When you look at the geographical map of Belarus, or as the country is officially called - the Republic of Belarus, you think: what mineral deposits can be found on the territory of this country in the center of Europe?
General characteristics of stocks
Due to the absence of mountains, deposits of ore rocks on an industrial scale are excluded from the outset. But taking into account the flat terrain and developed water network, we can assume the presence of mineral raw materials on the territory of the Republic of Belarus. Minerals of this type indeed make up the bulk of underground resources. More than thirty types of mineral raw materials are known on the territory of the state and more than four thousand deposits have been explored. Potassium s alts are in a special position in the country. Their estimated industrial reserves allow it to be in the leading group of European countries. Rock s alt deposits in the country are considered almost inexhaustible. In addition, the minerals of the Republic of Belarus are building materials of all kinds.
And also peat -the swampy areas of the country are rich in deposits of this material.
Non-metallic minerals of Belarus
Potassium s alts are practically the primary raw material of the Republic of Belarus. Minerals of this type are developed mainly at the Starobinsky and Petrikovsky deposits. Their strategic reserves are estimated at ten billion tons.
According to this indicator, the country is the third in the world. Three deposits of rock s alt reserves have also been explored, but mining is carried out only at Starobinsky and Mozyrsky. Dolomite deposits are being developed. In the Mogilev region there are deposits of phosphorites with a total capacity of sixty million cubic meters, but the prospects for their extraction are vague. Minerals of the Republic of Belarus for the construction industry are mined throughout the country. The reserves of over five hundred clay deposits are estimated at one and a half billion tons. Deposits of gravel and pebbles, according to experts, make up the same amount. There are even more sands in Belarus - silicate and construction. The country is rich in raw materials for the production of cement and lime, and is known for deposits of building stone and refractory clay.
Fuel resources of the country
Reserves of gas and oil are also available in the Republic of Belarus. Minerals containing hydrocarbons are located in the southern part of the country. More than seventy oil fields have been explored, and half of them are actively used. Mining is carried out only for local consumption. Its volume does not exceed two million tons. But that doesn't even cover fifteenpercent of the country's needs.
And natural gas production reaches a volume of two hundred million cubic meters per year, which is less than one percent of the state's needs. Shale gas reserves amount to more than ten billion cubic meters, but the cost of their production is very high, and therefore there are no prospects for today. There are no reserves of hard coal on the territory of the country, and two deposits of brown coal have been discovered, which have not been developed. Peatlands occupy more than twelve percent of the entire territory of the country. Peat reserves in the country are more than thirty million cubic meters. Peat mineral deposits of Belarus are located throughout the country. Several thousand of them are known, but only a small number are being developed. This type of raw material exhausts its purpose. If in 1975 170 peat sources were developed, by now there are about forty of them left.
Other resources
As mentioned above, due to the lack of mountains in the Republic of Belarus, minerals of the ore type are practically absent. Only two iron ore deposits have been discovered. Their total reserves, according to experts, amount to just over three hundred tons. But for the production of mineral paint, deposits of marsh iron ore are used, which are scattered throughout the country in an amount of more than three hundred. But the country is trying its best to use its, albeit few, sources. The high-quality use of Belarusian minerals can be seen even in relation to mineral water.
More than sixty sources have been explored, and virtually all of them are used for spa treatment or bottling.
