Methods of extraction of minerals in the natural environment around us. Who discovers and extracts minerals

How minerals are mined

check yourself

1. Question: tell us about the diversity of minerals.

Answer: minerals can be in different forms: solid, liquid, gaseous. They are mined underground, from underground, on the surface of the earth. For example: iron ore, coal - mined both underground and on the surface, like clay, sand, limestone, granite - mined in quarries, oil, natural gas - mined from underground.

2. Question: why do people extract minerals? What is their application based on?

Answer: to obtain the necessary items for a person, to satisfy their needs. Application depends on the properties of minerals. Sand, clay, limestone, granite, marble - used in construction; oil for fuel, plastics, road building materials; coal for heating, generating electricity; various ores for obtaining metals.

3. Question: what mining methods do you know?

Answer: mine, drilling rig and platform, quarry, well.

Homework assignments

Task 2.

Q: What minerals are mined in your area?

Answer: copper ore, gold ore, coal, sand, clay, precious stones, iron ore, titanomagnetite ore, etc.

Task 3. Prepare a message about some mineral.

Answer: Coal.

Coal is a solid, exhaustible, non-renewable mineral that man uses to generate heat by burning it. According to the classification, it belongs to sedimentary rocks.

Coal as a source of energy, people began to use in antiquity along with firewood. The “flammable stone” was found on the surface of the earth, later it was purposefully mined from under it.

Coal appeared on Earth about 300-350 million years ago, when tree-like ferns flourished in ancient swamps and the first gymnosperms began to appear. Huge trunks fell into the water, gradually forming thick layers of undecomposed organic mass. Wood with limited access to oxygen did not rot, but gradually sank deeper and deeper under its weight. Over time, due to the displacement of the layers of the earth's crust, these layers sank to a considerable depth, and there, under the influence of great pressure and elevated temperature, a qualitative change took place in wood into coal.

Today, various types of coal are mined.

Anthracites are the hardest grades with great depth and maximum combustion temperature.

Coal - many varieties mined in mines and open pit. It is widely used in many areas of human activity.

Brown coal - formed from the remains of peat, the youngest type of coal. It has the lowest combustion temperature.

All types of coal lie in layers and their locations are called coal basins.

At first, coal was simply collected at the places where the seam came to the surface. This could have happened as a result of the displacement of the layers of the earth's crust. Often, after landslides in mountainous areas, such outcrops of the deposit were exposed, and people got the opportunity to get to pieces of "combustible stone".

Later, when primitive technology appeared, coal began to be developed in an open way. Some coal mines plunged to a depth of more than 300 meters.

Today, thanks to the availability of sophisticated modern technology, people descend underground into mines more than a kilometer deep. From these horizons, the highest quality and valuable coal is mined.

All types of coal can be used to generate heat. When burned, it releases much more than can be obtained from wood or other solid fuels. The hottest grades of coal are used in metallurgy, where high temperatures are needed. In addition, coal is a valuable raw material for the chemical industry. Paints, plastics and other valuable materials are extracted from it.

Coal is mined in mines and quarries. And they are transported in wagons by rail.

On the next lesson.

Question: remember what plants are called cultivated. Give examples of such plants. What kind of work on growing plants is carried out at different times of the year? What agricultural professions do you know?

Answer: cultivated plants (agrocultures) - plants grown by man for food, feed in agriculture, medicines, industrial and other raw materials and other purposes. Examples of cultivated plants: various cereals, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, cotton, rice, etc.

In the spring, plowing of the land and sowing of plants are carried out, in the summer - weeding, top dressing, loosening; in autumn - harvesting, soil preparation - ploughing, closing of autumn moisture, sowing of winter crops is possible; in winter - they produce "snow retention", work to keep snow on the fields.

Agricultural professions related to growing plants: combine operator, agronomist, field grower, vegetable grower, tractor driver.

The economy of many countries depends on mining. This is one of the main resources for the development of industry, construction and economy. There are two main mining options: underground mining and open pit mining. The choice of method depends on the depth of valuable rock deposits, terrain features and other factors.

