The article talks about the difficulties of geological exploration. Provides information about the presence of minerals on the mainland.
Minerals of Antarctica
Antarctica is a continent that is the coldest, and at the same time full of mysteries, place on Earth.
The area is completely covered with an ice crust. This is precisely the reason that information about mineral resources on this part of the land is extremely scarce. Under the thickness of snow and ice there are deposits:
- coal;
- iron ore;
- precious metals;
- granite;
- crystal;
- nickel;
- titanium.
Extremely limited information about the geology of the continent can be justified by the difficulties of carrying out exploration work.
Rice. 1. Geological exploration.
This is influenced by low temperatures and the thickness of the ice shell.
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Primary information regarding the accumulation of minerals, ore deposits and precious metals was obtained at the beginning of the last century.
It was during this period that coal seams were discovered.
Today, over two hundred points have been found throughout Antarctica with deposits of iron ore and coal. But only two have the status of a deposit. Industrial production from these deposits in Antarctic conditions has been recognized as unprofitable.
Antarctica also contains copper, titanium, nickel, zirconium, chromium and cobalt. Precious metals are expressed in gold and silver veins.
Rice. 2. West coast of the Antarctic Peninsula.
They are located on the Western coast of the peninsula. On the shelf of the Ross Sea, we managed to find gas manifestations that are located in drilling wells. This is evidence that natural gas may lie here, but its exact volume is difficult to determine.
Geology of Antarctica
The geology of the continent is such that almost its entire surface (99.7%) is hidden in ice, and its average thickness is 1720 m.
Many millions of years ago, the mainland was so warm that its shores were decorated with palm trees, and the air temperature exceeded 20 C°.
On the Eastern Plain there are differences from 300 meters below sea level to 300 meters above. The Transantarctic mountain peaks cross the entire continent and are 4.5 km long. height. Slightly smaller is the Dronning Maud Land mountain range, which has a length of 1500 km. along, and then rises 3000 m up.
Rice. 3. Queen Maud Lands.
The Schmidt Plain has an altitude range from -2400 to +500 m. The Western Plain is located approximately at the level corresponding to sea level. The Gamburtsev and Vernadsky mountain range has a length of 2500 km.
The regions most suitable for mining are on the periphery of the continent. This is explained by the fact that the interior regions of Antarctica have been studied to an insignificant extent, and any kind of research is doomed to failure due to the significant distance from the coast.
What have we learned?
From the article we learned what minerals the land of Antarctica is rich in. They found out that on the continent there are deposits of coal, granite, precious metals, crystal, nickel, titanium, and iron ore. We also learned that low temperatures make mining difficult.
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. Antarctica- the southernmost continent. It has a unique geographical position: the entire territory except. The Antarctic Peninsula lies within. Arctic Circle from the nearest continent -. South. America -. Antarctica is separated by a wide (more than 1000 km) strait. Drake. The shores of the continent are washed by waters. Quiet. Atlantic and. Indian Oceans. Off the coast. In Antarctica, they form a series of seas (Weddell, Bellingshaus, Amundsen, Ross), and extend shallowly into the land. The coastline along almost its entire length consists of glacial cliffs.
The peculiar geographical position in the cold high latitudes determines the main features of the continent’s nature. The main feature is the presence of continuous ice cover
Research and development
Humanity did not know about its existence for a long time. Antarctica. In the 17th century, scientists and travelers made assumptions about the existence. Southern land, but it was not possible to find it. Famous navigator. J.. Kuuk crossed three times during his trip around the world in 1772-1775. In 1774, he reached the Antarctic Circle at 71 ° 10 "S, but when he encountered solid ice, he turned. The results of this expedition for some time diverted the attention of researchers from the sixth continent.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the British discovered small islands south of 50° S. In 1819, the first Russian Antarctic expedition was organized for the purpose of searching. The southern continent led it. F. Bellingsgau. Uzen and. MLazarev on the ships "Vostok" and "Mirniy".
