Date of: 14.01.15.
Subject: Relief and minerals.
Target:
Educational: form an idea of the relief forms and geography of the distribution of mineral resources of the South American continent;
Developmental: develop the ability to work with a textbook, physical map, draw conclusions, analyze;
Educational: nurturing cognitive interest, nurturing independence.
Lesson type: combined.
During the classes.
Organizing time.
Homework survey
Working with tables.
Determine which continent each statement refers to and put a “+” sign in the correct cell.
| Name of the continent | Question numbers |
|||||||||
| South America | ||||||||||
1) Most of the continent lies in the southern hemisphere.
2) In the west it is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
3) Relative to the prime meridian, the continent is located in the western hemisphere.
4) The hottest continent on Earth, because. Most of it is located between the tropics.
5) The area of the continent is about 30 thousand km. sq.
6) The northernmost point is Cape Galinas.
7) It is washed by the Pacific Ocean in the west.
8) In the north it borders with Eurasia.
9) The name of the mainland comes from the name of the Berber tribe that once lived in the north of the mainland.
10) In the south of the continent is the widest of all the straits on Earth.
Updating knowledge and skills: what do we call relief? What kind of relief is typical for Yu.A?
Learning new material
1) Introductory conversation.
Prepare a map of the atlas “Structure of the Earth’s Crust”, pp. 4-5. Why do we start our study of the relief with this map?
What is relief? Name the major landforms.
2) Analysis of the map “Structure of the Earth’s Crust”:
What lithospheric plate lies at the base of the continent? (South American);
At what speed and in what direction does it move horizontally? (to the northwest, 2.3 cm/year);
What part of the continent is the mountain system in? (in the West);
Why did the Andes mountains arise? (as a result of the collision of lithospheric plates);
Why is the eastern part of the continent flat? What lies at its core?
How old are these mountains? (young mountains are an area of new folding);
What continent was South America part of in the distant past? (Gondwana).
3) Independent work.
Take a close look at the physical map of South America. Then, according to the plan on the board, write a description of the relief of South America (orally) - 5 minutes.
Plan for describing the relief of the territory.
1) What is the general nature of the surface?
2) How are the landforms located in the territory?
3)What is the greatest height? What heights predominate?
4) Analysis of the work performed.
5) Write in a notebook:
Relief of South America
Mountain West Plain East
6) A story about the relief.
The east of the mainland is flat. There are no active volcanoes here, and earthquakes are rare.
The large plains of South America - the Amazon, La Plata and Orinoco - occupy large areas. They lie in the deflections of the platform. Because The plains are low-lying and large river systems have formed on them. Which?
Large areas of the mainland are occupied by the Guiana and Brazilian plateaus. They often consist of several plateaus - areas with a flat surface, but limited from neighboring areas by distinct steep slopes.
The west of South America is mountainous. The Andes are the longest mountains on Earth. The highest point is the city of Aconcagua, 6960 m. The Andes are young mountains. They began to rise after the split of Gondwana, and are still growing. Numerous volcanoes, active and extinct, have formed along deep faults. The Andes volcanoes are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Earthquakes often occur and are accompanied by rockfalls, landslides, and avalanches.
The most powerful earthquake of the 20th century occurred in South America, in the country of Chile. It happened on May 29, 1960 on the Pacific Coast. As a result of this terrible seismic disaster, the city of Concepcion, which existed for more than 400 years, was completely destroyed, the cities of Valdivia, Puerto Montt and others turned into ruins. About 10,000 people died, more than 2 million were injured and left homeless. One of the distinctive features of this catastrophic earthquake was the rapid descent of the main part of the coast below sea level.
“...It seemed incomprehensible,” wrote scientist G. Tagiyev, “that a huge strip of land 20-30 km wide and 500 km long could suddenly sink and that an area of 1.5 million hectares fell by almost 2 meters in just 10 seconds ..." Powerful tremors caused the birth of a colossal tsunami.
