Features of the relief and minerals of Sweden

The content of this article is the geological structure and minerals of Sweden. Why this country? It is not just about the largest of the countries of Western Europe, a territorial state, but also about the richest nature and many unique features unknown to most Russians. The geography and minerals of Sweden are a topic that is interesting not only to geographers, but also to a lot of curious readers.

What country is it

The location of Sweden is Northern Europe (Scandinavian Peninsula). Neighbors - Norway from the west, Finland - from the north-east, Denmark - from the south-west. The minerals of Sweden and Finland, like the climate, have a similar structure due to close neighborhood. The Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia are washed by their waters to the state in the east and south. The size of the country is 450,000 square kilometers.

As already mentioned, Sweden is the largest of the Scandinavian countries. Among all European countries, its dimensions are inferior only to the expanses of our homeland, as well as Ukraine, France and Spain. The length of its territory in the south-north direction is about 1600 kilometers, and "horizontally" (in the west-east direction) - about 500 km.

Over half of the area is occupied by forests, another 14-15% falls on tundra and marshes, and about 9% of the country is occupied by inland waters. The number of rivers, rivulets and lakes in Sweden reaches 90,000. The names of the largest of the lakes are Vettern, Venern, Melaren, Elmeren.

A characteristic description of the Swedish river is not too long, but very full, with waterfalls and rapids. Rusla, they run mainly in the direction from the north-west to the south-east. Most rivers flow into the Baltic Sea (its Gulf of Bothnia).

The state has a fairly long coastline (2,700 km long), adorned with picturesque islands and sea harbors of natural origin. The names of the largest Swedish islands are Oland and Gotland.

Relief and minerals of Sweden

The mountain called Kebnecase is the highest point in the country. Its mark above sea level is over 2100 m. The formation of the relief with its main features is based on the location of the Scandinavian peninsula on the territory of the so-called Baltic Shield. Folded mountain structures in due time have tested under the influence of glaciers a considerable number of movements of vertical character with alignment.

The island was a huge number of years ago was the center of European continental glaciation. Its territory was covered with powerful glaciers, exceeding the level of 1500 m. Scientists established the existence of the last of such coverings approximately in the area of modern Stockholm. It happened about 100 centuries ago. Another massive glaciation was located on the North coast of the Gulf of Bothnia about seven or eight thousand years ago.

A bit of geography

Depends on the location of the country's minerals from the features of the landscape of Sweden. Its territory can be conditionally divided into northern and southern natural areas. Northern Sweden, located mainly on the hill, is divided into upper, middle and lower vertical belts. As for minerals and other natural resources, the Norland plateau occupying the first of these belts is formed mainly by moraine deposits and peat bogs. In the area of the western shores of the Gulf of Bothnia, there is a mass of marine sediments.

The Norland plateau serves as the center of the main ore deposits. In the same place are concentrated and the main stocks of wood. Part of the northern valleys is rich in fertile soils, which are used mainly for pasture.

In the southern part of the country (on the Smoland Plateau, the plains of Middle Sweden and Skåne Peninsula), the country's industry and its agriculture are mainly concentrated. In the same place - the highest population density. Smoland in connection with its relatively mild climate is the most favorable place for human life.

On soils under cultivation, mainly coniferous forests grow. Quite a large part of the territory is covered with peat bogs. Skåne - the south of Sweden - has plains almost completely plowed for the needs of agriculture. Here are good fertile soils that are easy to process and get a high yield. The plains intermingle with rocky ridges of small height, stretching to the southeast of the north-west. Once upon a time, the most picturesque plains were covered with impenetrable thickets with a predominance of broad-leaved trees (ash, oak, maple, beech). Subsequently, beautiful forests were destroyed by human hands.

Minerals in Sweden - briefly about the main types

A distinctive feature of the Swedish subsoil - the wealth of metals and the relative poverty of mineral fuel. The features of the relief and minerals of Sweden are interrelated historically. Due to the extensive outcrops of rocks of magmatic and metamorphic origin, there are significant stocks of metallic ores. A very small number of sedimentary rocks caused a virtually complete absence of oil, natural gas and coal.

The deposits of Swedish iron ore are considered to be one of the richest in the world. This concerns both the concentration of ore reserves and the content in the metal ore. The first indicator is about 3 billion tons, and the average metal content in ore exceeds 60%.

On the photos we offer - the minerals of Sweden (the main types of production).

Where to find them

In which areas are the main minerals of Sweden hidden? Over 4/5 of the country's iron ore reserves are concentrated in its most important iron ore region. It is located in Lapland beyond the Arctic Circle. The largest deposit is called Kirunavar and, according to experts, contains at least 1.6 billion tons.

The richest Lapland ore contains a high concentration of metal - at least 2/3. But, in addition, it has a lot of phosphorus. That is why it is difficult to remelt such ore. The use of these minerals in Sweden on an industrial scale began only with the introduction of melting in the Thomas method, which occurred at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Another of the iron ore regions, called Bergslagen and known since the Middle Ages, is located in the middle part of the country. In terms of the amount of ore, it is inferior to the north, but the raw materials produced here contain a smaller percentage of harmful sulfur and phosphorus, which has long been used for industry and especially metallurgy.

Let's talk about non-ferrous metals

Similarly, the geological structure and minerals of Sweden relating to non-ferrous metals are interrelated. The places of their largest deposits are on the Norland plateau. In the Buliden-Kristineberg district there are complex and sulfide ores in the form of extensive deposits. In their composition - the mass of copper, lead, zinc, silver, gold, arsenic, sulfur pyrite. Among other things, there is a lead deposit in the Laisvall area, and copper in Aitik. Europe's richest copper deposits in the territory of central Sweden due to centuries of exploitation have been significantly depleted and at the moment have no industrial significance.

