Biographies Characteristics Analysis

Minerals were formed. Origin of minerals on Earth

What is a fossil?
Fossils (fossils, fossils) are evidence of the existence
life in prehistoric times. They are made up of the remains of the living
organisms completely replaced by minerals - calcite, apatite,
chalcedony.
Fossils are usually mineralized remains or
imprints of animals and plants preserved in the soil, stones,
hardened resins. Fossils are also called preserved
traces, for example, of the organism's feet on soft sand, clay, or mud.
How are fossils formed?
Fossils are formed during fossilization processes. She is
accompanied by the influence of various environmental factors during the passage
diagenesis processes - physical and chemical transformations, with
the transition of sediment into rock, which includes the remains of organisms.
Fossils form when dead plants and animals have not been
immediately eaten by predators or bacteria, and shortly after death were
covered with silt, sand, clay, ash, which excluded access to them
oxygen. During the formation of rocks from sediments, under the influence of
mineral solutions, organic matter decomposed and was replaced
minerals - most often calcite, pyrite, opal, chalcedony. At
this, thanks to the gradual course of the process of substitution, the external form and
elements of the structure of the remains were preserved. Usually saved only
hard parts of organisms, for example - bones, teeth, chitinous shells,
shells. Soft tissues decompose too quickly and do not have time to
be replaced by minerals.
Plants during fossilization are usually completely destroyed,
leaving the so-called. prints and nuclei. Plant tissues can also
be replaced by mineral compounds, most often silica,
carbonate and pyrite. Similar full or partial replacement of trunks
plants while maintaining the internal structure is called petrification
How is the age of fossils determined?
In geology, there are concepts of absolute and relative age.
The absolute age is determined by measuring the contents in mountain
rocks of radioactive isotopes and their decay products, such as uranium
and lead. Uranium turns into lead very slowly - its period
half-life exceeds 1 billion years. Knowing the ratios in the rock of uranium and
lead, as well as the half-life of uranium (for each isotope
known) it is possible to determine the age of the rocks and the rocks contained in them
fossils.
The relative age of rocks and fossils is determined by
the presence in this layer of other fossils that lived a small segment
time for which an absolute age was previously established. If a,
for example, the fossilized remains of fish were discovered in the same layer with
ammonite, which is already known to have existed only during
Upper Cretaceous period, then the remains of the fish will be Upper Cretaceous.
Where are fossils found?
Fossil remains of ancient animals and plants are localized in the strata
sedimentary rocks (limestones, clays, sands and sandstones) formed
in those geological periods in which these organisms lived. Exit locations
sedimentary rocks on the surface can be natural (river valleys,
cliffs, ravines, mountain ranges, etc.) and artificial (quarries, mines,
road cuts) origin.
As a rule, in places of extensive outcrops of sedimentary rocks
fossil finds are rare. However, the locations of large
Accumulations of interesting and unique fossils are rare. Known in the world
only a few dozen territories with large locations
fossils, where most of the specimens come from:
Petrified Wood - Petrified Forest, Arizona, USA
Fossilized Fish and Ferns - Green River Formation, Wyoming, USA
Dinosaurs - Gobi Desert, Mongolia
Ammonites and belemnites - deposits in Morocco; on about. Madagascar; in
Ulyanovsk and Saratov regions, Russia.
Teeth of ancient sharks - deposits in Morocco
Trilobites - deposits in Morocco; in the Leningrad region, Russia
Mammoths, woolly rhinos, cave bears are deposits in Canada;
in northern Siberia, Russia
Jurassic marine life (sea lilies, dinosaurs, fish) -
deposits near Stuttgart, Germany

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1.2.4. Minerals of sedimentary origin.

The largest number of types of mineral raw materials within the Arkhangelsk region is associated with sedimentary rocks, since they cover most of it.

Oil and combustible gas.

They occur on the territory of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug and are confined to many kilometers of sedimentary rocks of the Pechora Plate. Among the useful components are oil itself, combustible gas both in free form and dissolved in oil, paraffin and sulfur. The first geophysical studies for oil and gas in the district began in 1956. In 1966, the first gas field in the Nenets tundra was discovered, which was named Shapkinskoye. As a result of extensive exploration work on the territory of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, a real resource base has been created. Already today, geology has become the leading branch of the national economy, which employs a third of the working population of the region. 75 fields were discovered: 64 oil, 6 oil and gas condensate, 3 gas condensate, 1 gas, 1 gas and oil. The initial total resources are 2407 million tons of oil, 1170 billion cubic meters of free gas, 44 million tons of gas condensate, 133 billion cubic meters of dissolved gas. In terms of the richness of the subsoil with oil and gas resources, the Nenets Okrug ranks third after the Khanty-Mansiysk and Yamalo-Nenets Okrugs. In terms of raw materials, the Nenets Okrug accounts for about 53% of the oil and gas of the Timano-Pechora province. Despite the fact that 75 hydrocarbon deposits have been discovered in the Okrug, 4 deposits are currently in operation: Peschanoozerskoye (Kolguev Island), Kharyaginskoye, Ardalinskoye and Vasilkovskoye. 14 deposits have been prepared for industrial development, the rest are in various stages of prospecting and exploration. Oil on the territory of the district is not processed and is transported in its raw form outside of it. The Prirazlomnoye oil field and the Shtokman gas field were discovered on the shelf of the Barents Sea. According to the results of prospecting and exploration, the potential of the Barents Sea shelf is comparable in terms of resources to the West Siberian oil and gas province. In principle, the shelf forms a single large super-province with the Timan-Pechora province, which is a unique resource base for hydrocarbons. The oil companies of the USA, Norway, Finland, and Great Britain are showing great interest in the hydrocarbon resources of the Okrug. Since 1994, the Polar Lights joint venture, founded by Arkhangelskgeologia and the American company Conoco, has been producing oil at the Ardalinskoye field.

Coal

Several non-industrial coal deposits have been discovered on the southwestern slope of Pai-Khoi in the Karataikha river basin: Talatinskoye, Vas-Yaginskoye, Yangareyskoye, Kheyyaginskoye, Nyamdoyusskoye, Silovskoye. On the northeastern slope of Pai-Khoi and on the Volong River in the Northern Timan, coal manifestations have also been established. Their low-power interlayers have no industrial value because of the high ash content. In the most recent years, within the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, it was possible to trace the marginal part of the mine field with high-quality coals from the Vorgashorskaya mine, the largest in Vorkuta. Oil shale is widespread on the territory of the Nenets Okrug. Their reserves are estimated at about 5 billion tons.

bauxites

Bauxite consists mainly of hydrated aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 nH 2 O) and iron (III) oxide (Fe 2 O 3 mH 2 O), as well as silica SiO 2 and various impurities. In our region, bauxite deposits have been explored in the Plesek district. These are the Iksinskoye, Bulatovskoye, Plesetskoye and Denislavskoye deposits. They are among the largest bauxite deposits in Russia and the only ones in Europe. A distinctive feature of the North Onega bauxites is the presence in their composition, in addition to aluminum, of a number of valuable associated components. Bauxite deposits are located at shallow depths and are mined in an open pit. Bauxite is the main raw material for the industrial production of aluminum. In addition, North Onega bauxites are used to produce high-quality abrasives and electrocorundum, as well as refractory materials.

