Russian gems are known all over the world. Many deposits are unique in volume and content. The main occurrence area is the central and northeastern parts of the country. The most famous and developed deposits are located in the Urals, in the Yamalo-Nenets District, Chelyabinsk Region (Norilsk). Ekaterinburg and other cities of the Sverdlovsk region, the Baikal region (Irkutsk and Chita regions, Buryatia) are famous for their precious stones.
The first Russian diamonds were found in the Urals in 1829. Mining was carried out using artisanal methods; very often, precious stones were found by accident while washing gold-bearing sand. In less than 100 years, 250 diamonds weighing up to 25 carats were mined in the Urals. Ural diamonds have amazing purity and transparency. Later, deposits were discovered in the western regions of the Urals.
Diamond mining in Siberia began only in the 50s of the twentieth century. The largest kimberlite pipes were discovered in Yakutia. This made Russia one of the world leaders in diamond mining.
Yekaterinburg and the cities of the Sverdlovsk region amaze with the variety of mineral resources. What semi-precious and precious stones are mined here? Ekaterinburg is part of the so-called Ural region. The variety of minerals mined here is simply amazing: garnets (red jewelry and grossulars), malachite, rauchtopaz. Ural topazes are very famous - red, blue and purple. Ekaterinburg values wine-yellow stone most of all.
The regional center and surrounding areas are famous for deposits of rare minerals. Verdelite and rhodonite are mined in the Urals. Yekaterinburg is the center of one of the oldest mining regions in the country. The whole world knows photographs depicting Ural gems. At the same time, only part of the explored mineral reserves is currently being developed. Emeralds supplied by Yekaterinburg have a rich green color and high transparency.
Recently the news was announced that a new gemstone had been found in the Sverdlovsk region - Mariinskite. The mineral is slightly inferior to diamond in hardness and brilliance.
Besides, Yekaterinburg supplies the world with amethysts and aquamarines. Red and black jaspers are mined in the Sverdlovsk region. Black tourmalines - schorls - have been explored and actively mined.
The territory of the Urals is huge and rich in minerals. Bazhov sang the Ural gems in his works. No photo can convey the full brilliance of the precious stones mined in the Urals. Minerals are highly valued by jewelers all over the world. 
The largest deposits of emeralds and alexandrites are being developed in the Urals. The richest occurrence of high-quality charoite is also located in the Urals. Moonstone is mined in the Chelyabinsk region. Adularia from the Urals often contains inclusions of gold sand. Almost transparent moonstone was found on the Kola Peninsula and in the Subpolar Urals.
The area around Lake Baikal is known for deposits of well-formed topaz. Almost all Russian jade is mined in Buryatia. Its main deposits are located relatively close to Lake Baikal. Therefore, stone mining is carried out with care so as not to harm the lake’s ecosystem. Russian jade has a variety of colors; there are even black specimens.
A little to the west of Baikal, bright red garnets - pyropes - are mined from deposits of the Bartoy group. The deposits of the Irkutsk region in the Baikal region provide the country with amethysts, light blue lapis lazuli, aquamarines and pink-red rhodonites. Tourmaline mining is carried out not far from Lake Baikal. In the Baikal region, pearl-colored moonstone is mined.
Norilsk is famous, first of all, for its vast areas of iron ore, natural gas and oil. In addition, Norilsk is famous for precious and semi-precious stones. In the vicinity of the city and surrounding areas, jadeite is mined. Norilsk has deposits of high quality greenish-yellow olivine.
Jewelers know Norilsk as a place where very rare stones are mined. Thanks to large reserves of aluminum and iron ore, Norilsk and the Krasnoyarsk Territory are the owners of pumpellyite deposits. Among other collectible minerals that Norilsk mines is moyukite. Norilsk is known for its large amount of zeolites. Prehnite stands out among them. The mineral is believed to have medicinal properties.