What other minerals of Sweden do exist on its territory? There it is possible to find bituminous shales, whose deposits carry in themselves not small stocks of uranium. The amount is estimated at 317,000 tons. This figure is about 20% of the total stock of capitalist countries.

But uranium-containing shales require considerable enrichment for their development. This procedure is not very cost-effective considering the current level of prices for uranium raw materials.

The richest deposits of high-quality iron ore from the provinces of Norbotten and Bergslagen are known not only to the whole country, but also to the whole world. In Norbotten - a lot of copper-pyrite deposits. The total number of them there is about 100. The provinces called Västerbotten and Bergslagen, related to central Sweden, are also rich in ore and copper pyrites.

About oil in Sweden

All the listed minerals of Sweden are almost not exhausted. A few known oil fields are located in the region of the Central European oil and gas basin. The territory of Sweden is only part of it, covering the size of about 30,000 square kilometers. It occupies the island of Gotland in its north-west side. The name of the largest of the deposits is Khamra. Oil reserves there, according to experts, are about 20,000 tons.

There is also coal in the country, but there is no serious talk about the significance of its reserves. Here, the relief and minerals of Sweden are interrelated directly. Its thickness is not more than 0.8 m. Coal deposits (Eresunde, Hyoganes) can be found in the province of Skåne, located in the area of the western Swedish coast.

Will there be noble metals in Sweden? A small amount of gold and silver is concomitantly mined during the processing of sulfide ore. However, in Enasene there is, perhaps, the only one of the gold sulfide deposits.

About Swedish climate

Like the whole of Scandinavia, most of the Swedish territory lies under a layer of snows. This is due to the peculiarity of the location of the Scandinavian mountains. They serve as a kind of barrier preventing the free passage of moist air masses arriving from the Atlantic side. In the diversity of the Swedish climate, the considerable length of the country in the meridional direction played a significant role.

The eastern and southern parts of the country thanks to the warm waters of the Gulf Stream have a marine temperate climate with an easy transition to the continental one. In January, the temperature is kept, as a rule, in the range from -15 ° C to -3 ° C. In July - 10-17 ⁰С.

During the year about 300-800 mm of precipitation falls. Since their volatility is low, excessive moistening takes place. In connection with the latter factor, the country's territory is largely swamped.

In the mountainous north-eastern regions of the country, especially outside the Arctic Circle, the climate is subarctic. A significant part of the northern territory is covered by glacial shields, many glaciers and mountain-valley glaciers.

About Swedish rivers and lakes

The deposits of minerals in Sweden are not its only natural resource. All of the above features of the climate, relief, and geological structure of the territory of Sweden are favorable for the many existing lakes and rivers that cover the map of the country with a dense network. Swedish rivers flow, as a rule, along narrow valleys and are abundantly decorated with waterfalls and rapids. Quite often, they are used as energy sources.

If we consider the hydropower of rivers as one of the natural resources of the country, then the most significant resources are those that start in the Scandinavian mountains (on their eastern slopes), flow along the Norland Plateau and flow into the Gulf of Bothnia. Their names are Ongermanuelven, Dalelven, Lulevel, Umeelv, Indalsalven. The rivers alternate with countless lakes and a lot of lake-like extensions that act as natural reservoirs. Thanks to them, it is possible to regulate the flow of water during the year.

Lakes - an inseparable characteristic part of the landscape of countries such as Sweden and Finland. At least 8% of the country is occupied by them. Lake Vänern located in the middle of Sweden in Europe is the largest. On the flowing Goethe-Elv river there is a high waterfall, which is used to build a powerful hydroelectric power station and a number of shipping locks on it.

Vegetative world of the country

In conclusion - a few words about the plant resources of Sweden. Almost all of its territories, with the exception of the extreme south, belong to the podzolic zone. They do not represent a special value for agriculture. More suitable in this regard are the sod-podzolic varieties of soils, which have become widespread in the lowlands of the lakes of central Sweden.

Forest brown soils, considered to be the most fertile of all available on the Scandinavian peninsula, are located in the southern part of the country. Mainly they are rich in the Skåne Peninsula.

Vegetation in Sweden is represented mainly by forests that cover over 50% of the territory. Their area is more than 23 million hectares, due to which the state holds the first place among the countries of Europe in this indicator. The main set of forests is coniferous. Closer to the north, on the territory of polar Lapland, the forests growing on mountain slopes gradually change with increasing altitude to birch woods. The mountain tundra with thickets of lichens, moss, juniper and dwarf birches stretches even higher.

Only in the summer months, the harsh landscape of the mountains is enlivened by bright flowering lawns with green grass. Tundra vegetation occupies not less than 1/8 of the space. Of broad-leaved species, one can speak of maple, oak, linden and ash. In the southern parts of the country you can meet beech forests.

Is there much wood in Sweden?

It is not only the minerals of Sweden that make it one of the flagships of the world economy. According to one of the most important natural resources - timber reserves - Sweden is referred to the leaders of foreign Europe. The annual production of its 2.3 billion cubic meters, and almost all of it refers to coniferous species. Due to such a vast raw material base, the country has a well developed woodworking and pulp and paper industries.

If in the middle of the last century there was truly barbarous cutting down of precious forests, its pace during the last decades was significantly slowed down. The state spent a lot of money to restore and clean up the natural territory and improve its composition. As a result, the productivity of areas covered by forests has increased markedly.