Work on the extraction of useful resources from the bowels of the Earth has a thousand-year history. Equipment and mining methods have gone through a serious evolutionary path. Nevertheless, the basic principles remained.

Almost every corner of the planet is quarrying. It is mined, metals, minerals, building materials. This type of mining has a negative impact on the environment and the ecological situation. However, there are a number of advantages that determine the popularity of open pit mining:

• a simplified version of preparatory and construction work;
• high degree of safety of process participants;
• relatively low costs for organizing and conducting development;
• comfortable conditions for workers;
• the possibility of more efficient rock extraction.

The positive aspects of quarrying are identified in relation to other mining options (underground, combined). Labor costs for open pit mining are quite high. The economic benefit decreases with the deepening of the excavation. Delivery of the breed to the reception point is constantly becoming more complicated, increasing the costly part of the procedure.

Open source technology

The extraction of natural resources is a process that consists of many stages. Preparatory work begins with geological exploration. Experts search for mineral deposits and estimate the likely volumes of the developed rock.

Preparatory work

After the positive results of geological exploration, the stage of initial preparation begins. Mining companies carry out the following activities:

• uprooting the forest;
• drainage or flooding of the area;
• construction of necessary communications (sewerage, communications, access roads);
• erection of administrative buildings and other premises.

The duration of the preparatory stage depends on financial investments, the scale of work, weather conditions, and terrain features.

Minerals (coal, metal, etc.) are hidden under waste rock. This layer of soil must be removed. For this, stripping works are carried out. Layer by layer, the top soil is removed. There is a systematic advance towards valuable deposits. As a result, a cascade of benches is formed, and the quarrying is approaching the phase of direct mining.

For overburden work, the following technique is used:

• bulldozer;
• excavator;
• dragline (excavator with cable connection);
• drilling and blasting equipment.

The efficiency of open pit mining is determined by the ratio of the displaced waste rock to the result of mining. The number of cubic meters of removed soil is divided by the tonnage of the removed fossil.

Mining process

After stripping, the mining of the developed rock is carried out. It is removed from the bowels and transported to warehouses or processing plants. To reduce the cost of this stage of development, they use equipment with a large tonnage, they try to automate some processes.

Transportation of raw materials is often assigned to mining dump trucks of the BelAZ plant. In 2013, a model was released that is capable of carrying loads weighing up to 450 tons. On tests, the dump truck handled a record 503.5 tons.

New technologies and equipment are regularly developed, which are used for the development and extraction of valuable rocks. The level of security is increasing, and some processes are trying to be fully automated. But work in quarries and mines remains difficult and dangerous. Working conditions are often extreme and require high physical and psychological resilience.

Quarry device

Open pit mining is suitable for many valuable breeds. There are chalk, coal, amber, marble and copper quarries. One of the largest open-pit mining sites is located in Utah, USA. The mining of the Bingham Canyon quarry began in 1863. The depth of the pit is about 1200 meters. Active ore mining continues in the quarry.

Features of quarrying depends on many factors. We can distinguish the main elements that are characteristic of all such structures:

• working and non-working board;
• lower and upper contours;
• overburden and clearing ledges;
• platforms (below the slope, above the slope);
• breed acceptance point;
• transport communications.

The bottom of the quarry is also often called the sole - this is the lower platform of the ledge. Its dimensions take into account the necessary conditions for the safety of rock removal and loading at the last level.

The impact of quarries on the ecological situation

Each quarry development is a significant blow to the environment and the ecological background of the area. Already at the preparatory stage of rock extraction, actions are carried out that destroy the landscape. Enterprises cut down entire forests, drain water bodies, and carry out demolition work.

Open pit mining has a detrimental effect on the soil. Cubic meters of soil are removed for the sake of fossil deposits. Often these are lands that could be effectively used for agricultural purposes. The development of valuable rocks entails a decrease in the level of groundwater. The water supply of the region and the productivity of the soil are falling.

