Kamchatka is a peninsula located in the north-east of Eurasia. This is the only place in Russia where volcanic eruptions occur. Under their influence, special effusive rocks are formed.
Relief
It largely depends on the geological structure of the territory. So, the faults are extended along the peninsula, all the ridges and stripes of lowlands are also located along the eastern coast. Mountains are also active or extinct volcanoes. They are visible on a map of the peninsula called Kamchatka. The relief and minerals of this region are interconnected, as many mineral resources are concentrated in the area of volcanoes.
Their slopes are scree in nature, landslides occur here. Active volcanoes are located in the eastern part of Kamchatka. The largest of them is Klyuchevskaya Sopka. Boiling lakes and hot springs are often found here. In this area is the famous Valley of Geysers. There are mud volcanoes. In river valleys, including the Kamchatka River, alluvial and deluvial deposits are present.
Geological discoveries in Kamchatka
Geological explorations and discoveries in Kamchatka took place mainly in the middle of the last century. In the 90s, Kamchatka had a high status among the gold ore provinces. And in the amount of alluvial platinum was in the first place. The first data on minerals appeared in the work “Description of the Land of Kamchatka” by the famous author Krasheninnikov. The first geological map of this region was compiled by A. Erman in 1829. Before the revolution, I. Bogdanovich studied this territory. He wrote "Geological sketch of Kamchatka." He was the first of all domestic researchers who more systematically approached the geological description of the peninsula. He also studied the young volcanoes of Kamchatka.
On Tolbachik volcano, new unique minerals of Kamchatka were discovered. A photo of one of them is presented above. This is the mineral tenorite.
At the beginning of the last century, there was a claim that Kamchatka, whose mineral resources are plentiful, cannot be a significant area for the mining industry. Subsequently, this opinion was not confirmed. On the new maps, minerals such as copper, coal, graphite, silver, molybdenum, lead, zinc, and oil were applied. Also on it were information about amber and various gems. Subsequently, the Korfskoye coal deposit was identified among others. Its mining began in 1929. In the future, many more deposits of coal, oil, natural gas and other minerals were explored.
Geological structure
The eastern part of Kamchatka was formed during the interaction of two lithospheric plates: oceanic and continental. Here, one plate is immersed under another. This is evidenced by the deep basin bordering the peninsula, the Kuril-Kamchatka deep-sea trench. Volcanic activity is common here, earthquakes often occur. This territory is composed of rocks such as basalts, andesites, and rhyolites.
The rest of the peninsula is of more ancient origin. Its western half is composed of Cenozoic sedimentary strata. In the southern part of the peninsula there are granites, porphyries, syenites and other intrusive rocks. In tertiary clays and sandstones, fossils of ancient marine animals are found, which indicates that the territory was covered with water. There are also coal seams with tree trunks, traces of leaves and petrified resin - amber.
Minerals of Kamchatka
What else can be said on this subject? The mineral resources of the Kamchatka Peninsula are diverse and numerous. There is oil and natural gas. The most promising reserves of these hydrocarbons are in the Kolpakovsky oil and gas region in western Kamchatka. There are also reserves of coal and brown coal. In the eastern half of the peninsula, these are Korfskoye and Khailinskoye brown coal deposits. In the west, there are the following coal manifestations: Tigilsky, Krutogorovsky, Gorelovsky, Podkagernoye. There are huge deposits of peat.
In Kamchatka there are gold reserves of both ore and placer. They are owned by four large primary deposits: Amethystovoye, Aginskoye, Asachinskoye, Rodnikovskoye. About 198 tons of gold are deposited here. There are also placers of this precious metal, there are 42 of them. Silver is present in these four deposits to a greater extent - 655 tons. And open placers of platinum.
There are deposits of cobalt, copper and nickel in the Middle crystalline massif of the peninsula.
Kamchatka, whose minerals are also associated with volcanic activity, has the largest pumice deposit in the Far Eastern region - Ilyinskoye.
Kamchatka also has significant reserves of native sulfur. The number of manifestations found exceeds two hundred. Total reserves are 106 thousand tons.
Exploited deposits
Mining in Kamchatka is only developing. Recently, there has been a decrease in the amount of mined minerals. This is because precious metal deposits are being depleted. The Kshukskoye gas field is currently under development. Several small manifestations of coal and brown coal are also being developed. Thermal waters are constantly used to generate electricity.
The practical use of mineral resources
For the fuel and energy complex, there are reserves of oil, gas, coal and brown. Peat is used in business activities. In the future, it can be widely used in the processing and chemical industries.
Precious metals and minerals used in the jewelry industry are mined. This is, first of all, gold, silver, platinum. A scattering of a rare variety of pomegranate, the demantoid, was found here.
There is also chrysolite used in jewelry. In addition, there are rubies, amethysts and sapphires. There are ornamental stones - jasper, marble onyx, obsidian, jade, agate. These gems are used for jewelry and other decorative purposes. There is also blue obsidian mined in the Ichinsky volcano.
Provided with construction materials Kamchatka. Minerals such as volcanic tuffs, sand and gravel mixtures, building stone, slag, brick clay, building sand, perlite and zeolites are abundant here. Promising for the construction of ignimbrites and sintered tuffs. Perlites are used to purify water and are added to cement. In ecology, they are used to clean soil and water from pollution by industrial waste.
Groundwater, which has a unique composition, is widely used. Among them are mineral and hydrothermal springs. They are used in the food industry and for heat and power needs.
Kamchatka, whose mineral resources are very diverse, is a promising area for the extraction of mineral raw materials.