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Minerals & Natural Resources - World
Below is some information I gathered for those looking for new minerals & natural resource ideas. This might also be helpful for those looking to make any adjustments to the WorldMap. Hope this post isn't too long.
Greece:The mining and metal processing sectors of the economy of Greece were a small but important part's of the national economy and were highly concentrated. Bauxite was the most important of Greek metal deposits, but there were also deposits of chromite, gold, iron, lead, nickel, and zinc. Aluminum was produced from domestic sources of bauxite and alumina and was important in the domestically integrated metal's sector. The steel produced was mostly from imported scrap. Greece was the largest producer of bauxite and nickel in the European Union (EU). The more important commodities were bentonite, magnesite, and perlite. Important exports were bentonite, magnesite, perlite and pumice. Greece is the largest producer of magnesium and perlite in the EU. Exports of such minerals as bauxite, bentonite, nickel, and perlite made up a major share of total revenues.
Japan:Japan's domestically produced mineral production is in decline and most all ferrous and non-ferrous metal requirements for Japan's mineral processing and mineral related manufacturing sectors are imported.
US:The preliminary total value of all nonfuel mineral production in the United States increased more than 2% to $39.6 billion in 1997, with metals decreasing less than 1% to $12.9 billion and industrial minerals increasing almost 3.6% to $26.7 billion over that of 1996. Ten of the mineral commodities produced in the United States in 1997 had an individual total production value greater than $1 billion. These commodities, in descending order, were stone (crushed), cement (portland), copper, sand and gravel (construction), gold, iron ore, lime, clays (kaolin), phosphate rock, and zinc. They composed almost 81% of the U.S. total production.
Germany:Except for iron ore, most of the metals processed in Germany are imported. Production of iron ore is in decline dropping by 95% between 1993 and 1997. Other industrial materials that mined in Germany are cement, clays, graphite, magnesia, potash and gypsum.
France:France is a major European mineral producer. The traditional mineral industries have been in a state of transition during the past few years. Several industries, such as bauxite, coal, iron ore, and uranium, have steadily undergone changes during the past few years. Bauxite is no longer mined in France. Cheaper foreign sources, high operating costs, and the depletion of domestic resources affected the coal and iron ore industries, as well as other mineral producers. The uranium industry reduced its operations by closing a number of mines and processing plants owing to low market prices and depletion of certain deposits. Other factors in the drop of uranium demand were the reduced cost for petroleum and the increased accessibility of natural gas from the North Sea and the former Soviet Union. Lower petroleum prices meant that fewer new nuclear plants were considered for construction, some older plants were being closed, and the export market for uranium decreased.
UK:Mine production of ferrous and nonferrous minerals has been declining for the past 20 years as reserves became depleted. Because processing has become the basis of a large and economically important mineral industry, imports are required to satisfy metallurgical requirements. The industrial minerals sector has provided a significant base for expanding the extractive industries and the balance has shifted away from the metallic mineral sector. Companies have a substantial interest in the production of domestic and foreign industrial minerals, such as aggregates, ball clay, china clay (kaolin), and gypsum. Currently the major metals being extracted are lead and tin. There is also some interest, but no major production yet, in gold.
Egypt:In addition to hydrocarbons, Egypt produced a wide variety of metals and industrial minerals. Production levels of these nonfuel minerals, however, remained relatively low when compared with global levels. Egypt produced a variety of minerals from more than 600 mines, quarries, and salt deposits. Among non-fuel minerals produced in Egypt, phosphate rock and iron ore remained the most important in terms of value.
Brazil:Brazil is one of the world's main mineral producers. Brazil produces bauxite, columbium, gemstones, gold, iron ore, kaolin, manganese, tantalum, and tin from world-class deposits and exports them to the global marketplace. In Latin America, particularly within the Southern Cone Common Market (Mercosur), Brazil continued to be the leading producer of aluminum, cement, ferroalloys, gold, iron ore, manganese, steel, and tin. Brazil's reportedly large identified and undiscovered resources helped make it one of the most dynamic markets in the world. Gold.-Gold production was reported by the DNPM as 60 t. Iron Ore.-Brazil produced 180 Mt of iron ore in 1996 and 190 mt in 1997. Tin.-Brazil was the world's third largest tin producer following China and Indonesia. Tin production has decreased from the peak of 50,200 t in 1989 to 20,000 t in 1997.
