In the bowels of our planet lies a huge number of diverse fuel and mineral resources. Their distribution is displayed on special maps. In this article we will introduce you to the main signs and symbols of minerals, as well as talk about the main mineral wealth of Russia.
About minerals in a nutshell
By minerals we mean those natural formations in the earth's crust that are used or can be used in material production (as fuel or raw materials). Most often they are in a solid state of aggregation. But they can be liquid or gaseous (like oil or gas, for example).
By their origin, minerals are organic or inorganic, according to the conditions of formation - metamorphic, igneous, or exogenous. By functional purpose, they are divided into three large groups:
- Ore (aluminum, copper, iron, gold).
- Non-metallic (diamonds, limestone, sand, rock salt).
- Fuel or combustible (oil, natural gas, coal, shale).
Sometimes precious and semiprecious stones are singled out as a separate group.
Minerals occur at various depths. In the bowels of the earth's crust, they are found in the form of veins, lenses, layers, placers, etc. Many of them are extracted by man to the surface using mines, quarries and wells. The scope of economic activity that deals with the development and mining of minerals is called mining.
Mineral symbols on the maps
Deposits of certain mineral resources are marked on a number of maps: general geographical, geological, economic and others. In this case, special designations of minerals are used. They belong to the category of off-scale cartographic signs.
The geographical indications of minerals used in cartography are generally accepted. How they look - you can see in the diagram below. These signs are studied at the school as part of subjects of general geography and natural history. They can also be found in school and thematic atlases.
In addition, there is a special GOST under the number 2.857-75, which was developed by a number of Russian scientific institutes. This standard indicates not only the designation of minerals, but also the conditions for their occurrence. However, these signs are used exclusively by geologists. So, diamond deposits in this GOST are indicated in red, sulfur - lemon, oil - brown, rock salt - purple.
But we will nevertheless return to those designations of minerals that are widely used in cartography. Let's take a closer look at how the conventional icons of those mineral resources look that have the most important industrial significance in the modern world.
Ore Minerals: Mine Conventions
Examples: iron and manganese ore, copper, nickel, mercury, tin, aluminum, gold, tungsten.
Symbols of ore minerals on the maps are most often red. They look as follows:
- Iron ore is a filled equilateral triangle.
- Titanium - a rhombus with a shaded left half.
- Molybdenum is a rhombus with a white square inside.
- Copper is a painted over elongated rectangle.
- Tungsten is an open square.
- Mercury is an open circle.
- Aluminum is an equilateral square with a circle inside.
- Gold is a circle with a shaded left half.
- Polymetallic ores - a designation resembling a sign of radiation hazard.
Non-Metallic Minerals
Examples: graphite, limestone, sand, kaolin, granite, clay, rock salt, phosphate rock, marble.
Symbols of non-metallic minerals on maps usually have a green tint. They look as follows:
- Asbestos is a sign of a simple Greek cross.
- Native sulfur - an equilateral triangle with a shaded left half.
- Mica is an empty square crossed along one diagonal.
- Phosphorites - a filled circle with a vertical slot in the middle.
- Apatity - a filled circle with a horizontal slot in the middle.
- Diamonds are an eight-pointed star.
- Limestone is an empty square crossed on both diagonals.
- Kaolin - a square crossed on one diagonal, with a shaded right half.
Fuel (combustible) minerals
Examples: oil, natural gas, peat, coal, brown coal, oil shale.
Symbols of fuel minerals on maps, as a rule, are black. They look as follows:
- Oil is a shaded isosceles triangle.
- Natural gas is an empty isosceles triangle.
- Coal - a shaded equilateral square.
- Brown coal is an empty square with diagonal hatching.
- Oil shale - shaded parallelogram.
Map of minerals of Russia
Russia is the largest country in the world in area. Therefore, it is not surprising that a huge number of the most diverse mineral resources are concentrated on its territory. Deposits of oil, gas, ores of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, and precious stones have been identified, explored and developed in the bowels of Russia.
The chain of the Ural Mountains is extremely rich in ore deposits. Here lie copper, iron, manganese, nickel, chromite ores, as well as gold and platinum. There are also ornamental stones of magnificent beauty. In Altai, huge reserves of polymetallic ores and mercury are concentrated. Transbaikalia is rich in uranium and gold.
The sedimentary cover of the ancient East European platform contains enormous reserves of coal. In Western Siberia, the richest oil and gas deposits are located. In the foothills of the Urals and on the Caspian lowland, potash salts are mined - the most valuable raw material for the chemical industry. In more detail, the mineral designations of Russia are shown on the following map.
According to geologists, the country has huge reserves of oil (12% of global reserves), natural gas (3%), iron ore (25%), nickel (33%), zinc (15%), potassium salt (31%). However, the degree of their industrial development remains quite low. The total mineral reserves of Russia are estimated by experts at a figure of 28,000 billion US dollars.