What are the natural resources of Australia?

Australia is rich in a variety of minerals. New discoveries of mineral ores made on the continent over the past 10-15 years have pushed the country to one of the first places in the world in terms of reserves and extraction of such minerals as iron ore, bauxite, lead-zinc ores.

The largest deposits of iron ore in Australia, which began to be developed since the 60s of our century, are located in the region of the Hamersley Range in the north-west of the country (the Mount Newman, Mount Goldsworth, etc. deposits). Iron ore is also found on the Kulan and Kokatu Islands in King's Bay (in the northwest), in the state of South Australia in the Middleback Range (Iron-Knob, etc.) and in Tasmania - the Savage River deposit (in the Savage river valley).

Large deposits of polymetals (lead, zinc mixed with silver and copper) are located in the western desert part of the state of New South Wales - the Broken Hill deposit. An important center for the extraction of non-ferrous metals (copper, lead, zinc) has developed near the Mount Isa deposit (in the state of Queensland). There are also deposits of polymetals and copper in Tasmania (Reed Rosebury and Mount Lyell), copper in Tennant Creek (Northern Territory) and elsewhere.

The main gold reserves are concentrated in the ledges of the Precambrian basement and in the southwest of the mainland (Western Australia), in the area of ​​the cities of Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie, Northman and Wiluna, as well as in Queensland. Smaller deposits are found in almost all states.

Bauxites occur on the Cape York Peninsula (Waype Field) and Arnhem Land (Gow Field), as well as in the southwest, in the Darling Range (Jarradale Field).

Uranium deposits are found in various parts mainland: in the north (Arnhemland Peninsula) - near the rivers South and East Alligator, in the state of South Australia - near Lake. Frome, in the state of Queensland - the Mary-Katlin field and in the western part of the country - the Yillirri field.

The main deposits of coal are located in the eastern part of the mainland. The largest deposits of both coking and non-coking coal are developed near the cities of Newcastle and Lythgow (New South Wales) and the cities of Collinsville, Blair Atol, Bluff, Baralaba and Moura Kiang in Queensland.

Geological surveys have established that large deposits of oil and natural gas are located in the bowels of the Australian mainland and on the shelf off its coast. Oil has been found and produced in Queensland (the Mooney, Alton and Bennet fields), on Barrow Island off the northwestern coast of the mainland, and also on the continental shelf off the south coast of Victoria (the Kingfish field). Deposits of gas (the largest Ranken field) and oil have also been discovered on the shelf off the northwestern shores of the mainland.

Australia has large deposits of chromium (Queensland), Gingin, Dongara, Mandarra (Western Australia), Marlin (Victoria).

From non-metallic minerals, there are clays, sands, limestones, asbestos, and mica of various quality and industrial use.

The water resources of the continent itself are small, but the most developed river network is on the island of Tasmania. The rivers there have a mixed rain and snow supply and are full-flowing throughout the year. They flow down from the mountains and therefore are stormy, rapids and have large reserves of hydropower. The latter is widely used for the construction of hydroelectric power plants. The availability of cheap electricity contributes to the development of energy-intensive industries in Tasmania, such as the smelting of pure electrolyte metals, the manufacture of cellulose, etc.

The rivers flowing from the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range are short, in their upper reaches they flow in narrow gorges. Here they may well be used, and partly already used for the construction of hydroelectric power stations. When entering the coastal plain, the rivers slow down their flow, their depth increases. Many of them in the estuarine parts are even accessible to large ocean-going vessels. The Clarence River is navigable for 100 km from its mouth, and Hawkesbury for 300 km. The volume of runoff and the regime of these rivers are different and depend on the amount of precipitation and the time of their occurrence.

On the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range, rivers originate, making their way along the interior plains. In the region of Mount Kosciuszko, the most abundant river in Australia, the Murray, begins. Its largest tributaries, the Darling, Murrumbidgee, Goulbury and some others, also originate in the mountains.

Food r. The Murray and its channels are mostly rainy and to a lesser extent snowy. These rivers are at their fullest in early summer, when the snow melts in the mountains. In the dry season, they become very shallow, and some of the Murray's tributaries break up into separate stagnant reservoirs. Only Murray and Murrumbidgee retain a constant current (except for exceptionally dry years). Even the Darling, the longest river in Australia (2450 km), during summer droughts, getting lost in the sands, does not always reach the Murray.

Dams and dams have been built on almost all the rivers of the Murray system, near which reservoirs have been created, where flood waters are collected and used to irrigate fields, gardens and pastures.

The rivers of the northern and western coasts of Australia are shallow and relatively small. The longest of them - Flinders flows into the Gulf of Carpentaria. These rivers are rain-fed, and their flow varies greatly in different time of the year.

Rivers whose flow is directed to the interior of the mainland, such as Coopers Creek (Barkoo), Diamant-ina, and others, are deprived not only of a constant flow, but also of a permanent, distinctly expressed channel. In Australia, such temporary rivers are called screams. They fill with water only during short showers. Soon after the rain, the riverbed again turns into a dry sandy hollow, often not even having a definite shape.

Most lakes in Australia, like rivers, are fed by rainwater. They have neither a constant level nor a runoff. In summer, the lakes dry up and are shallow saline depressions. The layer of salt at the bottom sometimes reaches 1.5 m.

In the seas surrounding Australia, sea animals are mined and fish are caught. Edible oysters are bred in sea waters. Sea trepang, crocodiles and pearl clams are fished in warm coastal waters in the north and northeast. The main center of artificial breeding of the latter is located in the region of the Koberg peninsula (Arnhemland). It was here, in the warm waters of the Arafura Sea and Van Diemen Bay, that the first experiments were carried out to create special sediments. These experiments were carried out by one of the Australian companies with the participation of Japanese specialists. It has been found that pearl clams grown in warm waters off the northern coast of Australia produce larger pearls than those off the coast of Japan, and in a much shorter period of time. At present, the cultivation of pearl mollusks has spread widely along the northern and partly northeastern coasts.