Among researchers. Antarctica was conquered for the first time. South Pole, were Norwegian. R. Amundsen (December 14, 1911) and Englishman. R. Scott(18 January 1912)
For the first half of the 20th century. More than 100 expeditions from different countries visited Antarctica. A comprehensive study of the mainland began in the second half of the 20th century in 1955-1958 during preparation and implementation. The International Geophysical Year was organized by large expeditions of a number of countries using modern technology. 1959 was signed by a number of countries. Agreement about Antarctica. It prohibits the use of the continent for military purposes, and presupposes freedom of scientific research and the exchange of scientific information.
Today. Antarctica is a continent of science and international cooperation. There are more than 40 scientific stations and bases belonging to 17 countries that carry out research in. In Antarctica in 1994, at the former English and scientific station Faraday, a group of scientists from Ukraine began work (today it is the Ukrainian station Academician Vernadsky).
Relief and minerals
. Relief. Antarctica two-story: above - glacial, below - indigenous (earth's crust). The continental ice sheet formed more than 20 million years ago. Average height of subglacial surface. Antarctica is 410 m. On the continent there are high mountains with a maximum height of more than 5000 m and huge (up to 30% of the continent's area) troughs, lying in some places 2500 m below sea level. All these relief elements, with a few exceptions, are covered with odovic shell, the average thickness of which is 2200 m, and the maximum thickness is 4000-5000 m. If we take the ice cover as the surface of the continent, then. Antarctica is the highest continent. Earth (average height - 2040 m). Glacial shell. Antarctica has a dome-shaped surface, slightly raised in the center and lowered to the edge of the edges.
At the core of most of it. Antarctica lies. Antarctic Precambrian platform. The Trans-Antarctic Mountains divide the continent into western and eastern parts. Western shores. Antarctica is very rugged, and the ice cover here is less powerful and broken by numerous ridges. In the Pacific part of the continent, mountain systems arose during the period of Alpine mountain formation - continued. Andes. South. America -. Antarctic. Andes. They contain the highest part of the continent - the massif. Vinson (5140 m0 m).
V. Eastern. Antarctica's subglacial terrain is predominantly flat. In some places, sections of the bedrock surface lie significantly below ocean level. Here the ice sheet reaches its maximum thickness. It drops off at a steep ledge towards the sea, forming ice shelves. The largest ice shelf in the world is the glacier. Rossa, whose width is 800 km and length is 1100 km.
In the depths. Various minerals have been discovered in Antarctica: ores of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, coal, diamonds and others. But extracting them in the harsh conditions of the mainland is associated with great difficulties.
Climate
. Antarctica is the coldest continent on. Earth. One of the reasons for the severity of the continent's climate is its altitude. But the root cause of glaciation is not altitude, but geographical location, which determines the very small angle of incidence of the sun's rays. During the polar night, the continent is greatly cooled. This is especially evident in inland areas, where even in summer the average daily temperatures do not rise above -30 °. C, and in winter they reach -60 ° -70 °. At the Vostok station, the lowest temperature on Earth was recorded (-89.2 ° C). On the coast of the mainland, temperatures are much higher: in summer - up to 0 ° C, in winter - up to -10-25 ° to -10.. .-25 °C.
As a result of strong cooling, a high-pressure area (baric maximum) is formed in the interior of the continent, from which constant winds blow towards the ocean, especially strong on the coast in a strip 600-800 kW wide.
On average, about 200 mm of precipitation falls per year on the mainland, in the central parts its amount does not exceed several tens of millimeters
Inland waters
. Antarctica is the region of greatest glaciation. Earth 99% of the continent's territory is covered by a thick ice sheet (ice volume - 26 million km3). The average thickness of the cover is 1830 m, the maximum is 4776 m. 87% of the volume of ice on earth is concentrated in the Antarctic ice cover.
