What are ores? Iron ore deposit. Ores of Russia. See what ore is in other dictionaries What is ore definition
Iron ore is a natural mineral formation that contains iron compounds accumulated in such a volume that is sufficient for its economic extraction. Of course, all rocks contain iron. But iron ores are precisely those ferrous compounds that are so rich in this substance that they allow the industrial extraction of metallic iron.
Types of iron ores and their main characteristics
All iron ores differ greatly in their mineral composition and the presence of harmful and beneficial impurities. The conditions of their formation and, finally, the iron content.
The main materials that are classified as ore can be divided into several groups:
- Iron oxides, which include hematite, martite, magnetite.
- Iron hydroxides - hydrogoethite and goethite;
- Silicates - thuringite and chamosite;
- Carbonates - sideroplesite and siderite.
Industrial iron ores contain iron in varying concentrations - from 16 to 72%. Beneficial impurities contained in iron ores include: Mn, Ni, Co, Mo, etc. There are also harmful impurities, which include: Zn, S, Pb, Cu, etc.
Iron ore deposits and mining technology
According to their genesis, existing iron ore deposits are divided into:
- Endogenous. They can be igneous, representing inclusions of titanomagnetite ores. There may also be carbonatite inclusions. In addition, there are lens-shaped, sheet-like skarn-magnetite deposits, volcano-sedimentary strata deposits, hydrothermal veins, as well as irregularly shaped ore bodies.
- Exogenous. These mainly include brown iron ore and siderite sedimentary layer deposits, as well as deposits of thuringite, chamosite and hydrogoethite ores.
- Metamorphogenic are deposits of ferruginous quartzites.
The maximum volumes of ore production are provoked by significant reserves and fall on Precambrian ferruginous quartzites. Sedimentary brown-iron ores are less common.
During mining, a distinction is made between rich ores and those requiring enrichment. The industry that produces iron ore also carries out its preliminary processing: sorting, crushing and the above-mentioned beneficiation, as well as agglomeration. The ore mining industry is called the iron ore industry and is the raw material base for ferrous metallurgy.
Applications
Iron ore is the main raw material for producing cast iron. It goes to open-hearth or converter production, as well as for iron recovery. As is known, a wide variety of products are made from iron, as well as from cast iron. The following industries need these materials:
- Mechanical engineering and metalworking;
- Automotive industry;
- Rocket industry;
- Military industry;
- Food and light industry;
- Building sector;
- Oil and gas production and transportation.
In addition to the well-known oil and gas, there are other equally important minerals. These include ores that are mined for ferrous and through processing. The presence of ore deposits is the wealth of any country.
What are ores?
Each of the natural sciences answers this question in its own way. Mineralogy defines ore as a set of minerals, the study of which is necessary to improve the processes of extracting the most valuable of them, and chemistry studies the elemental composition of ore in order to identify the qualitative and quantitative content of valuable metals in it.
Geology addresses the question: “What are ores?” from the point of view of the feasibility of their industrial use, since this science studies the structure and processes occurring in the bowels of the planet, the conditions for the formation of rocks and minerals, and the exploration of new mineral deposits. They are areas on the Earth's surface on which, as a result of geological processes, a sufficient amount of mineral formations has accumulated for industrial use.
Ore formation
Thus, to the question: “what are ores?” The most complete answer is this. Ore is a rock with an industrial content of metals in it. Only in this case does it have value. Metal ores are formed when the magma that contains their compounds cools. At the same time, they crystallize, distributed according to their atomic weight. The heaviest ones settle to the bottom of the magma and are separated into a separate layer. Other minerals form rocks, and the remaining hydrothermal fluid from the magma spreads into the voids. The elements contained in it solidify and form veins. Rocks, being destroyed under the influence of natural forces, are deposited at the bottom of reservoirs, forming sedimentary deposits. Depending on the composition of rocks, various metal ores are formed.
Iron ores
The types of these minerals vary significantly. What are ores, in particular iron ores? If the ore contains a sufficient amount of metal for industrial processing, it is called iron. They differ in origin, chemical composition, and content of metals and impurities that may be beneficial. As a rule, these are associated non-ferrous metals, for example, chromium or nickel, but there are also harmful ones - sulfur or phosphorus.
