England is the Big Geordie dragline with a capacity of 3000 tons. Its bucket (which can accommodate two ordinary cars) rakes up to 100 tons of rock at a time.

The bucket capacity of the Big Mask (Ohio, USA) is 10,000 tons. And the largest bucket-wheel excavator with a capacity of 13,000 tons extracts lignite in the Gambach quarry in Germany. After the extraction of all profitable coal reserves, the soil is recultivated and the mining area is improved.

Underground mining is the main method of coal mining in the UK and continental Europe. It is also used to mine 40% of coal in the US and over 50% in Australia.

Many seams of coal occur at very great depths. The deepest mine in England goes into the depths of the earth by more than 1300 m. You can get to the layers at such a depth along a vertical mine shaft. The miners go down to the place of work by a lift - it also delivers coal to the surface. Underground horizontal workings (faces) can stretch for several kilometers, so electric trolleys transport workers and coal between the face and the elevator shaft.

Where there is access to coal from the side of the slope, they dig an inclined mine shaft - an adit. Here, the miners are transported in trolleys, and the coal is fed outside by a conveyor.

There are two main ways to sink a deep mine. The old method, still most commonly used in the US, is called room and pillar development. Here, miners make a series of drifts in the coal seams, leaving pillars (pillars) of coal to support the vault. Only part of the coal can be mined in this way.

Longwall mining, or longwall mining, is the main method of coal mining in Europe, and is increasingly being used in the United States. In this case, two parallel tunnels are dug at a distance of about 20 m from each other. Miners ply between the tunnels, hewing lava. As the face advances, the vault collapses behind the miners. So you can extract up to 90% of coal reserves.

Coal mining is life-threatening, and despite strict security measures, hundreds of miners die underground every year. Yes, and burning coal is fraught with environmental consequences and leads to many diseases. Contact with hydrocarbons can lead to skin cancer, and the smoke and gases emitted by burning coal can cause cancer and emphysema.

Coal gases also contain sulfur compounds that cause acid rain. As a result, vegetation is damaged, fish and other representatives of aquatic fauna die, and buildings are destroyed.

Carbon dioxide is one of the main products of coal combustion. It refers to gases that are the cause of the "greenhouse effect *: heat is absorbed by the atmosphere, I do not go into outer space, which results in global warming climate.

For all the challenges and the ongoing search for clean energy sources, coal is far more abundant than the cheaper fuels of oil and natural gas. It is possible that new technologies will make it profitable to develop deposits that are considered unprofitable today.

With existing methods, the extraction of only 12% of the explored world coal reserves is economically justified. One of the methods effective use coal - burning it to produce gas. The other provides for obtaining oil from it, given the depletion of oil natural reserves.

3. Oil

Oil is the basis of modern industry and civilization. She was and remains the cause of many international conflicts, and its widespread use causes serious damage environment.

By its composition, oil is a complex mixture of compounds, among which hydrocarbons predominate. It occurs in several forms - liquid oil, natural gas and a thick fraction of substances called asphaltenes or bitumens. Oil is an organic substance formed from the remains of living matter, plants and animals. Therefore, oil, natural gas, and coal of the same origin are classified as fossil fuels.

The processes that resulted in the formation of oil proceeded for millions of years. For example, most of the oil in the northern and central North Sea was formed from the remains of single-celled algae and bacteria that were deposited in the silt on seabed during the entire Jurassic period (144-213 million years ago). These remains rotted and slowly turned into oil under the influence of temperature and pressure, while silt and mineral sediments under the influence of the same factors were compressed into layers of rocks.

Oil droplets seeped upward through pores or cracks in the rocks until they encountered harder layers that prevented their further progress. Oil accumulated in places that geologists call "traps." The formation of gas took place in deeper layers. Geologists believe that in the deposits of the southern part northern hemisphere it began in the Carboniferous period (300-286 million years ago), when coal seams of the remains of dead plants began to form in the swamps. The coal layers then sank and were under a layer of rocks. Under the influence of the internal heat of the Earth, gas began to be released at a depth of about 4 km. Then he moved up through the pores and faults in the rocks until he fell into the "trap".

The great advantage of oil is that it is cleaner and cheaper than coal and is easier to transport than gas. Oil has many applications. It is sometimes referred to as "Black Gold" because it provides about half of the energy consumed worldwide today. Without it, most of the transport would stop, factories, factories, systems would stop working. central heating etc.

Crude oil is used to produce a variety of liquid fuels: gasoline of varying degrees of purity, diesel and aviation fuel. Also, oils and lubricants that ensure the operation of machines and mechanisms, asphalt road surfaces and a huge number of compounds used in the chemical industry are not obtained from them. Substances derived from petroleum are used in the cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, paint and varnish industries, as well as in the production of fertilizers, explosives, synthetic fibers, inks, insecticides, plastics and rubber, which is used to make car tires.

Oil and natural gas deposits have been found on every continent, as well as on the continental shelves. Some of them are actively developed, others are mothballed. The assessment of how long oil reserves will last includes two factors - the volume of known deposits, the development of which is economically viable from the point of view of modern technology, and the level of production in current year. The global oil reserves in 1989 were estimated 41 years ahead, based on the level of production in 1988. However, with an increase in proven reserves, changes in the intensity of production and the introduction of new technologies, the estimate also changes.

The largest oil reserves are concentrated in the countries of the Middle East (about 65% of the world). In the late 1980s Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and United United Arab Emirates(UAE) had proven oil reserves for more than 100 years at the level of production in 1988.