Norilsk is one of the places where rare light yellow stilbite was discovered. As for the name, it is Greek and means “brilliance”. The stone has an increased shine that cannot be conveyed in the photo. Recently, Norilsk began supplying the market with new semi-precious stones - xonotlites. They are white in color with black or gray streaks.
Nizhny Novgorod is not particularly rich in mineral resources. On an industrial scale, Novgorod mines dolomite, clay and sand. The surprising news is that Nizhny Novgorod can extract diamonds from the ground. The regional governor announced this. The area with a diamond-bearing pipe owned by Nizhny Novgorod is small. But geological exploration continues. Perhaps in the future the city will become one of the centers for the production of industrial diamonds. Nizhny Novgorod maintains the glory of the homeland of magnificent stone carvers. The products of local craftsmen are known throughout the world. 
Makhachkala and the entire Dagestan region are known for deposits of iron ore and oil. Precious stones are quite rare here. But Makhachkala has some reserves of rock crystal, chalcedony, agate and carnelian. Jewelry art is very developed in the region. Kubachi, Makhachkala, Derbent are famous for their masters of glyptics - artistic stone cutting.
No significant deposits of precious stones have been discovered in the Oryol region, but there are large reserves of raw materials for building materials. Far beyond the borders of the Oryol region, the healing stones of the village of Andreevka are known. Large boulders have bizarre shapes. Each stone has special properties: it treats diseases, helps in personal life or study.
The Volgograd region also cannot boast of gems. But there are famous mounds in Surovikino. These are accumulations of large blocks of sandstone that retain heat all year round. Many tourists come to Surovikino, having heard about the healing properties of local stones.
Crimea
Many regions of Crimea (Kerch, Bakhchisarai, Feodosia) have deposits of precious and ornamental stones. Crimea is characterized by limestone and shale rocks. Carnelian, amethyst (pink and purple), onyx and opal are extracted from the depths of Crimea.
The variety of colors of Crimean agates is surprising. Black and white stones with stripes of pink, blue, red, brown and gray are mined here. Bakhchisarai and the Kerch region of Crimea are famous for their large reserves of jet. These are black petrified branches and tree trunks that look like stone. Many Crimean souvenirs are made from this gem.
On the territory of Kara-Dag there are deposits of rock crystal, heliotrope, opal, chalcedony and jasper. But this part of Crimea is a protected area, so stone mining is not carried out. Rare milky opals are found on the peninsula (Kara-Dag, Bakhchisaray, Sudak). Citrines are often found in rocks.
Researchers of Crimea found in its lands minerals unique to this region. The most famous - kerchenite, mithridatite, alushtite and bosporite - were named according to the places of discovery. Bakhchisarai, Fiolent, Karadag are rich in jaspers of various colors. The most typical for Crimea is red and yellow jasper with colored inclusions.
The whole world knows the decorative stones of Crimea - Black Sea traces, marble, diabase. Feodosia, Sevastopol, Bakhchisaray have deposits of rock crystal. Large-scale mining of semi-precious raw materials on the peninsula is limited, since most of Crimea belongs to protected and reserved areas.
Sedimentary minerals most typical for platforms, since the platform cover is located there. These are mainly non-metallic minerals and fuels, the leading role among which is played by coal and oil shale. They were formed from the remains of plants and animals accumulated in the coastal parts of shallow seas and in lake-marsh land conditions. These abundant organic remains could accumulate only in sufficiently humid and warm conditions favorable for lush development. In hot, dry conditions, in shallow seas and coastal lagoons, salts accumulated, which are used as raw materials in.
Mining
There are several ways mining. Firstly, this is an open method in which rocks are mined in quarries. It is more economically beneficial, as it helps to obtain a cheaper product. However, an abandoned quarry can cause a wide net to form. The mine method of coal mining requires large expenditures and is therefore more expensive. The cheapest method of oil production is flowing, when oil rises through a well under oil gases. The pumping method of extraction is also common. There are also special methods of mining. They are called geotechnological. With their help, ore is mined from the depths of the Earth. This is done by pumping hot water and solutions into the layers containing the necessary minerals. Other wells pump out the resulting solution and separate the valuable component.