The chemical composition is represented by its various oxides, hydroxides or carbon dioxide salts of iron oxide. The ores being mined include red, brown and magnetic iron ore, as well as iron luster - they are considered the richest and contain more than 50% metal. Poor ones include those in which the useful composition is less - 25%.
Composition of iron ore
Magnetic iron ore is iron oxide. It contains more than 70% pure metal, but in deposits it is found together with and sometimes with zinc blende and other formations. considered the best ore in use. Iron luster also contains up to 70% iron. Red iron ore - iron oxide - is one of the sources of pure metal extraction. And brown analogues have up to 60% metal content and are found with impurities, sometimes harmful. They are hydrous iron oxide and accompany almost all iron ores. They are also convenient for their ease of extraction and processing, but the metal obtained from this type of ore is of low quality.
Based on the origin of iron ore deposits, they are divided into three large groups.
- Endogenous, or magmatic. Their formation is due to geochemical processes occurring in the depths of the earth's crust and magmatic phenomena.
- Exogenous, or surface, deposits were created as a result of processes occurring in the near-surface zone of the earth's crust, that is, at the bottom of lakes, rivers, and oceans.
- Metamorphogenic deposits were formed at a sufficient depth from the earth's surface under the influence of high pressure and the same temperatures.
Iron ore reserves in the country
Russia is rich in various deposits. The largest in the world - it contains almost 50% of all world reserves. It was noted in this region already in the 18th century, but the development of deposits began only in the 30s of the last century. The ore reserves in this basin have a high content of pure metal, they are measured in billions of tons, and mining is carried out by open-pit or underground methods.
The Bakchar iron ore deposit, which is one of the largest in the country and the world, was discovered in the 60s of the last century. Its ore reserves with a concentration of pure iron up to 60% amount to about 30 billion tons.
In the Krasnoyarsk Territory there is the Abagaskoe deposit - with magnetite ores. It was discovered back in the 30s of the last century, but its development began only half a century later. In the Northern and Southern zones of the basin, mining is carried out by open-pit mining, and the exact amount of reserves is 73 million tons.
Discovered back in 1856, the Abakan iron ore deposit is still active. At first, the development was carried out by opencast mining, and from the 60s of the 20th century - underground mining at a depth of up to 400 meters. The content of pure metal in the ore reaches 48%.
Nickel ores
What are nickel ores? The mineral formations that are used for the industrial production of this metal are called nickel ores. There are sulfide copper-nickel ores with a pure metal content of up to four percent and silicate nickel ores, the same figure being up to 2.9%. The first type of deposits is usually of the igneous type, and silicate ores are found in areas of the weathering crust.
The development of the nickel industry in Russia is associated with the development of their location in the Middle Urals in the mid-19th century. Almost 85% of sulfide deposits are concentrated in the Norilsk region. The deposits in Taimyr are the largest and most unique in the world in terms of the wealth of reserves and diversity of minerals; they contain 56 elements of the periodic table. The quality of nickel ores in Russia is not inferior to other countries; the advantage is that they contain additional rare elements.
About ten percent of nickel resources are concentrated in sulfide deposits on the Kola Peninsula, and silicate deposits are being developed in the Middle and Southern Urals.
The ores of Russia are characterized by the quantity and variety necessary for industrial use. However, at the same time, they are distinguished by difficult natural production conditions, uneven distribution across the country, and a discrepancy between the region where resources are located and the population density.
ORE meaning
Modern explanatory dictionary ed. "Great Soviet Encyclopedia"
ORE
Meaning:
a natural mineral formation containing a metal or several metals in concentrations at which their extraction is economically feasible. The term "ore" is sometimes applied to a number of non-metallic minerals. Depending on the mineral composition, as well as the relative content of valuable components, texture, structure, etc., ores are divided into separate technological grades.
Small Academic Dictionary of the Russian Language
ore
Meaning:
Y, pl. ore, and.
Natural mineral raw materials containing metals or their compounds.
Iron ore. Copper ore.
Y, and. Outdated Blood.
