Main mineral deposits on the territory of the Russian Federation

Minerals are mineral and organic formations of the Earth's crust, the chemical composition and physical properties of which make it possible to effectively use them in the field of material production (for example, as raw materials or fuel). Solid, liquid and gaseous minerals are distinguished. Minerals are found in the earth's crust in the form of clusters of various types (veins, bunches, layers, pockets, placers, etc.). Agglomerations of minerals form deposits, and for large areas of occurrence - districts, provinces and basins.

More than 20 thousand mineral deposits are identified in Russia. Numerous deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, ores of ferrous, non-ferrous, rare and precious metals, rare earth elements, non-metallic mining and chemical industrial raw materials, precious and semi-precious stones and mineral materials have been discovered and explored in the interior of the earth.

OIL AND NATURAL GAS

The Russian Federation is rightfully considered one of the world's leading oil exporters. About 505,000,000 tons of oil often referred to as "black gold" are annually produced in the country. The total forecasted oil resources of Russia are estimated at 62.7 billion tons. Most of these resources are concentrated in the eastern and northern regions of the country, as well as on the shelves of the Arctic and Far Eastern seas. As of the beginning of the 21^st century, less than half of 2,152 discovered oil fields in Russia are involved in development, and the reserves of the fields in operation are developed on average at 45%. At the same time, the initial potential of Russia’s oil resources is implemented to about a third, and in the eastern regions and the Russian shelf – to no more than 10%. Today, the most profitable, environment-friendly and important fuel is natural gas. Russia is the richest country in terms of gas reserves and the first in natural gas exports and production.

COAL AND OIL SHALE

Russia's coal reserves are the third largest in the world (after the US and China). The main coal basins are Kuznetsk, Pechora, South Yakutia and the Russian part of the Donetsk basin. More than 63% of all reserves are concentrated in the eastern regions of the country. The main oil shale fields are located in the European part of the Russian Federation. The most important field for commercial production is the St. Petersburg field, which is a part of the Baltic shale basin.

ORES OF BLACK METALS

Iron ores, which are holding the second place in terms of production output in Russia’s material sector after fuel and energy resources, and the first among the metal minerals, make the basis of the country's economy. The share of iron and its alloys in the total amount of metals used in engineering is currently more than 90%. The iron ore base of Russia is the world’s largest. Russia’s iron ore potential is estimated at 206.2 billion tons as of the beginning of the 20^th century.

ORES OF NON-FERROUS METALS

In the broad sense, the term “non-ferrous metals” is applied as an industrial name to all metals and their alloys, with the exception of iron, manganese, chromium and their alloys. In the narrow sense, aluminum, bismuth, tungsten, cobalt, magnesium, copper, molybdenum, nickel, tin, mercury, lead, antimony and zinc are generally referred to non-ferrous metals, the main raw materials of non-ferrous metallurgy.

ORES OF RARE METALS

Ores of rare metals are natural formations containing ore elements in the form of independent minerals, or isomorphic impurities in other ore minerals in quantities sufficient for their industrial extraction. Ore elements are classified into light, heavy (refractory) and dispersed ones. Russia is one of the world's largest countries in terms of the existing potential of minerals and raw materials of almost all types of rare metals. It is the world leader in explored reserves of tantalum and holds the second place in terms of niobium reserves. Many domestic rare metal deposits, where about 80% of all the main tantalum and niobium reserves are concentrated, as well as 18% of reserves of rare metal deposits, are constituted by ores of potentially commercial types.

ORES OF PRECIOUS METALS

Precious metals (gold, silver, platinum and the platinum group metals) got its name due to its high chemical resistance and beautiful appearance of products. Gold, silver and platinum have a high ductility, and the platinum group metals are also characterized by refractoriness. Mining of precious metals in Russia began in the 17^th century in the Trans-Baikal region with development of silver ores. In today’s Russia, of economic importance is the Ural platinum belt, which is 900 km long.

PRECIOUS STONES

Deposits of precious stones in Russia is a true storehouse of minerals, including 27 kinds of gems. Russia ranks the second in the world in terms of the amount of diamonds mined. The number of stones produced in the country is 21% of the world’s overall diamond production. The mining industry is mainly concentrated in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), near the Arctic Circle.