The need for minerals is constantly growing, production is increasing, but minerals are exhaustible natural resources, so it is necessary to use them more economically and fully.
There are several ways to do this:
- reducing losses of minerals during their extraction;
- more complete extraction of all useful components from the rock;
- integrated use of mineral resources;
- search for new, more promising deposits.
Thus, the main direction in the use of minerals in the coming years should not be an increase in the volume of their production, but a more rational use.
In modern searches for mineral resources, it is necessary to use not only the latest technology and sensitive instruments, but also a scientific forecast for the search for deposits, which helps to conduct targeted subsoil exploration on a scientific basis. It was thanks to such methods that diamond deposits in Yakutia were first scientifically predicted and then discovered. A scientific forecast is based on knowledge of the connections and conditions for the formation of minerals.
Brief description of the main minerals
The hardest of all minerals. Its composition is pure carbon. It is found in placers and as inclusions in rocks. Diamonds are colorless, but they are also found in various colors. A cut diamond is called a diamond. Its weight is usually measured in carats (1 carat = 0.2 g). The largest diamond was found in Yuzhnaya: it weighed more than 3,000 carats. Most diamonds are mined in Africa (98% of production in the capitalist world). In Russia, large diamond deposits are located in Yakutia. Clear crystals are used to make gemstones. Before 1430, diamonds were considered common gemstones. The trendsetter for them was the Frenchwoman Agnes Sorel. Due to their hardness, opaque diamonds are used industrially for cutting and engraving, as well as for polishing glass and stone.
A soft, malleable metal, yellow in color, heavy, and does not oxidize in air. In nature it is found mainly in its pure form (nuggets). The largest nugget, weighing 69.7 kg, was found in Australia.
Gold is also found in the form of placers - this is the result of erosion of the deposit, when grains of gold are released and carried away, forming placers. Gold is used in the production of precision instruments and various jewelry. In Russia, gold lies on and in. Abroad - in Canada, . Since gold occurs in nature in small quantities and its extraction is associated with high costs, it is considered a precious metal.
Platinum(from the Spanish plata - silver) - a precious metal from white to steel-gray color. It is characterized by refractoriness, resistance to chemical influences and electrical conductivity. It is mined mainly in placers. It is used for the manufacture of chemical glassware, in electrical engineering, jewelry and dentistry. In Russia, platinum is mined in the Urals and Eastern Siberia. Abroad - in South Africa.
Gems(gems) - mineral bodies with beautiful color, brilliance, hardness, and transparency. They are divided into two groups: stones used for cutting and semi-precious stones. The first group includes diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald, amethyst, and aquamarine. The second group includes malachite, jasper, and rock crystal. All precious stones, as a rule, are of igneous origin. However, pearls, amber, and coral are minerals of organic origin. Precious stones are used in jewelry and for technical purposes.
Tuffs- rocks of various origins. Calcareous tuff is a porous rock formed by the precipitation of calcium carbonate from sources. This tuff is used to produce cement and lime. Volcanic tuff - cemented. Tuffs are used as a building material. Has different colors.
Mica- rocks that have the ability to split into thin layers with a smooth surface; found as impurities in sedimentary rocks. Various micas are used as a good electrical insulator, for the manufacture of windows in metallurgical furnaces, and in the electrical and radio industries. In Russia, mica is mined in Eastern Siberia, in. Industrial development of mica deposits is carried out in Ukraine, the USA, .
Marble- crystalline rock formed as a result of limestone metamorphism. It comes in different colors. Marble is used as a building material for wall cladding, architecture and sculpture. In Russia there are many of its deposits in the Urals and the Caucasus. Abroad, the most famous marble is mined in.
