In the world there is hardly such a huge space with a flat relief as the West Siberian Plain. Minerals deposited in this territory were discovered in 1960. Since then, this natural pantry has been of particular value to our state.
The age of the rocks of the West Siberian Plain indicates the presence of a huge amount of resources in them. The development of the northernmost deposits requires additional time and effort. Today, due to the vast area of marshy swamps in such an area as the West Siberian Plain, minerals are mined at the cost of considerable effort.
Location
The West Siberian Plain is located within the boundaries of the epihercynian plate. It is located on the Asian continent and occupies almost the entire part of Western Siberia, starting from the Ural Mountains and ending with the Central Siberian Plateau.
The regions of Russia and Kazakhstan are located on this plain. The total area of this areaover 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 area is a surface with a slightly rugged relief, diluted with minor fluctuations in relative heights. All this determines the clear zonality 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 tundra, and the steppe extends to the south. Due to the fact that the plain is poorly drained, a large part of it is occupied by swampy terrain and swampy forests. The total area of such complexes is more than one hundred and twenty-eight million hectares. Due to geographical features, the climate is changeable.
Structure of the plain
The structure of the West Siberian Plain is heterogeneous. At great depths there are Paleozoic rocks, which are covered with Meso-Cenozoic deposits. The Mesozoic suites represent marine as well as continental deposits of organic matter.
The structure of the West Siberian Plain indicates repeated changes in climate conditions and the regime of precipitation accumulation on this plate. This was facilitated by its omission at the beginning of the Mesozoic period.
Grey clay, mudstones, glauconite sandstones represent Paleogene deposits. Their accumulation took place at the very bottom of the Paleogene sea, which, in turn, connectedThe Arctic basin with the seas of Central Asia through the depression of the Turgai Strait. Subsequently, in the middle of the Oligocene, this sea left the limits of Western Siberia. In this regard, the Upper Paleogene deposits represent sandy-argillaceous continental facies.
Colossal changes in the nature of the accumulation of sedimentary deposits occur in the Neogene. A rock has been formed that rises in the southern side of the plain and consists of continental deposits of rivers and lakes. Their formation took place in the condition of a small dissection of the plain, which was covered with subtropical vegetation, then broad-leaved deciduous forests. In some places it was possible to meet the territories of the savannas inhabited by giraffes, hipparions, camels.
The process of formation of minerals
The location of the West Siberian Plain suggests the presence of a folded foundation of Paleozoic[deposits. These deposits are covered by a cover of loose marine and continental Mesozoic-Cenozoic rocks (clay, sandstone, etc.). This gives reason to assume that in some places the age of the rocks of the West Siberian Plain reaches one billion years or more.
As a result of the subsidence of the plate in shallow lakes, organic matter accumulated, which later turned out to be conserved under sedimentary rocks. As a result of pressure and exposure to hot temperatures, the formation of minerals began. The resulting substances moved to the sides with the lowest pressure. As a result of these processes, oil flowed from a submerged to an uplifted state, and gas compounds rose along the edges of the field basins. Above the places of the highest elevations of the basins there is a sedimentary rock - clay.
Available resources
Thanks to the work of geologists in such a territory as the West Siberian Plain, the minerals discovered in this area have become a powerful base for the development of Western Siberia. It contains deposits of such resources as natural gas, iron ore, brown coal, oil.
A large amount of oil is being produced on the developed wells in Western Siberia. Soft sedimentary rocks are easy to drill. One of the richest and highest quality oil fields is the West Siberian Plain. Minerals have been mined here for more than fifty years. The largest basin is the West Siberian oil and gas basin. Within the boundaries of the Khanty-Mansiysk syneclise, as well as the Krasnoselsky, Salymsky and Surgutsky regions, in the Bazhenov formation, there are the largest shale oil reserves in our country. They are mined at a depth of two kilometers.
The collar of loose deposits encloses the horizon of underground fresh and mineralized waters. There are also hot springs, the temperature of which varies from one hundred to one hundred and fifty degrees.
West Siberian Plain: minerals (table)
| Deposit name | Mineral resources |
| Sokolovsko-Sarbaysky, Kacharsky basins | iron ore |
| North Sosva, Yenisei-Chulym and Ob-Irtysh basins | lignite |
| Ayat deposit | nickel, coal, chromite, bauxite |
| Lisava field | cob alt, building materials, nickel, coal |
| S alt lakes in the south of Western Siberia | cooking and Glauber's s alt |
| Yakutsk deposits | diamond tubes |
| Lensky, Tunguska, Irkutsk basins | coal |
| Southern and northern deposits of the West Siberian Lowland | oil |
Thus, the structure of the West Siberian Plain indicates the solid age of the rocks of this territory and the presence of rich mineral deposits. Despite this, there is a problem of gas and oil development. It lies in difficult natural conditions. The life and work of people in the northern part is greatly complicated by severe frost and hurricane winds. The soil in the north is covered with permafrost, so construction is not an easy task. In the summer, the number of blood-sucking insects increases, which create difficulties for workers.
Instead of a conclusion
Today, the issue of protection and rational use of the resources of Western Siberia remains relevant. Predatory destruction of the surrounding nature can lead to disastrous consequences. It must be taken into account that in the natural system everything is interconnected, and therefore one must strive not to disturb its harmony.
