Identification of minerals on a map of Africa. Africa. Physico-geographical sketch. Minerals. Minerals of Africa - types, characteristics, structure

10.06.2020

I read in many sources that Africa is the poorest continent on our planet. But, if we look at all the states in more detail, it becomes clear that the standard of living in them differs significantly. And all because of the presence of large mineral deposits in some countries.

The riches of North Africa

Throughout Africa there are many mineral resources. IN different parts There are our own, more developed, areas of the mining industry. For example, in the north there is oil, coal and natural gas. They are exported to many European countries.

The countries of North Africa are much richer and have a higher standard of living, as they are located on rich land. In addition to oil and coal, mining is carried out here:

zinc;
lead;
cobalt;
molybdenum

There are also large deposits of manganese in this region. North Africa is also known throughout the world for phosphorite mining. They are widely used in metallurgy, as well as in chemical plants. Phosphorites mined in North African territory account for more than half of total number in the world. The leader in their production is Morocco.

Salt is also being mined in Morocco and Tunisia, both for domestic use and for export. All minerals in these territories were formed under the influence of many natural factors, including features of climate, flora and fauna, as well as various natural processes.

What is mined in South Africa

South African territory is rich in ores, precious stones, and non-ferrous metals. Ghana has large reserves of manganese, and Nigeria mines tungsten. And on the island of Madagascar there are the largest graphite deposits in the world.

But more important role for economic development southern countries Africa has gold mining. The country of gold on the continent is considered to be the Republic of South Africa (RSA). Many other minerals are also mined in the south, for which the continent ranks first in the list of all countries (copper, lead, etc.). But the majority of all mining enterprises belong to foreigners.

The geographical expanses of the African continent are notable for the abundance of minerals. The richest mineral ore sources are located in the southern and equatorial parts of the continent. Deposits of minerals and various metals, including non-ferrous and precious metals, have also been discovered in the northern and western regions.

In general, the African continent is distinguished by a very wide variety of mineral resources, most of which are represented by deposits of global importance. In terms of international supplies for the metallurgical industry, African minerals are represented by the richest ores of non-ferrous and ferrous metals.

The big plus in this context are minerals, including igneous and sedimentary minerals, extensive deposits of graphite and coal, and rich deposits natural gas and oil. But diamond and gold deposits are still considered to be among the main and most economically significant mineral resources in Africa. Among other things, deposits of rare uranium ores with an average uranium content in rocks of up to 0.3% are being actively developed today.

If we classify all the natural resources of Africa taking into account their deposits, then we can conditionally distinguish several key groups:

flammable;
non-ferrous metals;
precious metals;
gems.

The first group mainly includes oil and coal, the main deposits of which are located not only in South Africa, but also in Nigeria, Libya and Algeria. The second group is represented mostly by copper ore, ores of antimony, manganese, tin, titanium, aluminum and magnesium. All these minerals are mostly concentrated in the Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Zambia and South Africa.

Precious metals, represented mainly by valuable metals such as gold and platinum, are actively mined in South Africa. Most of the extraction of African minerals such as precious stones, in particular diamonds, which belong to the last of the listed groups, is concentrated here. Mined diamonds are widely used today not only in jewelry production, but also in many industrial sectors.

General features and characteristics of African minerals

According to the nature of their origin, all minerals, in particular those whose deposits are plotted on the contour map of minerals, are divided into sedimentary rocks, as well as metamorphic and igneous.

There are certain patterns, according to which they are all located on the territory of African and other continents. Typically, igneous rocks occur in mountainous areas called folded areas. This is due to the fact that valuable ores were formed here from magma and hot aqueous solutions released from it.

Often valuable deposits are formed from magma that has poured out, that is, essentially from solidified lava. As a rule, the intrusion of magmatic layers is formed under the condition of active tectonic movements, which determines the location of ore deposits in folded areas.

Why is Africa rich in ore minerals?

Due to the special formation conditions of the African plateau over hundreds of thousands of years, many ore minerals are concentrated in almost every part of the continent, covering the central, eastern, western, northern and southern regions.

Mineralization and accompanying processes occurred primarily during the era of the formation of ancient folding, or more precisely, this was the period of the beginning of the Paleozoic and Precambrian. Due to the exposure of the ancient platform foundation in the southern and equatorial parts of Africa, it was here that the most significant ore deposits began to be concentrated.