Asbestos(Greek: inextinguishable) - a group of fibrous, fireproof rocks that split into soft greenish-yellow or almost white fibers. It occurs in the form of veins (a vein is a mineral body that fills a crack, usually has a plate-like shape, going vertically to great depths. The length of the veins reaches two or more kilometers), among igneous and sedimentary rocks. It is used for the manufacture of special fabrics (fire insulation), tarpaulins, fire-resistant roofing materials, as well as thermal insulation materials. In Russia, asbestos mining is carried out in the Urals, in, and abroad - in and other countries.
Asphalt(resin) - a brittle, resinous rock of brown or black color, which is a mixture of hydrocarbons. Asphalt melts easily, burns with a smoky flame, and is a product of changes in certain types of oil, from which some of the substances have evaporated. Asphalt often penetrates sandstones, limestones, and marl. It is used as a building material for road surfaces, in electrical engineering and the rubber industry, for the preparation of varnishes and mixtures for waterproofing. The main asphalt deposits in Russia are the Ukhta region, abroad - in, in France,.
Apatity- minerals rich in phosphorus salts, green, gray and other colors; found among various igneous rocks, in some places forming large accumulations. Apatites are mainly used for the production of phosphate fertilizers, they are also used in the ceramics industry. In Russia, the largest deposits of apatite are located in, on. Abroad, they are mined in the Republic of South Africa.
Phosphorites- Sedimentary rocks rich in phosphorus compounds that form grains in the rock or bind various minerals together into a dense rock. The color of phosphorites is dark gray. They, like apatites, are used to produce phosphate fertilizers. In Russia, phosphorite deposits are common in the Moscow and Kirov regions. Abroad, they are mined in the USA (Florida Peninsula) and.
Aluminum ores- minerals and rocks used to produce aluminum. The main aluminum ores are bauxite, nepheline and alunite.
Bauxite(the name comes from the area of Beau in the south of France) - sedimentary rocks of red or brown color. 1/3 of the world's reserves lie in the north, and the country is one of the leading countries in their production. In Russia, bauxite is mined in. The main component of bauxite is aluminum oxide.
Alunites(the name comes from the word alun - alum (French) - minerals that contain aluminum, potassium and other inclusions. Alunite ore can be a raw material for the production of not only aluminum, but also potash fertilizers and sulfuric acid. Alunite deposits are in the USA , China, Ukraine, and other countries.
Nephelines(the name comes from the Greek “nephele”, which means cloud) - minerals of complex composition, gray or green in color, containing a significant amount of aluminum. They are part of igneous rocks. In Russia, nephelines are mined in and in Eastern Siberia. Aluminum obtained from these ores is a soft metal, produces strong alloys, and is widely used in the production of household goods.
Iron ores- natural mineral accumulations containing iron. They are varied in mineralogical composition, the amount of iron in them and various impurities. Impurities can be valuable (manganese chromium, cobalt, nickel) and harmful (sulfur, phosphorus, arsenic). The main ones are brown iron ore, red iron ore, and magnetic iron ore.
Brown iron ore, or limonite, is a mixture of several minerals containing iron with an admixture of clay substances. It has a brown, yellow-brown or black color. It is most often found in sedimentary rocks. If the ores of brown iron ore - one of the most common iron ores - have an iron content of at least 30%, then they are considered industrial. The main deposits are in Russia (Ural, Lipetsk), Ukraine (), France (Lorraine), on.
Hematite, or hematite, is a red-brown to black mineral containing up to 65% iron.
It is found in various rocks in the form of crystals and thin plates. Sometimes it forms clusters in the form of hard or earthy masses of a bright red color. The main deposits of red iron ore are in Russia (KMA), Ukraine (Krivoy Rog), USA, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Canada, Sweden.