7) Conversation about the minerals of South America.
Do you know how the name of the Andes mountains is translated? According to one version, translated from the Incan language, “Andes” means copper, copper mountains. Copper deposits are found throughout the Andes.
In which part of the continent are igneous minerals concentrated, and in which sedimentary ones?
Look at the map, what other minerals are the Andes rich in? (molybdenum ores, tin, silver, aluminum, etc.)
What minerals are there in the flat east of the continent? (oil, gas, coal - in the troughs of the earth's crust, iron, manganese, nickel ores - on the plateaus).
4. Consolidation of the studied material.
Prepare cards of three colors: white - level 1, blue - level 2, red - level 3. Children choose their own cards and work individually.
Level 1:
Label the following objects on the contour map: Brazilian Plateau, Guiana Plateau, Amazonian Lowland, La Plata Lowland, Orinoco Lowland, Andes Mountains, Aconcagua.
Level 2:
Based on your plan, write a description of one of the landforms of South America.
1) In what part of the continent is the landform located?
2) In what direction does it stretch?
3) What are the approximate dimensions?
4) What are the highest altitudes, prevailing altitudes?
Level 3
Test "Relief of South America"
In terms of the structural features of the earth's crust, is South America most similar?
The location of the rise of the foundation of the South American platform in relief corresponds to:
Compared to Africa and Australia, the relief of South America is:
Around the same time as the Andes, the following were formed:
1.Cape Mountains
2. Great Watershed Range
3.Mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula
To Africa
To Australia
To Antarctica
The Andes Mountains were formed during folding:
The places where the foundation of the South American Platform subsided in relief correspond to:
Municipal budgetary educational institution
"Savelyevskaya secondary school
named after Musa Danilbekovich Gazimagamadov"
Naursky municipal district
Chechen Republic
Topic: Relief and minerals of South America
7 "A" class
Teacher: Gumakaeva A.R.
Topic: “Relief and minerals of South America”
Goals and objectives of the lesson:
Form an idea of the tectonic structure, relief and minerals. Identification of relationships between the structure of the earth's crust, relief and minerals of South America.
Developmental
Development of cognitive interest among students, their creative abilities, improvement of work with maps. Practice the ability to analyze source data and draw conclusions. Activation of cognitive activity of students, development of interest in the subject, geographical thinking, logic, attention.
Educational:
To instill in students a sense of love and respect for nature, the ability to see the beauty of the world around them, to cultivate an ecological culture, and to carefully work with sources of geographical knowledge.
Equipment: Physical map of South America, wall map of the world, multimedia installation, textbook, atlas, contour maps, presentation “Relief of South America.”
During the classes.
Organizing time.
Each geography lesson is another step on your ladder of knowledge. This is another step in climbing to the pinnacle of knowledge. And the more such steps you take in your life, the higher your intellectual level.
Therefore, I want to start the lesson with the legend of the leader of one of the tribes, who sent young men to the top of Aconcagua. The highest point in South America.
“Go while you have enough strength. Anyone who gets tired should return home. But let everyone bring me a branch from the place where he turned off the road,” said the leader. Soon the first one returned from the road and handed over a cactus leaf. The leader grinned: “You haven’t even been to the foot of the mountain.” To the second, who brought a silver branch of wormwood, the leader said: “You were at the foot, but did not even try to start climbing.” The third with a poplar branch earned praise: “You reached the spring.” There was similar encouragement for the fourth. The last young man came empty-handed. But his face shone with joy. He explained that he had been where trees did not grow, but he had seen the sparkling sea. The leader not only believed him, but also paid the greatest tribute of recognition: “You don’t need a symbolic branch. Victory shines in your eyes, sounds in your voice. This is one of the peaks of your life. You saw the mountain in all its grandeur.”
Each of you can leave class today with the same shining eyes. With a feeling of victory of learning something new. But your lunch requires your attention and hard work...
Homework survey.