What minerals is South Africa rich in?

If we talk about the regions of Southern and Equatorial Africa, there is a concentration of the richest ore deposits on Earth. The largest chromite deposits are located in the southern part of Rhodesia, and tungsten deposits are being actively developed in Nigeria. Ghana boasts an abundance of manganese reserves, and the island of Madagascar boasts the largest deposits of graphite rocks.

The key natural resource reserves in South Africa in economic terms are considered to be gold mining sites. The Republic of South Africa contains the bulk of the gold reserves that were formed during the Cambrian era.

The world championship in the extraction of tin, tungsten, cobalt, lead and copper also belongs to the vast expanses of the South African Republic. Uranium ores with a relatively high percentage of uranium (0.3%) are also concentrated in this region.

What minerals is North Africa rich in?

Most of all, in the territory of northern Africa, which is no less rich in minerals, the extraction of metals such as molybdenum, cobalt, lead and zinc is being developed. These mines were formed in the initial period of the Mesozoic, when, from a geographical point of view, the African plateau was actively developing.

The northern region is also rich in manganese, and oil fields are being actively developed in Morocco and northern Sahara. The territory from Libya to the Atlas Mountains is rich in phosphorite deposits, which are increasingly used in the modern chemical industry and metallurgy. The amount of phosphorite mined in these parts accounts for more than half of all phosphorite reserves in the world.

What are the mineral resources of West Africa?

Oil and coal are the main wealth concentrated in the Western part of the African plateau. In modern practice, active development of the latest techniques for the extraction of oil resources in these parts is being carried out.

If we consider the key, largest oil fields, then most of them can be found in the Niger Delta. In the West African region, non-ferrous metal ores, iron, tin, and tantalum ores are also actively mined and developed.

The West African coast is a very unique region. Its uniqueness lies in the location of particularly large natural gas pools. Thanks to stable mining in the deposits of the West African region, this part of the continent has a well-developed industrial sector. Over the past ten years, key minerals West Africa in the form of non-ferrous metals, have become the main support for the active development of the chemical industry, metallurgical and engineering industries.

Minerals of East Africa

East Africa's mineral resources include a wide variety of non-ferrous and precious metals. This part of the continent is often called the “copper belt”, which stretches from Katanga to the Congo, crossing Zambia and the eastern states, where rich deposits of uranium, manganese, gold, platinum, cobalt and copper are concentrated.

The subsoil of the eastern region is rich in large reserves of ore minerals. Platinum, gold, copper, manganese, nickel, thorium, niobium and iron are regularly mined here in moderate quantities. In some places there are unique deposits of piezoquartz, native sulfur, table salt and potassium salts, gypsum and mica.

It must be said that this region is not well developed economically and industrially, which significantly complicates and slows down the extraction of most of these natural resources.

Minerals of Central Africa

Conventionally, the equatorial part, rich in ore deposits, is divided into two regions:

North Guinean;
Congo Trench.

On modern maps of the African continent, where mineral resources are mined, the points where the main deposits of key mineral, igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks are located for each region are plotted. According to such maps and corresponding tables, the amount of minerals mined and mined is very uneven throughout Africa.

This unevenness is largely due to insufficient knowledge of the subsoil of certain regions, including the Western and Central parts of the African continent. On the other hand, the territories of countries such as Zaire, Cameroon and Gabon have been studied more thoroughly, which makes it possible to successfully mine precious metals and other minerals in the southern part of the region.

If we talk about the leading positions in mining in the central region, then it is especially worth noting the deposits of manganese, tin, copper, industrial diamond and cobalt.

The subsoil of the central territories is rich in large deposits of precious and rare earth metals, including gold, palladium and platinum. The mining of uranium ores is also actively developing here. The search for possible oil deposits is no less active on the shelf. Meanwhile, in Angola, granite, marble and diamonds are already being actively mined, and uranium, phosphorite, bauxite, manganese and iron mining sites are being revived.

Africa is not only a continent famous for its unique nature and culture; this continent is also rich in natural resources. Most of the continent is located in the equatorial zone, which provides optimal conditions for the growth of forests, which account for 10% of the total forest area of the Earth. Wood is the main commodity exported.

Another treasure of Africa is the Sahara Desert, whose depths hide huge reserves of fresh water. This continent contains the most large rivers planets that rightly bear the name of energy minerals of Africa.