Since the Australian mainland for a long time, starting from the middle of the Cretaceous period, was isolated from other parts of the globe, its flora is very peculiar. Of the 12 thousand species of higher plants, more than 9 thousand are endemic, i.e. grow only on the Australian continent. Among the endemics are many species of eucalyptus and acacia, the most typical plant families in Australia. At the same time, there are also such plants that are inherent in South America (for example, the southern beech), South Africa (representatives of the Proteaceae family) and the islands of the Malay Archipelago (ficus, pandanus, etc.). This indicates that many millions of years ago there were land connections between the continents.

Since the climate of most of Australia is characterized by severe aridity, dry-loving plants dominate in its flora: special cereals, eucalyptus trees, umbrella acacias, succulent trees (bottle tree, etc.). The trees belonging to these communities have a powerful root system, which goes 10-20, and sometimes 30 m into the ground, due to which they, like a pump, suck out moisture from great depths. The narrow and dry leaves of these trees are painted mostly in a dull gray-greenish color. In some of them, the leaves are turned to the sun with an edge, which helps to reduce the evaporation of water from their surface.

In the far north and northwest of the country, where it is hot and warm northwest monsoons bring moisture, tropical rainforests grow. Giant eucalyptus trees, ficuses, palm trees, pandanuses with narrow long leaves, etc. predominate in their woody composition. The dense foliage of the trees forms an almost continuous cover, shading the ground. In some places along the coast there are thickets of bamboo. Where the shores are flat and muddy, mangrove vegetation develops.

Rainforests in the form of narrow galleries stretch for relatively short distances inland along the river valleys.

The farther to the south, the drier the climate becomes and the hotter breath of the deserts is felt more strongly. The forest cover is gradually thinning. Eucalyptus and umbrella acacias are arranged in groups. This is a zone of humid savannas, stretching in a latitudinal direction south of the tropical forest zone. In appearance, savannahs with rare groups of trees resemble parks. There is no undergrowth in them. Sunlight freely penetrates through a sieve of small tree leaves and falls on the ground covered with tall dense grass. Forested savannahs are excellent pastures for sheep and cattle.

The central deserts of parts of the mainland, where it is very hot and dry, are characterized by dense, almost impenetrable thickets of thorny low-growing shrubs, consisting mainly of eucalyptus and acacia. In Australia, these thickets are called scrub. In some places, the scrub is interspersed with vast, devoid of vegetation, sandy, rocky or clayey areas of deserts, and in some places - thickets of tall soddy cereals (spinifex).

The eastern and southeastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range, where there is a lot of rainfall, are covered with dense tropical and subtropical evergreen forests. Most of all in these forests, as elsewhere in Australia, eucalyptus trees. Eucalyptus trees are industrially valuable. These trees have no equal in height among hardwood species; some of their species reach 150 m in height and 10 m in diameter. The growth of wood in eucalyptus forests is large, and therefore they are very productive. There are also many tree-like horsetails and ferns in the forests, reaching 10-20 m in height. At their top, tree-like ferns carry a crown of large (up to 2 m long) pinnate leaves. With their bright and fresh greenery, they somewhat enliven the faded bluish-green landscape of eucalyptus forests. Higher in the mountains, an admixture of damarr pines and beeches is noticeable.

Shrub and grass covers in these forests are varied and dense. In less humid variants of these forests, grass trees form the second layer.

On the island of Tasmania, in addition to eucalyptus trees, there are many evergreen beeches related to South American species.

In the southwest of the mainland, forests cover the western slopes of the Darling Range, facing the sea. These forests consist almost entirely of eucalyptus trees, reaching considerable heights. The number of endemic species is especially high here. In addition to eucalyptus, bottle trees are widespread. They have an original bottle-shaped trunk, thick at the base and tapering sharply upwards. In the rainy season, large reserves of moisture accumulate in the tree trunk, which are consumed during the dry season. In the undergrowth of these forests there are many shrubs and herbs, full of bright colors.

In general, Australia's forest resources are small. The total area of ​​forests, including special plantations, consisting mainly of species with soft wood (mainly radiata pine), at the end of the 70s was only 5.6% of the country's territory.

The first colonists did not find plant species characteristic of Europe on the mainland. Subsequently, European and other species of trees, shrubs and herbs were brought to Australia. Grapevine, cotton, cereals (wheat, barley, oats, rice, corn, etc.), vegetables, many fruit trees, etc. are well established here.

In Australia, all soil types characteristic of tropical, subequatorial and subtropical natural zones are presented in a regular sequence.

In the area of ​​tropical rainforests in the north, red soils are common, changing towards the south with red-brown and brown soils in wet savannahs and gray-brown soils in dry savannahs. Red-brown and brown soils containing humus, a little phosphorus and potassium, are valuable for agricultural use.

Within the zone of red-brown soils, the main wheat crops of Australia are located.

In the marginal regions of the Central Plains (for example, in the Murray basin), where artificial irrigation is developed and a lot of fertilizers are used, grapes, fruit trees, and fodder grasses are grown on gray earth soils.

Gray-brown steppe soils are widespread in the inner desert territories of semi-desert and especially steppe regions surrounding the ring, where there is grass, and in some places shrub-tree cover. Their power is insignificant. They contain little humus and phosphorus, therefore, when using them even as pastures for sheep and cattle, the application of phosphorus fertilizers is required.

The Australian continent is located within three main warm climatic zones southern hemisphere: subequatorial (in the north), tropical (in the central part), subtropical (in the south). Only a small part of Tasmania lies within the temperate zone.