Dumps from overburden rocks are of particular danger. The scale of the negative impact depends on the depth of the quarry and the chemical composition of the soil. Dumps pollute water, air, soil. Various salts can penetrate vegetation and lead to an increased risk of certain diseases in the local population.

Mining in quarries is always accompanied by:

• sewage pollution;
• carbon monoxide emissions;
• strong noise.

All this also negatively affects the environment.

Measures to restore the environment

The open-pit mining method is not distinguished by a sparing approach to the developed area, but the negative consequences can be somewhat leveled. In many countries, quarrying companies are required to reclaim and revegetate the site after mining is completed. This allows you to start the process of regeneration of the soil and the ecological background.

Industrial waste management can also be optimized. From dump rocks are mined:

• mineral fertilizers;
• alumina;
• Construction Materials.

This allows expanding the range of economic benefits for the mining industry and reducing the negative impact of dumps on the environment.

Conclusion

Open pit mining is widespread throughout the world. This method allows you to remove a wide variety of rocks: chalk, coal, etc. We have to put up with the fact that quarrying has a negative impact on the environment.

However, conscious states are trying to control this process by setting certain requirements for mining enterprises. Extraction and development of valuable rocks is a help for a stable economy. It is difficult for the governing bodies to refuse the impressive financial flow that is laid in the bowels of the country.

Friends, hello everyone. Today I will tell you about the methods of mining and their impact on the environment, but first of all, these methods depend on the minerals themselves, their physical and chemical properties, locations and the development of technological progress.

More recently, the extraction of natural resources was carried out manually, which required great physical effort and considerable labor costs, and it itself had a rather low labor productivity.

In modern conditions, everything has changed radically: with the development of powerful technical means and the use of special machines, labor costs have decreased, and productivity and volumes of mining have increased significantly.

The main methods and technology for the extraction of natural resources

All, both solid and liquid, and gaseous on our planet are located unevenly and are either on the surface or deep underground, and depending on their location and occurrence, one or another method is used to extract them. The most common methods of extracting natural resources can be considered:

1. open method or career method,
2. closed method or underground or mine method,
3. combined method or open-underground method,
4. geotechnological method or borehole method,
5. dragging way.

All these methods have both their advantages and disadvantages, therefore, the open-pit mining technology involves the creation of deep pits in the form of large pits or cuts at the sites of development and extraction of natural resources, the dimensions of which depend on a relatively small depth and length, as well as power mineral deposits.
The advantage of this mining method is its relative cheapness, the highest productivity and labor intensity, safe working conditions, and the disadvantages are a large decrease in the quality of raw materials due to the content of a large amount of waste rock in it, negative consequences for the environment.

In this way, natural building and industrial raw materials are usually mined, such as -

• limestone and chalk,
• sand and clay
• peat and coal
• copper and lead
• molybdenum and nickel
• tin and tungsten,
• chromium and manganese
• zinc and iron.

Solid minerals located at a sufficiently large depth of occurrence are mined underground, i.e. in a closed way, in which underground mines are being built.
The disadvantage of this method is its huge risk for miners associated with collapse and gas contamination, and hence explosiveness.

Ores, polymetals and minerals are usually mined in this way.

such as:

• copper and gold
• tungsten and iron
• and mineral salts.

If the open and closed method of mining is not suitable for a given deposit of industrial raw materials, then a combined open-underground method is used, where raw materials are first mined in an open way from the upper layers, and then the remaining reserves of metal ores, which lie at a sufficiently large depth, are mined by the mine method. .

The advantages of this method are large volumes of extraction of natural raw materials, and many non-ferrous metals and diamonds are usually mined in this way.

The geotechnological or borehole method is used in the extraction of special types of raw materials that have a gaseous or liquid state using a procedure such as drilling deep wells, where, using the physicochemical method of precipitation, leaching and melting, minerals are extracted from the bowels of the earth to the surface emerging through pipes.