Africa is the main supplier of resources for ferrous and chemical enterprises for the entire planet. The subsoil of Africa is rich in phosphorites, chromites, and titanium. The main reserves of cobalt, copper, manganese), as well as precious minerals and metals (diamonds, gold) globe concentrated on this continent. North Africa's mineral resources, which include sedimentary minerals, gas and oil, are of global importance. Southern and central Africa is prized for its igneous minerals - ferrous and non-ferrous ores, as well as diamonds.

Mineral deposits are determined by the formation of the continent's topography. In the north there are more lowlands and depressions, which were flooded by the seas, so coal and manganese ores were formed in the form of sediments. East and southern Africa are represented by plateaus and highlands, which historically formed on the site of vertical and horizontal movements of platforms, so this part is rich in diamonds, gold, and uranium ores.

This continent has such an unimaginable reserve that Africa’s mineral resources do not leave one free space on the map; literally every millimeter of area contains one or another mineral. Africa is famous for its ore deposits, the formation of which dates back to the birth of the Paleozoic. Currently, this platform is exposed on the equator and the south of the continent, and therefore these areas have become the concentration of ore deposits. Thanks to this “exposure” of ancient platforms, copper deposits in South Africa have become available to the population of the planet, chromite is being developed in Southern Rhodesia, Nigeria is famous for tin and tungsten, Ghana is famous for manganese, and the island of Madagascar may well provide the entire planet with graphite. But still, Africans thank the Paleozoic for the gold deposits. Perhaps in some areas Africa lags behind Western countries, but in this area this continent, represented by South Africa, has long and firmly held its position as a leader.

The Cambrian period of the formation of the earth's platforms is considered the beginning of the formation of the copper belt, which formed Africa's mineral resources such as copper, tin, cobalt, lead, tungsten and brought it to a leading position in the world. Africa ranks second in the development and extraction of the above-mentioned minerals. During this period, deposits of uranium and platinum ores formed on the continent. Iron ores were formed in the depths of the sea, but due to the deposition of sea salts, these African minerals are considered low-grade.

At the junction of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic, the continent's earth platform experienced a quiet period with a lack of movement of the earth's platforms, which allowed the formation of coal deposits, which are especially abundant in South Africa, Rhodesia, Congo and Madagascar.

The Sahara-Sudanese Plain of Africa is the most complex formation in structure, which has undergone faults and rock outcrops, uplifts and depressions of ancient foundations, and is valued for its deposits of iron, manganese ores and oil.

All states are usually divided into poor and rich. Prosperous countries include countries rich in mineral resources. Deposits of these resources are almost always inexhaustible and serve the state for quite a long time. Statisticians carried out calculations and identified the richest countries in the world.

On the one hand, it is rich in minerals only due to its area, and on the other, it needs to constantly work on transporting wood and building gas pipelines.

All innovations cost the state a lot of money. In terms of the availability of coal, Russia occupies an honorable 2nd place, and in gold production - 3rd place, since Africa is the leader in this matter.

US Fossils

The second place in the top is occupied by the United States of America. They have resources worth 45 trillion US dollars. They are not among the top ten in terms of black gold content, but the value of all the gas they own can be estimated at $3 trillion. This country is rich in timber ($10 trillion).

A third of the world's coal reserves are located in the United States. Today, it is its deposits that are most valued in the world. America has a lot of forests, so the country is famous for its timber exports. Forests are valued at $11 trillion. They occupy 11 trillion acres of land. It is known that almost 90% of all minerals are coal and wood. The USA ranks 5th in the world in copper, gold and gas content.

Fossils of Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is considered to be the third leader, because the total value of the region’s resources is equal to 34.4 trillion US currency. There are oil reserves on its territory worth $31.5 trillion, and Saudi Arabia has reserves of gas worth almost $3 trillion. In terms of wood content, Arabia is not among the top ten leaders.

It is in this country that black gold is mined in impressive quantities. Thus, the country has almost 20% of all the world's oil. Gas is produced there, the content of which Saudi Arabia ranks 5th in the world ranking. These deposits are not replenished, so in a few decades the state will leave the top ten.