- I was whipped too, your honor. They gave me fifty blows. I've been sick for a year, my insides are caked with ore. Paustovsky, The Fate of Charles Lonseville.
Compiled dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
ore
Meaning:
1) a mineral from which a metal or other substance is extracted by smelting or another method; a natural chemical combination of a metal with something else: e.g. rocky or earthy parts. 2) blood.
(Source: “Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language.” Chudinov A.N., 1910)
ORE synonyms
Dictionary of Russian synonyms 4
ore
Synonyms:
sinter ore, azurite, argentite, bertrandite, bauxite, bornite, galena, galmay, hematite, goethite, datolite, iron ore, ilmenite, calamine, carnotite, kerargyrite, kieserite, cinnabar, covellite, columbite, crocoite, cuprite, limonite, magnetite, microlite, minetta, monocyte, pitchblende, nepheline, otenite, otunite, pyrosiderite, polychrome, pollucite, proustite, psilomelane, siderite, sylvanite, sylvite, smithsonite, spodeum, stannin, spherosiderite, raw material, tenorite, thorite, uraninite, falertz, phenacite, fluorite, chalcocite, chromite, celestite, cerusite, zincite, scheelite, concentrate
ORE stress, word forms
ORE origin, etymology
Etymological dictionary of the Russian language. Vasmer Max
ore
Origin, etymology:
dial also in meaning "blood", archang. (Dev.), Ukrainian ore "ore; blood", blr. ore "dirt, blood", Old Slav. rouda μέταλλον (Supr.), Bulgarian. ore "ore", Serbohorv. ore - the same, Slovenian. rúda – the same, Czech, Slavic, Polish. ruda "ore", v.-luzh., n.-luzh. ruda "iron ore, red earth".
Praslav. *ruda cognate lit. raũdas "damn", raudà "roach", rùdas "brown", Lt. raũds "red, reddish, brown", rauda "roach, wild duck", Old Indian. rṓhitas, w. rṓhinī "red, reddish", Avest. raoiδita - “reddish”, lat. rūfus “red”, ruber – the same, Greek. ἐρεύθω “blushing”, ἐρυθρός “red”, Gothic. rauÞs – same, Irish. rúad – the same. For more details, see: blush, rust, thin, light brown; see Uhlenbeck, Aind. Wb. 256, 266; Trautman, BSW 238 et seq.; M.–E. 3, 481, 483; Buga, RFV 75, 141; Thorpe 351. Talk about borrowing from Germanic languages. (Mikkola, RES 1, 102) there is no basis; see Brückner, AfslPh 42, 138. Meaning. "blood" is explained as a means of tabooizing the word blood; see Havers 154; Keller, Streitberg-Festgabe 188. From ore also produced ore "to get dirty", arkhang. (Dev.), as well as other Russian. ruditi “to break an agreement”, in fact, “to stain, to stain” (often in Shakhmatov, Dvinsk gram. and Srezn.).
Iron ore is the main raw material for the global metallurgical industry. The economies of different countries largely depend on the market for this mineral, which is why the development of mines is receiving increased attention all over the world.
Ore: definition and features
Ores are rocks that are used for processing and extracting the metals they contain. The types of these minerals differ in origin, chemical content, concentration of metals and impurities. The chemical composition of the ore contains various oxides, hydroxides and carbon dioxide salts of iron.
Interesting! Ore has been in demand on the farm since ancient times. Archaeologists were able to find out that the manufacture of the first iron objects dates back to the 2nd century. BC. This material was first used by the inhabitants of Mesopotamia.
Iron- a common chemical element in nature. Its content in the earth's crust is about 4.2%. But in its pure form it is almost never found, most often in the form of compounds - in oxides, iron carbonates, salts, etc. Iron ore is a combination of minerals with a significant amount of iron. In the national economy, the use of ores containing more than 55% of this element is considered economically feasible.
What is made from ore
Iron ore industry is a metallurgical industry that specializes in the extraction and processing of iron ore. The main purpose of this material today is the production of cast iron and steel.
All products made from iron can be divided into groups:
- Pig iron with high carbon concentration (above 2%).
- Cast iron.
- Steel ingots for the production of rolled products, reinforced concrete and steel pipes.