Gypsum and anhydrite.

The reserves of gypsum and anhydrite are especially large in the Arkhangelsk region. Gypsum is a mineral whose chemical composition is calcium sulfate hydrated with two water molecules CaSO 4 2H 2 O Anhydrite is a mineral that is anhydrous calcium sulfate. The largest deposits of gypsum and anhydrite are concentrated in the valleys of the Northern Dvina, Pinega and Kuloy rivers. The largest deposits are: Zvozskoye (on the Northern Dvina), Mehrengskoye (on the Mekhrenga River in the Plesetsk region), Pinezhskoye and Siyskoye (in the Pinega river basin). Gypsum is widely used in the national economy. It is a valuable chemical raw material and is used in the production of sulfuric acid, in the pulp and paper industry as a filler for paper, in the construction industry for the production of alabaster and cement, in agriculture for soil gypsum, in metallurgy, in medicine, for modeling and casting work. , in the production of paints. Selenite (fibrous gypsum) is used in the stone-cutting industry as a facing and ornamental stone.

Carbonate rocks (limestone and dolomite).

According to the chemical composition, limestone is calcium carbonate CaCO 3, and dolomite is calcium-magnesium carbonate CaMg (CO 3) 2. They are raw materials for the production of cement, are used in the pulp and paper industry, in agriculture - for liming soils, for obtaining lime, as rubble and crushed stone. The largest deposits of carbonate rocks are: Orletskoye in the Kholmogorsky district, Obozerskoye, Shvakinskoye, Kyamskoye and Yemetskoye in the Plesetsky district. The reserves of carbonate raw materials in the Arkhangelsk region are quite large.

Clay brick.

They are used to make bricks and tiles. The most suitable deposits from among the explored ones are: in the area of ​​Arkhangelsk - Uemskoye and Glinnikskoye, in the Onega district - Andskoye, in the Kholmogorsky district - Malotovrinskoye, Ukhostrovskoye and Khorobitskoye, in the Velsky district - Vazhskoye and Kochevskoye, in Krasnoborsky - Krasnoborskoye, in Verkhnetoemsky - Lebashskoye, in Mezensky - Mezenskoye, in Shenkursky - Pavlovsky, in Kargopolsky - Poluborsky, in Vinogradovsky - Semenovsky, in Ustyansky - Shangalsky, in Pinezhsky - Shotovsky, in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug - Naryan-Marskoye.

Expanded clay clays.

Some varieties of fusible clays and loams are suitable for the production of expanded clay, an artificial porous small-sized material used for heat and sound insulation, as a filler for concrete. The following deposits are known in the Arkhangelsk region: Kazarma (Kotlassky district), Kudemskoye (Primorsky district), Tesovka (Onega district), Berezniki (Vilegodsky district), Oktyabrskoye (Ustyansky district).

Clays are cement.

They are a valuable raw material used as one of the components in the production of cement. The deposits are located in the Plesetsk region (Timme and Sheleksa).

Building sands and gravel.

Sands, gravel and boulder material are essential for road construction and are used as aggregates for concrete and mortars. Deposits of various sizes are found throughout the region. The largest accumulations are the deposits of Normenga, Obloozero, Podyuga-Zvenyache, Nimenga, Malaya Rechka, Nyandoma-3, Nyandoma-5, etc. All of them are developed by an open pit (quarry).

Metal ore occurrences.

Metal manifestations are also known in sedimentary rocks. Strontium in the form of the mineral celestine (SrSO 4) is found near the village of Valtevo on the Pinega River. Manganese manifestations are known at Pai-Khoi.

The groundwater.

In terms of composition and use, groundwater can be divided into 3 large groups: fresh for domestic and drinking water supply, mineral medicinal and drinking water and brines - raw materials for chemical. processing to obtain edible salt and various substances for technical use.

Fresh waters.

The reserves of 16 largest fresh water deposits have been explored, calculated and approved, without taking into account the numerous outlets of fresh water in wells, springs, wells used for local needs in villages and settlements. In terms of their composition, fresh waters are mainly of the hydrocarbonate type. Most deposits are associated with limestone and dolomite aquifers. Fresh water is used for household and drinking water supply in Kargopol, Nyandoma, Velsk, Naryan-Mar and other settlements. One of the largest in the European part of Russia is the Permilovskoye and Tundro-Lomovoe underground fresh water deposits. They are located respectively 100 and 50 km from Arkhangelsk. The waters in them are low-pressure, hydrocarbonate in composition with a mineralization of 0.3-0.7 g/l. Occurring at depths of several tens of meters, they are quite reliably protected from the surface and are replenished by atmospheric precipitation and groundwater from neighboring areas. Fresh water reserves in these deposits are quite large and can provide water supply to Arkhangelsk and Severodvinsk for many years.

Mineral underground waters.

They are quite diverse in their chemical composition. For many centuries, sodium chloride, hydrogen sulfide sources and silt muds of Solvychegodsk have been used. In recent years, the Solvychegodsk resort began to use bromine waters explored by geologists for treatment. Approximately in the 17th century, the population of the North of Russia used the waters of the Talets spring in the valley of the river for medicinal purposes. Verkhovki on the Onega Peninsula. Its waters are similar in composition to the Narzan waters of the North Caucasus. In recent years, the Kurtyaevskoye deposit of hydrocarbonate-calcium chloride sodium waters has been explored here. In the 80s of the XX century, various types of mineral healing waters were found and explored in the vicinity of Arkhangelsk. So, in the resort of Belomorye, 40 km from Arkhangelsk, bromine chloride calcium-sodium water is used for drinking and bathing. Based on this deposit, Belomorskaya mineral water is bottled. Several types of mineral waters for drinking and bathing have also been found in Severodvinsk. They are used in medical institutions in Arkhangelsk and Severodvinsk. Chloride bromine-boron water is used in the Sosnovka sanatorium near Velsk. In 1985, in the city of Naryan-Mar, mineral water was found in 3 wells - on the territory of a fish factory, near the airport and in the village of Fakel. In 1995, after the purchase and debugging of equipment, the production of Naryan-Marskaya-1 mineral water began. Water from the well is diluted into 3 parts with fresh water, filtered and cooled to plus 4 degrees for better saturation with carbon dioxide in the saturator. After that, the water is sent for bottling.

Pickles.