The subequatorial climate, characteristic of the northern and northeastern parts of the continent, is distinguished by a smooth temperature range (during the year, the average air temperature is 23 - 24 degrees) and a large amount of precipitation (from 1000 to 1500 mm, and in some places more than 2000 mm.). Precipitation is brought here by the humid northwest monsoon, and it falls mainly in the summer. In winter, during the dry season, rain falls only occasionally. At this time, dry, hot winds blow from the interior of the mainland, which sometimes cause droughts.

In the tropical zone on the Australian continent, two main types of climate are formed: tropical wet and tropical dry.

The tropical humid climate is characteristic of the extreme eastern part of Australia, which is included in the zone of action of the southeast trade winds. These winds bring moisture-saturated air masses with them to the mainland. Pacific Ocean. Therefore, the entire region of the coastal plains and eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range is well moistened (on average, precipitation is from 1000 to 1500 mm) and has a mild warm climate (the temperature of the warmest month in Sydney is 22 - 25 degrees, and the coldest - 11, 5 - 13 degrees).

Air masses that bring moisture from the Pacific Ocean also penetrate beyond the Great Dividing Range, losing a significant amount of moisture along the way, so precipitation falls only on the western slopes of the ridge and in the foothills.

Located mainly in tropical and subtropical latitudes, where solar radiation is high, the Australian mainland is getting very hot. Due to the weak indentation of the coastline and the uplift of the marginal parts, the influence of the seas surrounding the mainland is weakly felt in the inner parts.

Australia is the driest continent on Earth, and one of the most characteristic features of its nature is the wide distribution of deserts that occupy vast spaces and stretch almost 2.5 thousand km from the coast indian ocean to the foothills of the Great Dividing Range.

The central and western parts of the mainland are characterized by a tropical desert climate. In summer (December-February), the average temperatures here rise to 30 degrees, and sometimes even higher, and in winter (June-August) they drop to an average of 10-15 degrees. The hottest region of Australia is the northwestern one, where in the Great Sandy Desert the temperature stays at around 35 degrees and even higher almost all summer. In winter, it decreases slightly (up to about 25-20 degrees). In the center of the mainland, near the city of Alice Springs, in the summer, the temperature during the day rises to 45 degrees, at night it drops to zero and below (-4-6 degrees).

Central and western parts of Australia, i.e. about half of its territory receives an average of 250-300 mm of precipitation per year, and the vicinity of the lake. Air - less than 200 mm; but even these insignificant precipitations fall unevenly. Sometimes for several years in a row there is no rain at all, and sometimes in two or three days, or even in a few hours, the entire annual amount of precipitation falls. Part of the water seeps quickly and deeply through the permeable soil and becomes inaccessible to plants, and part evaporates under the hot rays of the sun, and the surface layers of the soil remain almost dry.

Within the subtropical belt, three types of climate are distinguished: Mediterranean, subtropical continental and subtropical humid.

The Mediterranean climate is characteristic of the southwestern part of Australia. As the name suggests, the climate of this part of the country is similar to the climate of the European Mediterranean countries - Spain and Southern France. Summers are hot and generally dry, while winters are warm and humid. Relatively small fluctuations in temperature by season (January - 23-27 degrees, June - 12 - 14 degrees), a sufficient amount of precipitation (from 600 to 1000 mm).

The subtropical continental climate zone covers the southern part of the mainland adjacent to the Great Australian Gulf, includes the vicinity of the city of Adelaide and extends somewhat further east, to the western regions of the state of New South Wales. The main features of this climate are low rainfall and relatively large annual temperature fluctuations.

The subtropical humid climate zone includes the entire state of Victoria and the southwestern foothills of the state of New South Wales. In general, this entire zone is characterized by a mild climate and a significant amount of precipitation (from 500 to 600 mm), mainly in the coastal parts (the penetration of precipitation into the interior of the continent decreases). In summer, temperatures rise to an average of 20-24 degrees, but in winter they drop quite a lot - up to 8-10 degrees. The climate of this part of the country is favorable for the cultivation of fruit trees, various vegetables and forage grasses. True, artificial irrigation is used to obtain high yields, since in summer period there is not enough moisture in the soil. Dairy cattle (grazing on fodder grasses) and sheep are bred in these areas.

The temperate climate zone includes only the central and southern parts of the island of Tasmania. This island is largely influenced by the surrounding waters and has a climate of moderately warm winters and cool summers. The average January temperature here is 14-17 degrees, June - 8 degrees. The prevailing wind direction is west. The average annual rainfall in the western part of the island is 2500 mm, and the amount rainy days- 259. In the eastern part the climate is somewhat less humid.

In winter, snow sometimes falls, but it does not last long. Abundant rainfall favors the development of vegetation, and especially herbs, which vegetate all year round. Herds of cattle and sheep graze all year round on evergreen succulent natural and improved by oversowing fodder grasses meadows.

The hot climate and insignificant and uneven precipitation over most of the mainland lead to the fact that almost 60% of its territory is deprived of runoff to the ocean and has only a rare network of temporary watercourses. Perhaps no other continent has such a poorly developed network inland waters like in Australia. The annual flow of all the rivers of the continent is only 350 cubic km.

Natural conditions of Australia

Australia is based on the old Precambrian platform. Previously, it was part of the Gondwana supercontinent. The relief of Australia is dominated by plains. Only in the east, young mountains stretch parallel to the coastline - the Great Dividing Range. The southern part is the highest. It's called the Australian Alps. In progress geological development the territory of the mainland repeatedly experienced uplift and lowering of the foundation. These processes were accompanied by breaks in the earth's crust and the deposition of marine sediments. The relief of Australia is characterized by great diversity. But in general, the relief favors the development of human economic activity.