Test-Bluff 3 minutes - mutual check.
Questions for frontal surveys of paragraphs:
Name the features of the geographical location of South America on the plan:
How is the continent located relative to the equator, prime meridian, tropics, polar circles?
Name the extreme points of the continent.
What climate zones is South America in?
What seas and oceans is the continent washed by?
How is the continent located relative to other continents?
Who is the discoverer of the continent?
Second discoverer of South America.
Who discovered South America?
Why was it called America?
Motivation.
We remembered the material from previous lessons. Today we will continue to study South America, but in order to determine the topic of the lesson, listen to the following lines:
You need to look at the map
The mountains there are called the Andes,
In translation this firmament.
The word means copper.
Here in the old days,
The earth caved in
And the other one, unwillingly,
It turned into a plateau.
Where is it comfortable, without problems?
Lima, Quito or Belen?
To stay in the east,
What do you think we'll talk about today?
Pupils: About the relief of South America and its features.
Teacher: That’s right, the topic of the lesson: “Relief and minerals of South America.” The Lost World.
Teacher: What do you know about the topography of the mainland? Record this in your tables. (Students fill out the first column of the table). (Slide 3)
The Andes in the west, the highest point of Mount Aconcagua, the flat east, etc. How the relief of the continent was formed, what is the geological structure of the continent and what minerals are confined to this or that form of relief, etc.
“Now I will ask you to fill out column 3 of our table and write that you would like to know about the topography of South America?”
Students fill out column 3. Once completed, the entries are briefly discussed.
Learning new material.
Today in the lesson we will get acquainted with the relief of South America, find out the patterns of placement of landforms and minerals on the continent, build a chain of cause-and-effect relationships between the relief, minerals and the internal structure of the continent. (Slide 4)
Teacher: Let's remember the material from previous lessons
§ What is relief; (a set of irregularities on land, the bottom of oceans and seas, varied in outline, size, origin, age and history of development).
§ What basic landforms do you know? (Plains and mountains)
§ What types of plains are divided into according to height; (lowlands - 200 m,
Hills - up to 500 m, plateaus - above 500 m,)
§ What is a platform; (vast, sedentary areas of the earth’s crust are the most stable blocks that create its solid frame)
§ What part of the earth’s crust is the boundary region between lithospheric plates (seismic belt).
§ What happens on the seismic belt? (earthquakes and volcanic eruptions)
§ What groups are minerals divided into by origin; (sedimentary, igneous)
In order to study in more detail the structure of the earth's crust and the relief of South America, we need to work with maps.
Group work:
1. Identify the pattern of relief placement on the mainland (mountains in the west, plains in the east)
2. What reasons can explain the location of the mountains in the west and the plains in the east. Different tectonic structure (in the west the folded region is Cenozoic, and in the east the platform is South American)
3. On what lithospheric plate is South America located? (South American)
4.What lithospheric plates does it border on? (Antarctic, African, North American, Pacific)
5. What happens at the boundary of lithospheric plates in the west of the continent? (continental and oceanic plates collide)
6. What forms of relief are distinguished on the mainland? (mountains, lowlands, plateaus)
7. In what part of the continent are the plains located? Name and show them on the map. (East of the mainland. Amazonian lowland, La Plata lowland, Brazilian and Guiana plateau)
8. Where on the mainland are the mountains located? Name and show them on the map. (West to the mainland. Andes.)
Based on the identified knowledge, fill out the diagram and draw a conclusion (Slide 6)
Conclusion: the placement of the main landforms depends on the internal structure of the earth’s crust. (slide 7)
Students draw landforms on a contour map (Slide 8)
Andes (Aconcagua, 6960m.)
Guiana Plateau
Brazilian plateau
Orinoco Lowland
Amazonian lowland
La Plata lowland
Teacher: We have found out that the topography of South America is heterogeneous. The west is mountainous, the east is flat.
Let's dwell a little on the Andes. (Andes video 2 minutes.)