These are highly mineralized underground waters. Within the region, they were known and widely used for salt production as early as the 12th century. At most old deposits, they have long been depleted and are not currently mined. In recent years, a large salt deposit of more than 100 g/l has been explored in the Koryazhma region. The exploitation of this deposit will make it possible to obtain large quantities of edible salt and a number of other chemicals for technical needs. In the Arkhangelsk region, a deposit of iodine waters suitable for obtaining solid iodine has been studied. Geological research in the Arkhangelsk region is ongoing and the discovery of new mineral deposits can be expected. Mineral deposits that are found on the territory of the Arkhangelsk region are marked on the map, which is placed in Appendix 2 of this work.

1.2.5. Prospects for the use of minerals in the Arkhangelsk region in the national economy.

The bowels of the European North are rich in natural resources. The geological exploration work carried out shows that the Arkhangelsk region occupies not only a central geographical position in the European North, but also the most important in terms of the prospects for the development of the mineral and raw materials and fuel and energy complexes. Opportunities for the use of minerals are currently far from being fully exploited. So far, the capacity of bauxite mines is small. The development of the metallurgical complex has great prospects. because outside the region it is more profitable to export products, not ore. The industrial development of northern bauxites can ensure a sufficient increase in aluminum production and the creation of a reliable raw material base for other alumina refineries in our country. There is reason to talk about the possibility of forming such industrial regions as Timan-Kaninsky, Novozemelsko-Amderma, the Wind Belt region, etc. Amderma deposits of fluorites, Timan agates are already known here, there are good prerequisites for discovering deposits of copper and polymetals on Novaya Zemlya, nickel, and titanium , manganese, polymetals, amber, precious stones and other important minerals on Timan, Pai-Khoi, Wind Belt. Iron ore deposits have been discovered in the Konosha region. Exploration work has shown that the region is rich in such minerals, which must first of all be used for the internal needs of the region. These are non-metallic raw materials and groundwater. The building materials industry is not well developed in the region. There is an acute shortage of them. Our region has sufficient stocks of raw materials for the building materials industry. The basalts of the Myandukha mountain can be used not only for the production of crushed stone, but also as a facing stone, for stone casting, the production of mineral canvas, cardboard, and cotton wool. Gypsum can be used not only as a building material, but also as a molding, ornamental, and also in agriculture, paper industry. There are very numerous deposits of sand and gravel material, which is suitable for road construction. Thinking about the prospects for the development of the region, it should be taken into account that the mineral resource complex of the region will give an incomparably greater return if the issues of not only extraction, but also processing of natural raw materials are resolved.

1.3. Methods for studying minerals.

To determine (diagnose) minerals, there is a complex of various methods, ranging from the simplest, superficial, to detailed studies using special instruments. In practice, the simplest is the definition of minerals by their external form - the morphological features of crystals and their aggregates. But this is possible only in those rare cases when the form of the mineral is typical and it is represented by sufficiently large crystals or homogeneous monomineral aggregates. To determine a mineral, morphological features alone are not enough, it is necessary to apply more complex methods, for example, studying the complex of its physical properties. The simplest chemical reactions help to establish the presence or absence of individual chemical elements in a mineral.

1.3.1. Methods for studying physical properties.

To establish whether a given sample belongs to a particular species, the external shape and physical properties of minerals are carefully studied by the totality of characteristic features, using a special reference guide for minerals. The course of determining the mineral is as follows. First of all, the hardness of the mineral is established. To do this, the tested mineral is drawn on known minerals or on objects with known hardness. Then the luster of the mineral is determined, for this it is necessary to find a fresh split surface. The color of the mineral and the color of the line, the nature of the fracture are noted. A mineral is determined by a complex of physical properties. The complex of physical properties of the minerals of the Arkhangelsk region is given in the appendix of this work.

1.3.2. Methods for studying the chemical composition.

In the field, you can make a preliminary qualitative analysis. For chemical analysis, solutions are often taken, obtained after the treatment of ores and minerals with acids, and they are also acted upon with solutions of reagents. But in the field, distilled water, necessary for the preparation of solutions, is impossible to get. In addition, experience shows that chemical reactions can also be carried out between solid substances if they are ground (the grinding method is one of the dry methods of qualitative analysis). Back in the 19th century, Professor of Kazan University Flavitsky F.M. He proved very convincingly that all reactions that were previously carried out in solutions also succeed when they are carried out between solid substances. Flavitsky even invented a pocket chemistry lab that could be used to carry out chemical reactions. It used pure salts. But it is extremely difficult to isolate a salt of any metal in its pure form from an ore or mineral in order to carry out a reaction between solid substances. But what if you carry out the reaction directly with the mineral? Practice has confirmed that in most cases this can be done. But sometimes the reaction may not occur. How to be then? As mentioned above, to obtain solutions, ores and minerals are treated with acids. Is it possible to decompose them without acids? It turns out you can. As you know, ammonium salts decompose when heated. For example, ammonium sulfate decomposes into ammonia, sulfur oxide (VI) and water. Ammonium chloride decomposes into ammonia and hydrogen chloride. Due to this feature of ammonium salts, they are used to decompose minerals. When minerals are heated with ammonium sulfate, sulfates of those metals that were part of the ore are formed. After decomposition, the mass has a light gray color. It is impossible to overheat the mass too much, because. some sulfates decompose to oxides when heated strongly. When the mineral is decomposed by ammonium chloride, metal chlorides are formed. But it must be taken into account that some chlorides evaporate with strong heating. These are iron (III) chloride, aluminum chloride, titanium (IV) chloride, antimony (V) chloride and some others. Thus, one must be able to choose the right ammonium salt, which would be suitable for the decomposition of ores and minerals. Analytical reactions can be carried out on the surface of minerals. To do this, a piece of mineral is beaten off with a geological hammer and a reaction is carried out at the site of a fresh fracture. It is also possible to first carefully clean the chosen place on the mineral with a steel knife in order to remove the surface layer and carry out the reaction on the exposed surface. A little of the desired reagent is placed on a cleaned place or a fresh fracture and rubbed on the smallest possible area with a glass rod. It is important that the end of the glass rod is not rounded, but flat, but without sharp edges. If the reaction on the surface did not give the expected result, this does not mean that the element being determined is absent. Then carry out the reaction with the crushed mineral. A small portion of the mineral is placed in a mortar and rubbed with a pestle as thoroughly as possible. The powder is then transferred to a porcelain crucible, the required reagent is added, and the mixture is triturated carefully and very thoroughly. Sometimes the mass needs to be moistened with breathing. To do this, they breathe on the crucible and take it away from the mouth during inhalation so that powdered reagents do not enter the respiratory tract. Humidification is also useful by adding a drop of distilled water to the crucible. If the reaction with the crushed mineral does not give a positive result, the crushed sample is decomposed by heating with ammonium sulfate. If the decomposition does not end the first time, then add a new portion of ammonium sulfate and continue heating. Continue heating until the emission of white smoke - sulfur oxide (VI) ceases.