- Ferroalloys for steel smelting.
What is ore needed for?
The material is used for smelting iron and steel. Today there is practically no industrial sector that can do without these materials.
Cast iron is an alloy of carbon and iron with manganese, sulfur, silicon and phosphorus. Pig iron is produced in blast furnaces, where the ore is separated from iron oxides at high temperatures. Almost 90% of the resulting cast iron is marginal and is used in steel smelting.
Various technologies are used:
- electron beam melting to obtain pure high-quality material;
- vacuum processing;
- electro-slag remelting;
- steel refining (removal of harmful impurities).
The difference between steel and cast iron is the minimum concentration of impurities. Oxidative smelting in open-hearth furnaces is used for purification.
The highest quality steel is smelted in electric induction furnaces at extremely high temperatures.
Ore differs in the concentration of the element it contains. It can be enriched (with a concentration of 55%) and poor (from 26%). It is advisable to use low-grade ores in production only after enrichment.
Based on their origin, the following types of ores are distinguished:
- Magmatogenous (endogenous) - formed under the influence of high temperature;
- Surface - settled remains of the element on the bottom of sea basins;
- Metamorphogenic - obtained under the influence of extremely high pressure.
Main mineral compounds containing iron:
- Hematite (red iron ore). The most valuable source of iron with an element content of 70% and a minimum concentration of harmful impurities.
- Magnetite. A chemical element with a metal content of 72% is distinguished by high magnetic properties and is mined from magnetic iron ores.
- Siderite (iron carbonate). There is a high content of waste rock, the iron itself is about 45-48%.
- Brown iron ores. A group of aqueous oxides with a low percentage of iron, with admixtures of manganese and phosphorus. An element with such properties is characterized by good recoverability and porous structure.
The type of material depends on its composition and the content of additional impurities. The most common red iron ore with a high percentage of iron can be found in different states - from very dense to dusty.
Brown iron ores have a loose, slightly porous structure of brown or yellowish color. Such an element often requires enrichment, but is easily processed into ore (high-quality cast iron is obtained from it).
Magnetic iron ores are dense and granular in structure, looking like crystals embedded in the rock. The color of the ore is characteristic black-blue.
How ore is mined
Iron ore mining is a complex technical process that involves diving into the depths of the earth to search for minerals. Today, there are two methods of ore mining: open and closed.
Open (quarry method) is a common and safest option compared to closed technology. The method is relevant for cases where there are no hard rocks in the working area, and there are no populated areas or utility systems nearby.
First, a quarry up to 350 meters deep is dug, after which iron is collected and removed from the bottom by large machines. After extraction, the material is sent on diesel locomotives to steel and iron factories.
Quarries are dug using excavators, but this process takes a lot of time. As soon as the machine reaches the first layer of the mine, the material is submitted for examination to determine the percentage of iron content and the feasibility of further work (if the percentage is above 55%, work in this area continues).
Interesting! Compared to the closed method, mining in quarries costs half as much. This technology does not require the construction of mines or the creation of tunnels. At the same time, the efficiency of work in open pits is several times higher, and the loss of material is five times less.
Closed mining method
Mine (closed) ore mining is used only if it is planned to maintain the integrity of the landscape in the area where ore deposits are being mined. This method is also relevant for work in mountainous areas. In this case, a network of tunnels is created underground, which leads to additional costs - the construction of the mine itself and the complex transportation of metal to the surface. The main drawback is the high risk to the lives of workers; the mine can collapse and block access to the surface.
Where is ore mined?
Iron ore mining is one of the leading areas of the economic complex of the Russian Federation. But despite this, Russia's share in world ore production is only 5.6%. World reserves amount to about 160 billion tons. The volume of pure iron reaches 80 billion tons.
Countries rich in ores
The distribution of minerals by country is as follows:
- Russia - 18%;
- Brazil - 18%;
- Australia - 13%;
- Ukraine - 11%;
- China - 9%;
- Canada - 8%;
- USA - 7%;
- other countries - 15%.
Significant deposits of iron ore have been noted in Sweden (the cities of Falun and Gellivar). In America, a large amount of ore was discovered in the state of Pennsylvania. In Norway, the metal is mined in Persberg and Arendali.