The geographical position of the mainland determines the main features of its climate. The tropical belt occupies most of the area of ​​the continent. The north of Australia lies in the subequatorial, and the south - in the subtropical zones. In general, the climate is characterized by high temperatures and low rainfall. Only a third of the continent receives enough moisture. The most comfortable conditions for life and economic activity were formed in the southeast of Australia.

Minerals of Australia

Remark 1

Since the mainland is based on the old Precambrian platform, deposits of igneous minerals lie close to the surface. Australia is rich in deposits of gold, iron and uranium ores, non-ferrous metal ores. Unique deposits of iron ore are located in the states of Western and South Australia. The Cape York Peninsula is famous for its rich deposits of aluminum ores. In the center of the mainland copper and polymetallic ores occur, in the north - manganese and uranium, in the west - nickel ores and gold.

The southeastern part of the platform is covered by a thick sedimentary cover. These areas are associated with deposits of coal, oil and gas.

The abundance of ores predetermined the country's specialization in the world market. Australia provides with ores not only itself, but also the developed countries of the world, for example, Japan.

Water resources are distributed extremely unevenly. Australia is characterized by limited surface water and rich groundwater resources. Artesian wells are used for the needs of the population. Desalination plants are being built on the coasts.

Land resources in most of the mainland are poor. These are desert areas. Fertile red-brown and brown soils are located in the southeast and southwest of the country and along the east coast.

Biological resources of Australia

Remark 2

An important feature of Australia's biological resources is their uniqueness. Due to early isolation from the rest of the continents, most of Australia's plant and animal species are found nowhere else.

Australia's forest resources are very limited. Due to the peculiarities of the climate, conditions favorable for the development of forests have formed only in the east of the country. A zone of humid equatorial forests stretches along the entire eastern coast. Forests occupy only $5\%$ of the total territory of the continent.

Eucalyptus is not only a valuable wood, but also an important pharmacological raw material. Many plants are rich essential oils, tannins.

Australia's food resources are unique. Most of the country has become a natural fodder base for sheep breeding. Animals are on free pasture for a long time.

The fauna of Australia, like the flora, is very peculiar. Only in Australia live "first animals" - primitive egg-laying mammals platypus and echidna. There are a lot of marsupials in Australia. The most famous of them are kangaroo, koala. Of the birds, parrots, birds of paradise, lyrebird, emu are most famous. The latter is actively bred on agricultural farms.

Long ago, rabbits were brought from Europe to Australia. Having no natural enemies, rabbits quickly multiplied and turned into a real disaster. They harm agricultural enterprises, destroying crops and orchards.

Plants and animals of Australia are very popular in the world. Every year, a lot of tourists arrive on the "green continent". That's why biological resources The mainland can also be considered as part of the recreational resources that contribute to the development of international tourism.

Australia is the driest continent on earth. He is all in southern hemisphere. This determines the natural conditions and resources of Australia.

Natural conditions and resources of Australia: climate

For the reasons mentioned above, the seasons in Australia are the opposite of those in the northern hemisphere, being hot from November to January and cool from June to August.

The climate in Australia has sharp differences in its different parts. Its northern part, humid and hot, is replaced by semi-desert regions, and the coasts (southeast and south) belong to the subtropical zone, so the climate here is warm and pleasant.

Natural conditions and resources of Australia: relief

The terrain in Australia is mostly flat. From the Cape York Peninsula, in the east of the country, the Great Dividing Range stretches to the Bass Strait, and it continues on the island of Tasmania. most high point Australia is Mount Kosciuszko (2228 m).

In the west of the country you will find four deserts: the Great Victoria Desert, the Simpso Desert, the Gibson Desert, and the Great Sandy Desert.

Australia attracts tourists from all over the world with its exoticism, unique flora and fauna, comfortable climate, endless beaches, cloudless skies and bright sun.

Natural conditions and resources: rivers

There are few large rivers on the Australian mainland, except for the island of Tasmania. Australia's main river is the Murray, with tributaries the Goulburn, the Murrumbidgee and the Darling.

At the beginning of summer, these rivers are the most full-flowing, because. snow is melting in the mountains. They become very shallow during the hot season. Even the Darling, which is the longest in Australia, gets lost during a drought in the sands. Dams were built on almost all of the Murray's tributaries, and reservoirs used for irrigation were created near them.

Natural conditions and resources: lakes

The lakes of Australia are predominantly waterless basins. Rarely, when filled with water, they become silty, salty and shallow reservoirs.

The largest lakes in Australia include Lake Eyre, Gairdner, Garnpang, Amadius, Torrens, Mackay, Gordon. But here you can meet unique, simply amazing lakes.

For example, Lake Hillier, which is bright pink, is located on Middle Island. Even if you fill something with water from the lake, its color will not change. There are no algae in the lake, and scientists have not given an explanation for what exactly gives the lake such a pink color.

Or there is the luminous Jeepsland Lake. It is a complex of swamps and lakes located in the state of Victoria. Here, in 2008, a high concentration of microorganisms Noctiluca scintillans or Nightweed was observed.

Photographer Phil Hart and local residents observed such a rare phenomenon. The “night light” glows when it reacts to stimuli, so the photographer threw stones into the water and teased them in every way to capture the glow, and at the same time also an unusual picture of the sky. However, the pictures turned out just wonderful.

Natural conditions and resources: forests

In Australia, forests occupy only 2% of the entire mainland area. But tropical rainforests, located along the shores of the Coral Sea, are unusual for Europeans and very picturesque.

Subantarctic and subtropical forests with huge ferns and eucalyptus trees are located in the east and south of the continent. In the west, "hard-leaved" evergreen savannah forests grow. Here you can find eucalyptus trees whose leaves are turned in such a way that they do not give shade.

About 500 species of different eucalyptus trees can be found in Australia, for example, blue eucalyptus trees in the Blue Mountains in the Thunder Valley.