At the end of 1989, Saudi Arabia, which has 25% of the world's deposits, had reserves that would last for 90 years at the level of production in 1988. Discovery of new deposits in this country in 1990 extended this period by more than 50 years.

In the late 1980s, the 15 republics that made up the Soviet Union were leaders in oil production (18% of the world). Among them, Russia occupied and continues to occupy the first place, although oil is also produced in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. The United States, which ranks second in the world in terms of oil production, together with Canada in 1990 owned about 1 6% world production. They were followed by Saudi Arabia, Iran, Mexico, China, Venezuela, Iraq and Britain. The volume of oil production is increased or decreased depending on demand. Thus, the recession of the world economy in the early 1990s. led to a sharp decline in oil consumption. The leading place in natural gas production also belongs to the republics of the former Soviet Union, in particular Russia. They are followed by the USA, Holland and Canada. Other major gas producing countries are Britain, Mexico, Norway and Romania.

Thanks to widespread use oil production has increased from 10 million barrels (158.988 dm 3) per day in the 1950s. to 65 million barrels in 1990, and over these 40 years oil has become the main source of fuel and raw materials in the world. In some countries, oil products were so cheap that oil was often used unacceptably wastefully.

Developed countries often use their own oil reserves, and as demand grows, they are forced to import the missing amount. The world's major oil exporters are a few developing countries that are rapidly making large profits from oil production and exports to developed countries. Some developing countries are channeling oil revenues to solve social problems - building schools, hospitals and improving living standards in general. Others invest their "petrodollars" in large high-tech projects - for example, the construction of expensive desalination plants sea ​​water in Saudi Arabia or the creation of the “Great Man-Made River*” in Libya, through which water from underground reservoirs located under the Sahara desert will be pumped to a densely populated coast mediterranean sea. Oil policy

Oil began to play a key role in international relations. In 1967, the oil states of the Middle East were able to provide massive assistance to their Arab allies in Egypt, Syria and Jordan during their war with Israel.

The developing oil states began to provide more and more political influence around the world through the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). OPEC was created in 1960 by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Algeria, Ecuador, Gabon, Indonesia, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates later joined.

In 1973, when Egypt and Syria launched a six-day war against Israel, OPEC skyrocketed oil prices. A number of countries have agreed to jointly regulate oil exports in order to have leverage in their hands to put pressure on the United States and other countries that supported Israel.

Since the mid 1970s. most oil-producing countries in the Middle East sought to establish through OPEC a "New Economic Order" that would give developing states more weight in international relations.

OPEC's policy has put many oil-importing countries in a difficult position, creating a shortage of fuel and giving rise to inflationary processes. But in the early 1980s. developed countries increased their own oil production. This, along with a general economic downturn, led to lower demand for imported oil and lower prices. However, while OPEC was short-lived, many Middle Eastern governments gained a sense of self-confidence.

Oil became the cause of new conflicts. In 1990, Iraq claimed that Kuwait was extracting oil belonging to Iraq, and that since Kuwait's exports exceeded the quota set by OPEC, this led to a decrease in world prices. As a result, in August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, but already in 1991 it was expelled from there by UN troops. During the Gulf War, Iraq poured huge amounts of oil into its waters and set fire to more than half of all oil rigs in Kuwait. Black clouds of smoke eclipsed the sun for several months until the fire was put out. Emissions to the sea

Emissions of oil into the sea occur during the washing of tankers, during accidents on offshore oil platforms and during its transportation by supertankers. On the surface of the water, a thin film spreads the so-called. oil slick, which leads to the mass death of seabirds, animals and fish.

When the Exxon Valdez oil tanker hit an underwater reef in Alaska's Prince William Sound in 1989, about 240,000 barrels of oil spilled into the sea, polluting 1,600 km coastline, including the coast of three national parks and five nature reserves. Exxon undertook an unprecedented cleanup operation, but by then the environment had already suffered irreparable damage. But much worse and larger, although not so noticeable, is the pollution of the ocean that occurs when oil products are discharged into rivers or directly into the sea from coastal industrial enterprises.

The use of gasoline as a fuel leads to severe air pollution in many large cities. The exhaust gases of vehicles and other installations running on liquid fuel contain toxic compounds - carbon monoxide, products of incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, lead. Some of them are under the influence sunlight form compounds that cause smog, which still hangs over many capitals of the world today - for example, Mexico City. Nitrogen oxides, when interacting with water droplets in clouds, lead to acid rain, polluting lakes and rivers and leading to the death of forests. In many countries, measures have already been or are being taken to reduce harmful emissions into the atmosphere. This includes the use of unleaded (lead-free) gasoline, and the equipment of cars with catalysts that turn harmful exhaust gases into harmless ones. However, the ever-increasing consumption of oil and oil products reduces the effectiveness of these measures.

Despite the discovery of new deposits and technologies, it is clear that fossil fuels will ever be exhausted, and that oil, in particular, is used up much faster than its natural renewal. Moreover, even though oil prices are rising and people are spending it more economically, the demand for petroleum products continues to grow.

However, the overall picture is not as bleak as it might seem at first glance. Experts have found that the proven oil reserves are only a third of the existing ones. With the advent of new technologies, a significant increase in usable oil reserves will become possible.

In the early 1990s American scientists have developed the technology of chemical displacement. Oil is washed out of the rock with the help of surface-active substances (surfactants). This method has not been found before. practical application due to the high cost of surfactants. Now, however, scientists have said they have found a cheap solution to the problem using waste from the pulp and paper industry. They believe that this method will increase the potential oil reserves in the US by more than six times.