In this way, usually obtained:

• gas and oil,
• sulfur and lithium
• phosphorus and uranium.

And finally, a separate dredge method, where the mining enterprise simultaneously carries out both the extraction of raw materials and its enrichment, i.e. with the help of special equipment, the valuable rock is primarily separated from the accompanying empty one.

Placer deposits are usually developed in this way:

• gold and diamonds,
• platinoids and cassiterite.

Environmental impact of extracting useful raw materials

Mining in any way cannot but have a negative impact on the environment, as it occupies vast areas of economic land, sometimes reaching tens of thousands of square kilometers.
Such a technogenic load on the natural environment disrupts the natural course of self-regulation of the vital processes of the environment and sometimes leads to its rapid degradation.

As a rule, under their development are the most productive soil chernozems:

1. fields and arable land,
2. forests and reservoirs,
3. roads and settlements.

Production of mining begins with preparatory cleaning work, where all artificial barriers are removed on the ground, as follows:

• perennial forests with valuable tree species are cut down,
• century-old reservoirs are drained in the form of swamps, rivers and lakes,
• engineering communications are laid in the form of drainage ditches and access roads.

Then overburden is carried out, the purpose of which is the layer-by-layer removal and movement of waste rock into dumps, which opens access to the natural resources themselves:

• soft and light rock is developed with the help of bulldozers and earthmoving machines,
• rock and hard rock is first blasted with the help of drilling and blasting equipment, and then developed with the help of excavators and scrapers,

already exposed minerals are mined and loaded onto special vehicles - mining dump trucks,

which carry the extracted raw materials to processing enterprises and metallurgical plants.

The extraction of natural raw materials also has such negative consequences for the environment as soil, water and air pollution by chemical elements of dumps, which adversely affects both the flora and fauna of the area.

This negative impact on the environment also negatively affects the health of people living in nearby areas - an increase in the incidence of the local population.

Therefore, during the period of development of mineral deposits, such regular activities as observation and environmental monitoring are necessary.
In the future, it is possible to reduce the negative impact on the environment by improving development methods, as well as by recultivating these lands, returning them and bringing them to their original state, but this requires huge financial resources and a considerable time interval.

Therefore, mining enterprises, in accordance with the law on the protection of subsoil and the environment, are obliged, after all the work carried out on the extraction of raw materials, to ensure the restoration of the natural landscape of the area, where they plant forests at their own expense and subsequently create recreation areas, as well as restore the fertile soil layer, involving it in agricultural turnover.

I hope you enjoyed my article on mining methods and learned a lot from it. Maybe you know some new ways of extracting natural raw materials. Tell me about it in a comment to the article, I'll be curious to know them. Allow me to say goodbye to you on this and until we meet again, dear friends.

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As a child, I dreamed of becoming a geologist. I wanted to know everything about the riches of the geosphere. It seemed that it was in the depths of the earth's crust that all the secrets of the universe were hidden. Unfortunately, this profession has bypassed me. But the childish curiosity still lingers.

The concept of "Minerals"

PI is the natural wealth of the Earth, which people extract from the depths of the earth's crust or from its surface. These include oil, sand, gas, etc.

The earth's crust is formed by rocks that are made up of minerals. Minerals are natural bodies that are made up of atoms and molecules. These include quartz, salt, diamond and others.

Mineral classification

Igneous rocks are brought to the surface of the earth's crust along with magma. Such minerals and rocks differ in density. These include: iron, copper and other ores.

Sedimentary rocks are found on the surface of the earth. They were formed in the process of long-term accumulation of elements or as a result of the destruction of mountains. These include, for example, limestone, sandstone, crushed stone.

Organic sedimentary rocks are formed from the remains of plants and animals accumulated over many years. These include: shell rock, oil, etc.

According to the physical state, PI is distinguished:

• solid (gold);
• liquid (mercury);
• gaseous (hydrogen sulfide).

Depending on the use and composition of PIs, they are divided into ore and non-metallic (construction and combustible).