1.3.3. The results of the study of minerals.

In the course of the work, the physical properties and chemical composition of 13 minerals were studied. All of them are found on the territory of the Arkhangelsk region. Of these, 7 minerals form deposits suitable for industrial development, and 6 minerals form ore occurrences that are not suitable for industrial development. Of the physical properties of minerals, the following have been studied: hardness, brilliance, transparency, color of the mineral, color of the line, fracture, density, brittleness. The chemical composition was studied by dry and wet methods. Of the 13 minerals, 1 was subjected to dry analysis only; 8 minerals - only wet analysis; 4 dry and wet. The analysis methods are included in the appendix. Table. Qualitative analysis of minerals and rocks of the Arkhangelsk region.

Minerals

chemical formula

dry method analysis

wet analysis

1 Anhydrite
2 Antimonite
3 Bauxite

Al 2 O 3 H 2 O

4 Galena
5 Gypsum

CaSO 4 2H 2 O

6 Dolomite

Sedimentary rocks (SGR) are formed during the mechanical and chemical destruction of igneous rocks under the action of water, air and organic matter.

Sedimentary rocks are rocks that exist under thermodynamic conditions characteristic of the surface part of the earth's crust and are formed as a result of redeposition of weathering products and destruction of various rocks, chemical and mechanical sedimentation from water, the vital activity of organisms, or all three processes simultaneously.

Under the influence of wind, sun, water and due to temperature differences, igneous rocks are destroyed. Loose fragments of igneous rocks form loose deposits and from them layers of sedimentary rocks of clastic origin are formed. Over time, these rocks are compacted and relatively hard dense sedimentary rocks are formed.

More than three-quarters of the area of ​​the continents is covered by the HGP, so they are most often dealt with in geological work. In addition, the vast majority of mineral deposits are genetically or spatially associated with the OGP. The remains of extinct organisms are well preserved in the OGP, which can be used to trace the history of the development of various parts of the Earth. Sedimentary rocks contain fossils (fossils). By studying them, you can find out what species inhabited the Earth millions of years ago. Fossils (lat. Fossilis - fossil) - fossil remains of organisms or traces of their vital activity belonging to previous geological eras.

Rice. Fossils: a) trilobites (marine arthropods found in the Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian and Devonian periods) and b) fossilized plants.

The starting material in the formation of the GCP are mineral substances formed due to the destruction of pre-existing minerals and rocks of igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary origin and transferred in the form of solid particles or dissolved matter. The science of "lithology" is engaged in the study of sedimentary rocks.

Various geological factors are involved in the formation of sedimentary rocks: the destruction and redeposition of the destruction products of pre-existing rocks, mechanical and chemical precipitation from water, and the vital activity of organisms. It happens that several factors take part in the formation of a particular breed at once. However, some rocks can be formed in different ways. So, limestones can be of chemical, biogenic or detrital origin.

Examples of sedimentary rocks: gravel, sand, pebbles, clay, limestone, salt, peat, oil shale, black and brown coal, sandstone, phosphorite, etc.

Rocks are not eternal and they change over time. The diagram shows the process of rock circulation.

Rice. The process of rock circulation.

On the basis of origin, sedimentary rocks are divided into three groups: clastic, chemical and organic.

Clastic rocks are formed in the processes of destruction, transfer and deposition of rock fragments. These are most often scree, pebbles, sands, loams, clays and loess. Clastic rocks are divided by size:

coarse clastic(> 2 mm); acute-angled fragments - gruss, crushed stone, cemented by clay shales, form breccias, and rounded fragments - gravel, pebbles - conglomerates);

  • medium clastic(from 2 to 0.5 mm) - form sands;

Fine-grained, or dusty- form loesses;

  • fine clastic or clayey (< 0,001 мм) – при уплотнении превращаются в глинистые сланцы.

Sedimentary rocks of chemical origin– salts and deposits formed from saturated aqueous solutions. They have a layered structure, consist of halide, sulfate and carbonate minerals. These include rock salt, gypsum, carnallite, flasks, marl, phosphorites, iron-manganese nodules, etc. (Table 2.4). They can be formed in a mixture with detrital and organic deposits.

Marl is formed by washing out calcium carbonate from limestones, contains clay particles, dense, light.

Iron-manganese nodules are formed from colloidal solutions and under the influence of microorganisms and create spherical deposits of iron ores. Phosphorites are formed in the form of cone-shaped concretions of irregular shape, at the confluence of which phosphorite slabs appear - deposits of gray and brownish phosphorite ores.

Rocks of organic origin are widely distributed in nature - these are the remains of animals and plants: corals, limestones, shell rocks, radiolarians, diatoms and various black organic silts, peat, black and brown coals, oil.

The sedimentary layer of the earth's crust is formed under the influence of climate, glaciers, runoff, soil formation, vital activity of organisms, and it is characterized by zonality: zonal bottom silts in the World Ocean and continental deposits on land (glacial and water-glacial in the polar regions, peat in the taiga, salts in desert, etc.). Sedimentary strata accumulated over many millions of years. During this time, the zoning pattern changed many times due to changes in the position of the Earth's rotation axis and other astronomical reasons. For each specific geological epoch, it is possible to restore the system of zones with the differentiation of sedimentation processes corresponding to it. The structure of the modern sedimentary shell is the result of the overlap of many zonal systems at different times.

In most of the world, soil formation takes place on sedimentary rocks. In the northern part of Asia, Europe and America, vast areas are occupied by rocks deposited by glaciers of the Quaternary period (moraine) and the products of their erosion by melted glacial waters.

Moraine loams and sandy loams. These rocks are characterized by a heterogeneous composition: they are a combination of clay, sand and boulders of various sizes. Sandy loamy soils contain more SiO2 and less other oxides. The color is mostly red-brown, sometimes pale-yellow or light brown; the build is tight. A more favorable environment for plants is represented by moraine deposits containing boulders of calcareous rocks.

Cover clays and loams- boulderless, fine-earth rocks. Consist predominantly of particles smaller than 0.05 mm in diameter. The color is brownish-yellow, for the most part they have fine porosity. They contain more nutrients than the sands described above.

Loess-like loams and loesses are boulderless, fine-earth, carbonate, pale-yellow and yellow-yellow, finely porous rocks. Typical loess is characterized by the predominance of particles with a diameter of 0.05-0.01 mm. There are also varieties with a predominance of particles with a diameter of less than 0.01 mm. The content of calcium carbonate ranges from 10 to 50%. The upper layers of loess-like loams are often freed from calcium carbonate. The non-carbonate part is dominated by quartz, feldspars, and clay minerals.

Red-colored weathering bark. In countries with a tropical and subtropical climate, fine-earth deposits of the Tertiary age are widespread. They are distinguished by a reddish color, highly enriched in aluminum and iron, and depleted in other elements.