Ores of Russia
The Kursk magnetic anomaly is a large deposit of iron ore in the Russian Federation and in the world, in which the volume of unrefined metal reaches 30,000 million tons.
Interesting! Analysts note that the scale of mineral extraction at the KMA mines will continue until 2020, and there will be a decline in the future.
The area of the Kola Peninsula mines is 115,000 sq. km. Iron, nickel, copper ores, cobalt and apatites are mined here.
The Ural Mountains are also among the largest ore deposits in the Russian Federation. The main development area is Kachkanar. The volume of ore minerals is 7000 million tons.
The metal is mined in smaller quantities in the West Siberian basin, Khakassia, the Kerch basin, Zabaikalsk and the Irkutsk region.
Man began to mine iron ore at the end of the 2nd millennium BC, having already identified for himself the advantages of iron over stone. Since then, people began to distinguish between types of iron ores, although they did not yet have the same names as they do today.
In nature, iron is one of the most common elements, and in the earth’s crust it is contained, according to various sources, from four to five percent. It is the fourth most abundant after oxygen, silicon and aluminum.
Iron is not present in pure form; it is found in greater or lesser quantities in different types of rocks. And if, according to experts’ calculations, extracting iron from such a rock is feasible and economically profitable, it is called iron ore.
Over the past few centuries, during which steel and cast iron have been actively smelted, iron ores have been depleted - because more and more metal is required. For example, if in the 18th century, at the dawn of the industrial era, ores could contain 65% iron, now 15 percent of the element in ore is considered normal.
What is iron ore made of?
The composition of ore includes ore and ore-forming minerals, various impurities and waste rock. The ratio of these components differs from deposit to deposit.
Ore material contains the bulk of iron, and gangue is mineral deposits containing iron in very small quantities or not at all.
Iron oxides, silicates and carbonates are the most commonly found iron ore minerals.
Types of iron ore by iron content and location.
- Low iron or separated iron ore, below 20%
- With medium iron content or sinter ore
- Iron-containing mass or pellets - rocks with a high iron content, above 55%
Iron ores can be linear - that is, they occur in places of faults and bends of the earth's crust. They are the richest in iron and contain little phosphorus and sulfur.
Another type of iron ore is flat-like, which is found on the surface of iron-bearing quartzite.
Red, brown, yellow, black iron ores.
The most common type of ore is red iron ore, which is formed by anhydrous iron oxide hematite, which has the chemical formula Fe 2 O 3. Hematite contains a very high percentage of iron (up to 70 percent) and few foreign impurities, in particular sulfur and phosphorus.
Red iron ores can be in different physical states - from dense to dusty.
Brown iron ore is a hydrous iron oxide Fe 2 O 3 *nH 2 O. The number n may vary depending on the base that makes up the ore. Most often these are limonites. Brown iron ores, unlike red ones, contain less iron - 25-50 percent. Their structure is loose, porous, and the ore contains many other elements, including phosphorus and manganese. Brown iron ores contain a lot of adsorbed moisture, while waste rock is clayey. This type of ore got its name because of its characteristic brown or yellowish color.
But despite the rather low iron content, due to its easy reducibility, such ore is easy to process. High-quality cast iron is often smelted from them.
Brown iron ore most often needs enrichment.
Magnetic ores are those formed by magnetite, which is a magnetic iron oxide Fe 3 O 4. The name suggests that these ores have magnetic properties that are lost when heated.
Magnetic iron ores are less common than red ones. But they can contain even more than 70 percent iron.
In its structure, it can be dense and granular, and can look like crystals embedded in the rock. The color of magnetite is black-blue.
Another type of ore is called spar iron ore. Its ore-bearing component is iron carbonate with the chemical composition FeCO 3 called siderite. Another name is clay iron ore - this is if the ore contains a significant amount of clay.
Spar and clay iron ores are found in nature less frequently than other ores and contain relatively little iron and a lot of waste rock. Siderites can be transformed into brown iron ores under the influence of oxygen, moisture and precipitation. Therefore, the deposits look like this: in the upper layers it is brown iron ore, and in the lower layers it is spar iron ore.