Magnetic iron ore, or magnetite, is a black mineral containing 50-60% iron. This is high quality iron ore. Composed of iron and oxygen, highly magnetic. It occurs in the form of crystals, inclusions and solid masses. The main deposits are in Russia (Ural, KMA, Siberia), Ukraine (Krivoy Rog), Sweden and the USA.
Manganese ores- mineral compounds containing manganese, the main property of which is to give steel and cast iron malleability and hardness. Modern metallurgy is unthinkable without manganese: a special alloy is smelted - ferromanganese, containing up to 80% manganese, which is used to smelt high-quality steel. In addition, manganese is necessary for the growth and development of animals and is a microfertilizer. The main ore deposits are located in Ukraine (Nikolskoye), India, Brazil and the Republic of South Africa.
Tin ores- numerous minerals containing tin. Tin ores with a tin content of 1-2% or more are being developed. These ores require beneficiation - increasing the valuable component and separating waste rock, so ores are used for smelting, the tin content of which has been increased to 55%. Tin does not oxidize, which is why it is widely used in the canning industry. In Russia, tin ores are found in Eastern Siberia and on, and abroad they are mined in Indonesia, on the peninsula.
Nickel ores- mineral compounds containing nickel. It does not oxidize in air. The addition of nickel to steels greatly increases their elasticity. Pure nickel is used in mechanical engineering. In Russia it is mined on the Kola Peninsula, the Urals, and Eastern Siberia; abroad - in Canada, in Brazil.
Uranium-radium ores- mineral accumulations containing uranium. Radium is a product of the radioactive decay of uranium. The radium content in uranium ores is negligible - up to 300 mg per 1 ton of ore. are of great importance, since the fission of the nuclei of each gram of uranium can produce 2 million times more energy than burning 1 gram of fuel, so they are used as fuel in nuclear power plants to generate cheap electricity. Uranium-radium ores are mined in Russia, the USA, China, Canada, Congo, and other countries of the world.
Natural stone is a common building material, characterized by strength, durability and natural beauty. Its mining is a profitable business, especially in areas with open outcrops of stone conglomerates. There are many such places on the planet, they are easy to find; it is often enough for geologists to study the surrounding terrain and geological sections to make a conclusion about the presence of an industrial-scale deposit.
Stone is mined not only in the mountains and highlands; stone layers also occur on the plains. Essentially, stone is hard rocks that alternate with soft sedimentary materials, such as sand and clay. There are also hard sedimentary rocks, the most common of which are limestone, shell rock, and sandstone. The use of stone is in construction, architecture, sculptural products, and the creation of decorative items.
Types of stone and their characteristics
It is necessary to distinguish between stones that are considered minerals; they include a whole group of minerals with different parameters of strength, abrasiveness and other finishing characteristics:
- asbestos is a fibrous mineral that, when pressed, has the properties of stone;
- travertine, which experts consider an intermediate phase between limestone and marble;
- gypsum (alabaster) - used not only for sculptures, but also for building houses;
- mica - natural flexible glass of varying transparency and color;
- marble, quartzite, diabase, silicon, characterized by a beautiful texture and used in various sectors of the national economy.
Related materials:
How is mercury mined?
Another group of natural stones are rocks, that is, conglomerates consisting of several minerals. They can be grouped by origin categories. Stones of volcanic formation, that is, born during volcanic eruptions under enormous pressure and exposure to maximum temperatures. They are distinguished by high strength parameters, on the cut they have a beautiful pattern and multi-colored inclusions. Popular among them are granite, used for the construction of buildings, gabbro, from which door handles are made, sculptures, gneiss, which is granite with striped veins.
Hi all! Today I decided to talk about what jewelry for people is made from. These are precious stones that are mined from the depths of the Earth, which contain minerals. And in this post we will talk specifically about minerals, about the raw materials from which these beautiful jewelry is made...
The earth's crust (more about the earth's crust) mainly consists of substances called -. Minerals have played a very important role in the development of mankind and the creation of civilizations.