A typical example is laterite, a red-colored rock rich in iron and aluminum in hot and humid tropical regions, formed as a result of rock weathering.

Rice. Lateritic weathering crusts

Indigenous breeds. In large areas, pre-Quaternary marine and continental rocks, united under the name "bedrocks", come to the surface. These breeds are especially common in the Volga region, as well as in the foothills and mountainous countries. Among the bedrocks, carbonate and marl loams and clays, limestones, and sandy deposits are widespread. It should be noted that many sandy bedrocks are enriched in nutrients. In addition to quartz, these sands contain significant amounts of other minerals: micas, feldspars, some silicates, etc. As a parent rock, they differ sharply from ancient alluvial quartz sands. The composition of the bedrocks is very diverse and insufficiently studied.

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Minerals of Russia

Almost all types of minerals are available in sufficient quantities in our country.

Iron ores are confined to the crystalline basement of ancient platforms. The reserves of iron ore are large in the region of the Kursk magnetic anomaly, where the foundation of the platform is highly elevated and covered by a sedimentary cover of relatively small thickness. This allows you to mine ore in quarries. A variety of ores are confined to the Baltic Shield - iron, copper-nickel, apatite-nepheline (used for the production of aluminum and fertilizers) and many others. In the cover of the ancient platform on the East European Plain, there are various minerals of sedimentary origin. Coal is mined in the Pechora basin. Between the Volga and the Urals. in Bashkiria and Tataria, there are significant reserves of oil and gas. Large gas fields are being developed in the lower reaches of the Volga. In the north of the Caspian lowland, in the area of ​​lakes Elton and Baskunchak, rock (cooking) salt is mined. Large reserves of potash and table salts are being developed in the Cis-Urals, in Polissya and in the Carpathians. In many areas of the East European Plain - in the Central Russian, Volga, Volyn-Podolsk uplands, limestone, glass and construction sand, chalk, gypsum and other mineral resources are mined.

Within the Siberian platform, various deposits of ore minerals are confined to the crystalline basement. Large deposits of copper-nickel ores, cobalt and platinum are associated with the intrusion of basalts. In the area of ​​their development, the largest city of the Arctic, Norilsk, has grown. The granite intrusions of the Aldan shield are associated with reserves of gold and iron ore, mica, asbestos and a number of rare metals. In the central part of the platform, volcanic tubes of explosions formed along narrow basement faults. In Yakutia, a number of them carry out commercial diamond mining. In the sedimentary cover of the Siberian platform there are large deposits of coal (Yakutia). Its production increased sharply with the construction of the Baikal-Amur Railway. In the south of the platform, the Kansko-Achinsk brown coal deposit is located. In the depressions of the sedimentary cover there are promising oil and gas fields.

On the territory of the West Siberian Plate, minerals of only sedimentary origin have been discovered and are being developed. The foundation of the platform lies at a depth of more than 6 thousand meters and is not yet available for development. In the northern part of the West Siberian plate, the largest gas fields are being developed, and in the middle - oil fields. From here, gas and oil are supplied through pipelines to a number of regions of our country and the states of Western and Eastern Europe.

The most diverse in their origin and composition are mineral deposits in the mountains. Deposits of minerals are associated with ancient folded structures of the Baikal age, similar in composition to the fossils of the basement of ancient platforms. In the destroyed folds of the Baikal age there are deposits of gold (Lena mines). In Transbaikalia, there are significant reserves of iron ores, polymetals, cuprous sandstones, and asbestos.

The Caledonian folded structures combine mainly deposits of both metamorphic and sedimentary minerals.

The folded structures of the Hercynian age are also rich in various minerals. Iron and copper-nickel ores, platinum, asbestos, precious and semi-precious stones are mined in the Urals. Rich polymetallic ores are being developed in Altai. In the depressions among the folded structures of the Hercynian age there are gigantic reserves of coal.

In the spurs of the Kuznetsk Alatau there is an extensive Kuznetsk coal basin.

In areas of Mesozoic folding, there are deposits of gold in the Kolyma and in the spurs of the Chersky ridge, tin and polymetals in the Sikhote-Alin mountains.

In Cenozoic mountain structures, mineral deposits are less common and not as rich as in mountains with older folded structures. The processes of metamorphism and, consequently, mineralization proceeded weaker here. In addition, these mountains are less destroyed and their ancient inner layers often lie at a depth that is not yet available for use. Of all the mountains of the Cenozoic age, the Caucasus is the richest in minerals. As a result of intense fractures of the earth's crust and outpourings and intrusions of igneous rocks, mineralization processes proceeded more intensively. Polymetals and copper are mined in the Caucasus. tungsten, molybdenum and manganese ores.

Minerals of sedimentary rocks

On the surface of the Earth, as a result of the action of various exogenous factors, sediments are formed, which are subsequently compacted, undergo various physicochemical changes - diagenesis, and turn into sedimentary rocks. Sedimentary rocks cover about 75% of the surface of the continents with a thin cover. Many of them are minerals, others contain them.

There are three groups of sedimentary rocks:

Clastic rocks resulting from the mechanical destruction of any rocks and the accumulation of the resulting debris;

Clay rocks, which are the product of predominantly chemical destruction of rocks and the accumulation of clay minerals that have arisen in this case;

Chemical (chemogenic) and organogenic rocks formed as a result of chemical and biological processes.

When describing sedimentary rocks, as well as igneous rocks, one should pay attention to their mineral composition and structure. The first is a defining feature for chemical and organogenic rocks, as well as clayey ones in their microscopic study. Clastic rocks may contain fragments of any minerals and rocks.

The most important feature characterizing the structure of sedimentary rocks is their layered texture. The formation of layering is associated with the conditions of sediment accumulation. Any change in these conditions causes either a change in the composition of the deposited material or a stop in its supply. In the section, this leads to the appearance of layers separated by bedding surfaces and often differing in composition and structure. The layers are more or less flat bodies, the horizontal dimensions of which are many times greater than their thickness (thickness). The thickness of the layers can reach tens of meters or not exceed fractions of a centimeter. The study of layering provides a great deal of material for understanding the paleogeographic conditions under which the studied sedimentary sequence was formed. For example, in seas at a distance from the coast, under conditions of a relatively calm regime of water movement, parallel, primarily horizontal layering is formed, in coastal-marine conditions - diagonal, in sea and river flows - oblique, etc. An important textural feature of sedimentary rocks is also porosity, which characterizes the degree of their permeability for water, oil, gases, as well as stability under loads. Only relatively large pores are visible to the naked eye; smaller ones are easy to detect by checking the intensity of water absorption by the rock. For example, rocks that have a thin, invisible porosity stick to the tongue.

