There are many natural deposits.substances important to humans. These are resources that are exhaustible and that should be protected. Without their development and mining, many aspects of people's lives would be extremely difficult.
Minerals and their properties are the object and subject of study of the geology of mining. The results obtained by it are used further for processing and producing many things.
Minerals and their properties
What are generally called minerals? These are rocks or mineral structures that are of great national economic importance and are widely used in industry.
Their diversity is large, so the properties for each species are specific. There are several main options for clusters of substances in nature:
- placers;
- layers;
- veins;
- rods;
- nests
If we talk about the general distribution of minerals, we can distinguish:
- provinces;
- districts;
- swimming pools;
- Place of Birth.
Minerals and their properties depend on the specific type of raw materials. This is what determines the area of their use by humans, as well as the method of extraction and processing.
Types of minerals
There is not one classification of the raw materials in question. So, if the basis is based on the signs of the aggregative state, then there are such varieties.
- Mineral solid. Examples: marble, salt, granite, metal ores, nonmetallic.
- Liquid - underground mineral water and oil.
- Gas - natural gas, helium.
If, on the basis of the division into types, the use of minerals, then the classification takes the following form.
- Flammable. Examples: oil, oil shale, coal, methane and others.
- Ore or igneous. Examples: all metal-containing ore raw materials, as well as asbestos and graphite.
- Nonmetallic. Examples: all raw materials that do not contain metals (clay, sand, chalk, gravel, etc.), as well as various salts.
- Gemstone. Examples: precious and semiprecious, as well as ornamental stones (diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, jasper, chalcedony, opal, carnelian, and others).
According to the presented diversity, it is obvious that mineral resources and their properties are a whole world, which is explored by a huge number of specialists of geologists and miners.
Main deposits
Various mineral resources (beneficialfossils) are distributed around the planet fairly evenly according to geological features. Indeed, a significant part of them is formed due to platform movements and tectonic eruptions. There are several main continents that are richest in virtually all types of raw materials. It:
- North and South America.
- Eurasia.
- Africa.
All countries that are located in designated areas make extensive use of minerals and their properties. In the same areas where their raw materials are not, are export deliveries.
In general, of course, it is difficult to determine the overall plan.deposits of mineral resources. After all, it all depends on the specific type of raw materials. One of the most expensive are precious (containing precious metals) minerals. Gold, for example, is everywhere except in Europe (from the above continents plus Australia). It is valued very highly, and its mining is one of the most common phenomena in mining.
Eurasia is the richest in combustible resources. Mountain minerals (talc, barite, kaolin, limestone, quartzite, apatite, salt) are distributed almost everywhere in large quantities.
Mining
Different methods are used to extract and prepare minerals for use.
- Open path. The necessary raw materials are mined directly from the quarries. Over time, this leads to the formation of extensive ravines, therefore it is not gentle to nature.
- Mine way - more correct, but expensive.
- Fountain method of pumping oil.
- Pumping method.
- Geotechnological methods of ore processing.
The development of mineral deposits -This is an important and necessary process, but with very disastrous consequences. After all, resources are exhausted. Therefore, in recent years, special emphasis has been placed not on large volumes of extraction of mineral resources, but on their more correct and rational use by humans.
Ore (igneous) rocks
This group includes the most important and largein terms of mining minerals. Ore is the formation of mineral nature, in which this or that desired metal (another component) is contained in large quantities.
The places of extraction and processing of such raw materials are called mines. The igneous rocks can be classified into four groups:
- ferrous metals;
- colored;
- noble;
- non-metallic components.
Let us give examples of some ore mineral resources.
- Manganese ore.
- Iron.
- Nickel.
- Argentite.
- Cassiterite.
- Beryl.
- Bornite
- Chalcopyrite.
- Uraninite.
- Asbestos.
- Graphite and others.
Gold - Ore Fossil
There are among the ore and special minerals.Gold, for example. Its mining was relevant since ancient times, because it has always been highly valued by people. Today, gold is mined and washed in almost every country in whose territory there are at least some of its deposits.
In nature, gold is found in the form of nativeparticles. The largest ingot was a reservoir found in Australia weighing almost 70 kg. Often, due to weathering of deposits and their erosion, placers are formed in the form of sand grains of this precious metal.
From such mixtures, it is extracted by washing andsifting In general, it is not very common and voluminous mineral resources. Gold is therefore called precious and noble metal.
The centers for the extraction of this mineral are:
- Russia.
- Canada.
- South Africa.
- Australia.
Combustible minerals
This group includes such mineral resources as:
- brown coal;
- oil;
- gas (methane, helium);
- coal.
The use of mineral resources of this kind is fuel and raw materials for the production of various chemical compounds and substances.
Coal is a fossil that lies onrelatively shallow depth of wide layers. Its quantity is limited in one particular field. Therefore, having exhausted one pool, people switch to another. In general, coal contains up to 97% carbon in pure form. It was formed historically, as a result of the withering away and tamping of plant organic residues. These processes lasted for millions of years, so now coal reserves are a huge amount all over the planet.
Oil is differently called liquid gold, whichemphasizes how important the mineral resource is. After all, it is the main source of high-quality combustible fuel, as well as its various components - the basis, the raw material for chemical syntheses. The leaders in oil production are such countries as:
- Russia.
- USA.
- Algeria;
- Mexico.
- Indonesia.
- Venezuela.
- Libya.
Natural gas which is a mixturegaseous hydrocarbons, it is also an important industrial fuel. Refers to the cheapest raw materials, therefore, is used on a large scale. Leading countries - Russia and Saudi Arabia.
Non-metallic or non-metallic types
This group includes such minerals and rocks as:
- clay;
- a piece of chalk;
- sand;
- pebbles;
- gravel;
- crushed stone;
- talc;
- kaolin;
- barite;
- graphite;
- diamonds;
- quartz;
- apatite;
- phosphorite and others.
All varieties can be combined into several groups by area of use.
- Mining chemical minerals.
- Metallurgical raw materials.
- Technical crystals.
- Construction Materials.
The same group is often referred to as stone-coloredfossils. The areas of use of non-metallic minerals are multifaceted and extensive. These are agriculture (fertilizers), construction (materials), glassmaking, jewelry, machinery, general chemical production, paint production, and so on.