Another additional source of oil is tar sands, which are rocks impregnated with thick oil. Rocks called oil shale are also suitable for use. They are rich in kerogen, from which oil can be obtained.

Conclusion

The extraction of ore minerals, as well as coal and oil, is the basis for the development modern world. But they are gradually exhausted, especially oil and coal, which threatens developed countries with a global energy crisis.

However, the only promising solution to the problem of the energy crisis as a consequence of the depletion of fossil fuels is the development of alternative energy sources. Until then, it is necessary to rationally spend and carefully protect existing reserves.

Based on this, the main requirements for the protection of subsoil are (Article 23 of the Law of the Russian Federation "On Subsoil"):

Compliance with the procedure for providing subsoil resources established by law and preventing unauthorized use;

Ensuring the completeness of geological study, rational, integrated use and protection of subsoil;

Carrying out advanced geological study of the subsoil, providing a reliable assessment of the mineral reserves or properties of the subsoil plot provided for purposes not related to the extraction of minerals;

Ensuring the most complete extraction of reserves of the main and jointly occurring minerals and associated components, as well as reliable accounting of their reserves extracted and left in the bowels;

Protection of mineral deposits from flooding, flooding, fires and other factors that reduce the quality of minerals and the industrial value of deposits;

Prevention of subsoil pollution during work related to subsoil use (underground storage of oil, gas, disposal of hazardous substances and waste, wastewater discharge);

Prevention of accumulation of industrial and household waste on the

Bibliography

1. Ananiev V.P., Potapov A.D. Fundamentals of geology, mineralogy and petrography. - M.: Higher school, 2008. - 400 p.

2. Eromolov V.A., Popova G.B., Moseikin V.V., Larichev L.N., Kharitonenko G.N. Deposits of minerals. Geology. - Publishing House of the Moscow State Mining University. - M.: 2007. - 576 p.

3. Norman J. Hine. Geology, exploration, drilling and oil production. - M.: Olimp-Business, 2008. - 752 p.

4. Tatarinov P.M. Conditions for the formation of deposits of ore and non-metallic minerals. - M.: State scientific and technical publishing house of literature on geology and protection of mineral resources. - M.: 1963. - 370 p.

Mineral resources of the world economy

Among natural resources Mineral resources are of great importance for ensuring the development of production and the life of people. Their feature are:

limited and non-renewable;

· Uneven distribution by individual countries and regions;

Significant differentiation of reserves of their individual

Mineral resources are the basis for production industrial products. Every year, more than 100 billion tons of various raw materials and fuels are extracted from the bowels of the Earth. These are ores of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, coal, gas, oil, building materials, etc. - more than two hundred different types in total.

Ore minerals are of great importance in the economy, as they remain unsurpassed structural materials. Their largest reserves are concentrated in the USA, China, India, and Russia.

Iron ore deposits are concentrated in Brazil, Australia, Canada, CIS countries (including Russia). India, the USA, Sweden, France, Venezuela, South Africa and China also have large reserves. World iron ore reserves are estimated at about 400 billion tons. last decade new deposits of ore minerals were discovered in a number of developing countries - Brazil, Liberia, Guinea, Algeria. The largest reserves have been explored in Brazil (Minas-Geyras field) and Venezuela (Guiana). High quality ores prevail here (up to 68% iron content with a small content of sulfur, silica and phosphorus). Also of great importance are the iron ore deposits of Russia (Mikhailovskoe - KMA, Kachkanarskoe - Urals), but they have a slightly lower content of the main component.

From the end of the 80s. world mining of iron ores is carried out at the level of 1 billion tons per year. The world's largest exporters of iron ore are Brazil (125 million tons), Australia (more than 100 million tons), Canada (30-40 million tons) and the CIS countries. The main importers of iron ore in the world are Japan (up to 150 million tons per year), Germany and the USA.

A new trend in the development of trade in iron ore has been an increase in the supply of enriched ore (iron ore pellets), as well as steel scrap.

Of the non-ferrous metals, the most common are bauxites (10% of the mass of the earth's crust), which serve as raw materials for the production of aluminum. General stocks bauxite is 50 billion tons, and production - more than 80 million tons per year. The largest bauxite deposits are found in France (Saint-Julien, La Rouquette), Italy, Russia (Apatity), and the USA (Silit-Rock). But some of the bauxite deposits in these traditional aluminum-producing countries have become significantly depleted, and it has become necessary to search for new sources of raw materials.


Major bauxite exporters are Guinea, Jamaica, and Brazil, which, together with Australia, determine the situation on the world bauxite market.

As for Australian bauxite, both in terms of volume and price, they are able to satisfy 50% of world demand. Own production of aluminum is established in Australia and Brazil. Jamaica supplies raw materials mainly to the US aluminum industry, and Guinea to Western Europe. Australian bauxites are processed not only by factories in the Middle East for re-export to Japan, but also by factories in Russia and Western Europe. Australia, Russia, the USA, Jamaica lead in the production of alumina, and the USA, the CIS, Japan, Canada, and Germany lead in the production of aluminum.

As for non-ferrous metal ores, it is possible to single out general patterns in the distribution of their reserves, the production of products based on them, and the consumption of these products. Most of the world's non-ferrous metal ores are concentrated in developing countries, but their share in world production and consumption is much lower. For example, having 3/4 of bauxite reserves, the share of developing countries in their production is about 1/2, in smelting - 1/5, and in aluminum consumption - only 1/10. A similar situation develops for other non-ferrous metals, except for tin. The share of developing countries in the world production of tin is more than 4/5. At the same time, the main tin reserves are concentrated in India, Malaysia, Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, and Bolivia. The total reserves of tin are 180 million tons, the annual production is 8.3 million tons.