From the inner powerful parts of the dome, the ice spreads to the outskirts, where its thickness
much less. In summer on the outskirts at temperatures above 0 °. Ice melts, but the land is not freed from ice cover, since there is a constant influx of ice from the center
Along the coast there are small areas of land free from ice - Antarctic oases. These are rocky deserts, sometimes with lakes, their origin is not fully understood
Organic world
Features of the organic world. Antarctica is associated with a harsh climate. This is an area of Antarctic deserts. The species composition of plants and animals is not rich, but diverse. Life is predominantly concentrated in oases. Antarctida. Mosses and lichens grow on these areas of rocky surfaces and rocks, and microscopic algae and bacteria sometimes live on the surface of snow and ice. Higher plants include some species of low grasses that are found only at the southern tip. Antarctic Peninsula and Islands. Antarctica.
There are quite a lot of animals on the coast whose lives are connected with the ocean. There is a lot of plankton in coastal waters, especially small crustaceans (krill). They feed on fish, cetaceans, pinnipeds, and birds. Whales, sperm whales, and killer whales live in the Arctic waters. Seals, leopard seals, and elephant seals are common animals on icebergs and the icy shores of the mainland. Antarctica is home to penguins - birds that do not drink in summer, but swim well. In summer, gulls, petrels, cormorants, albatrosses, and skuas nest on the coastal cliffs - their main enemies. Penguinguins.
Because. Antarctica has a special status; today only its gigantic fresh water reserves are of economic importance. Antarctic waters are a fishing area for cetaceans, pinnipeds, marine animals and fish. However, marine riches. The Antarctic is depleted, and many animal species are now under protection. Hunting and fishing of marine animals in Ogeni.
B. Antarctica has no permanent indigenous population. International status. Antarctica is such that it does not belong to any state
Antarctica is a continent with extremely low temperatures, located in. Almost its entire territory is covered with ice, with the exception of the area in the west. Difficult living conditions annually attract researchers and tourists.
Basic Geographical Information
The area of the continent exceeds 14 million km². The territory is located in the subantarctic and antarctic belt. Antarctica covers all longitudes, and cannot have western and eastern extreme points. There is only the northernmost point, Cape Sifre.
The continent is washed by the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, as well as the Amudsen, Ross, Weddell and Bellingshausen seas. The water in the Weddell Sea is the cleanest on the planet. Through it you can see representatives at a depth of up to 70 m.
The coastline is slightly indented, its length exceeds 30 thousand km. The shores most often consist of high ice cliffs and ice shelves. The Arctic Peninsula is the largest on the mainland. It extends north of the southern border. Other large peninsulas include Hut Point, Mawson Peninsula and Edward VII Peninsula. Alexander Land, Deception and Clarence are large islands in Antarctica.
The continent has no permanent population due to the harsh climate. The number of scientists and tourists fluctuates depending on the time of year. 16 countries around the world are conducting research in Antarctica. The region is being studied exclusively for peaceful purposes. States are prohibited from declaring parts of land as their territory. The continent is not divided into time zones or time zones. Scientists focus on the time of their country.
Relief
Antarctica is located on the plate of the same name. As a result of tectonic faults, most of it has risen. The surface is dissected due to dense ice cover. It is difficult for scientists to study the true relief: in some places the thickness of the ice reaches several kilometers.
The average height of the continent reaches 2000 m above sea level. The highest point is the Vinson Massif, the highest point of which reaches 4892 m above sea level. The Bentley Deep is the lowest point - 2540 m below sea level. The Transarctic Mountains divided the area into West and East Antarctica. In the western part it is more complex, the ridges break through the ice crust. In the east, mountain rises alternate with deep depressions. The Gamburtsev Mountains rest under a layer of ice. The length of the massif is 1300 km, and the highest point is 3390 m. They are comparable in size to the Alps.
Antarctica has both dormant and active volcanoes. Two of them have erupted in the last 200 years. The active volcano Erebus is located to the south of all. A lava eruption was recorded in 2011.