Russia:Russia occupies more than 75% of the territory of the former Soviet Union (FSU) and accordingly inherited a large percentage of its mineral resources. Russia is a large mineral producer, accounting for a large percentage of the FSU's production of a range of mineral products, including aluminum, bauxite, cobalt, coal, diamonds, mica, natural gas, nickel, oil, platinum-group metals, tin and a host of other metals and industrial minerals.
China:According to the State Statistical Bureau, China produced 4.70 Mt of 10 nonferrous metals—aluminum, antimony, copper, lead, magnesium, mercury, nickel, tin, titanium, and zinc in 1996, an increase of 313,000 t over the preliminary figure for 1995.
India:Historically, mining and metallurgical activities in India can be traced back for about 6,000 years. Mineral resources are an extensive wide variety, ranging from bauxite, copper, bituminous coal, diamond, gold, iron ore, manganese and zinc, to a host of industrial minerals. Most of the mineral deposits are in the south and central highlands of the country. India is a major minerals producer, ranking among the world's leading producers of bauxite, bituminous coal, iron ore, and zinc. The main mining industry is the production of steaming coal for power generation. Coal provides about 60% of the country's energy requirements. Including peat and lignite, it accounts for an estimated 40% of the value of all mineral production. Iron ore, primarily from surface operations, accounts for an estimated 40% of the value of all metallic mineral production. Approximately 50% is used domestically for steel production, with the balance exported. Domestic production of copper, lead, and zinc satisfies less than about 45% of the country's requirements, with imports fulfilling the balance. Aluminum is the only nonferrous metal for which an adequate domestic ore (bauxite) resource is available.
Spain:Spain is a significant European producer of nonferrous and precious metals, with some of the most mineralized territory in Western Europe. In terms of value of metallic and nonmetallic minerals and quarry products, Spain is a leader among the European Union (EU) countries. Consequently, Spain had one of the highest levels of self-sufficiency with respect to mineral raw materials among the EU members. Of a total of approximately 100 mineral products mined, only about 18 are produced in significant quantities. These are: bentonite, calcinated magnetite, copper, fluorspar, glauberite, iron, lead, mercury, potassic and sepiolitic salts, pyrites, quartz, refractoryargillite, sea and rock salt, tin, tungsten and zinc. Production of many metallic minerals in Spain is insufficient to meet domestic demand, so these must be imported.
Ukraine:The Ukraine is a major producer of iron ore, and manganese ore. Also, the country was a lesser producer of a number of other mineral products, including cadmium, germanium, rutile-zirconium ores, secondary lead, mercury, nickel in ferronickel, magnesium, titanium metal and pigment, uranium ore, secondary zinc and a large number of industrial minerals, including dolomite, graphite, kaolin, limestone fluxes, potash, quartz, salt, soda ash, and a variety of building materials.
Turkey:The geology of Turkey is extremely complex and is reflected in the diversity of its mineral deposits. Best known for its industrial minerals, Turkey was a major producer of barite, boron minerals, celestite (strontium), emery, feldspar, limestone, magnesite, marble, perlite and pumice. The country continued to be a major world producer of refined borates and related chemicals, cement, ceramics and glass. A wide variety of primary metallic minerals were produced as well, but output generally was not considered large to be by world standards. Chromite was the most significant metallic mineral in this sector. Production of chromite in Turkey in 1997 was an estimated 2 million metric tons about one-sixth of the world production. Turkey was a significant producer of ferrochromium and of steel.
Poland:In 1996, Poland was the second largest producer of copper in Europe and Central Eurasia, and ranked among the top 10 world producers of copper in terms of mine output and refined metal production. Similarly, the country was the third largest mine producer of zinc and the second largest mine producer of lead in the region as well as the sixth and seventh largest world producer of silver and sulfur, respectively, and was among the leading European and Central Eurasian producers of lime, nitrogen (in ammonia) and salt.
Canada:Led by the mineral fuels group, the total value of mineral production in Canada was about $36.1 billion in 1996. The biggest news-maker in the Canadian mining industry continued to be the huge nickel-copper-cobalt deposit at Voisey's Bay on the Labrador coast, where drilling results confirmed an unusually large, high-grade ore body that was open east and west, as well as downward. Canada was the fourth largest gold producer behind South Africa, the United States, and Australia. In terms of value of production, gold led the list, exceeding copper (second) and nickel (third). Mine output in 1996 rose to 193,059 t of contained nickel, an increase of 6% compared with the of 1995. There is much still to be explored in Canada.