Canada, Iran and China

Canada ranks 4th in terms of reserves. The total value of its resources is $33.2 trillion. The country's black gold reserves amount to $21 trillion, which corresponds to 178.1 billion barrels. The region is not in the top ten for natural gas content, but it contains $11.3 trillion worth of timber. The total forest area is 775 million acres.

A country like Canada was not among the top ten for a very long time until the oil sands deposit was discovered. Phosphates and phosphorites are mined in this state. Canada ranks 2nd in the world in the content of uranium ores and 3rd in the amount of timber.

Major mining areas in Canada

In terms of the number of fossils, it ranks 5th in the top ten. In Iran, the amount of oil is estimated at 16.1 trillion US dollars, and gas - at 11.2 trillion dollars. This country is considered to be rich in natural gas. Approximately 16% of the world's reserves are located here. Iran ranks 3rd in terms of oil production.

China took 6th place on the list. It does not have huge oil and gas reserves, but it can boast of its forest plantations. There are $6.5 trillion of them in the region. It contains 13% of the world's coal reserves.

Resources from other countries

Brazil ranks 7th. The main foreign exchange earnings come from iron ore and timber. Recently, offshore oil deposits were discovered in the region. 8th place should be given to Australia. The total value of its resources was 19.9 trillion American currency. In terms of oil and natural gas content, this territory is not among the top ten.

Australia is very rich in forests, coal, copper, and iron. The country is one of the leaders in gold production - 14.3%. There is also a huge amount of natural gas on its territory. The region shares this wealth with Indonesia, as natural gas is located on the border.

Iraq is in 9th place in terms of resource leaders. The total cost is 15.9 trillion US dollars, of which 13.6 trillion comes from the most sought-after fossils, such as oil, and 1.3% from natural gas. The region cannot take a leading position in terms of timber quantity.

Iraq has long been a leader in oil reserves. There are 115 billion barrels of it in the region and this corresponds to 1/10 of all world reserves. However, the state extracts and uses only a minimal part of this resource, since disagreements constantly arise in the country between the central government and Kurdistan. These 2 regions cannot share oil deposits among themselves. This region has many reserves of the element phosphorite ($1.1 trillion).

10th place in the list of wealthy countries belongs to Venezuela. The total value of its resources is $14.3 trillion. Of this amount, oil deposits account for almost $12 trillion, and natural gas is at the level of $2 trillion. In terms of gas quantity, the country ranks 8th in the top 10. Proven gas reserves amount to 5.4 trillion m³, i.e. 3% of the world reserve.

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Minerals of South Africa

The regions of Equatorial and Southern Africa contain the richest mineral deposits in the world.

Large deposits of chromite are located in Southern Rhodesia, Nigeria is rich in tungsten, and Ghana has manganese reserves.

The world's largest graphite deposits are located on the island of Madagascar. However highest value The economy of South African countries is driven by gold mining.

The main gold reserves are located in the Republic of South Africa. Gold ores here were formed back in the Cambrian period.

South Africa ranks first in the world in the extraction of such minerals as copper, lead, cobalt, tungsten and tin.

Also in this region there are unique uranium ores, the content of pure uranium in which reaches 0.3%.

Minerals of North Africa

In North Africa there are deposits of such minerals as zinc, lead, cobalt, and molybdenum.

These fossils formed in North Africa early Mesozoic era, during the period of active development of the African platform.

This region of the African continent is also rich in manganese. Oil-bearing sources are located in the region of Northern Sahara and Morocco.

Phosphorite-bearing zones are located between the Atlas Mountains and Libya. Phosphorites are used in the metallurgical and chemical industries, as well as in the production of agricultural fertilizers.

More than half of the world's phosphorites are mined in the North African phosphate zone.

Morocco ranks first among the countries in the world in the production of phosphorites.

Minerals of West Africa

The main wealth of the subsoil of West Africa is coal and oil.

Today, new methods of oil production in this region are being actively developed.

The main large deposits are located in the Niger Delta. West Africa is also rich in minerals such as niobium, tantalum and tin, iron ores, as well as non-ferrous ores.

The coastal regions of West Africa are home to large natural gas reservoirs.

The southern territories are rich in gold ores.

Active mining in West Africa has a beneficial effect on the development of industry in this part of the African continent. Thus, over the past decade, non-ferrous metallurgy, the chemical industry and mechanical engineering have reached a high level of development.