Inland waters
Ice shelves block the way deeper into the continent. In Antarctica you can find ice sheets and mountain glaciers. Their nutrition comes from precipitation. About 2,200 km³ accumulates per year. Ice is consumed by breaking off the shores. 140 lakes have been discovered under the ice. The largest body of water is Lake Vostok, named after a Soviet research station. Its depth is 1200 m. Subglacial reservoirs were formed a long time ago: melt water flowed into the depressions and became covered with a crust of ice.
There are no permanently flowing rivers. The Onyx River, located in the Wright Oasis, stretches for 30 km. It flows for two months a year, and with the onset of frost it becomes covered with ice and snow.
Climate
The continent has very cold winters and equally cold summers. The average annual temperature is -60° C. Most of the earth is located in the Antarctic belt, the Antarctic Peninsula lies in the subantarctic belt. Due to its location inside the Antarctic Circle, there is a 24-hour polar night in the winter, and a 24-hour polar day in the summer.
The continent is distant from. It receives less heat due to the large tilt of the earth's axis. The ice surface reflects 80% of light into space. The territory of Antarctica is an icy desert. The amount of snow that falls does not exceed ten centimeters per year. Strong winds blow from the highlands. In some areas their speed is 320 km/h.
Flora and fauna:
Flora
There is no vegetation in the Antarctic desert; it covers the outskirts of the continent. Mosses, lichens and mushrooms grow on ice-free land. Unpretentious low-growing bushes are found on the Antarctic Peninsula. Their number includes several dozen species. The flowers are faintly colored because pollination is carried out by the wind, not insects.
Animal world
The islands are home to beetles, butterflies and spiders. Plovers, pipits and several species of ducks nest in South Georgia. Life depends on the seas, whose waters are rich. Animals are represented by pinnipeds and whales: seals, leopard seals, humpback whales, and minke whales. Adélie penguins, emperor penguins and Sclater's penguins live on the northern coast. Flying birds, cormorant, petrel and gull, nest on the rocks.
Minerals
The continent has deposits of coal, copper and iron. Scientists estimate that the volume of oil exceeds the amount of oil in the Arabian Peninsula. Installation of special equipment and mining will cause irreparable damage. In 1991, a protocol was drawn up banning mining until 2048.
Ecological situation
The main problem in Antarctica is ozone holes. Thinning of the protective layer threatens with an excess of ultraviolet radiation. The sun melts the polar ice. Due to global warming, the air is slowly warming up. Animals have to adapt to new living conditions.
In mid-January 1953, the Soviet government decided to send an expedition to Antarctica and establish its permanent facilities there. Antarctic stations are opening: Mirny, Oasis, Sovetskaya, Pionerskaya, Komsomolskaya, Pole of Inaccessibility, Vostok. However, economic problems and cooling relations with China and the United States forced Khrushchev in 1961 to sign an agreement on equal opportunities for all countries in the development of Antarctica. Scientists have discovered rich deposits of various ores, rock crystal and hydrocarbons in Antarctica. However, the treaty prohibits any activity in Antarctica other than scientific research. However, resource exploration is still ongoing. Each state that has a scientific station in Antarctica, under the guise of scientific research, is preparing a springboard for future mining. Recently, in the context of a gradual increase in the raw material crisis, even countries such as Belarus, Ukraine, Chile, and Uruguay have become interested in Antarctica. For Russia, with the exception of minerals, Antarctica, as the only continent not touched by humans, is of purely scientific interest, allowing it to conduct research into the impact of global warming on the planet’s climate. These studies are extremely important, because 70% of Russia’s territory is in the permafrost zone! Despite the fact that any military action in Antarctica is prohibited, even purely scientific stations benefited the military. This is how Russian seismologists in Antarctica obtained reliable information about the underground tests of nuclear bombs carried out in South Africa. A great success for Soviet scientists was the discovery of the freshwater Lake Vostok under a four-kilometer layer of ice. The microorganisms preserved there had no contact with the environment for several million years and developed according to completely different laws. This is of enormous importance both for medicine and for space research.