The largest subtropical forests in the world in terms of area are the Rainforests, which have survived almost unchanged since the time of Gondwana. Here you can see plants that have been growing since the time of the dinosaurs.

A large volcano was once located here, which supplied these lands with good soil. At the moment, the volcano has been destroyed by erosion, but magnificent high waterfalls have appeared. So in the Gondwana forests you will definitely find something to admire.

The rainforests between New Wales and Queensland are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Now this area includes 50 reserves.

Mineral resources

This is the main natural wealth of Australia. Australia ranks first in the world in zirconium and bauxite reserves and second in uranium reserves.

Australia is one of the largest coal producers in the world. There are deposits of platinum in Tasmania. Gold deposits are located mainly in the southwest of Australia, near the cities of Northman, Coolgardie, Wiluna, Queensland. And there are small deposits of this valuable metal in almost all states of the continent. The state of New South Wales has diamonds, antimony, bismuth and nickel.

The state of South Australia is distinguished by the fact that opals are mined here, and even an entire underground city of Coober Pedy or Coober Pedy has been built. mining town located at the bottom of a dried-up ancient sea. Its inhabitants mine opals and live underground to escape the unbearable heat. They say here: "If you need a new house, dig it yourself!" The underground city has shops and even an underground temple.

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Mining Vedomosti

Pavel Lunyashin

Australia is the only state in the world that occupies an entire continent, while its population is only 23.6 million people (2014). With the second highest Human Development Index, Australia ranks high in many areas such as quality of life, health, education, economic freedom, civil liberties and political rights.
In 2013, the Fraser Institute, an independent Canadian market research organization, ranked Australia among the top 10 countries in the world in terms of attractiveness of mining policy and the index of geological attractiveness, and ranked the state of Western Australia first in terms of investment attractiveness. By the way, according to these indicators, Russia is in 91st, 67th and 86th places.
The US mining advisory agency Behre Dolbear, evaluating the ratings of mining countries, notes that Australia has taken the top line in this rating for the fourth year in a row. In terms of political and economic stability, Australia outperformed its closest competitors - Canada, Chile, Brazil and Mexico. Australia has the shortest time required to obtain mining licenses, as well as the lowest level of corruption in the mining industry. In general, according to the agency, Australia is far ahead of other regions in terms of investment attractiveness in the mining sector. Russia in this ranking is at last place. Australia is the world's leading manufacturer of mining software.

Australian mining development
The oldest evidence of stone processing in Australia belongs to the era Upper Paleolithic. An interesting feature of this region is that before the Europeans came to the continent in the 17th century, the use of mineral resources was practically absent. The mining industry originates in the 90s of the XVIII century, its appearance is associated with coal mining near Newcastle in New South Wales. In the 40s of the 19th century, deposits of copper and lead ores were discovered, in the 50s - gold. The latter led to a "gold rush" on the continent (especially in the state of Victoria), up to 150 thousand miners worked in the mines. In 1851 - 1865. deposits in the states of Victoria and New South Wales annually gave about 71 tons of gold. Copper was first mined in the Kapanda-Barra region of South Australia in the 1840s. In the 1860s, Australia became the 3rd largest copper mine in the world. At the same time, coal and iron ore deposits in New South Wales begin to be developed. In 1872-73. the country becomes the world's leading producer of tin, which was mined in Tasmania. In the late 1880s, Australia ranked first in the world with 11 thousand tons of tin per year. With the discovery of the rich silver deposits of Broken Hill in New South Wales in 1882, a "silver boom" began. At the end of the 19th century, as a result of the discovery of new deposits (Kalgoorlie, Kimberley, Mount Morgan), the gold mining industry was revived again. There are currently about 300 Australian gold mining campaigns registered in London.

In the 1910s, intensive brown coal mining began in the state of Victoria. For the economic development of Australia and, in particular, its mining industry, especially great importance had the creation of a single market after the formation of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901, the growth of the labor force due to large-scale immigration after the Second World War; opening in Asia of new sales markets for Australian raw materials - iron ores, bauxites, coal, etc. Mineral exploration expanded from 1950, and important discoveries were made in the 1960s, especially in the Precambrian Shield of Western Australia and in sedimentary basins. The result was a giant mining boom for the first time since the gold rush of the 1850s. In 1960-2000 Mining in Australia has been constantly expanding. Financing of mining campaigns was carried out at the expense of the capitals of Japan, the USA and Great Britain, as well as Australia itself. The mining industry provides more than a third of the country's total industrial output and is export-oriented. Australian mineral raw materials are exported to more than 100 countries of the world, primarily to Asian countries.

Human Resources
More than 23.6 million people live in Australia. The share of foreign workers in the country is 25%, but despite this, in some regions there is a shortage of workers. This is due to the small population in a large area and the fact that the majority of the population lives on the east coast of Australia. In this area, most major cities, and almost all skilled workers and engineers operate there. A lot of people from China, Vietnam, Korea work in the Western part of the country, and their number is growing rapidly. Also, the Australian government is actively recruiting residents of Central and of Eastern Europe. The most demanded specialists are in the fields of agriculture and mining. Australia is actively developing the tourism industry and is actively attracting workers from other countries to work in tourism. The British go to work in Australia most of all, there are many Russians and Ukrainians. In the major cities of Australia (Sydney, Melbourne), there are entire neighborhoods in which Ukrainian diasporas live, working in the country. Australia is experiencing the largest influx of immigrants in the last 40 years and attracting workers from all over the world to the country, offering the best conditions for work with the least pressure, a favorable climate and a low cost of living. Europe - in particular the UK - is the main source of immigrants to work in Australia. Under the current program, Australia offers immigrants professional immigration for 4 years, sponsored by the employer or the state, with the opportunity to stay in the country forever.