Australia:Australia is estimated to be the third largest producer of minerals and metals, excluding coal and petroleum, in the world, and its mineral industry is a leading catalyst in promoting the growth of the economy. In 1996, Australia was the world's leading producer of alumina, bauxite, diamond, ilmenite, lead, monazite, opal, rutile, sapphire, and zircon; the third largest producer of gold and zinc; the fourth largest producer of cobalt, iron ore, and uranium; and the fifth largest producer of coal and nickel. It was the premier exporter of alumina, coal, ilmenite, iron ore, refined lead, monazite, rutile, and zircon. The country's mineral wealth is so extraordinary that it is virtually self-sufficient in most mineral commodities. The only significant mineral resource in which Australia is not self-sufficient is petroleum. Nevertheless, Australia still produces about 75% of its crude oil requirements domestically. The mineral industry, the largest primary sector of the economy, remains heavily export-oriented, with about 80% of the value of its mineral production destined for international markets. Mineral exports are heavily concentrated into principal commodity groups-alumina and aluminum, bauxite; gold; and iron ore.
SouthAfrica:The Republic of South Africa is one of the world's foremost mining and mineral processing nations. South Africa has the largest production of gold and has been the largest or among the dominant producers of many other mineral commodities. The most important mineral commodities produced in South Africa, in terms of value, are coal and platinum-group metals (PGM). Additionally, world-class output of metallic minerals includes ores and/or smelted products of antimony, chromium, iron, manganese, titanium, uranium, vanadium, and zirconium. Important output of industrial minerals includes andalusite, asbestos, diamond, dimension stone, fluorspar, phosphate rock and vermiculite. South Africa's rough diamond production dominated by De Beers: total production by De Beers in 1996, for example, was 9.39 million carats. South Africa continues to be the world's largest primary producer of platinum group metals (PGM) and has almost 90% of world reserves. Gold production in South Africa has continued to decline in the late 1990's, but South Africa remained the global leader in gold production.
Edited to emphasize key points in italics.
Greece:The mining and metal processing sectors of the economy of Greece were a small but important part's of the national economy and were highly concentrated. Bauxite was the most important of Greek metal deposits, but there were also deposits of chromite, gold, iron, lead, nickel, and zinc. Aluminum was produced from domestic sources of bauxite and alumina and was important in the domestically integrated metal's sector. The steel produced was mostly from imported scrap. Greece was the largest producer of bauxite and nickel in the European Union (EU). The more important commodities were bentonite, magnesite, and perlite. Important exports were bentonite, magnesite, perlite and pumice. Greece is the largest producer of magnesium and perlite in the EU. Exports of such minerals as bauxite, bentonite, nickel, and perlite made up a major share of total revenues.
Japan:Japan's domestically produced mineral production is in decline and most all ferrous and non-ferrous metal requirements for Japan's mineral processing and mineral related manufacturing sectors are imported.
US:The preliminary total value of all nonfuel mineral production in the United States increased more than 2% to $39.6 billion in 1997, with metals decreasing less than 1% to $12.9 billion and industrial minerals increasing almost 3.6% to $26.7 billion over that of 1996. Ten of the mineral commodities produced in the United States in 1997 had an individual total production value greater than $1 billion. These commodities, in descending order, were stone (crushed), cement (portland), copper, sand and gravel (construction), gold, iron ore, lime, clays (kaolin), phosphate rock, and zinc. They composed almost 81% of the U.S. total production.
Germany:Except for iron ore, most of the metals processed in Germany are imported. Production of iron ore is in decline dropping by 95% between 1993 and 1997. Other industrial materials that mined in Germany are cement, clays, graphite, magnesia, potash and gypsum.
France:France is a major European mineral producer. The traditional mineral industries have been in a state of transition during the past few years. Several industries, such as bauxite, coal, iron ore, and uranium, have steadily undergone changes during the past few years. Bauxite is no longer mined in France. Cheaper foreign sources, high operating costs, and the depletion of domestic resources affected the coal and iron ore industries, as well as other mineral producers. The uranium industry reduced its operations by closing a number of mines and processing plants owing to low market prices and depletion of certain deposits. Other factors in the drop of uranium demand were the reduced cost for petroleum and the increased accessibility of natural gas from the North Sea and the former Soviet Union. Lower petroleum prices meant that fewer new nuclear plants were considered for construction, some older plants were being closed, and the export market for uranium decreased.