Large copper reserves are also found in developing countries. The "copper belt" stands out, which includes Chile, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Zaire, Peru. Of the developed countries, the United States (Morensi, Bingen deposits), the CIS and Canada (Grendak, Johnsons) have large copper reserves. But the content of the main component in the ore varies and ranges from 0.5% in the US to 5% in Zambia. The total reserves of copper ores are estimated at 860 million tons, while 8 million tons are mined annually. As a rule, copper mining is associated with smelting on site. The largest copper producers are Chile and the USA. Most Western European countries import copper.

Polymetallic ores are common in the USA (Labadi), Canada (Pine Point), Australia (Bronen Hill), Russia (Orlovskoye), Burma (Nammadu). The content of zinc also differs sharply by deposit: from 1% in Canada to 20% in Burma; lead - from 1% in Canada to 23% in Australia. The total lead reserves are 200 million tons, the extraction is about 2.5 million tons per year. Total zinc reserves - 300 million tons, production - 4.5 million tons per year.

China has large and varied reserves of non-ferrous metals, which has tungsten, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, and lead.

General characteristics of minerals

First of all, rocks and minerals that are used in the economy of countries are called minerals.

According to their physical condition, they can be:

  • solid - coal, salt, ore, marble, etc.;
  • liquid - oil, mineral water;
  • gaseous - combustible gas, helium, methane.

When their use is taken as a basis, then they distinguish:

  • fuels - coal, oil, peat;
  • ore - ores of rocks, including metal;
  • non-metallic - gravel, clay, sand, etc.

A separate group is represented by precious and ornamental stones.

Minerals were formed in different ways and by origin they are igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic, the distribution of which in the earth's interior obeys certain patterns.

Folded regions are usually characterized by igneous, i.e. ore minerals. This circumstance is due to the fact that they are formed from magma and hot aqueous solutions released from it.

Magma rises from the earth's interior through cracks in earth's crust and freezes in them at different depths.

Also, ore minerals can also be formed from erupted magma-lava, which cools relatively quickly. Magma intrudes, as a rule, during active tectonic movements, therefore, ore minerals are associated with the folded regions of the planet.

Ores can also be formed on platform plains, but in this case they are confined to the lower tier of the platform. On platforms, ore minerals are associated with shields, i.e. with platform foundation outcrops to the surface or in those places where the sedimentary cover does not differ in thickness, and the foundation comes close to the surface.

An example of such a field is the Kursk magnetic anomaly in Russia and the Krivoy Rog basin in Ukraine.

Remark 1

In general, an ore is a mineral aggregate from which metal or metal compounds can be extracted by technological means.

Metal ores are associated with areas of active mountain building, but the presence of mountains does not mean the presence of rich deposits. The third part of Europe, for example, is occupied by mountains, but there are very few large ore deposits.

Based on the field of application, ore minerals are divided into groups - ferrous metal ores, non-ferrous metal ores, precious metal ores and radioactive metals.

Such an ore mineral as iron ore is the basis for the production of ferrous metals - cast iron, steel, rolled products. The largest iron ore reserves are concentrated in the USA, India, China, Brazil, and Canada.

There are separate large deposits in Kazakhstan, France, Sweden, Ukraine, Venezuela, Peru, Chile, Australia, Liberia, Malaysia, North African countries.

In Russia, there are large reserves of iron ore, in addition to KMA, in the Urals, the Kola Peninsula, in Karelia, and in Siberia.

Ferrous metal ores

Among ferrous metal ores, iron ores are the most demanded and used in industry.

Minerals such as hematite, magnetite, limonite, siderite, chamosite and thuringite are the main iron-bearing rocks.

The extraction of iron ore in the world exceeds 1 billion tons. China is the largest iron ore producer with 250 million tons, while Russia produces 78 million tons. The United States and India produce 60 million tons each, Ukraine - 45 million tons.

Iron ore is mined in the United States in the Lake Superior region and in the state of Michigan.

In Russia, the largest iron ore basin is the KMA, whose deposits are estimated at 200-210 billion tons, or 50% of the planet's reserves. The field covers the Kursk, Belgorod, Oryol regions.

For the production of alloyed steel and cast iron, manganese is used as an alloying additive to give them strength and hardness.

World industrial reserves of manganese ores are concentrated in Ukraine - 42.2%. There are manganese ores in Kazakhstan, South Africa, Gabon, Australia, China, and Russia.

A large amount of manganese is also produced in Brazil and India.

In order for steel not to rust, to be heat-resistant and acid-resistant, chromium is needed, one of the main components of ferrous metal ores.

Specialists suggest that out of the world reserves of this ore, 15.3 billion tons of high-grade chromite ore falls on South Africa - 79%. In small quantities, chromium is found in Kazakhstan, India, Turkey, a fairly large deposit of this ore is located in Armenia. A small field is being developed in Russia in the Urals.

Remark 2

The rarest of the ferrous metals is vanadium. It is used for the production of grade iron and grade steel. Vanadium is very important for the aerospace industry because its addition provides high performance titanium alloys.

In the production of sulfuric acid, vanadium is used as a catalyst. It does not exist in its pure form, and vanadium is found in the composition of titanomagnetite ores, sometimes found in phosphorites, uranium-bearing sandstones and siltstones. True, its concentration is not more than 2%.