Stone Age people used silicon tools. About 10,000 years ago, man mastered the method of producing copper from ore, and with the invention of bronze (an alloy of tin and copper), a new age began - the Bronze Age.
Since the beginning of the Iron Age 3,300 years ago, man has mastered more and more ways to use the minerals that are mined from the earth's crust. Modern industry still depends on the mineral resources of the Earth.
Finding new deposits requires knowledge of what they are, the ability to tell them apart, and how they ended up where we found them.
Scientists count about 3,000 types of minerals, but only 100 of them are quite widespread.
Minerals belong to the inorganic (non-living) world. They are most often solids. Only mercury is an exception.
Organic and inorganic substances.
Everything that is extracted from the earth is called minerals by many. They also include fossil fuels, such as coal, in this category.
Mineralogists are people who study minerals professionally. They believe that oil, coal and natural gas are organic substances because they were formed from the remains of once living animals and plants, and therefore are not minerals.
Minerals have a specific chemical composition. They are always homogeneous, in other words, all parts of the mineral are the same. This differs from rocks, which consist of several minerals.
Minerals consist of chemical elements, that is, substances that can no longer be broken down into other substances by chemical means. Of the 107 elements known to science, 90 are found naturally in the earth’s crust.
Some exist in the earth's crust in a pure form or almost in a pure form. They are called native elements.
There are 22 native elements, including silver, gold and diamonds (a form of carbon).
Earth's crust.
74% of the mass of the earth's crust is made up of two elements: silicon and oxygen. Another 24.27% is made up of the other six elements: iron, aluminum, sodium, calcium, magnesium and potassium. Together they form almost 99% of the earth's crust.
The most common minerals are they are silicates, a chemical compound of silicon and oxygen, often mixed with one or more of the other six elements.
Silicates such as mica, quartz and feldspars are most common. In varying proportions, all three are the main components of different types of granite. Quartz eroded from granite often accumulates on the coast and forms sandy beaches.
Determination of minerals.
Commonly occurring minerals such as feldspars, quartz and mica are called rock-forming minerals. This distinguishes them from minerals, which are found only in small quantities.
Another rock-forming mineral is calcite. It forms limestone rocks.
There are a lot of minerals in nature. Mineralogists have developed a whole system for their determination, which is based on chemical and physical properties.
Very simple properties, such as hardness or color, sometimes help to recognize a mineral. And sometimes this requires complex laboratory tests using reagents.
Some minerals can be recognized by color, such as malachite (green) and lapis lazuli (blue). But color is often deceptive, because it varies quite widely among many minerals.
Differences in color depend on temperature, impurities, radiation, lighting and erosion.
Mineral trait and hardness.
Mineral Trait – This is the powder that you get when you scrape a mineral. A trait is an important characteristic feature: it is sometimes different from the color of the mineral in the sample and is usually constant for the same mineral.
Minerals also differ in hardness, which is assessed on the Mohs scale (named after the Austrian mineralogist) from 1 to 10.
The soft mineral talc on it corresponds to 1, and diamond, the hardest of natural minerals, corresponds to 10.
Specific gravity.
Specific gravity, or density, is the ratio between the weight of a substance and the same amount of water. This value is quite important for determination.
If we take the specific gravity of water to be 1, then for most minerals it varies from 2.2 to 3.2. The specific gravity of some minerals (there are only a few) is very high or very low.
For example, for graphite it is wounded 1.9, and for gold it is from 15 to 20, depending on the purity. Another indicator for identifying minerals is cleavage, i.e., how a mineral breaks into pieces when struck.
By holding a mineral up to light, you can obtain information about it. Transparent minerals transmit light so easily that everything can be seen through them.
Opaque minerals do not transmit light at all, but rather reflect or absorb it. These properties are also used during the definition process. Minerals often have an iridescent or metallic sheen.
For example, galena (lead ore) has a metallic luster, it shines almost like metal, and most silicates have a vitreous luster, they resemble shiny glass.