The structure of sedimentary rocks reflects their origin - clastic rocks consist of fragments of older rocks and minerals, i.e. have a clastic structure; clayey are composed of the smallest grains of predominantly clay minerals invisible to the naked eye - pelitic structure; chemobiogenic have either a crystalline structure (from clearly visible to cryptocrystalline), or amorphous, or organogenic, isolated in cases where the rock is an accumulation of skeletal parts of organisms or their fragments.

Most sedimentary rocks are the product of weathering and erosion of material from pre-existing rocks. A minor part of precipitation comes from organic material, volcanic ash, meteorites, mineralized waters. There are sediments of terrigenous (Table 1.), sediments of organic, volcanic, magmatic and extraterrestrial origin.

Table 1. Material composing sedimentary rocks

Primary Components

Secondary Components

clastic

Released by chemical means

Introduced

Formed in the process of changing the breed

Debris

Quartzites

Crystalline schists, phyllites, clayey (slate) schists

Sandstones

Coarse pyroclastic rocks (volcanic bombs, debris)

Shards of glass, volcanic ash

grains of minerals

Chalcedony, flint, jasper

Feldspar

Muscovite

magnetite, ilmenite

Hornblende, pyroxene

clay minerals

Calcite, other carbonates

Opal, chalcedony (quartz)

Glauconite

Manganese oxides

carbonate material

Anhydrite

Opal, chalcedony

Carbonates

Iron hydroxides

micaceous minerals

Anhydrite

Glauconite

Minerals extracted from sedimentary rocks

Sedimentary rocks are of exceptional practical and theoretical importance. In this respect, no other rocks can compare with them.

Sedimentary rocks are the most important in practical terms: these are minerals, foundations for structures, and soils.

Mankind extracts more than 90% of minerals from sedimentary rocks. Most of them are taken only from sedimentary rocks: oil, gas, coal and other fossil fuels, aluminum, manganese and other ores, cement raw materials, salts, fluxes for metallurgy, sands, clays, fertilizers, etc.

Ores of ferrous and non-ferrous metals. The main metal of modern technology - iron is extracted almost entirely (more than 90%) from sedilites, if we take into account the Precambrian ferruginous quartzites, which are currently metamorphic rocks, but retain their original sedimentary material composition. The main ores still remain young Meso-Cenozoic oolitic marine and continental deposits of alluvial, deltaic and coastal-marine types and weathering crust of tropical countries: Cuba, South America, Guinea and other countries of Equatorial Africa, the islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, Australia. These ores are usually pure, readily available for open pit mining, often ready for the smelting process, and their reserves are colossal. They begin to compete with ferruginous quartzites, or jaspilites, of the Archean and Proterozoic, gigantic, the reserves of which are available on all continents, but they require enrichment. They are also developed in an open way, for example, in the Mikhailovsky and Lebedinsky quarries of the KMA, in Ukraine, in South Australia and other countries. In addition to these two main types, siderite ores of the Proterozoic (Riphean) Bakala (Bashkiria) are important. Other types are lacustrine-swampy (the iron ore plants of Petrozavodsk worked on them under Peter 1), volcanogenic-sedimentary (limonite cascades, etc.), siderite concretions of paralytic coal-bearing strata are secondary.

Manganese ores are 100% mined from sedimentary rocks. The main types of their deposits are shallow marine, confined to sponolites, sands, and clays. These are the giant deposits of Nikopol (Ukraine), Chiatura (Western Georgia), the eastern slope of the Urals (Polunochnoe, Marsyaty, etc.), as well as Laba (Northern Caucasus) and Mangyshlak. The most striking thing is that almost all of them are confined to a narrow time interval - the Oligocene. The second type is volcanic-sedimentary ores of the Paleozoic, mainly Devonian: in the Urals in the Magnitogorsk eugeosynclinal trough, often in jaspers; in Kazakhstan - in the depressions of the Atasu region, etc. Iron-manganese nodules of the oceans - minor ores for manganese. This metal can only be mined along with cobalt, nickel, copper.

Chrome ores, on the contrary, are mined mainly from igneous rocks, and sedimentary rocks account for only 7%.

All other components of ferrous metallurgy - fluxes - lowering the melting point (limestones), coke (coking coals), foundry sands - are mined entirely from sedimentary rocks.

Ores of non-ferrous and light metals are 100-50% mined from sedimentary rocks. Aluminum is completely smelted from bauxites, as is magnesium ores from magnesites of sedimentary genesis. The main type of bauxite deposits are modern or Meso-Cenozoic lateritic weathering crusts that develop in the tropical humid belt of the Earth. Other types are redeposited lateritic weathering crusts of near (colluvium, alluvium, karst strips) or somewhat more distant (coastal lagoon and other quiet zone) weathering. The largest such deposits are the Lower Carboniferous Tikhvin, Middle Devonian Krasnaya Shapochka, Cheremukhovskoye and other deposits that make up the North Ural bauxite region (SUBR), North American (Apkansas and others), Hungarian and others.

Magnesium is extracted mainly from magnesites and partly from dolomites of sedimentary genesis. The largest in Russia and the world are the Riphean Satka deposits in Bashkiria of a metasomatic, obviously catagenetic, genesis after primary dolomites. The thickness of the magnesite bodies reaches many tens of meters, and the thickness of the thickness is 400 m.

Titanium ores are 80% sedimentary, placer (rutile, ilmenite, titanomagnetites, etc.), consisting of residual minerals mobilized from igneous rocks.

Copper ores are 72% sedimentary - cuprous sandstones, clays, shales, limestones, volcanic-sedimentary rocks. For the most part, they are associated with red-colored arid formations of the Devonian, Permian, and other ages. Nickel ores are 76% sedimentary, mainly weathering crusts of ultrabasic rocks, lead-zinc ore is 50% volcanic-sedimentary, hydrothermal-sedimentary, and tin - cassiterite placers - 50% sedimentary.

Ores of "small" and rare elements are l00-75% sedimentary: 100% zircon-hafnium (placers of zircons, rutiles, etc.), 80% cobalt, 80% rare earth (monazite and other placers) and 75 % tantalum-niobium, also largely placer.


Origin of minerals on earth.

Hypothesis.

We are so accustomed to the existence of minerals on Earth that we don’t even think about thinking: “How did they appear on Earth?”. We believe that all this is natural, like morning after night. The Earth, of course, created minerals so that “homo sapiens”, who appeared among the animal world of the Earth, could use them to progress in his life and work, and create comfortable living conditions for himself, justifying the saying that man is the crown of Nature’s creation. . But let's follow the path - where and what came from.

According to modern scientific knowledge, the Earth is arranged as follows. At its center is a core composed primarily of iron, silicon, and nickel. Its radius is about 3.5 thousand km. Above the core is a mantle about 2900 km thick, the substance of which consists mainly of oxygen, magnesium, silicon and a small amount of iron. It also contains a number of other elements, but all of them together make up only 10% of the first four. All this is covered by the earth's crust, the average thickness of which is about 35 km. . (The crust is thinner under oceans and thicker under mountains.) 99% of the earth's crust consists of eight elements, namely: oxygen - 62.5%, silicon - 21%, aluminum - 6.5% and iron, magnesium, calcium, sodium and potassium - the amount of each of them is approximately 1.5 % to 2%.