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Africa has a diverse range of mineral resources, many of which represent the richest deposits in the world. Available large reserves oil, coal, ores of ferrous and especially non-ferrous metals (iron, manganese, copper, zinc, tin, chromium), rare metals and uranium ores, and also boxy. Of the non-metallic minerals, the deposits of phosphorus and graphite are the most valuable.

Due to the fact that the ancient foundation of the platform is exposed mainly in the Equatorial and South Africa It is in these areas that all the most important deposits of ore minerals are concentrated. Deposits of copper in the Republic of South Africa, chromium in Southern Rhodesia, tin and tungsten in Nigeria, manganese in Ghana, and graphite on the island of Madagascar are associated with the metamorphization of the oldest Archean and Proterozoic formations.

It is known that Africa has long and steadily maintained the main place among the countries of the capitalist world in gold mining. Its main reserves are concentrated in the strata of the Proterozoic conglomerate in the Republic of South Africa (Johannesburg), and the mines are of particular value. Mineralization processes during the Cambrian period led mainly to the accumulation of polymetallic ores, as well as non-ferrous and rare metal ores.

Numerous deposits within this belt are mainly epigenetic, have a high metal content and provide the bulk of copper, the production of which Africa ranks second among capitalist countries. Along with copper, cobalt, lead, tin and tungsten are mined in this zone.

In Katanga, in the Kazolo-Shinkolobwe region, one of the world's most important uranium ore deposits with a very high uranium content (0.3-0.5%) is exploited. The second large area of Cambrian mineralization is concentrated in South Africa, where the formation of a number of large deposits occurred in connection with powerful outpourings of basic lavas and intrusions of granite batholis.

Complex processes of contact metamorphism culminated in the formation of large deposits of platinum ores, gold, chromium, and titanium-magnetic ores.

In addition to non-ferrous metal ores, South Africa has deposits of iron ores. Iron ores are generally of low grade; it is believed that most of them were deposited in brackish sea or ocean waters.

It is important to take into account that their accumulation, which began in the Precambrian, continued into the Silurian period. The main deposits are concentrated in the Pretoria area and in Capeland. The third area of concentration of Cambrian polymetallic ores is the Moroccan highlands of the Atlas Mountains, into which the oldest rocks of the entire mountain system are exposed.

Towards the end of the Paleozoic and the beginning of the Mesozoic era, when the African platform experienced a relatively calm tectonic stage of development and thick strata of continental sediments were deposited on its ancient axis, formations containing coal began to form. The coal basins of greatest industrial importance are in the Republic of South Africa, Northern and Southern Rhodesia, the Republic of the Congo (with its capital Leopoldville), Tanganyika and the island of Madagascar.

North of the equator, over a period of time, iron and manganese ores of sedimentary origin and oil accumulated in the continental sandstones of the Sahara. Much more favorable conditions for the formation of various minerals were established at the end of the Mesozoic era, when the sea transgressed to northern Africa from the Tethys geosyncline and faults began, leading to the separation of the African block, accompanied by active volcanism and the intrusion of large granite batholis.

The group of areas of platform Africa includes the territory of almost the entire African platform with the exception of its eastern edge - the Abyssinian Highlands, the Somali Peninsula and the East African Plateau.

On this huge area, anteclises and syneclises of the ancient foundation alternate many times, and therefore relief forms characteristic of outcrops of the ancient foundation and areas of development of the sedimentary cover replace each other.

The largest and most delicate in structure and relief region of the Sahara-Sudanese plains and plateaus occupies northern part platforms, from the Atlas Mountains to the North Guinea Plateau and the Azande Rise

In this area, the ancient foundation protrudes three times. In the west it is exposed in the plains of crystalline peneplain Karet-Yetti (up to 500 m high), in the area of the Raghibat shield

In the center, the ancient foundation is raised in the Ahaggar and Tibesti highlands and the southern spurs of Ahaggar (Adrar-Iforas and Lir plateaus). The uplift occurred along fault lines of northwest strike.

The faults are associated with volcanism and volcanic landforms of the phonolytic peaks of Ahaggar (Mount Takhat 3005 m), basal plateaus and dry volcanoes of Tibesti (Emi-Kycсu) - 3415 m).