In 2041, the environmental protocol that complements the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, which prohibits the extraction of Antarctic resources, will expire. By that time, almost all the planet's resources will be used up, and world powers will rush to the sixth continent. A clear advantage will go to the owners of permanently operating polar bases. Russia has only 4 of them left, while at the same time, the volume of financing of foreign bases has recently increased 4 times and continues to grow. Thus, Russia, the rightful discoverer of Antarctica, risks being left without the richest resources of the sixth continent.
Today, many states dispute their place on Antarctic soil: Great Britain, France, Norway, Chile, New Zealand, Argentina, Australia. The most aggressive is Australia, which regularly acts as a troublemaker at the UN with statements about claims to the Antarctic shelf, which is one of the most oil-bearing areas of the continent. The United States from time to time unofficially confirms its intentions to begin Antarctic oil production as early as 2020. Some futurists are inclined to believe that the conflicts of the future will arise precisely on this continent, where there are untouched mineral and water resources that are sorely lacking among the inhabitants of densely populated continents.
Not a single barrel of oil has been produced in Antarctica. The International Antarctic Treaty, adopted in 1959, and the Madrid Protocol for the Protection of the Continent's Environment strictly prohibit the exploitation of deposits for commercial gain. But the US Geological Survey insists: potential reserves reach 6.5 billion tons, and natural gas - more than 4 trillion cubic meters. m.
Scientific hypotheses about the natural resources of the ice continent are based on the similarity of its structure with other parts of the world, endowed with considerable mineral deposits. From a historical point of view, there is every reason to consider Antarctica as part of the once united ancient continent of Gondwana, from which all the continents of the Southern Hemisphere were formed (Australia, most of Africa and South America, the Arabian Peninsula, Hindustan). Nature has generously endowed these regions with resources. The so-called Gondwanan countries account, in particular, for 60% of the world's uranium production, more than 50% of gold, and over 70% of diamonds. As for oil, some areas of Antarctica resemble the oil fields of Venezuela, which now ranks fourth in the world in terms of supplies of this energy carrier.
Thanks to satellites, it is possible to learn something about the subglacial structure of the continent. The composition of the Antarctic land is reminiscent of the oil-rich lands of the Arabian Peninsula, which gives reason to assume that the local deposits are no less than those in the Middle East, and perhaps even exceed them. In addition to oil and gas, Antarctica has deposits of coal, iron ore, gold, silver, uranium, zinc, etc.
The extraction of all these minerals is extremely unprofitable from an economic point of view, however, the depletion of mineral reserves, and primarily energy resources, as well as the rapid growth of technological progress, force most countries to look at Antarctica as a future source of mineral extraction, including oil and gas.
Many people have no idea how important Antarctica is. The importance of Antarctica in the life of our planet is very great. Why is it illegal to mine minerals in Antarctica?
What is the significance of Antarctica?
Antarctica is an absolute potential resource reserve for humanity. And its significance is quite great both for science and in economic terms.
Why is it illegal to mine minerals in Antarctica? Economic activity can cause snow to melt, which will lead to a natural disaster.
Scientific significance of Antarctica
The bowels of the mainland are rich in minerals - iron ore, coal and ore. Scientists also noticed traces of nickel, copper, zinc, lead, rock crystal, molybdenum, graphite and mica. In addition, it is the largest reservoir of fresh water on Earth.
Researchers are observing meteorological and climate processes and have come to the conclusion that the coldest continent on the planet is a colossal climate-forming factor for our planet. Thanks to permafrost, you can find out what our planet was like thousands of years ago, just study the ice sheet of Antarctica. It literally freezes data on the Earth's climate and the components of the atmosphere. Scientists have proven that on the mainland you can find water that was frozen during the life of Jesus Christ.
Economic importance of Antarctica
Antarctica is widely used in the tourism and fishing industries. Despite the fact that the mainland is rich in coal, it is prohibited to set up mines to extract the natural resource. The main area of economic activity in Antarctica is the active use of its biological resources. Here they engage in whaling, small-scale sealing, fishing, and krill fishing.