Mining and geological personnel are trained at 17 universities in all states of the country. The most famous of them are the universities of New South Wales (Sydney), Flinders (Adelaide), Macquarie (Sydney), Monash (Melbourne), the University of Western Australia, etc.
The median household income in Australia is A$67,000.

In 2010, the National Labor Relations Tribunal (Fair Work Australia) raised the Australian minimum wage to A$570 per week, or A$15 per hour. Official duration working week in Australia - 38 hours.

Natural resources
The main natural wealth of the country is mineral resources. Australia's endowment with natural resource potential is 20 times higher than the world average.
The country ranks 1st in the world in terms of reserves of gold, nickel, lead, zinc, uranium, and opals. The green continent contains 95% of the world's opal reserves, 40.4% of lead, 31.2% of uranium, 27% of zinc, and 26.7% of nickel. Australia ranks second in terms of bauxite reserves (22.2% of the world), copper (12.6% of the world) and cobalt (16.0%). There are significant reserves of silver, manganese, diamonds, coal, iron ore.
Total spending on mineral exploration was $3.656 billion in 2012, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Nickel
Australia ranks first in the world in terms of nickel reserves - 17.7 million tons. 37 copper-nickel sulfide deposits have been discovered here, which form the Western Australian nickel-bearing province. The ore bodies of most deposits are in the form of lenses and pillars. The average nickel content is 2.1%, but in some bodies it reaches 9.5%, and in poor ores that are being developed, it does not exceed 0.6%. About 88% of Australia's proven reserves are located in 15 fields. Western Australia retains the largest nickel resources with 96.0% of the total Australian reserves. Queensland is the second largest area with 3.8% followed by Tasmania with 0.2%. The main reserves of cobalt and platinum group metals are associated with nickel ores.
With nickel production of 244 thousand tons, the country is in 4th place in the world in 2012 (11.4%). Nickel reserves at current production rates will last for 31 years. In order to replenish reserves, intensive work is underway to explore nickel-cobalt ores, in 2012 they amounted to $ 235.7 million. The value of all exported nickel products amounted to $ 4.005 billion. Australia was the world "s fourth-largest nickel producer behind the Philippines, Indonesia and Russia accounting for 11.4% of estimated world mine production.

Gold
According to the Australian Geological Survey, in 2012 reliable economic resources gold, including reserves, amounted to 9909 tons, estimated resources - 4542 tons. The subsoil of Western Australia is especially rich in gold, where 42% of reliable resources are localized. More than 600 deposits have been discovered in the country. Two thirds of them are small (with stocks up to 10 tons), almost a quarter are medium (up to 100 tons). The category of large and unique (from 100 to 2000 tons and more) includes 47 deposits, including the world-famous Kalgoorlie, Olympic Dam, Bendigo. About 70% of reliable resources are concentrated in 15 deposits, of which more than 50% are located in the four largest ones - Olympic Dam, Caydia East, Boddington and Telfer.
In 2012, 75 enterprises mined gold by opencast and underground mining. In terms of production (251 tons in 2012), Australia firmly ranks second in the world after China. The Perth Mint is the only gold refiner in Australia. He processes gold mined by domestic enterprises, buys secondary metal and receives raw materials for processing from abroad. The total production of refined gold in 2012 amounted to 309 tons, of which 282 tons were exported in the amount of $15.2 billion.

Gold exploration spending was $741 million, second only to iron ore exploration spending of $1,163 million. On a State-by-State basis, the greatest increase in expenditure on gold exploration was in WA with a $42 million, or an 8.4%, rise to $541 million. Over the past decade, spending on gold exploration has remained relatively constant at $500-750 million Australian dollars.

It is noteworthy that alluvial gold in Australia has not yet dried up: numerous finds of large nuggets are known in the country. So, in March 2014, in the area of ​​​​the town of Maldon (Victoria), a prospector who wished to remain anonymous, using a metal detector, found a nugget weighing 7.925 kg.

Domestic mine production fell by seven tons in 2012 to 251 tons, which was 11 tons less than the maximum of 261 tons in 2010 and about 60 tons lower than Australia's highest annual yield of about 310 tons in the late 1990's. Lead, zinc and silver
Australia ranks 1st in the world in terms of lead and zinc reserves, 4th in silver reserves and mining, and 2nd in terms of the production of the first two metals.
Large deposits of polymetals (lead, zinc mixed with silver and copper) are located in the western desert part of the state of New South Wales - the Broken Hill deposit. An important center for the extraction of non-ferrous metals has developed near the Mount Isa deposit (in the state of Queensland). There are also deposits of non-ferrous metals in Tasmania (Reed Rosebery and Mount Lyell), copper - in Tennant Creek (Northern Territory) and in other places. According to the Australian Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics (BREE), in 2012 Australian production of zinc, lead and silver amounted to 1.54 million tons, 0.62 million tons and 1.73 thousand tons, respectively. Most of the production was from Queensland (1007 kt or 65% of national zinc production, 440 kt (71% lead) and 1.39 kt (81% silver). Exports of zinc concentrates and refined zinc in 2012 amounted to $ 2178 million - 1% of the value of the country's total merchandise exports. Lead exports amounted to 688 thousand tons in the amount of $ 2080 million. Silver exports brought in $ 1678 million.