The use of oil in everyday life

I have always wondered what gives us such a discussed mineral as oil. It turns out that most of the household items consists of it. For example, in my apartment there is a TV, a toothbrush, a computer and a printer, plastic bags, clothes made of synthetics... All these items are made of plastic and contain "black gold".

When refining oil, it is divided into many fractions. From these parts, at various stages of processing, fuel, cosmetic items, plastics, etc. are obtained.

Minerals are not limitless! We must protect our planet from the unreasonable use of natural resources!

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Since I live in a region rich in coal deposits, I could not help but be interested in the question of how coal was formed. The information that I found turned out to be very interesting, so I’ll tell you not only about what are minerals, but also describe in detail the process of formation of coal.

What does the term "minerals" mean?

This term refers to those that are of value to humans. minerals and rocks. According to the nature of origin, it is customary to distinguish the following types of these resources:

• sedimentary- this group includes fossil fuels, such as coal and oil;
• igneous- represent this group of metals;
• metamorphic such as marble or limestone.

What is hard coal

Almost until the 70s of the last century, this type of fuel had the status of the most common energy carrier, however, was later replaced by other species. Despite this, it is in great demand, primarily in metallurgy, as the main resource for the production of pig iron. Like most other types of energy carriers, it is a modified substance of organic nature - remains of ancient plants. This process took place over millions of years through the influence of various factors.

How coal was formed

Most of the extracted resource by its formation refers to 300-350 million years ago when huge masses of organic matter accumulated in the absence of oxygen. This process can be described as follows:

• formed at the beginning peat bed, usually in wetlands;
• over time, the layer increased, which means that increased pressure on the bottom;
• enormous pressure pushed out oxygen, which eventually led to the formation compressed peat- coal.

As a rule, the greater the depth peat layers, the higher the pressure, and hence the higher the quality of the coal seam. There are the following main types of this fossil:

• brown- for its formation, a layer of sediment up to a kilometer was needed;
• stone- in this case, the original substance experienced a pressure of 3 kilometers of sediment;
• anthracite- pressure over 7 kilometers of sediment.

However, this does not mean that high-quality fuel lies at great depths, on the contrary, tectonic processes caused the rise of a valuable resource to the surface, which made its extraction available.

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What do gold and coal have in common? It would seem that gold is an expensive metal from which beautiful jewelry is made. A sign of luxury and elegance. And coal is a hard mineral, black and dirty. It is used as a fuel. But there is one common concept that unites these two objects - both of thembelong to minerals. Now I will explain everything in detail.

Useful Finds

What can be found in the bowels of our earth? Sometimes almost on the very surface, and sometimes very deep, natural minerals and rocks are hidden from our eyes. They are attributed to minerals. They are widely used by people in various fields of activity. May differ in properties and states. There are:

• gaseous(inert gases and natural combustibles);
• solid(peat, salt, ores, coal);
• in liquid state(mineral waters and oil).

Since ancient times, people have extract and use minerals. The first attempts to extract them originated with the ancient Egyptians. Over the centuries, more and more new types of minerals have been explored, and since the 18th century, their extraction has significantly gained momentum, new deposits have been discovered. This was facilitated by the development of the world of modern technologies.

One of methods how minerals are mined open, in quarries. As a result, ravines are formed. Coal is mined in the mines, the depth can reach up to 1200 m. Oil is obtained gushing and pumping method.

Not all natural resources exist in unlimited quantities. There are those that are renewed, and there are those that can end in our nature at a certain moment (for example, coal, oil). Therefore, it is necessary to choose the right approaches to the process of extracting natural minerals and use modern technologies in the search for places of origin.

The oldest metal

The oldest metal considered gold. It is quite rare, and therefore the price is high. The largest deposits of gold are in South Africa, the United States, as well as in China, Peru and Australia. Mined his washing, amalgamation and cyanidation methods. There are also large deposits of gold in Russia. The period of the "Gold Rush" is known in history. When Alaska was sold by Russia to America and large deposits of this precious metal were discovered in it.