UK:Mine production of ferrous and nonferrous minerals has been declining for the past 20 years as reserves became depleted. Because processing has become the basis of a large and economically important mineral industry, imports are required to satisfy metallurgical requirements. The industrial minerals sector has provided a significant base for expanding the extractive industries and the balance has shifted away from the metallic mineral sector. Companies have a substantial interest in the production of domestic and foreign industrial minerals, such as aggregates, ball clay, china clay (kaolin), and gypsum. Currently the major metals being extracted are lead and tin. There is also some interest, but no major production yet, in gold.
Egypt:In addition to hydrocarbons, Egypt produced a wide variety of metals and industrial minerals. Production levels of these nonfuel minerals, however, remained relatively low when compared with global levels. Egypt produced a variety of minerals from more than 600 mines, quarries, and salt deposits. Among non-fuel minerals produced in Egypt, phosphate rock and iron ore remained the most important in terms of value.
Brazil:Brazil is one of the world's main mineral producers. Brazil produces bauxite, columbium, gemstones, gold, iron ore, kaolin, manganese, tantalum, and tin from world-class deposits and exports them to the global marketplace. In Latin America, particularly within the Southern Cone Common Market (Mercosur), Brazil continued to be the leading producer of aluminum, cement, ferroalloys, gold, iron ore, manganese, steel, and tin. Brazil's reportedly large identified and undiscovered resources helped make it one of the most dynamic markets in the world. Gold.-Gold production was reported by the DNPM as 60 t. Iron Ore.-Brazil produced 180 Mt of iron ore in 1996 and 190 mt in 1997. Tin.-Brazil was the world's third largest tin producer following China and Indonesia. Tin production has decreased from the peak of 50,200 t in 1989 to 20,000 t in 1997.
Russia:Russia occupies more than 75% of the territory of the former Soviet Union (FSU) and accordingly inherited a large percentage of its mineral resources. Russia is a large mineral producer, accounting for a large percentage of the FSU's production of a range of mineral products, including aluminum, bauxite, cobalt, coal, diamonds, mica, natural gas, nickel, oil, platinum-group metals, tin and a host of other metals and industrial minerals.
China:According to the State Statistical Bureau, China produced 4.70 Mt of 10 nonferrous metals—aluminum, antimony, copper, lead, magnesium, mercury, nickel, tin, titanium, and zinc in 1996, an increase of 313,000 t over the preliminary figure for 1995.
India:Historically, mining and metallurgical activities in India can be traced back for about 6,000 years. Mineral resources are an extensive wide variety, ranging from bauxite, copper, bituminous coal, diamond, gold, iron ore, manganese and zinc, to a host of industrial minerals. Most of the mineral deposits are in the south and central highlands of the country. India is a major minerals producer, ranking among the world's leading producers of bauxite, bituminous coal, iron ore, and zinc. The main mining industry is the production of steaming coal for power generation. Coal provides about 60% of the country's energy requirements. Including peat and lignite, it accounts for an estimated 40% of the value of all mineral production. Iron ore, primarily from surface operations, accounts for an estimated 40% of the value of all metallic mineral production. Approximately 50% is used domestically for steel production, with the balance exported. Domestic production of copper, lead, and zinc satisfies less than about 45% of the country's requirements, with imports fulfilling the balance. Aluminum is the only nonferrous metal for which an adequate domestic ore (bauxite) resource is available.
Spain:Spain is a significant European producer of nonferrous and precious metals, with some of the most mineralized territory in Western Europe. In terms of value of metallic and nonmetallic minerals and quarry products, Spain is a leader among the European Union (EU) countries. Consequently, Spain had one of the highest levels of self-sufficiency with respect to mineral raw materials among the EU members. Of a total of approximately 100 mineral products mined, only about 18 are produced in significant quantities. These are: bentonite, calcinated magnetite, copper, fluorspar, glauberite, iron, lead, mercury, potassic and sepiolitic salts, pyrites, quartz, refractoryargillite, sea and rock salt, tin, tungsten and zinc. Production of many metallic minerals in Spain is insufficient to meet domestic demand, so these must be imported.
