West Siberian Plain: minerals, accommodation, description

In the world it is unlikely that there will be such a huge space, which has a flat relief, like the West Siberian Plain. The minerals lying on this territory were discovered in 1960. Since then, this natural pantry is of particular value to our state.

The age of the rocks of the West Siberian Plain suggests that they have a huge amount of resources. The development of the most northern deposits requires additional time and effort. To date, due to the huge area of marshy marshes in such an area as the West Siberian Plain, minerals are extracted at a cost of considerable effort.

Location:

The West Siberian Plain lies within the boundaries of the epihercine plate. It is located on the Asian mainland and occupies almost the entire part of Western Siberia, beginning with the Ural Mountains and ending with the Central Siberian Plateau.

On this plain are the regions of Russia and Kazakhstan. The total area of this area is more than three million kilometers. The distance from north to south is two and a half thousand, and from east to west - one thousand nine hundred kilometers.

Description of the West Siberian Plain

This terrain is a surface with a slightly intersected relief, diluted by insignificant fluctuations in relative heights. All this causes a clear zoning of the landscape.

Description of the West Siberian Plain gives an idea of the characteristic natural complexes of the area. The northern part of the territory is dominated by the tundra, and in the south stretches the steppe. In view of the fact that the plain is poorly drained, a considerable part of it is occupied by marshland and swamped forests. The total area of such complexes is more than one hundred and twenty-eight million hectares. Due to geographical features, the climate has a volatile character.

Structure of the plain

The structure of the West Siberian Plain is heterogeneous. Paleozoic rocks are found at great depths, which are covered by mesozoanozoic deposits. Mesozoic suites represent marine, as well as continental deposits of organic substances.

The structure of the West Siberian Plain indicates a repeated change in the climate conditions and the regime of accumulation of precipitation on this plate. This was facilitated by its omission at the beginning of the Mesozoic period.

Gray clay, mudstone, glauconite sandstones represent Paleogene deposits. Their accumulation occurred at the very bottom of the Paleogene Sea, which, in turn, connected the Arctic basin with the seas of Central Asia by lowering the Turgai Strait. Subsequently, in the middle of the Oligocene, this sea left the boundaries of Western Siberia. In connection with this, the Upper Paleogene deposits represent sandy-clay continental facies.

The colossal changes in the nature of the accumulation of sedimentary deposits occur in the Neogene. Formed a rock that rises in the southern side of the plain and consists of continental deposits of rivers and lakes. Their formation occurred in the condition of a small dismemberment of the plain, which was covered by subtropical vegetation, then broadleaf deciduous forests. In some places it was possible to meet the territories of savannahs inhabited by giraffes, hipparions, camels.

Process of formation of minerals

The location of the West Siberian Plain presupposes the presence of a folded basement from the Paleozoic [sediments. These deposits cover the cover from loose marine and continental Mesozoic-Cenozoic rocks (clay, sandstone and the like). This gives reason to assume that in some places the age of the rocks of the West Siberian Plain reaches one billion years and more.

As a result of the descent of the slab in shallow-water lakes, accumulation of organic substances took place, which subsequently became conserved under sedimentary rocks. As a result of pressure and the influence of hot temperatures, the formation of minerals began. The obtained substances moved to the sides with the least pressure. As a result of these processes, oil flowed from the submerged state, and gas compounds rose along the edges of the reservoirs. Above the highest elevations of the basins there is a sedimentary rock - clay.

Available Resources

Thanks to the work of geologists in a territory such as the West Siberian Plain, the minerals found in this area have become a powerful base for the development of Western Siberia. There are deposits of resources such as natural gas, iron ore, brown coal, oil.

On the developed wells of Western Siberia , a large amount of oil is produced. Soft sedimentary rocks are easy to drill. One of the richest and most qualitative deposits of oil is the West Siberian Plain. Minerals have been mined here for more than fifty years. The largest pool is the West Siberian oil and gas. Within the boundaries of the Khanty-Mansiysk syneclise, as well as the Krasnoselsky, Salym and Surgut districts, the largest in our country reserves of shale oil are located in the bed of the Bazhenov suite. They are extracted at a depth of two kilometers.

The cuff of loose deposits encloses the horizon of underground fresh and mineralized waters. Also there are hot springs, the temperature of which varies from one hundred to one hundred and fifty degrees.

West Siberian Plain: minerals (table)

Thus, the structure of the West Siberian Plain indicates the considerable age of the rocks of this territory and the presence of rich mineral deposits. Despite this, there is a problem of development of gas and oil. It is in difficult natural conditions. The life and work of people in the northern part is greatly complicated by the severe frost and hurricane wind. The ground in the north has frozen the permafrost, so construction is not an easy task. In the summer, the number of bloodsucking insects that create difficulties for workers is growing.

Instead of concluding

To date, the issue of protection and rational use of Western Siberia's resources remains urgent. Predatory devastation of the surrounding nature can lead to disastrous consequences. It should be borne in mind that everything in the natural system is interrelated, and therefore one should strive not to violate its harmony.