As you can see, everything has its place, its chemical composition and is adapted to its location. Temperatures in the depths of the Earth now also do not cause concern. They have stabilized. The internal matter is in a state of cooling, which lasts for about a billion years. Of course, there are still pockets of active volcanic activity, but they are local, not global. In the mantle under the crust, the temperature is already below the temperature of the melt of matter. Under the continents, it is 600-700 0 С, however, with increasing depth, the temperature rises and in the Gutenberg layer it is already 1500-1800 0 С, and in the core - 4000-5000 0 С.

Was it always like this? Let's look deep into the history of the Earth, which begins with a cloud of gas and dust from which the solar system was formed. This cloud was vast, that is, it had dimensions approximately the same as the real solar system. All alien space bodies, falling within the limits of this cloud, ceased to exist independently, and became part of this cloud.

The cloud, rotating, turned into a fairly flat disk with a ball-Sun in the center. The particles of the cloud, attracted to each other, already created some large formations, which, increasing and more and more intensively attracting free particles, eventually turned into planets. (More information can be found in the materials of the site

The original solar system consisted of the Sun and ten planets. These were: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Phaeton, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. There was no Pluto, satellites of the planets, asteroids, meteorites and comets.

The sun at its early age was somewhat larger, had a higher surface temperature and, consequently, a greater power of energy emission. In it, as in other stars, internal processes began to take place, which led to outbreaks, like “new stars”. They occurred about once every 30 thousand years and were accompanied by the ejection of solar matter, which then, under the pressure of the heat and light of the Sun, was pushed away, reaching the most distant planets. This substance consisted of elements, mainly the upper part of the periodic table. Substance layer by layer settled on the planets, increasing their mass. Naturally, it was homogeneous, although the layers could differ from each other in the percentage of any element. And the substance of which the Earth consisted at the stage of formation was also practically the same in any place and at any depth, since it was the substance of a gas and dust cloud, which was also nothing more than an arbitrary mixture of various elements and their compounds.

With an increase in the mass of the Earth, and with it the internal pressure, processes began to occur in its depths, apparently at the atomic level (meaning not the chemical combination of elements, but the transformation of an atom of one element into an atom of another with the release of energy), which led to heating the entire mass of the earth. Temperatures, especially in the depths, became so high over time that the molten substance already had the opportunity to move, taking place according to its specific gravity - heavy - closer to the center, and light - to the surface.

In science, there is confidence that the heating of the Earth was carried out by radioactive elements, and first of all - uranium. Without completely denying this version, I would like to express some doubts about this.

The uranium involved in the heating of the Earth, of course, would not be enough to heat up the entire mass of the Earth, and then maintain this temperature for 4 billion years, so we remain of the opinion that other reactions take place here, with the rearrangement of atoms of some elements into atoms of others. These reactions are possible at high pressures and temperatures. High temperature is not only used by the element for action, but also gives it the opportunity to produce energy itself. It is assumed that in this reaction the energy produced exceeds the energy consumed.

The heating, which began in the central part, gradually began to involve the overlying layers in this process, which led to the heating of the entire body of the planet. Of course, the heat loss of the outer layer was more significant, so the temperature on the surface was much lower than in the depths, however, this process was reflected more noticeably on the upper layer. The underlying layers, heating up, melted and, expanding, mixed. The upper shell layer, heating up and expanding in all directions, warped, breaking apart, forming mountains and cracks into which the molten substance of the earth's interior rushed.

Now we will consider these same processes with some use of chronology.

3500 million years ago, the Earth is already an established planet, although it is still cold, but a process has already begun inside it, which will subsequently lead to its heating. This period in geochronology is called Archaean. In the Late Archean, science already fixes ore formation, but we will focus our attention on the period following the Archean, which is called the Proterozoic, which means earlier life, and as we will see, during this period no life simply could exist.

The Proterozoic consisted of three periods. The lower one began 2600 million years ago, the middle one - 1900 million years ago, and the upper one - 1600 million years ago. The Upper Proterozoic lasted 1030 million years. The total time of the Proterozoic, which lasted approximately 2 billion years, was the time of hell on Earth. In numerous centers of ore formation, the molten substance of the bowels poured out, covering vast areas of tens and hundreds of kilometers. This substance flowed like a river or formed lakes of melt, which, due to the high temperatures of the Earth's surface, cooled down for a long time, having time to enter into chemical reactions with atmospheric hydrogen sulfide and with the substance of the soil surrounding it. The temperatures of the molten substance can be judged by the metals that were in the melt.

If the ores contained chromium or titanium, then the temperature should have been at least 2000 0 С, and if tungsten, then even higher than 3500 0 С.

The eruption of molten matter from the bowels lasted for some time, after which there was a period of calm. Apparently, in the depths, as a result of reactions that continued constantly, a derivative substance accumulated, and when a certain critical volume was reached, these reactions passed into a different phase with a large release of energy, which led to a splash of substance from the depths outward.

In various ore deposits, geology currently usually detects several active phases of ore formation. They are counted. It turns out that there are up to ten such active phases of ore formation and even more.

Even in ore formation, it is of interest that, in fact, various ores are obtained from the same source material with numerous accompanying elements, both metals and non-metals. Of course, one cannot even assume that some elements, under the influence of unknown forces, would be drawn to their source of ore formation: some to copper, some to iron, and someone else to some other. This simply could not be. However, sometimes in the centers of ore formation, the presence of metals is estimated at tens of percent. They couldn't just move to this place.

It can be assumed that the range of the ore deposit was influenced by temperature and some other accompanying conditions that determined which element should be the main one in any particular case, that is, something like the specialization of the deposit. Maybe science will be able to determine this, but so far only a statement of facts.

Ore formation consisted of at least two stages. At the first stage, this or that element was “baked” in its pure form and a number of accompanying elements in a smaller amount, and in the second stage, a whole series of transformations of this element was already possible from the formation of so-called solid solutions with other elements, to chemical reactions, as in the vent, and at the exit to the surface. The red-hot ore, in most cases, did not oxidize, since there was no pure oxygen in the atmosphere, but it certainly entered into compounds with hydrogen sulfide, which is abundant in the atmosphere. Perhaps that is why the vast majority of ores are compounds with sulfur.