Copper
Australia ranks second in the world in terms of copper reserves (13%) after Chile (28%) and ahead of Peru (11%), USA (6%), Mexico (6%) and China, Russia, Indonesia, Poland with 4% each . Australian copper reserves amount to 91.1 million tons. 68% of the reserves are concentrated in South Australia. Nearly all of the reserves are associated with BHP Billiton Ltd's Olympic Dam field. In New South Wales - 13% of Australia's copper, 12% - in Queensland (mainly in the Mount Isa region).
As a producer, Australia ranks fifth in the world, with 5% of world copper production after Chile (32%), China (9%), Peru and the USA (both 7%). As a producer, Australia ranks fifth in the world, with 5% of global copper production behind Chile (32%), China (9%), Peru and the US (7% each). In 2012, the extraction of copper ore in Australia amounted to 914 thousand tons of copper. The main mining and smelting operations are carried out at the Olympic Dam deposits in South Australia and Mount Isa in Queensland. A significant amount of copper is produced in New South Wales, Western Australia and Tasmania. Most copper ore in Australia is mined underground. Export of copper ore in 2012 amounted to 946 thousand tons worth $ 8.1 billion - 3% of the value of all exports of goods. Expenses for copper exploration are growing - in 2012 compared to 2011 they increased by 4% to $414 million. Expenditure in SA of $146 million was 35% of all copper exploration.

Tungsten
Tungsten reserves in Australia in 2012 amounted to 391 thousand tons (11.2%, 2nd place in the world). Estimated resources - 102 thousand tons.

bauxites
Australia is the world's largest producer of bauxite, accounting for 29% of world production in 2012 (76.3 million tons). The production of alumina amounted to 21.4 million tons, aluminum - 1.9 million tons. In terms of reserves of this raw material (6281 million tons), the country is in second place in the world after Guinea. Off-balance bauxite resources are 1573 million tons and estimated - 1474 million tons. Laterite type bauxites in most cases occur on the surface, the thickness of the layers reaches 10 m. About 80% of all bauxite reserves are concentrated in 4 largest deposits in the west of the country - Weipa, E , Cape Bougainville and Mitchell. In the extreme southwest is the large bauxite region of Darling Rodov. All deposits are developed without stripping. At current production rates, Australia has proven bauxite reserves for almost 100 years. In 2012, 18.3 million tons of alumina were exported, worth $5.152 billion. The average price was $282.0/tonne which was significantly lower than the 2011 price of $332.9/tonne.

Tin
In terms of tin reserves, Australia (277 thousand tons) ranks 8th in the world. It accounts for 5.6% of world reserves. Tin ores are located in the west (Mount Bischof) and northeast of the island of Tasmania, in the north of New South Wales, in the mountains of New England, and also in Queensland (Gilberton). Production of tin concentrate in 2012 amounted to 5800 tons (2.5% of world production, 7th place). Refined tin has not been produced in Australia since 2007 following the closure of the Greenbushes plant in Western Australia. The total export of tin for 2012 was 5706 tons worth $110 million.

Uranus
Uranium has been mined in Australia since 1954, and there are currently four mines operating in the country. More are planned to be built in the future. Today, Australia's uranium reserves are the largest in the world, accounting for 31.2% of the world's total. 30 large deposits of uranium ores are known. Most of them are located in the Alligator Rivers area. 75% of the country's uranium reserves and 17% of the world's reserves are concentrated here. The main deposits are Ranger, Kungarra, Jabiluka. The ores are of high quality, U3O8 content averages 0.2-0.3%, maximum U3O8 content is 2.35% (Nabarlek deposit). In 2012, 8218 tons of U3O8 were mined in Australia. - this is 15.4% of world production (4th place in the world). All extracted raw materials are exported. Exports in 2012 amounted to 6969 tons of uranium (8218 tons of U 3 O 8) worth $ 696 million. Australian mining companies supplied uranium under long-term contracts to the USA, Japan, China, South Korea and Canada, as well as to the countries of the European Union. In 2010, the Australia-Russia nuclear cooperation agreement came into force, allowing the use of Australian uranium for Russian civilian nuclear facilities. A trial batch of uranium was delivered to Russia in 2012.

Iron ores
In terms of explored reserves of iron ore (44.7 billion tons), the country ranks 4th in the world, and if we talk not about ore, but actually about useful iron (20.6 billion tons), then it ranks third after Russia and Brazil. The largest deposits of iron ore, which began to be developed in the 60s of the XX century, are located in the region of the Hamersley Range in the north-west of the country (the Mount Newman, Mount Goldsworth, etc. deposits). Iron ore is also found on the Kulan and Kokatu Islands in King's Bay (in the northwest), in the state of South Australia in the Middleback Range (Iron-Knob, etc.) and in Tasmania - the Savage River deposit (in the Savage river valley).
The country has been provided with iron ore reserves for 86 years, but exploration work is actively underway. Iron ore exploration spending reached $1,163 million in 2012.
In 2012, 520 million tons of iron ore provided Australia with the 2nd place in the world ranking and the first place in terms of export (494 million tons). The main consumers of iron ore exports are China, Brazil and India. BREE forecasts an increase in steel consumption in China of 4% to 725 Mt coinciding with development of the Chinese government's infrastructure program.

manganese ores
Australia has 11% of the world's manganese ore reserves (186.7 million tons) and ranks fifth behind Ukraine (25%), South Africa (20%), Brazil (15%) and China (14%). Inferred resources reach 324 million tons. Australia produces 15% of the world's manganese ore (7.2 million tons) and ranks third after China (31%) and South Africa (16%). In Australia, there are three active mines and one production for the processing of man-made deposits. The Groove Island field located here is one of the largest fields in the world. The content of manganese in the ore is 37-52%. Ores are easily enriched. Mining is carried out in an open way. Smaller deposits are also known in Western Australia (Woody Woody, Mike). Australia's only manganese ore processing plant is operated by TEMCO at Bell Bay in Tasmania. Export of manganese ore in 2012 amounted to 6.7 million tons in the amount of $1.204 billion. Marketable ore is exported to the USA, Japan, and European countries.