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At one time, I read the fairy tales of P. P. Bazhov. They opened the beauty for me Ural Mountains rich in minerals, and especially gems. I also wanted to have my own malachite box. Later I learned about the Ural village of Murzinka, a world-famous deposit of semi-precious stones.

The term minerals

Organic and mineral formations located in the earth's crust are called minerals. The physical properties and chemical composition allow a person to use minerals for their needs, that is, to benefit. Minerals form three groups: metallic (iron, copper, tin), combustible (peat and coal, oil and gas), non-metallic (salt, clay, apatite).

Non-metallic minerals also include minerals of the gem group. These are rare and therefore very expensive stones.

The Russian land is rich in gems; 27 types of valuable stones lie in its depths. Most of the deposits are located in the Urals.

Ural - pantry of minerals

is a treasure trove of minerals. And if the periodic table has almost 120 elements, then 50 of them are mined in the Urals. This is where most of the useful elements that are so necessary for the life of our country. The most important of them are:

• ore, since most of both ferrous and non-ferrous metals are mined from it. Most of all ore reserves are located in the Urals;
• oil and gold also mined in the Urals. Their reserves are not so great (20% of all sources of this raw material in the country), but they are still not depleted. Moreover, scientists are finding new deposits of these minerals;
• rhinestone. Many local businesses are busy processing it.

Precious and colored stones are a special group of rare and valuable minerals. is rightfully proud of its bright green emeralds and golden topazes, red-green alexandrites and soft lilac amethysts.

The products of local lapidaries are famous all over the world. Yes, the village Murzinka became famous for its gem mines: amethyst and tourmaline, beryl and blue topaz, which brought Murzinka worldwide fame. A unique find was found here - a blue topaz, called "Victory", weighing more than 43 kilograms! Now this unique mineral is in the State Protection of Russia. And the Ural alexandrites are recognized as the best in the world! This is the rarest mineral. Therefore, its search, extraction and transportation are under the strictest control. Alexandrite is famous for changes its normal green color (under artificial lighting) to purple-pink. And of course, the visiting card of the Ural gems - malachite.

A lot of malachite was found in copper mines. There was a time when its production amounted to several thousand pounds a year! A huge piece of malachite weighing 250 tons was found in 1835.

Here they are Ural gems that brought world fame to the Urals and Russia!

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I am from Kuzbass, and, in my opinion, it sounds proud. My region specializes in mining. All the men in my family were and continue to be engaged in their booty. Until recently, I only knew about coal, because Kuzbass - the coal capital. My acquaintance with a variety of minerals began a year ago, after my husband changed his job and, in addition to coal, began to extract other minerals. He brought home the most beautiful specimens, and at that moment I decided to get acquainted with the minerals in more detail.

Definition of minerals

Minerals are rocks, as well as minerals, which find their application in the national economy. From my own experience, I would like to note that the most beautiful of minerals are minerals.

There are types of minerals:

• gas, this group includes methane, helium and gases;
• liquid– mineral waters, oil;
• solid, the largest group and includes coal, salt, granite, ores, marble.

How minerals are mined

There are two methods of mining. Open and closed. Open pit mining, from where, by the way, my husband brings interesting specimens.

In a closed way, coal is mined in mines. This is a very dangerous type of mining, but closed mining is the most common in our region.

The most beautiful minerals that I have met

Granite. Hard, dense rock, used in construction.

Quartz. It has a very diverse range of colors from white to black. It is used in optics, radio equipment, electronic devices.

The mining industry in Russia is mining

Despite the fact that the Russian Federation is very rich in minerals, little was known about them even a hundred years ago. Active search for deposits began in the 1930s in the USSR.

The discovered large volumes of deposits in the bowels of the earth on the territory of the Union brought the country to the undisputed leaders. Russia inherited the bulk of the discovered deposits, thanks to which it received the status of the most mineral-rich country in the world.