Sometimes even significant amounts of vanadium can be found in bauxites, brown coals, bituminous shales and sands. When extracting the main components from mineral raw materials, vanadium is obtained as a by-product.

According to the recorded reserves of this ore, the leaders are South Africa, Australia and Russia, and its main producers are South Africa, the USA, Russia, and Finland.

Ores of non-ferrous metals

Non-ferrous metals are represented by two groups:

  1. light, these include aluminum, magnesium, titanium;
  2. heavy ones are copper, zinc, lead, nickel, cobalt.

Of all the non-ferrous metals, aluminum is the most common in the earth's crust.

Among his physical properties such as low density, high thermal conductivity, ductility, electrical conductivity, corrosion resistance. This metal lends itself well to forging, stamping, rolling, drawing. It can be easily welded.

The feedstock for metallic aluminum is alumina, which is obtained by processing bauxite and nepheline ores.

There are bauxite reserves in Guinea, Brazil, Australia, and Russia ranks 9th in terms of them.

Russian bauxite reserves are concentrated in the Belgorod and Sverdlovsk regions, as well as in the Komi Republic. Russian bauxites are of low quality. Nepheline ores occur on the Kola Peninsula. In terms of alumina production, Russia ranks 6th in the world. All alumina is produced from domestic raw materials.

Titanium was discovered in 1791. Its distinctive characteristics are its high strength and corrosion resistance. For industry, the main type of titanium ores are coastal-marine placers. Such large placers are known in Russia, Australia, India, Brazil, New Zealand, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka.

Alluvial deposits of titanium are complex and contain zirconium.

Light non-ferrous metals include magnesium, which has been used in industry relatively recently. During the war years, most of it went to the production of incendiary shells, bombs, and flares.

Raw materials for the production of magnesium are confined to many regions of the planet. Magnesium is found in dolomite, carnallite, bischofite, cainite and other rocks that are widely distributed in nature.

The US accounts for about 41% of the world's production of magnesium metal and 12% of its compounds.

In addition to the United States, Turkey and North Korea are major producers of metallic magnesium. Magnesium compounds are produced by Russia, China, North Korea, Austria, Greece, Turkey.

Among heavy non-ferrous metals, copper stands out, which is a plastic element of a golden-pink hue, covered with an oxygen film in the open air.

A distinctive feature of copper is its high antibacterial properties. In alloys with nickel, tin, gold, zinc, it is used in industry.

After Chile and the USA, Russia ranks third in the world in terms of copper reserves.

In addition to native copper, the raw materials for its production are chalcopyrite and bornite. Copper deposits are distributed in the USA - the Rocky Mountains, in the Canadian Shield and the provinces of Quebec, Ontario in Canada, in Chile and Peru, in the copper belt of Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Armenia.

The main and major producers of this metal are Chile and the USA, as well as Canada, Indonesia, Peru, Australia, Poland, Zambia, and Russia.

Zinc was first obtained from calamine and is essentially zinc carbonate ZnCO2. Today, zinc is obtained from sulfide ores, the most important of which is zinc blende and marmatite.

Zinc ore is mined in Canada, the USA, Russia, Australia, Mexico, central Africa, Kazakhstan, Japan and other countries.

Major producers of zinc ore - Japan and the United States, they are also its major importers.

Known since antiquity, nickel, when added to steel, increases its viscosity, elasticity, and anticorrosion properties.

For the first time, metallic cobalt was obtained in 1735. Today it is used for the production of superhard alloys.

The raw material for lead is its main ore mineral galena. Lead ores are mined in many countries, and its leading producers are Australia, China, Peru, Canada.

Lead is mined in Kazakhstan, Russia, Mexico, Sweden, South Africa, and Morocco. Large deposits lead is in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan.

In Russia, lead deposits are concentrated in Altai, Transbaikalia, Yakutia, Primorye, and the North Caucasus.

Non-ferrous and rare metals

Tin, tungsten

Antimony

Mercury

Khaidarkan deposit. Explored reserves are 7.1 million tons of ore, 10.5 thousand tons of mercury, 60.3 thousand tons of antimony and 614 thousand tons of fluorspar with an average content of 0.15, 1.46 and 15.2%.

Uranus


Ore minerals

The mineral resource base of the country is made up of deposits of noble, non-ferrous and rare metals, non-metallic raw materials, fuel and energy resources, fresh underground and thermal mineral waters.

Gold

On the State balance In the Kyrgyz Republic, as of January 1, 2013, 42 gold and complex deposits have the following proven reserves: ore - 166.4 million tons, gold - 616.4 tons.

Below is a description of the deposits accounted for by the State balance.

Kumtor deposit. Developed since 1996 by CJSC Kumtor Gold Company. The initial reserves in the contour of the new open pit are 109.1 million tons. tons of ore and 396.1 tons of gold. 78 million tons of ore and 304.8 tons of gold were redeemed in 1996-2012.

The balance of reserves for quarrying as of January 1, 2013 is 28.8 million tons of ore and 91.3 tons of gold.

Sarytor area of ​​the Kumtor deposit. Explored reserves are 1995.6 thousand tons of ore and 8.5 tons of gold with an average grade of 4.26 g/t.

Makmal deposit. Developed since 1986. Explored reserves are 1.0 million tons of ore and 7.6 tons of gold with an average grade of 7.59 g/t in ore. Open pit mining was completed in 2003. In 2003, mining of underground reserves began with simultaneous processing of stockpiled off-balance ore.