Student message (Slide 9-10). The name Andes from anta in the Incan language means copper, copper mountains. Andes is the longest mountain range in the world, 9000 km. Aconcagua is the highest extinct volcano - The highest point of South America, the western and southern hemispheres.
The origin of the name of the mountain is not exactly known; the existing ones derive it from Araucanian (on the other side of the Aconcagua River) or from Akon Gahuk, which means “Stone Guardian” in the Quechua language.
The mountain arose from the collision of tectonic plates. The powerful Andes mountain system forms part of the Pacific “Ring of Fire”: there are many volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. (Slide 11)
Minerals. (Slide 12)
Name what minerals different parts of the continent are rich in. Which group of origin do they belong to?
Think about what the distribution of minerals on the continent depends on (the geological structure).
Assignment: Using atlas maps, write down the minerals characteristic of different parts of South America. (Slide 13)
Students check the diagram.Slad 14)
6. Consolidation
You and I have learned a lot about the topography of South America.
Let's summarize the accumulated information (Slide 15)
South America has a varied topography because...(it has a complex tectonic structure in the west - Cenozoic folding - mountains, and in the east - the South American Platform)
The Andes are young mountains because…..(Cenozoic folding is the youngest)
There are various types of minerals present on the mainland because. that .... (different tectonic structure. The platforms correspond to minerals of sedimentary origin, and the folded areas - of igneous origin)
Test (Slide 16)
1.Highest point of the Andes:
A) the city of Chimborazo;
B) Aconcagua;
B) Illampu
2. The east of the mainland is located on:
A) ancient platform
B) young platform
B) the boundary of lithospheric plates
3.The Andes Mountains extend to:
4.The continuation of gas formation in the Andes is evidenced by:
A) their length
B) frequent earthquakes
B) glaciations
5.The Andes were formed on:
A)platform
B) the boundary of lithospheric plates
B) mainland region.
6. South America contains the greatest plain in the world:
A) Orinoco
B) Brazilian
B) Amazonian
Students check the test (Slide 17)
Now let's go back to our table and fill in the middle column. (Slide 18)
| I want to know |
||
Relaxation:
Teacher: Let's sit in silence for a minute. and mentally remember our entire lesson. Close your eyes, let's cross the largest plain in the world and slowly climb up to the largest plain in the world and slowly climb up to the highest peak of South America - Mount Aconcagua.
Find your place on the ladder of success at the end of the lesson. Attach emoticons.
8. Homework (Slide 19)
Paragraph 41. k/k – all students in the class.
1Easy questions.
2) More complex questions.
Create a crossword puzzle on the topic “Relief and minerals of South America.”
South America has a different geological structure, which is associated with the formation of the earth's crust in different archaeological periods. The eastern part was formed back in the Precambrian period, and there the relief of South America is a plain - this is the South American Platform. The West has been actively formed since the Paleozoic period and the Andes are located there.
Lowland South America
The flat platform has depressions and raised areas. In place of the first ones (also called “shields”), there are two highlands - the Brazilian and Guiana. During the period when they rose, the slopes became almost vertical. The part that rose the most was the part of the Brazilian Highlands in the east, where the sierras formed. At 2890 meters above sea level, the highest point of the highlands is located here - the Bandeira Massif.
Rice. 1. Relief of South America.
As for the troughs, there are three plains of enormous scale - La Plata, Orinoco, and Amazonian.
The topography and mineral resources of South America are closely related to its geological history. Thus, the ancient shields of the platform are the richest in iron ore - these are the Brazilian (center and outskirts) and Guiana (north) highlands. The highlands have rich reserves of bauxite containing aluminum) and manganese. Where the platform sags, there are reserves of oil and accompanying natural gas, as well as rock. Venezuela can rightfully be considered the leader in the production of “black gold” and gas. These facts must be noted in the textbook for grade 7.
Rice. 2. Brazilian Highlands.