According to the most conservative estimates of foreign and domestic experts, the cost of minerals is 27 trillion dollars. With the growth of the pace of technological progress, technologies are being improved, production volumes are increasing, labor intensity is decreasing, and the profits of mining companies are increasing.

Despite such impressive data and development prospects, the mining industry needs significant capital investments, which, first of all, should be directed to providing infrastructure for deposits, establishing transportation, and modernizing processing plants. Big problems in Russia with the raw materials processing industry.

It turns out a paradoxical situation when huge volumes of extracted resources are exported for a small cost, and the country imports processed products for a price several times higher than the cost of raw materials. When it is much more profitable and economically more profitable to establish processing plants within the country, and to export surplus production.

Basic information

In Russia, mining is carried out in almost all directions; to a large extent, the country is rich:

• natural gas;
• oil products;
• ores of ferrous and non-ferrous metals;
• ores of precious metals;
• rough diamonds;
• peat shale;
• deposits of natural salt;
• ores containing precious and semi-precious stones;
• ores containing radioactive metals;
• mineral waters.

Federal legislation, preventing the formation of mining monopolies, promotes business development by providing mining licenses, tax incentives and deductions. The main requirements put forward to the enterprises of the industry are to ensure environmental and labor safety, as well as timely replenishment of the treasury with fees and taxes.

The largest extractive industries in Russia are as follows:

• Rosneft;
• Lukoil;
• Tatneft;
• Gazprom;
• Kuzbassrazrezugol;
• Evraz;
• Atomredmetzoloto;
• Dalur;
• Alrosa;
• Severalmaz.

It is also possible for an individual to obtain a license for individual fishing, however, this process is quite difficult, private entrepreneurs get out of the situation by concluding labor contracts with large enterprises. This situation is typical for the extraction of gold and precious stones, diamonds.

Mineral deposits in Russia

Mining operations are geographically distributed throughout almost the entire territory of Russia. However, some patterns and places of the highest concentration of individual species have been identified.

The basins of the Pechera, the Urals, and Bashkiria are rich in coal.

Ore minerals are concentrated in the Siberian platform, copper-nickel ores, platinum, cobalt are actively mined here.

Potassium salt is concentrated in the Caspian lowland, on the territory of lakes Baskunchak and Elton. Cis-Urals is also rich in salt deposits.

Building materials such as glass sand, gypsum, sand, limestone are mined in the East European Plain.

The Baltic shield is rich in various ores of ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

The extraction of minerals, such as oil and gas, is carried out in the lower reaches of the Volga and Ural rivers, on the territory of the northwestern Siberian plate. The largest gas field is located in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, as well as on Sakhalin Island.

Yakutia is rich in diamond ores, gold mines and coal.

Polymetallic ores occur in the bowels of the Altai Territory.

Gold, tin, polymetallic raw materials are mined in the Kolyma, in the Sikhote-Alin mountains and in the spurs of the Chersky Range.

The main uranium mining is concentrated in the Chita region.

Copper and nickel occur in layers located in the Urals, the Kola Peninsula. These ores are also rich in related minerals - cobalt, platinum and other non-ferrous metals. Near the active deposits of Eastern Siberia, the largest city has grown - the center of the Arctic - Norilsk.

Oil shale rocks are located in the European part of the Russian Federation, the largest deposit is St. Petersburg, which is part of the Baltic shale basin.

Peat is mined in 46 thousand deposits, most of which are concentrated in the Northern Urals and Western Siberia. The total reserves are estimated at 160 billion tons. Some deposits have an area of ​​about 100 km2.

Manganese in the Russian Federation is mined in 14 deposits, they are small in terms of deposits, and the ore is of low quality, it has a high content of carbonates, and enrichment of such ore is difficult. The largest deposits are recorded in the Urals - Ekaterininskoye, Yurkinskoye, Berezovskoye.

The extraction of minerals, such as aluminum ores - bauxites, is carried out in the Northern Urals - the Tikhvin and Onega deposits. In the Komi Republic, a group of bauxite deposits Srednetimanskaya was recorded. The ore here is of high quality, and the volume of proven reserves is estimated at 200 million tons.