To extend the life of the mine, timely exploration of the Vostochny flank and Dioritovy blocks and advance exploration of predictive resources at the deep horizons of the deposit are required, the total potential of which is estimated at 3.5 million tons of ore and 22.6 tons of gold.

Jerooy deposit. Explored reserves are 11.5 million tons of ore and 80.9 tons of gold with an average grade of 7.03 g/t.

Deposit Taldybulak Levoberezhny. Explored reserves are 13.34 million tons of ore and 77.7 tons of gold with an average grade of 5.82 g/t.

Chaarat deposit. Explored reserves are 23 million tons of ore and 76.7 tons of gold with an average grade of 3.33 g/t.

Tulkubash section of the Chaarat deposit. Explored reserves are 2.4 million tons of ore and 5.6 tons of gold with an average grade of 2.35 g/t.

Terek-Terekkan ore field:

  • Terekkan deposits. Explored reserves amount to 580.6 thousand tons of ore and 4684.5 kg of gold with an average grade of 8.07 g/t.
  • Perevalnoye deposit. Explored reserves amount to 619 thousand tons of ore and 6097 kg of gold with an average grade of 9.8 g/t.
  • Interstratal ore body of the Terek deposit. Explored reserves amount to 61.4 thousand tons of ore and 1477.4 kg of gold with an average grade of 24.1 g/t.
  • The Southern site of the Terek field. Explored reserves are 332 thousand tons of ore and 233 kg of gold with an average grade of 0.7 g/t.
  • The Dalniy section of the Terek deposit. Under development. The remaining reserves are 102.4 thousand tons of ore and 604.3 kg of gold with an average grade of 5.9 g/t.

Ishtamberdy deposit. Under development. The remaining reserves are 2485 thousand tons of ore and 19401 kg of gold with an average grade of 7.8 g/t.

Vostochny area of ​​the Ishtamberdy deposit. Explored reserves amount to 521.8 thousand tons of ore and 6544 kg of gold with an average grade of 12.54 g/t.

Solton-Sary deposit. It consists of two contiguous sections - Altyntor and Buchuk.
On the Altyntor site geological exploration and mining work was carried out. The rest of explored reserves is 639.4 thousand tons of ore and 2303.6 kg of gold with an average grade of 3.6 g/t.

On the Buchuk site prospecting and appraisal work was carried out. According to the results of the work, geological reserves are estimated at 3571.8 thousand tons of ore and 12.05 tons of gold with an average grade of 3.37 g/t.

Kuru-Tegerek field. Explored reserves are 36.5 million tons of ore, 39.2 tons of gold and 354.6 thousand tons of copper with an average grade of 1.075 g/t and 0.97%.

Jamgyr deposit. Under development. The rest of the explored reserves, taken into account by the State balance, are 31.7 thousand tons of ore and 613.4 kg of gold with an average grade of 19.35 g/t. The geological reserves of the deposit are estimated at 411 thousand tons of ore and 4.8 tons of gold.

Unkurtash deposit. Explored reserves are 15.2 million tons of ore and 38.06 tons of gold with an average grade of 2.5 g/t.

The Karatube deposit. Explored reserves are 1.8 million tons of ore and 4.85 tons of gold, with an average grade of 2.73 g/t.

Shambesai deposit. Explored reserves are 1.3 million tons of ore and 6.25 tons of gold with an average grade of 4.78 g/t.

Kurandzhailoo deposit. Explored reserves are 125.9 thousand tons of ore and 1992.9 kg of gold with an average grade of 15.8 g/t.

Nasonovskoye deposit. Explored reserves are 751 thousand tons of ore, 5612 kg of gold and 4.6 thousand tons of copper with an average grade of 7.5 g/t and 0.6%.

Bozymchak deposit. Under development. The rest of the explored reserves of the Central area are 14555.6 thousand tons of ore, 23788.5 kg of gold and 145.8 thousand tons of copper with an average grade of 1.64 g/t and 1%.

Togolok deposit. Explored reserves are 8124 thousand tons of ore and 17367.7 kg of gold with an average grade of 2.1 g/t.

Tokhtazan deposit. Explored reserves amount to 3515 thousand tons of ore and 7581 kg of gold with an average grade of 2.16 g/t. The reserves and probable resources of the deposit are estimated at 27.3 tons of gold.

Dolpran deposit. Explored reserves are 224 thousand tons of ore and 1281 kg of gold with an average grade of 5.72 g/t.

Mironovskoye deposit. It is a complex copper-bismuth with gold deposit. Explored ore reserves are 1564.5 thousand tons, gold - 2660.5 kg, bismuth - 1843.96 tons, silver - 75.1 tons, copper - 23509.8 tons, lead - 8268.3 tons, with an average content, respectively 1.7 g/t, 0.12%, 48 g/t, 1.5% and 0.53%.

Andash deposit. Explored reserves are 17.6 million tons of ore and 19.6 tons of gold with an average grade of 1.11 g/t.

The Terek (Karkala) deposit. Explored reserves amount to 463.8 thousand tons of ore and 2773.7 kg of gold with an average grade of 5.98 g/t.

Kichi-Sandyk deposit. Explored reserves amount to 623.6 thousand tons of ore and 1848.4 kg of gold with an average grade of 2.96 g/t.

The Karakazyk deposit. Under development. The rest of the reserves are 27.9 thousand tons of ore and 342.3 kg of gold with an average grade of 12.3 g/t.

Kumbel deposit, Western area Explored reserves are 260 thousand tons of ore and 1285 kg of gold with an average grade of 4.95 g/t.

Karator deposit, Ozerny area. Explored reserves are 3339.0 thousand tons and 5370.5 kg of gold with an average grade of 1.6 g/t.