Where igneous rocks lie close to the surface or even flowed onto it, uranium, titanium, nickel and zirconium are found.
TOP 4 articleswho are reading along with this
South America contains 38% of the total iron ore reserves on the planet.
Mountainous part of South America
The mountainous part of South America is called the English West, and it is located in the west.
The Andes chain is one of the highest on Earth. If we compare the topography of Africa and South America, one of the differences will be due to these mountains: when glaciers descended from their peaks, they “cut up” the coast, which is not observed on the African continent.
There are twenty peaks in the Andes whose height exceeds 6 thousand meters above sea level. And the highest point of the chain is Mount Anoncagua. It is located in the Chilean-Argentine part of the mountain range and rises to 6960 meters. Moreover, the total length of the entire mountain chain is almost nine thousand kilometers, making it the longest on Earth.
Rice. 3. Andes.
The Andes began to form during the Paleozoic period, during the Hercynian folding, but the Alpine period became the main period for them. During the Cretaceous period, folding resulted in the Western Cordillera (Colombia-Terra del Fuego). But the relief features of the Central Andes are associated with Alpine orthogenesis, when ancient Hercynian structures were broken and partially uplifted. This is how the main high mountain plateau was formed.
The Andes continue to form in the modern period. This is evidenced by the strongest earthquakes (the last of which happened less than half a century ago, in 1970 in Peru). The epicenters of the earthquakes are confined to the Peruvian Trench, which stretches along the western coast of the continent. The consequences of earthquakes are tsunamis. The highest active volcano in this part of the world is Llullaillaco; its brothers Osorno, San Pedro, Cotopaxi, and Ruiz are also not sleeping.
Thus, in the western part, the prevailing landforms determine the presence of corresponding minerals. Ores of metamorphic and igneous origin are located in rich deposits in the Andes. Precious stones and non-ferrous metals, considered rare, are also found in significant quantities in these places. Thus, Chile ranks second in the world ranking of countries mining copper and molybdenum ore, and tin reserves in Bolivia are regarded by experts as significant. This is not to mention Colombia, the “land of emeralds”. In addition to the minerals listed above, the western part of South America has reserves of gold, zinc and platinum, as well as antimony, silver, lead and tungsten. Many of them began to be developed by the ancient Incas, who even named one of the lakes Titicaca, that is, “lead rock.”
Chile is rich in saltpeter deposits, which were formed from the droppings of seabirds through biochemical decomposition. The main factor in their formation was the desert climate.
What have we learned?
We received a description of the relief of South America with reference to the historical periods of its formation, and also learned that a certain part of the continent continues to form. The formation process is manifested by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. We figured out how the origin of landforms affects what minerals are common in a particular region and learned interesting facts about it. In addition, we received information about the main plains of South America and the Andes mountain range, as well as about the features of the continental topography and resource distribution.
Test on the topic
Evaluation of the report
Average rating: 4.6. Total ratings received: 180.
Thanks to its unique topography, the subsoil of South America is exceptionally rich in deposits of iron and porphyry copper ores, tin ores, antimony and other ores of ferrous, non-ferrous and rare metals, as well as silver, gold and platinum.
The Andean troughs, Venezuela and the Caribbean contain large quantities of oil and natural gas deposits. There are also small deposits of coal on the continent.
In addition to oil and precious metals, the subsoil of South America is full of such riches as diamonds, emeralds and other precious and semi-precious stones.
Features of the relief of South America and their impact on mineral deposits
South America is usually divided into two geologically different parts: the eastern part, which is based on the ancient South American platform, with elevated territories in the areas of the Guiana and Brazilian highlands, and the western part, along which the longest land mountain range of the Andes stretches. Therefore, the continent is rich in both mineral resources formed on the plains and plateaus, and rocks and minerals formed as a result of volcanic activity.
The Andes are rich in ores of ferrous and non-ferrous metals of metamorphic and igneous origin, including zinc, tin, copper, iron, antimony, lead and others. Also in the mountains there is mining of precious stones and metals (silver, gold, platinum).