On the eastern edge of the Sahara, the western wing of the Eritrean crystalline arch rises above the Red Sea by the blocky Etbai Ridge ( highest point Mount Ash-Shayib 2184m), steeply falling to the coast. The areas of outcrops of crystalline rocks and their characteristic relief forms are surrounded on all sides by covers of sedimentary deposits that make up low plains and mid-altitude plateaus.

Lowlands occupy a limited area within the region. In front of the Karetietti plains lies the Atlantic accumulative marine plain; a strip of lowland also stretches along the coast of Libya and the United Arab Republic. It occupies the zone of subsidence of the edge of the African plate to the Mediterranean geosynclinal region

In the UAR, in the lowlands, there are several depressions lying below sea level (the depth of Qattara reaches -133 m), developed by exogenous processes in monoclinal structures.

In front of the Atlas Mountains lies the forward trough of the platform, which only in the east, near the Gulf of Gabes, is expressed in relief as an area of recent subsidence.

The lowest parts of the depression, vast salt marsh plains (schotts), lie below ocean level (Melgir Shott has an elevation of -30 m). Most of the pre-Atlas trough is filled with sedimentary strata, composing foothill plateaus dissected by dry valleys. The crystalline peneplain of Karet Yetti is separated from Ahaggar by the low, flat plains of El Jof and the stepped plateau of Tanezruft.

The El-Jof plains occupy most of the Aravan-Tauden syneclise, filled with Paleozoic formations; The Tanezruft plateau constitutes the western link of the ring of kuesᴛᴏʙ ridges (tassili), developed in monoclinal sedimentary rocks uplifted along the slopes of Ahaggar and Tibesti.

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Africa. Physico-geographical sketch. Minerals

Africa has a diverse range of mineral resources, many of which represent the richest deposits in the world.

Deposits of ore minerals - iron, copper, zinc, tin, chromium ores, gold - are confined to the ancient foundation of the platform, composed of igneous and metamorphic rocks.

Their largest deposits are located in the south and east of Africa, where the foundation lies shallow and the ores are close to the surface. Here, in particular, there are deposits of gold and copper, the reserves of which Africa ranks first and second in the world.

Africa is famous for diamonds - the most valuable precious stones.

They are used not only as exquisite jewelry, but also as a material unsurpassed in hardness. Half of the world's diamonds are mined in Africa. Their deposits have been discovered on the southwest coast and in the center of Africa.

Deposits of non-metallic minerals - coal, oil, natural gas, phosphorites - occur in sedimentary rocks and cover the lower areas of the platform with a thick cover.

Huge oil deposits have been discovered in the northern Sahara and the coast of the Gulf of Guinea. Rich deposits of phosphorites, from which fertilizers are produced, are concentrated in the north of the continent. In sedimentary strata there are also ore minerals formed as a result of weathering of igneous and metamorphic rocks.

Thus, deposits of iron, copper, manganese ores and gold of sedimentary origin are common in western and southern Africa. The distribution of Africa's mineral resources continues to be studied.

Mineralization processes occurred mainly during the eras of ancient folding - in the Precambrian and at the beginning of the Paleozoic.

Due to the fact that the ancient foundation of the platform is exposed mainly in Equatorial and Southern Africa, it is in these areas that all the most important ore deposits are concentrated.

Deposits of copper in the Republic of South Africa, chromite in Southern Rhodesia, tin and tungsten in Nigeria, manganese in Ghana, and graphite on the island of Madagascar are associated with the metamorphization of the oldest Archean and Proterozoic formations.

However, gold is the most important among the Precambrian minerals.

Among the areas of Cambrian mineralization, the so-called Central African copper belt, which stretches from the Katanga region (in the southeast of Congo) through Northern and Southern Rhodesia to East Africa, stands out first of all. Numerous deposits within this belt are mainly epigenetic, have a high metal content and provide the bulk of copper, the production of which Africa ranks second among capitalist countries.

Along with copper, cobalt, lead, tin and tungsten are mined in this zone.

In Katanga, in the Kazolo-Shinkolobwe region, one of the world's most important uranium ore deposits with a very high uranium content (0.3-0.5%) is exploited. The second major area of Cambrian mineralization is concentrated in South Africa, where the formation of a number of large deposits occurred in connection with powerful outpourings of mafic lavas and intrusions of granitic batholiths.

Complex processes of contact metamorphism culminated in the formation of large deposits of platinum ores, gold, chromites, and titanomagnetite ores.