There are also other types of shine - earthy (dull), pearly, silky (or satiny), adamantine (like a diamond). Some minerals can have several types of shine.
The luster of calcites varies from earthy to glassy. Many minerals have specific properties that make them easy to recognize. For example, talc has a soapy feel to the touch, and scorodite and the native element arsenic smell like garlic when heated.
When exposed to X-rays or ultraviolet light, some minerals fluoresce (change color or glow). Others become electrically charged under pressure or heat.
There are also minerals that can only be recognized through special tests in laboratories. Some dissolve only in concentrated acids, but not in dilute ones, others dissolve only in hot acids, but not in cold ones.
Crystals.
Minerals have their own specific composition and chemical formula. Halite (rock salt) has the chemical formula NaCl. This means that halite is a chemical compound of sodium (Na) and (Cl).
Thus, each mineral has a specific and constant composition, the atoms of its elements build a regular three-dimensional lattice of a structure specific to it.
These crystal lattices are geometric figures, their flat faces are arranged symmetrically.
If you leave some salt water in a flat dish for some time, it will evaporate and salt crystals will form at the bottom.
A magnifying glass shows that they are regular cubes. The study of crystals is important for identifying minerals because most minerals have crystals that have a regular, defined shape.
There are seven main crystallographic, or isometric, systems, which are called syngonies. For example, turquoise belongs to the triclinic system, ruby to the hexagonal system, and diamond to the cubic system.
Each system can be described according to the specificity of its symmetry - properties that, when the crystal rotates around an axis, allows it to appear identical two or more times in one full rotation.
The number of symmetry axes can be used to determine the crystal.
Precious minerals.
People made jewelry from gold back in the Stone Age, and from silver in the Bronze Age. A variety of minerals are at the disposal of jewelers today.
Diamond (especially colorless) is the most expensive gemstone. Also, the most expensive stones include: ruby, emerald and sapphire, which are primarily valued for their color.
These stones are so expensive that their weight is measured in carats. One carat is equal to 200 milligrams.
Diamond is a type of chemically pure coal and its chemical composition does not differ from the ordinary soft mineral graphite, which is familiar to us from pencils.
Diamonds are valued for their brilliance and hardness. It acquires its shine when cut and polished. The reason for this difference between graphite and diamond is that their atoms are arranged differently, they have a different internal structure.
Polymorphosis is the ability of a substance to exist in two or more forms with the same chemical composition.
For example, a rare and green variety of beryl is emerald. The most beautiful specimens are found in Colombia. The world's most famous rubies are found in Myanmar. Beautiful sapphires are mined in Thailand and Sri Lanka.
Well, now, I think that when we buy precious stones for ourselves, we will know about their composition and how they are mined. And we will understand carats, which shows the value of precious stones. We will also know how minerals are determined, by what methods their hardness is determined, etc...
Minerals are formed everywhere: deep in the earth, in deserts, swamps and lakes.
The predominant amount of minerals is formed from magma. However, among the minerals that make up these igneous rocks, it is hopeless to look for beautiful samples, elegant crystals. When igneous rocks were formed, individual minerals crystallized and prevented each other from growing. So they turned out to be “compressed”, incomplete. Remarkable mineral specimens arise in pegmatite and hydrothermal veins formed from hot aqueous solutions. Here, magnificent crystals grow in the cavities (voids) of the veins, where nothing interferes with their free growth. Fine crystals of pyrite and marcasite are found in fossil coals and sometimes in clays.
You should always carefully inspect the area where you are so as not to miss a valuable mineral.