The eastern highlands of the continent are rich in deposits of rare ores, from which zirconium, uranium, nickel, bismuth and titanium are mined, as well as deposits of beryl (a precious stone). The occurrence of ores and beryl is associated with volcanic activity and the release of magma to the surface.
Vast deposits of oil and natural gas formed in the platform troughs, intermountain and foothill depressions. Thanks to the weathering processes of the earth's crust, aluminum deposits appeared in the bowels of the continent. And biochemical processes in a company with a desert climate “worked” on the droppings of seabirds, as a result of which deposits of Chilean saltpeter appeared on the continent.
Types of minerals in South America
Combustible minerals:
- coal (Colombia, Chile, Brazil, Argentina) is one of the most popular energy resources in the world;
- oil (Caribbean) - a liquid oily substance, the occurrence of which is confined to continental depressions and margins;
- natural gas.
Ferrous metal ores
Iron(fields in Venezuela). It is used for the smelting of steel and alloys, and is contained in minerals such as limonite, hematite, chamosite, magnetite, etc.
Manganese(fields in Brazil). It is used in the smelting of alloyed cast iron and steel.
Chrome ores(stocks in Brazil). Chromium is an essential component of heat-resistant and stainless steel.
Non-ferrous metal ores
Represented by reserves of bauxite, from which they produce aluminum(valued for its lightness, hypoallergenicity and ease of processing), vanadium And tungsten ores.
There are huge deposits copper ores(copper is widely used in electrical and mechanical engineering industries).
The bowels of the continent are rich lead(Peru), used in automotive, construction and other fields, nickel(used for the production of nickel steel and various metal coatings), zinc, tin(“tin belt” stretching through Bolivia), molybdenum, bismuth(metal is mined directly from bismuth ore only in Bolivia), antimony (used for the production of fire retardants).
Precious metal ores
The continent is rich platinum And silver ores, as well as deposits gold. Noble metals are exceptionally resistant to corrosion and have a special shine in products; they are used for the production of jewelry, expensive tableware and luxury items, as well as in industry.
Ores of rare and rare earth metals
Niobium And tantalum- rare metals used for the production of high-strength alloys and metal-cutting tools. Rare earth metals are found on the continent in lithium, niobium And beryllium ores.
Non-metallic minerals of the continent:
- sodium nitrate (Chile);
- native sulfur (Chile, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela);
- gypsum;
- rock salt;
- fluorites, etc.
- diamonds (Brazil, Venezuela, etc.);
- beryl, tourmaline and topaz are minerals formed in granite pegmatites (Brazil);
- amethyst (formed in quartz veins);
- agate (formed in Mesozoic basalts);
- emeralds (large deposit in Colombia).
Gems:
Resources and major mineral deposits
Let us briefly consider the main mineral deposits of South America. Chile ranks second in the world in molybdenum production, has the world's largest reserves of sodium nitrate (about 300 million tons, deposit in the Atacama Desert) and the largest copper reserves on the continent.
Coal mining in South America is concentrated in Colombia in the area of the huge El Cerrejon coal mine, where the mineral is mined by open pit mining. The largest oil and gas basin, Maracaibo, is located in the territories of Colombia and Venezuela, which is the leading supplier of oil on the continent. Oil is also produced in the territories of Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago. Venezuela accounts for 4.3% of global oil production.
Rich in rare ores and minerals, Brazil has 13% of the world's tantalum reserves, and is also the largest producer of niobium raw materials on Earth (about 80% of the world's total).
Peru owns 11.4% of the world's copper reserves, and the continent as a whole has about 56 million tons of world iron ore reserves. The Andes are home to some of the largest deposits of silver, molybdenum, zinc, tungsten and lead on Earth.
