Minerals of the Altai Territory: names, photos
Minerals of the Altai Territory are veryvarious. This is explained by a favorable geographical position. Since ancient times, here are mined all kinds of ore, stones, construction and ornamental. Also, the region is rich in deposits of limestone and sand. The mineral medicinal waters flowing in the bowels of the Altai land are also famous. Let's consider what minerals are mined in the Altai Territory, give examples of their application.
Altai Territory: location features
On the border with Kazakhstan in South-West SiberiaThis unusually beautiful region is located - Altai. In this region surprisingly diverse terrain: the world's largest plain gives way to the Altai Mountains. Because of such relief features, the area is rich in minerals.
Still, most of the Altai Territory isplain, gradually rising. It is surrounded on the one side by mountainous Altai, and on the other by the Salair Ridge. It is easy to confuse with the usual hills, but this is not so: the ridge is a low mountain with a length of three hundred kilometers.
The Altai Territory is also unique in that many natural areas pass through its length: taiga and mountains, forest-steppe and steppe.
With regard to water resources, there are severallarge rivers. And the largest of them, the Ob, occupies 70 percent of the entire territory. The territory is rich and lakes: there are 11 thousand only those whose area is more than 1 kilometer.
Methods of extraction
Obtain minerals of the Altai Territory (they can be represented in the article) in three main ways.
First, the so-called, open. In this case, a pit with a depth of no more than 500 meters is constructed directly in the zone of the deposit and the extracted minerals are dipped for specialized equipment.
Secondly, they build mines. This method is good when the deposits are at a sufficiently deep depth. In this case, first into the depth of the rock, the so-called shaft of the mine is pulled out, resembling a giant well, and then the infrastructure is built up.
Another method, innovative, usinghigh pressure jets. It is fed into the well, which is made in fossil rock, crushing it. Then they raise the pieces of rock upward. By the way, this is the most inefficient method, however it is at the final stage of development.
Iron ore
The most famous minerals of Altaiedges, of course, ore. In total there are 16 largest deposits. It should be noted that they are located in the south-western part, they have a very developed infrastructure. According to calculations, only 70 and 490 tons of polymineral and iron ores are in the Altai bowels, respectively.
Iron ore is mined in the Kulunda steppe.
There is such a thing as a rich ironore, is one in which more than 57% of the iron content. It is from it that the cast iron is melted, and then steel. If the iron content in the ore is low, it is enriched by industrial methods. But ore is used and not only for these purposes, it also enters ocher - a special dye of natural origin.
Copper ore
The map of minerals in the Altai Territory is rich in copper ores.
The deposits are located mainly in the westSilaira ridge. These ores are mined here since the XVI century, when in 1719 discovered deposits began to develop under the leadership of Demidov A. Then the first plants appeared in these places. However, 2,5 thousand years ago, ancient people mined copper here.
What is copper ore? It is such a special composition of minerals in which the content of the copper component makes it possible to process it in the course of the industrial process. This requires a minimum of 0.5% of the copper concentration in the rock. Most often, such ore is a combination of copper and nickel.
Depending on the enrichment of the ore, copper is distinguished: chalcocite, bornite and copper pyrite. Ores are listed in descending order of useful metal content.
Copper is widely used in various fields. For a long time people have noticed its ability to conduct well heat, resistance to corrosion, and excellent electrical conductivity. Another obvious plus - copper melts at relatively low temperatures. All this allowed us to use this metal in many areas, from the metallurgical industry and ending with domestic needs (for example, copper pipes are highly valued).
Bauxite
Bauxite (aluminum ore) is also widelyare common. These minerals of the Altai Territory are also mined in the Salair region. And the extraction process does not cause any special difficulties, because these ore are very close to the surface.
In the industrial processing are only those bauxites,the content of aluminum in which more than 40 percent. The smelting of this valuable metal is the main reason for the production of bauxite, but also they are used for the production of paints, and ferrous metallurgy uses bauxites to create special fluids, fluxes that remove oxidation on metals.
Sand and limestone
Listing the minerals of the Altai Territory, it is impossible not to mention such breeds as sand and limestone. These reserves in this area are truly inexhaustible.
Sand is rich in areas where Biya and Katun flow. Of this material, silicate bricks are made (if the sand contains quartz). If the rock is completely quartz - that glass.
As for limestone, it is widely used in construction, many sculptors also create their works from this breed.
Stones
Minerals of the Altai Territory are alsostones. And as construction, such as gypsum (Lake Jira), and Altai marble. Get it several colors: here you can find a variety of shades from white to golden. About the striped jasper, mined here, they know all over the world. The scale of the granite deposits is also impressive.
Quartzites from the Altai Territory were also always in price: they have a special pinkish hue, for which they deserve popularity.
The name of minerals in the Altai Territory can be listed for a very long time. Of course, the entire periodic table is not presented there, however the deposits are very, very impressive.