In addition to non-ferrous metal ores, South Africa has deposits of iron ores.

Iron ores are generally of low grade; It is believed that most of them were deposited in brackish sea or ocean waters. Their accumulation, which began in the Precambrian, continued into the Silurian period. The main deposits are concentrated in the Pretoria area and in Capeland. The third area of concentration of Cambrian polymetallic ores is the Moroccan highlands of the Atlas Mountains, into which the oldest rocks of the entire mountain system are exposed.

The mines of Morocco produce cobalt, molybdenum, zinc and lead.

Towards the end of the Paleozoic and the beginning of the Mesozoic era, when the African platform experienced a relatively calm tectonic stage of development and thick strata of continental sediments were deposited on its ancient skeleton, formations containing coals began to form. The coal basins of greatest industrial importance are in the Republic of South Africa, Northern and Southern Rhodesia, the Republic of the Congo (with its capital Leopoldville), Tanganyika and the island of Madagascar.

North of the equator, during this period of time, iron and manganese ores of sedimentary origin and oil accumulated in the continental sandstones of the Sahara.

Significantly more favorable conditions for the formation of various minerals were established at the end of the Mesozoic era, when the sea transgressed to northern Africa from the Tethys geosyncline area and faults began, leading to the isolation of the African block, accompanied by active volcanism and the intrusion of large granite batholiths.

Minerals of Africa - types, characteristics, structure

Due to the enormous size of the ancient central core, the African continent has a much smaller percentage of areas with extensive sedimentary formations of interest from the point of view of the presence of oil than any other continent. The only exception in this regard in interior Africa is part of western Uganda, on the border with the Congo. Here, in the vast graben of Lake Alberta, which is a limited fault depression filled with Tertiary sediments, there are oil outcrops among the development of much older crystalline rocks.

The remaining areas with any prospects are located mainly on the coastal plains bordering the continent.

In North Africa, west of Egypt, there is an extensive belt of sedimentary deposits stretching over 3,200 km.

Only the first exploratory studies have been carried out in Libya. In Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, under the auspices of the French government, prospecting work is underway near oil seeps. Drilling is already underway here.

Three small fields producing small amounts of oil are being developed in Algeria. Oil comes from tertiary sediments. Four fields were discovered in Morocco, the total production of which in 1946 was about 100 barrels per day. The age of oil-bearing sand rocks ranges from Jurassic to Tertiary.

Promising oil production areas in Africa

Along the west coast of Africa, south of Morocco, there are six areas that could benefit from exploration.

They are located intermittently along the coast over a considerable distance: from French West Africa to Angola.

Minerals of Africa: distribution and main deposits

Oil accumulations here are possible mainly in Cretaceous and Tertiary deposits. In Nigeria, where promising areas for the development of sedimentary formations extend far into the continent, exploratory drilling was carried out in Equatorial Africa and Angola, but the work did not yield positive results.

The vast Karoo basin in the Union of South Africa, in the south of the continent, is filled with thick strata of freshwater sediments of Gondwanan formations (age from Permian-Carboniferous to Triassic).

Exploratory drilling for oil, carried out in part by the government of the Union of South Africa, did not produce positive results, so from the point of view of the presence of industrial accumulations of oil, this area should be considered unpromising.

Although the presence of oil has not been discovered in the Gondwana formations, there are thick coal-bearing strata and accompanying deposits of bituminous shale, from which oil is obtained by distillation.

These shales are currently being mined on a small scale in Ermelo, located approximately 130 km southeast of Johannesburg. Similar deposits are found in the Gondwana formations in the Congo.

As a result search work On the east coast of Africa, two oil-prospective areas were identified, associated primarily with Mesozoic and Tertiary sediments.

The first region covers most of Southern Mozambique, and the second covers parts of Tangayinka, Kenya, Ethiopia, former Italian Somalia and British Somalia. Although commercial oil has not been discovered in any of these vast basins, US companies are currently searching intensively in Mozambique and Ethiopia. There are also some opportunities for oil in Eritrea, located further north on the Red Sea coast.

In the west of Madagascar, sedimentary strata ranging in age from Permian to Tertiary are developed.

The presence of tar sands and oil outcrops draws attention to this area as promising for oil. Shallow drilling, carried out intermittently by the government for many years, did not, however, produce any significant results.