Ukraine:The Ukraine is a major producer of iron ore, and manganese ore. Also, the country was a lesser producer of a number of other mineral products, including cadmium, germanium, rutile-zirconium ores, secondary lead, mercury, nickel in ferronickel, magnesium, titanium metal and pigment, uranium ore, secondary zinc and a large number of industrial minerals, including dolomite, graphite, kaolin, limestone fluxes, potash, quartz, salt, soda ash, and a variety of building materials.
Turkey:The geology of Turkey is extremely complex and is reflected in the diversity of its mineral deposits. Best known for its industrial minerals, Turkey was a major producer of barite, boron minerals, celestite (strontium), emery, feldspar, limestone, magnesite, marble, perlite and pumice. The country continued to be a major world producer of refined borates and related chemicals, cement, ceramics and glass. A wide variety of primary metallic minerals were produced as well, but output generally was not considered large to be by world standards. Chromite was the most significant metallic mineral in this sector. Production of chromite in Turkey in 1997 was an estimated 2 million metric tons about one-sixth of the world production. Turkey was a significant producer of ferrochromium and of steel.
Poland:In 1996, Poland was the second largest producer of copper in Europe and Central Eurasia, and ranked among the top 10 world producers of copper in terms of mine output and refined metal production. Similarly, the country was the third largest mine producer of zinc and the second largest mine producer of lead in the region as well as the sixth and seventh largest world producer of silver and sulfur, respectively, and was among the leading European and Central Eurasian producers of lime, nitrogen (in ammonia) and salt.
Canada:Led by the mineral fuels group, the total value of mineral production in Canada was about $36.1 billion in 1996. The biggest news-maker in the Canadian mining industry continued to be the huge nickel-copper-cobalt deposit at Voisey's Bay on the Labrador coast, where drilling results confirmed an unusually large, high-grade ore body that was open east and west, as well as downward. Canada was the fourth largest gold producer behind South Africa, the United States, and Australia. In terms of value of production, gold led the list, exceeding copper (second) and nickel (third). Mine output in 1996 rose to 193,059 t of contained nickel, an increase of 6% compared with the of 1995. There is much still to be explored in Canada.
Australia:Australia is estimated to be the third largest producer of minerals and metals, excluding coal and petroleum, in the world, and its mineral industry is a leading catalyst in promoting the growth of the economy. In 1996, Australia was the world's leading producer of alumina, bauxite, diamond, ilmenite, lead, monazite, opal, rutile, sapphire, and zircon; the third largest producer of gold and zinc; the fourth largest producer of cobalt, iron ore, and uranium; and the fifth largest producer of coal and nickel. It was the premier exporter of alumina, coal, ilmenite, iron ore, refined lead, monazite, rutile, and zircon. The country's mineral wealth is so extraordinary that it is virtually self-sufficient in most mineral commodities. The only significant mineral resource in which Australia is not self-sufficient is petroleum. Nevertheless, Australia still produces about 75% of its crude oil requirements domestically. The mineral industry, the largest primary sector of the economy, remains heavily export-oriented, with about 80% of the value of its mineral production destined for international markets. Mineral exports are heavily concentrated into principal commodity groups-alumina and aluminum, bauxite; gold; and iron ore.
SouthAfrica:The Republic of South Africa is one of the world's foremost mining and mineral processing nations. South Africa has the largest production of gold and has been the largest or among the dominant producers of many other mineral commodities. The most important mineral commodities produced in South Africa, in terms of value, are coal and platinum-group metals (PGM). Additionally, world-class output of metallic minerals includes ores and/or smelted products of antimony, chromium, iron, manganese, titanium, uranium, vanadium, and zirconium. Important output of industrial minerals includes andalusite, asbestos, diamond, dimension stone, fluorspar, phosphate rock and vermiculite. South Africa's rough diamond production dominated by De Beers: total production by De Beers in 1996, for example, was 9.39 million carats. South Africa continues to be the world's largest primary producer of platinum group metals (PGM) and has almost 90% of world reserves. Gold production in South Africa has continued to decline in the late 1990's, but South Africa remained the global leader in gold production.
Edited to emphasize key points in italics.
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