The country of Brazil is located in South America and occupies almost the most part of it. In this area, mostly low-lying terrain.
The state has many deposits of usefulfossils dispersed throughout almost all of Brazil, but most of them are located in mountainous areas. In order to be able to study in detail these fields, a geological map is needed, which can be seen in the photo.
Features of the relief
The relief of Brazil can be divided into several component segments:
- coastal zone;
- marshland Pantanal;
- Brazilian and Guiana Highlands;
- Amazon lowland.
And we have a reason to pay attention to the featuresThe relief of Brazil - the minerals of these places are the main wealth of the country and the key to its successful economic development. And the formation of mineral deposits directly depends on the structure of the earth's surface.
Coastal area
The coastal zone of the country is a plain thatis located along the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean and includes part of the Brazilian Highlands. In the north, the transition from the plain to the mountainous terrain is smooth, but its southern part is characterized by a sharp transition from the mountains to the sands.
It is worth noting that the coastal zone has in itsarsenal not only sandstones and lagoon-lakes, but also wetlands. There are also natural harbors and granite remnants, which are particularly rich in Brazil. Minerals found in this area are combustible - oil and gas.
Marshland Pantanal
The swamps of the Pantanal are located in the southwest ofParaguay River. They are close enough to the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul. This territory is simply created for cattle breeding, since here, thanks to the contrasting climate, a more diverse flora grows than on other similar parts of the country.
Brazilian and Guiana Highlands
The Brazilian Highlands is quite extensive.It is located in the south and in the center, occupying about 30% of the territory of the state of Brazil. Minerals, deposits of which are located in this area, are among the most valuable. These are rock crystal, iron ore, etc.
For highlands characterized by the presence of fertile soil.The highest point in this area is Mount Bandeira (2,890 m). In its south-western part there is a lava plateau, which crosses the Parana river and its tributary - Iguaçu. They form waterfalls in the place where the plateau ends.
Part of the Brazilian Highlands is considered Guiana.They are divided by the Amazon lowlands. Here, in the north of the state of Brazil, minerals are represented by uranium, manganese, gold, bauxite, etc.
The mountain of La Neblina, located here, is considered the highest point not only of this highland, but of the whole country, and rises 3014 m above sea level.
Amazonian lowland
Amazon lowland is represented enoughvast area. And its main part is located in Brazil. The localities are rich in iron ores and gold, and in the lower reaches of the Madeira watercourse there are deposits of gas and oil.
The Amazon is considered to be the largest river in the world, however there are quite a lot of other reservoirs in the country, in particular, the rivers whose basins set the main lowland relief.
Brazil: Minerals
Brazil has a lot of usefulminerals: all kinds of ores, precious metals, precious and semiprecious stones, oil, gas, bauxite, bituminous shale, uranium, rare-earth ore, tin, lead, nickel, tungsten, barite, zinc, copper, phosphates, lead, lithium. And this is just a small list.
Many lands are still not fully explored, so new fields are opened almost every week.
Combustible minerals
Oil and natural gas in this territory are represented by small reserves - 136 oil fields and 14 gas fields.
Bituminous shale deposits are located in the state of Paraná. These fossils are represented by argillite and limestone facies interspersed with diabase and basalt.
There is no large reserves of coal in the country. Their total amount is less than 2 billion tons.
The uranium ore deposit is located in the states of Bahia, Cearé and the Serra de Jacobin mountains. Thorium and uranium are mainly concentrated in the northeast of Brazil, closer to the shores of the Amazon.
Ore deposits
The amount of iron ore in the country is 17%total world reserves. It is mined in Mato Grosso in the Minas Gerais Basin. The main bauxite resources are located in Paray in the Amazon Basin area. According to studies, Brazil ranks 1st among Latin American countries in terms of their reserves.
Tungsten ores are in the northeastcountry. They are mainly represented by scheelite skarns. However, in the south of Rio Grande do Norty, these fossils can be attributed to vein quartz type. Nickel ores, mainly of the silicate type, are concentrated at great depth in the Goias area.
There are also hydrothermal deposits withpolymetallic elements (in total there are more than 120). Note that these untold riches exist here thanks to the peculiarities of the relief of Brazil.
Полезные ископаемые, перечисленные выше, чаще all found in the valley of the river Ribeira and near the very industrial state of Minas Gerais. And rich deposits of tin are located on the territory of Rondônia. Zirconium, tantalum, niobium and beryl elements are mined from pegmatite ores, which are concentrated in Sao Tome, Seridosinje and Parillase.
Special deposits
The country is also rich in precious metals.The gold mining industry thrives in Minas Gerais, in the mouth of the Amazon and in Goiás. Precious and semi-precious stones are also mined here. In Brazil, there are deposits of noble opal, rock crystal, amethyst, diamonds, tourmaline, jewelry beryl, emeralds, agate.
By the way, there is miningred-orange topaz, which are considered the rarest - their main deposits are near Ouro Preto. Most of the semi-precious elements are located in Minas Gerais, Santa Catarina, Baie, Sao Paulo, Mato Grosso Goiás.