In my story book - “The Sun is the basis of everything”, I repeatedly point out the various actions of Nature that can be considered planned, that is, it seems to be carrying out the life cycle program (in this case on Earth). And the formation of ores is another confirmation of this. Science knows that in the Archaean, the Earth's atmosphere consisted of 60% carbon dioxide. Hydrogen sulfide and ammonia followed. All other gases accounted for no more than 10%. If the giant vegetation in the Carboniferous period 350-285 million years ago freed the air from carbon dioxide, hiding carbon, the atmosphere in tree trunks, which are now resting under solar emissions, becoming coal, then the release of the Earth's atmosphere from hydrogen sulfide occurred in the Proterozoic, and this was done ore deposits.

Now we need to draw some conclusions and move on to something concrete. As before, I will refer to the materials of my website and blog. I'll start with the undeniable. This is the statement that everything in the solar system is received from the sun.

The sun exploded like a supernova, and, dispersing all its matter, formed a gas and dust cloud, where, among other elements, helium and its isotope, helium-3, were present. Naturally, the young Earth formed from this substance already had in its mass a certain amount of the helium isotope. Apparently, this was planned by nature for all time, in order to start the development of the planets from somewhere. Knowing this, it is already possible to say more confidently that the heating of the Earth's body was carried out using the energy of helium-3.

What is so special about this isotope of helium? Why is he, and not some other element, endowed with such energy?

In reality, all the atoms, without exception, that accumulate this energy in the atomic nucleus, are endowed with high energies, but the fact is that the nucleus of the atom is usually very strong, and this is an obstacle to the availability of obtaining this energy. However, there are several elements whose nuclei are not so stable. These are, firstly, the isotopes of hydrogen - deuterium and tritium, and the isotope of helium-4 - helium-3. Why are they unstable?

The body is in a stable state only when it has three points of support. (See the above website and blog). This applies to everything that surrounds us, including the particles of the nucleus of an atom. Particles of deuterium, tritium and helium-3 do not have three points of support (contact) with each other, therefore, they are in an unstable state. This made it possible, using deuterium and tritium, to create a hydrogen bomb, and helium-3 promises to solve the problem of high energies for earthlings. The development of helium-3 is the hope of mankind.

But where there is great energy, there is also great risk. And suddenly there will be too much energy and it will turn into a repetition of hell, like the one that was in the Proterozoic? After all, the diameter of the Earth, thanks to solar emissions, has increased by kilometers. To our delight, this will not happen. After all, the main amount of helium-3 "burned out" back in the Proterozoic. But science has discovered large reserves of helium-3 on the moon. It turned out that there is so much of it that you can scoop directly from the surface with bulldozers and scoops. It is located in the substance of solar emissions that has settled on the Moon, which is there in its original state. On Earth, helium-3 is extremely scarce. And, it would seem, it should have been different. After all, the same substance of solar emissions settles on the Earth and ten times more than on the Moon. What is the reason?
There are different answers to this question.

The primordial preservation of the substance of solar emissions on the Moon can be explained by the fact that there is no atmosphere on the Moon. Under Earth conditions, in the presence of an atmosphere, helium-3 may have simply been squeezed out by heavier gases in the air, and now it is in the uppermost layers of the atmosphere. Other. Perhaps, being exposed to the atmosphere and wildlife of the Earth, he reacted to these influences, expending his potential energy? More. Perhaps he contributed to the transformation of soil into soil? Or maybe this list of reasons is not limited to this and something else that we do not know could contribute to this? But we now know what great importance the helium-3 isotope had for the Earth.
The energy of helium-3, which came from the gas and dust cloud during the formation of the Earth as a planet, heated up the body of the Earth, creating the core of the Earth, the mantle and transforming the surface of the Earth, that is, hills, depressions and mountains appeared on the Earth.

Through the faults and cracks of the earth's crust, lava flows poured out to the surface, having temperatures of molten matter of thousands of degrees, in which the reactions of the destruction of the atom and the creation of atoms of almost all elements that exist today took place.

Of great importance for the emergence of life on Earth was the fact that molten ores, reacting with hydrogen sulfide in the Earth's atmosphere, freed the Earth's atmosphere from this aggressive compound.

And, of course, all the ore deposits of the Earth appeared only thanks to the energy of helium-3. Man gratefully uses these ores and minerals.

I would like to discuss. Is it possible now, having created the conditions of the Proterozoic, that is, high temperatures and pressure, to obtain artificially created elements that we need? Well, for example, the dream of alchemists - gold?

Here, apparently, it is appropriate to answer the question with a question: “Didn’t the ancient descendants of the Martians (see the above site and blog) get gold artificially?” If it were mined in Egypt or in other places of colonization of the Earth in the same way as it is mined by modern prospectors, then would it be worth the price for them, as copper is for us now? Why is there so much gold? We read: “The pharaoh has gold like sand”, “The conquistadors demanded, as a ransom, to cover the entire room with gold up to the windows.”

Is it possible with modern knowledge to realize the dream of alchemists? If we think about it, we might come up with something. After all, Nature endowed a reasonable person with semi-finished products (aluminum, silicon, magnesium, etc.) and even showed how many metals and minerals can be made from them. And gold itself can tell you how to “bake” it from silicon or magnesium.

Well! There is a direction. It remains only to find the right path.


PS
This is the promised sensational message, which, like the previous ones, apparently will also be inaccessible to the broad masses of the people. Here in LiveJournal, it is securely hidden behind seven seals.

Sedimentary rocks are those rocks that originated from the decomposition of volcanic rocks or from deposits of organic matter.

Sedimentary rock formation

Sedimentary rocks are formed under the influence of a combination of factors, which include:

  • flowing water.
  • Wind.
  • Temperature fluctuations.
  • activity of microorganisms.

All of these factors contribute to the decomposition into small particles of volcanic rocks or organic substances. Then the resulting particles are again deposited in the bowels, and, over time, under the influence of temperature, pressure, etc. they grow back together. This is how sedimentary rocks are formed from volcanic rocks.

In the case when organic substances serve as the basis, the particles of dead animals or plants are gradually deposited in large layers, capturing each other. Under the influence of water, various gases, minerals, salts, etc. they are compressed and take the form of a continuous rock. This type, for example, includes limestone, in the structure of which shells can be seen (because this stone is formed from dead crustaceans).

Coal and peat are also sedimentary rocks. At the same time, coal was formed many centuries ago from dead trees covered with a huge layer of dirt, and peat was formed from dead particles of swamp mosses.

Locations of sedimentary rocks

Since sedimentary rocks are formed under the influence of external influences, they mainly occur at a depth of only a few kilometers of the earth's crust, i.e. in the surface part. For example, rocks such as limestone, chalk, clay can be located right on the very surface of the Earth. Others (including coal) begin to form only if they were covered with a layer of soil from above, so they are mined at a depth of several tens of meters to several kilometers.

One of the deepest types of sedimentary rocks is oil. This is due to the fact that it is liquid. In some cases, when it is formed above the cavities of the earth's crust (for example, in places where tectonic plates break), it seeps through the soil, reaching a depth of up to 6-7 kilometers).