Lecture “Mineral deposit”

In terms of silver reserves, the Russian Federation ranks first in the world, the main deposits are observed in complex ores that contain non-ferrous metals and gold - 73%. Copper pyrite ores in the Urals contain up to 30 grams of silver per ton. Lead-zinc deposits in Eastern Siberia contain 43 grams of silver per ton. Actually silver ores are mined in the Okhotsk-Chukotka volcanic belt.

Precious and semi-precious stones such as:

• emerald;
• beryl;
• jasper;
• nephritis;
• cornelian;
• malachite;
• rhinestone

mined in the Urals and Altai.

Lapis lazuli in Transbaikalia, carnelian and chalcedony in Buryatia and the Amur region, amethyst in the White Sea region.

Main mining methods

Depending on the type of fossil raw material, the forms in which it is contained, the depth of its occurrence, various methods of extraction are used.

In Russia, two methods are mainly used - open and underground. An open pit or quarry mining method involves the development of deposits by extracting useful ore using excavators, tractors and other equipment.

Before the start of development, blasting is carried out, the rock is crushed, in this form it is easier to extract and transport it. Open pit mining is suitable for minerals that are shallow underground.

Quarries, the depth of which reaches 600 m, can no longer be developed. In this way, 90% of brown coal, 20% of hard coal, about 70% of non-ferrous and ferrous metal ores are mined. Many building materials and peat are on the surface of the earth, they are mined in a quarry with full mechanization of production processes.

Extraction of minerals, such as gas and oil, is extracted from the bowels of the earth with the help of wells, the depth of which sometimes reaches several kilometers. Gas through the well rises to the surface under its own energy, in the depths of the earth it accumulates and is held by high pressure, and tends to the surface, since it is several times lower there.

Oil during the initial development of the well may flow for some time and in this way rise to the surface. When the fountain stops, further production is carried out by gas lift or mechanical means. The gas lift method involves the downloading of compressed gas, thus creating conditions for lifting oil. The mechanized method is most often used, it involves the use of pumps:

• electrocentrifugal;
• electric screw;
• electrodiaphragmatic;
• hydropiston.

Extraction of minerals by mine or underground method is used in the case of deep occurrence of useful rock. The mine is a tunnel, the depth of which sometimes reaches several kilometers. This method is laborious and quite costly.

Deployed infrastructure and expensive equipment are required to ensure safe working conditions. The operation of mines is associated with great risks, rock falls are quite common in Russia. However, underground mining methods have a less detrimental effect on the environment, compared to open pit ones.

Some minerals are mined from underground and surface waters, for example, gold, lithium, copper. Gold-bearing sands can be found on the banks of mountain rivers, swamps, lithium is found in groundwater in the form of simple compounds. Copper can also precipitate from some groundwater, dissolving sulfur compounds.

Production volumes

Despite the general economic downturn in 2015, the extractive industry recorded growth indicators. The total volume of mining in Russia increased by 1.3% compared to 2014. This was largely influenced by the discovery and development of new deposits; since 2011, more than fifty of them have been developed.

In terms of oil production, Russia ranks second in the world, second only to Saudi Arabia. About 530 million tons are mined per year. This industry has seen a steady increase in production volumes.

New fields increase the resource potential, so in 2015 the increase in oil reserves amounted to 600 million tons, which is 20% more than production. In total, more than 80,000 million tons of oil lie in the already discovered oil fields on the territory of the Russian Federation, according to this indicator, Russia is in 8th place in the world ranking.

Gas production in 2015 increased by 6.2% compared to the previous year and amounted to 642 billion cubic meters. According to experts, the proven volumes of gas in the country are 43.30 trillion tons, this figure indicates the unconditional leadership of Russia, Iran is in second place, its reserves are estimated at 29.61 trillion tons.

Gold production volumes in the first half of 2015 amounted to 183.4 tons, and Russia is also among the world leaders in this mineral.

Video: Diamond mining