Minerals of the Urals are represented by jewelry diamonds and other minerals, as well as various metals and non-metals.
The very first minerals of the Urals that began to be mined are copper ores; the history of their mining began about 4 thousand years ago.
Much later, approximately in the V — III centuries BC. e., began to extract iron ore. Gold began to be mined in the 1st millennium BC. Since the deposits emerging to the surface, where the minerals of the Urals were located, quickly dried up, it was necessary to carry out deeper development. But temporarily, this type of human activity fell into decay, since in the first millennium BC. the entire Southern Urals is inhabited by nomads who were not involved in the extraction and smelting of metals.
Only after 1.5 thousand years, people again began to extract minerals of the Urals, and a new era of using these resources began.
Minerals of the southern Urals
Black metals
From the end of the 18th century to the present, brown iron ore is mined. At the beginning of the last century, the iron ore deposit began to be developed at a rapid pace, and the Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works was built, but today ore reserves are almost exhausted. Not far from Magnitogorsk, a deposit of magnetite and titanomagnetite ores is being developed, which is called Maly Kuybas.
Minerals of the Urals are represented not only by iron ores, but other ferrous metals such as titanium, chromium, vanadium, and manganese are also mined here.
Currently, deposits of iron-titanium-vanadium ores are being developed, the reserves of which are very large. They have a high iron content - up to 57%, titanium - up to 6.5%, vanadium - up to 0.4%.
Non-ferrous metals
In the Southern Urals there are many ores of various non-ferrous metals. A large number of pyrite copper deposits as well as sulfide ore deposits have already been developed. Since they are at shallow depths, their open development is carried out. Not far from the reserve "Arkaim" at the end of the last century, a zinc deposit has been discovered and is now being developed. The main difference between pyrite ores is that they always have several components. If zinc and copper are the main ones, then together with them there is a rather high amount of gold, lead, silver, as well as such rare metals as gallium, indium, scandium, mercury and others. Sulfur is also obtained from these ores.
Along with pyrite ores, there are significant deposits of copper-porphyry ores, in which a significant amount of molybdenum.
The Ufalean nickel-cobalt ore deposits are known far beyond the borders of the country. Some of them have already been worked out, but a constant search for new deposits of these ores is ongoing. There are bauxite deposits from which aluminum is smelted.
Noble metals
The South Urals is the main supplier of gold to the state treasury. It was in the Urals that a nugget of this metal weighing about 36 kilograms was found. Gold is mined from mines with a depth of 700 m. Gold and silver are also mined during the processing of pyrite ores.
Rare metals
This type of metal includes tungsten, tin, tantalum, beryllium and others. A rare mineral such as columbite is being mined. It is from it that niobium is extracted, zirconium ores are also mined, along with which ceramic feldspar raw materials are mined. There are deposits of tungsten and beryllium ore.
A few kilometers from Satka there is a unique deposit of rare metal ores, namely zirconium, niobium, tantalum, molybdenum, which is called Simbirka. This ore has an unusual mineral composition and is very rich in tantalum and niobium, which is extremely rare.
To date, a map of the mineral resources of the Urals has been compiled, which is constantly being updated as a new search and development of deposits is carried out.