Minerals (in collections and when described in books) are arranged in a certain order: according to their chemical composition and lattice structure. Below is a classification of minerals by chemical composition (only the most important minerals are mentioned):
1) native minerals: gold, platinum, silver, graphite, diamond;
2) sulfur compounds, or sulfides: galena, pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, cinnabar;
3) oxides (compounds with oxygen): ice, quartz, hematite, magnetite;
4) hydrous oxides: brown iron ore, or limonite, etc.;
5) silicates (i.e., silicon compounds, or silicon): mica, feldspars, hornblende; this includes almost all rock-forming minerals;
6) phosphates (salts of phosphoric acid): phosphorite, apatite, turquoise;
7) tungstates (salts of tungstic acid): wolframite, scheelite;
8) sulfates (salts of sulfuric acid): mirabilite, gypsum, barite;
9) carbonates (salts of carbonic acid): calcite, siderite, dolomite;
10) halogen compounds (salts of hydrofluoric and hydrochloric acids): fluorite, rock salt, sylvite;
11) organic compounds: amber, various fossil resins found in coals, etc.
According to archeology, primitive man in the Stone Age already used about 20 minerals and 10 rocks in his everyday life.
The industry now uses about 400 minerals. After all, even for the publication of this book, at least 20 different minerals were needed: letters were cast from stibnite, galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite and clichés were made for drawings; Colored paints were prepared from chromite, hematite, limonite, and bismuthin; mirabilite, barite, chalk, talc, etc. were used in the production of paper. Add to this the minerals necessary for the manufacture of printing machines: iron ores (three or four types), copper, cobalt, nickel, chromium, aluminum, as well as others - and you will get some idea of the importance of minerals in human life.
A mineralogist must first study the properties of minerals. There are many chemical elements that are important for industry and agriculture, but some of them are very rare and never form any large accumulations. These are, for example, the metal cadmium, which gives copper high strength, and the metal thallium, the compounds of which kill pests of agricultural crops. They do not form independent minerals, but are found as impurities in zinc blende, and it is impossible to judge these impurities by their appearance.
In many cases, based on the presence of some, often insignificant, mineral, one can conclude about the presence of previously undetected valuable ores.
A mineralogist can provide important assistance to exploration geologists, who study a deposit in detail for development, and to mining engineers, who develop a deposit, extracting valuable minerals from it. Carefully studying the deposit, the mineralogist will make accurate sketches in which he will note how individual minerals and their accumulations (ores) are located, which must be extracted.
Knowledge of the conditions of deposit formation for various minerals is of enormous practical importance. By looking at the geological map of any area, we can predict what minerals, what minerals we can look for here.
For a number of minerals - polymetals, gold, coal, oil - forecast (foresight) maps are drawn up. Each of them indicates the areas or areas in which the desired mineral should be searched, in which these minerals should be absent and should not be searched for. Forecast maps are increasingly becoming part of search and exploration practice and are extremely useful.
Many ores and minerals contain various impurities. Before recommending them for industrial use, a mineralogist must study in detail all their technological properties. In other words, he must indicate how well a given mineral meets its purpose, what methods of processing can be recommended, etc. In addition, the mineralogist must indicate the possibility of using mining waste in industry.
When extracting any mineral, a greater or lesser amount of waste rock is always extracted from the depths, i.e. rock accompanying the mineral. Such rocks go into dumps, which is unprofitable for the state: after all, labor, materials, and electricity are spent to extract them. Therefore, mineralogists carefully study all the minerals found in these rocks and try to use them.
If a practically important mineral is rare or occurs in the form of small, poor samples, then they try to produce it artificially. For example, to obtain aluminum you need the rare mineral cryolite, which was once found in the Ilmensky Nature Reserve in negligible quantities. Now they have learned to produce this mineral in factories in large quantities: thousands of tons. Mineralogical laboratories, special institutes and factories produce artificial transparent and colorless minerals: quartz, calcite, fluorite (from which lenses and prisms for optical instruments are made), ruby (used in pocket watch mechanisms and as a precious stone), etc. Many thousands of tons of artificial graphite are produced in electric furnaces. Our industry produces over a hundred different artificial minerals, and special laboratories continuously continue to work on obtaining new minerals.
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