Chalkuyruk-Akdzhilga deposit. Geological reserves amount to 175 thousand tons of ore and 2.3 tons of gold with an average grade of 13.4 g/t.

Chapchama deposit. Geological reserves amount to 109 thousand tons of ore and 979 kg of gold with an average grade of 9.0 g/t. Reserves are accounted for by the State balance sheet as off-balance sheet.

Chonkymyzdykty deposit. Explored reserves amount to 164.5 thousand tons of ore and 663.1 kg of gold with an average grade of 4.03 g/t.

Karabulak deposit. Geological reserves are 1.4 million tons of ore and 2.55 tons of gold with an average grade of 1.78 g/t.

Altyn-Dzhilga deposit. Explored reserves amount to 1073.0 thousand tons of ore and 7.14 tons of gold with an average grade of 6.65 g/t.

In addition, gold as an associated component is accounted for in the Abshir antimony deposit in the amount of 141 kg.

In addition to explored deposits accounted for by the State Balance, there are dozens of occurrences of gold in the territory of Kyrgyzstan, studied mainly at the stage of prospecting. Their prospects are determined by the calculated predictive resources of category P1. Prospecting and appraisal work was carried out at some sites and geological reserves of C2 category and predicted resources of P1 category were calculated.

A modern economic assessment of the feasibility of exploration and development of the below listed ore occurrences has not been made. Establishing their industrial value is possible after geological exploration and modern economic evaluation. Geological exploration is currently underway at all sites.

Shiraljin. Geological reserves are 1.1 million tons of ore and 5.1 tons of gold with an average grade of 4.7 g/t. Inferred resources in category P1: ore 2.1 million tons, gold - 9.9 tons, average grade 4.7 g/t.

Nichkes. Geological reserves amount to 315 thousand tons of ore and 2.2 tons of gold with an average grade of 7.0 g/t.

Chakush. Inferred resources are 1.0 million tons of ore and 6.0 tons of gold with an average grade of 5.8 g/t.

Turpaktushty. Geological reserves amount to 172 thousand tons of ore and 729 kg of gold with an average grade of 4.2 g/t. Inferred resources: ore - 400 thousand tons, gold - 1.6 tons, average grade 4.0 g/t.

Akjol. Geological reserves amount to 122 thousand tons of ore and 645 kg of gold with an average grade of 5.3 g/t. Inferred resources: ore - 227 thousand tons, gold - 590 kg, average grade 2.6 g/t.

Kurpsai. Inferred resources are 1.5 million tons of ore and 4.9 tons of gold with an average grade of 3.3 g/t.

Komator. Geological reserves amount to 299 thousand tons of ore and 2971 kg of gold with an average grade of 9.9 g/t.

Dzhangart. Geological reserves amount to 500 thousand tons of ore and 4.0 tons of gold with an average grade of 8.1 g/t. The license for geological exploration was issued in 2003 by Spektr LLC. Exploration work is underway.

Aktash. Geological reserves amount to 2.8 million tons of ore and 8.7 tons of gold with an average grade of 3.1 g/t.

Chonur. Inferred resources are 370 thousand tons of ore and 5.0 tons of gold with an average grade of 13.5 g/t.

Taldybulak. Inferred resources are 16.2 million tons of ore and 29.0 tons of gold with an average grade of 1.8 g/t.

Turuk. Geological reserves amount to 470 thousand tons of ore and 1.8 tons of gold with an average grade of 3.9 g/t.

Aksur. Geological reserves amount to 290 thousand tons of ore and 1.2 tons of gold with an average grade of 4.1 g/t.

Levoberezhnoe. Geological reserves are 85 thousand tons of ore and 1.1 tons of gold with an average grade of 13.0 g/t.

Savoyards. Inferred resources are 1.2 million tons of ore and 8.1 tons of gold with an average grade of 6.5 g/t.

April. Geological reserves amount to 2139.7 thousand tons of ore and 3122.9 kg of gold with an average grade of 1.42 g/t.

Firstborn. Geological reserves amount to 4.7 thousand tons of ore and 94.1 kg of gold with an average grade of 20.12 g/t.

Malatash. Geological reserves amount to 117 thousand tons of ore and 634.5 kg of gold with an average grade of 5.42 g/t. Inferred resources - 1210.2 thousand tons of ore and 7866.5 tons of gold with an average grade of 6.5 g/t.
Tuyuk. Inferred resources are 650 thousand tons of ore and 4.2 tons of gold with an average grade of 5.25 g/t.

Non-ferrous and rare metals

Kyrgyzstan has a significant proven raw material base of tin, tungsten, antimony, mercury, beryllium and rare earth elements. The development of non-ferrous metallurgy in the republic in a free market with a fall in demand and a periodic decline in prices for metals is slow. AT last years the production of antimony and mercury was significantly reduced, and the extraction of rare earth elements was stopped.

Tin, tungsten

Labor deposit. It consists of 4 contiguous sites: Central, Lesistoy, Tashkoro and Ryzhy, the explored reserves of which are 23.1 million tons of ore, 126.1 thousand tons of tin, 87.7 thousand tons of tungsten trioxide and 572.3 thousand tons of hydrofluoric acid. spar. The average content of tin in the ore is 0.55%, tungsten trioxide - 0.38%, fluorspar - 12.29%.