The relief of South America is varied. Based on the nature of the geological structure and the features of the modern relief, South America is divided into two heterogeneous parts. The eastern part of the continent is the ancient South American Plate; western - the actively developing folded belt of the Andes. The raised sections of the platform - the shields - correspond in relief to the Brazilian and Guiana plateaus. The troughs of the South American platform correspond to gigantic lowland plains - the Amazonian, Orinoco, a system of internal plains (Gran Chaco plain, Laplata lowland), and the young Patagonian platform - the plains of Patagonia.
The Amazonian lowland is filled with marine and continental sediments. It was formed as a result of the activity of the Amazon River, as a result of the accumulation of sediment brought by the current. In the west, the lowland is very flat, the river valleys are weakly incised, the heights barely reach 150 m. Its northern and southern outskirts, underlain by crystalline shield rocks, are elevated and gradually turn into plateaus.
The Brazilian plateau is located in the east of the mainland. It represents protrusions of the crystalline foundation of the platform, between which there are troughs filled with sedimentary rocks and volcanic lavas. This is the largest rise within the platform. The Brazilian plateau has altitudes from 250-300 m in the north to 800-900 m in the southeast. The relief of the plateau is a relatively level surface, above which blocky massifs and plateaus rise.
In the north of the continent, the Guiana Plateau (300-400 m) is confined to the vast protrusion of the folded base of the platform. Its relief is dominated by stepped plateaus.
The vast plains and large areas of the plateaus of South America are convenient for the life and economic activities of the population. (Show the largest lowlands and plateaus on the map and determine their maximum heights.)
The Andes are the longest mountain range on land, measuring 9,000 km. The Andes are one of the highest mountain systems in the world. In height it is second only to the Tibetan-Himalayan mountainous country. Twenty peaks of the Andes rise to a height of more than 6 thousand m. The highest of them is the city of Aconcagua (6960 m).
The formation of the Andes is the result of the interaction of two lithospheric plates, when the oceanic Nazca plate “sank” under the continental South American plate. At the same time, the edge of the continental plate folded into folds, forming mountains. Currently, mountain building continues. This is evidenced by the eruptions of numerous volcanoes and severe catastrophic earthquakes. Among the large volcanoes one can note such as Chimborazo (6267 m), Cotopaxi (5897 m). The western coast, occupied by the Andes, belongs to the Pacific “Ring of Fire”.
The strongest in the world recorded at 11-12 points occurred in 1960 in Chile. In 2010, an earthquake in Chile claimed several hundred lives. Serious disasters occur in the Andes every 10-15 years.
The Andes mountain system consists of several meridianally elongated mountain ranges. Between the ranges lie internal plateaus and plateaus, ranging in height from 3500 to 4500 m.
Minerals of South America
The continent is rich in mineral resources. The richest deposits of iron and manganese ores are confined to the ancient shields of the South American Platform: the center and outskirts of the Brazilian Plateau, as well as the north of the Guiana Plateau. The largest iron ore mining area is Carazhas. In the northern part, on the outskirts of both plateaus, there are very large deposits of bauxite, a raw material for the aluminum industry. Bauxite occurs at shallow depths and is mined by open-pit mining.
In the Andes, ores of copper (Peru, Chile), tin (Bolivia), lead and zinc (Peru) have been explored. The foothills of the Andes, especially Venezuela and Colombia, are rich in oil and natural gas. Coal deposits are less significant (Ecuador, Argentina). Many Andean countries are famous for their mining of precious stones. This primarily applies to emerald mining in Colombia. Of the precious metals in South America, the largest reserves of silver are in Peru. The Andes belt is also famous for some non-metallic minerals. Among them, saltpeter takes first place. The famous Chilean saltpeter and iodine are mined in the dried-up reservoirs of the Atacama.
The relief of South America is more diverse compared to Africa and Australia. The high Andes to the west separate the mainland from the Pacific Ocean. South America is characterized by active seismicity. South America is called the "storehouse of the world." The continent is rich in natural resources necessary for the development of many sectors of the economy.