Uchkoshkon deposit. It is located 60 km from the Trudovoye deposit and was explored as a reserve facility of the Sarydzhaz mining and processing plant. Explored reserves are 11.5 million tons of ore and 60.6 thousand tons of tin. The average content of tin in the ore is 0.53%.
Sarybulak deposit. The deposit was studied at the stage of prospecting and appraisal work and reserves are not taken into account by the State balance sheet. Explored reserves and predicted resources amount to 2.1 million tons of ore and 17.2 thousand tons of tin. The average content of tin in the ore is 0.82%. The ores of the deposit are complex, hard-enriched. In addition to tin, reserves and predicted resources of associated metals were calculated: antimony - 2.2 thousand tons, lead - 55.4 thousand tons, zinc - 50.9 thousand tons, copper - 5.3 thousand tons, silver - 37, 8 tons.

Kensu tungsten deposit. It is located 50 km from the Trudovoye deposit. Explored reserves amount to 5.8 million tons of ore and 29.5 thousand tons of tungsten trioxide with an average grade of 0.51%.

Antimony

Explored reserves of antimony in 7 antimony and complex mercury-antimony-fluorite deposits, accounted for by the State balance, amount to 15.5 million tons of ore and 264 thousand tons of antimony. However, the quality of the ores is low compared to the deposits being developed in the world. In recent years, antimony mining has practically not been carried out. The production of metallic antimony and its compounds at the metallurgical plant of the Kadamzhai plant in recent years is provided by the supply of raw materials from Russia, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

The Kadamzhay deposit. Explored reserves are 3.0 million tons of ore and 77.6 thousand tons of antimony with an average content of 2.6%. Ore mining at the deposit decreased from 108 thousand tons in 1997 to 42 thousand tons in 2000, and in recent years has practically ceased.

Terek deposit. Reserves of sulfide ores for adit mining have been depleted. Reserves of sulfide ores for mine development and oxidized ores amount to 601.1 thousand tons of ore and 22.8 thousand tons of antimony with an average content of 3.8%.

The Kassan deposit. Located 10 km from the Terek-Sai mine. Explored reserves amount to 1123 thousand tons of ore and 39.1 thousand tons of antimony with an average antimony content of 3.48%. Arsenic is a harmful impurity in the ore. The technology for processing arsenic-containing concentrate is not well developed.

Abshir deposit. Explored reserves are 71 thousand tons of ore and 1824 tons of antimony with an average antimony content of 2.57%.

Northern Aktash deposit. Explored reserves are 3.3 million tons of ore, 16.8 thousand tons of antimony and 655 thousand tons of fluorspar with an average grade of 0.5 and 20.1%.

Mercury

Khaidarkan deposit. Explored reserves are 7.1 million tons of ore, 10.5 thousand tons of mercury, 60.3 thousand tons of antimony and 614 thousand tons of fluorspar with an average content of 0.15, 1.46 and 15.2%.

Deposit New. Developed by the Khaidarkan mercury plant. Explored reserves are 3.5 million tons of ore, 5.5 thousand tons of mercury, 48.7 thousand tons of antimony and 488 thousand tons of fluorspar with an average content of 0.15, 1.4 and 13.7%.
Chonkoy deposit. The deposit was developed by the mine method with an annual production of 110-120 thousand tons of ore, which was processed at the metallurgical plant of the mine. Mercury production was 165-170 tons per year. The Uluu-Too deposit and mine were mothballed under the PESAK program in 1995. The rest of explored reserves are: ore - 8265 thousand tons, mercury - 22698 tons, average content - 0.275%.

Chauvai deposit. Until 1994, the deposit was developed by the Khaidarkan mercury plant. In 1995, it was mothballed under the PESAK program. The rest of explored reserves is 313 thousand tons of ore and 875 tons of mercury with an average content of 0.28%.

***
Beryllium deposit Kalesai. The deposit has been explored in detail and prepared for industrial development. Explored reserves are: ore - 9245 thousand tons, beryllium oxide - 11.7 thousand tons, average grade - 0.127%.

Deposit of rare earth elements Kutessay II. Until 1992, the deposit was developed by the Kyrgyz Mining and Metallurgical Combine. In 1995 it was mothballed under the PESAK program. The remaining explored reserves are 20.4 million tons of ore and 52.1 thousand tons of REE with an average grade of 0.26%, including 11.2 million tons of ore and 34,329 tons of REE with an average grade of 0. 29%.

Uranus

Until recently, uranium mining in Kyrgyzstan was carried out by several mines (Kadzhisai, Maylisai, Kavak, Tuyamuyun). Now they are all closed.
Prospects for the development of the uranium industry may be associated with the development of explored ore deposits in the Sarydzhaz river basin and the Kyzyl-Ompul uranium-thorionite placers. The reserves of the Sarydzhaz deposit are 8222 tons (with an average uranium content of 0.022%), the Kyzyl-Ompuls placers - 3125 tons of uranium with a content of 0.032%.

Prospects for the study of uranium raw materials of the infiltration type have the Serafimovskoye deposit in calcareous clays of the Neogene.

For the further development of non-ferrous metallurgy, the main tasks are:

  • improvement of the technology of enrichment of antimony-arsenic-containing ores of the Kassan deposit and rich oxidized ores of the Terek deposit in order to involve them in development;
  • reassessment of the resource base of antimony, beryllium and rare earths by subsoil users with the allocation of cost-effective ores for extraction and improvement of the technology for their processing;
  • attracting investments in the development of non-ferrous metallurgy enterprises and in prospecting.

Creating a favorable investment climate and removing barriers to obtaining permits at all levels of government will help attract private investment in the mining industry and conduct prospecting and exploration for all types of minerals.

We recommend reading

Top