Heavy mineral sands
Their main components are rutile, ilmenite, zircon and monazite. Rutile and zircon reserves in Australia in 2012 were the largest in the world (52% and 53% respectively). Australia has the second largest share of ilmenite in the world with 15% after China (31%), is the largest producer of rutile with 55.9% of world production, zircon (42.9%), the second largest producer of ilmenite (11.9% ) The deposits are associated with offshore placers on the east and southwest coasts between Stradbroke Island (Queensland) and Byron Bay (New South Wales) and on the coast of Western Australia at Capely. The largest deposits are Yeniba, Capel Banbury, Southport, Hammock Hill, Hex Tomago, etc. The sands contain titanium minerals (ilmenite, rutile), zirconium (zircon) and rare earths (monazite). The content of heavy minerals fluctuates sharply (from a few to 60%). Deposits of Australia are considered as the main promising world source of rutile, ilmenite and zircon.
In 2012, Australia produced 1.344 million tons of ilmenite, 439 thousand tons of rutile and 605 thousand tons of zircon. In 2012, 2.023 million tons of ilmenite, 342 thousand tons of rutile and 680 thousand tons of zircon were exported. Australia also produces 480,000 tons of synthetic rutile. The reserves of ilmenite, rutile and zircon in the country are enough for an average of 116 years for ilmenite, 52 years for rutile and 68 years for zircon
According to Iluka Resources Ltd 1 the global zircon demand remained weak throughout 2012. The demand for high grade titanium dioxide was high in the first quarter in 2012 but softened in the second half of the year.Rare earth metals
Reserves of rare earth metals (REM) in Australia amount to 3.19 million tons (2.8% of the world). According to this indicator, the green continent is inferior to China (55 million tons) and the USA (13 million tons). The main volumes of REM are mined in Western Australia, New South Wales and Queensland. In terms of REM production (4.0 thousand tons, 3.7% of world production), the country ranks 3rd in the world. REM export volumes were estimated at $284 million in 2008. The resources of REEs are usually reported as rare earth oxides (REO).

Coal
The coal industry plays an extremely important role in the Australian economy. It covers 85% of the country's energy needs and is ahead of all other sectors of the country in terms of exports. The coal reserves discovered in Australia are estimated at 76.2 billion tons (4th place in the world) and at the current scale of production (431 million tons in 2012, 4th place in the world) they are enough for almost 150 years. The country accounts for 8% of the world's hard coal reserves and 15% of lignite reserves.

Oil
The explored reserves of Australian oil currently amount to only 3.9 billion barrels, and the annual production is about 180 million barrels, but soon the green continent may become the world leader in oil reserves. Everything changed the message about the discovery of a field in the center of the continent in a place known as Arkaringa, which, according to various sources, can contain from 133 to 233 billion barrels of oil. True, geologists and economists have yet to find out how profitable it will be from a commercial point of view. Experts do not exclude that with the help of modern technologies it will be possible to extract only a small part of it - 3.5 billion barrels, which at current prices will cost almost $360 billion, which will be a good increase for the Australian economy.
The found oil belongs to shale, the extraction of which is more expensive than conventional oil. The largest deposits are located in the states of Queensland and Tasmania. The Australian company Santos has already announced the start of shale gas production from fields in the eastern part of the country. Thus, Australia was the first to start commercial production of shale gas outside the North American continent. According to experts, natural gas production from shale deposits will be beneficial due to high level prices on the market. Australian shale gas reserves are estimated at 12 trillion cubic meters. In terms of profitability, LNG could begin to compete with iron ore, which has been Australia's main export for two decades. By 2020, Australia will overtake Qatar (77 million tons) in terms of production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and become the largest exporter of LNG. There are currently three LNG production facilities in Australia with a total capacity of 24 Mtpa, which have moderately contributed to the increase in supply in the gas market. But in the coming years, everything will change: seven more production facilities with a total capacity of 61 million tons per year are now being built. The plans include several more projects both on the western and eastern coasts (for 50 million tons).

The area of ​​Australia occupies 7.7 million km2, and it is located on the mainland of the same name, the Tasmanian and many small islands. For a long period of time, the state developed exclusively in an agrarian direction, until alluvial gold (gold deposits brought by rivers and streams) was discovered there in the middle of the 19th century, which caused several gold rushes and laid the foundation for modern Australian demographic models.

In the post-war period, geology rendered an invaluable service to the country with the continuous launch of mineral deposits, including gold, bauxite, iron and manganese, as well as opals, sapphires and other precious stones, which became an impetus for the development of the state's industry.

Coal

Australia has an estimated 24 billion tonnes of coal reserves, over a quarter of which (7 billion tonnes) is anthracite or black coal, located in the Sydney Basin of New South Wales and Queensland. Brown coal is suitable for power generation in Victoria. Coal reserves fully meet the needs of the Australian domestic market, and allow the export of surplus mined raw materials.

Natural gas

Natural gas deposits are widespread throughout the country and currently provide most of Australia's domestic needs. There are commercial gas fields in every state and pipelines connecting these fields to major cities. Within three years, Australian natural gas production increased almost 14 times from 258 million m3 in 1969, the first year of production, to 3.3 billion m3 in 1972. Overall, Australia has trillions of tons of estimated natural gas reserves spread across the continent.

Oil

Most of Australia's oil production is aimed at meeting its own needs. Oil was first discovered in south Queensland near Muni. Australian oil production is currently around 25 million barrels per year and is based on fields in northwestern Australia near Barrow Island, Mereene and subsoil in the Bass Strait. The deposits of Balrow, Mereeni and Bas Strait in parallel are the objects of natural gas production.

uranium ore

Australia has rich deposits of uranium ore, which are enriched for use as fuel for nuclear power. West Queensland, near Mount Isa and Cloncurry, contains three billion tons of uranium ore reserves. There are also deposits in Arnhem Land, in far northern Australia, as well as in Queensland and Victoria.

Iron ore

Most significant iron ore reserves in Australia are located in the western part of the Hammersley region and its environs. The state has billions of tons of iron ore reserves, exporting magnetite-iron from mines to Tasmania and Japan, while extracting ore from older sources on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia and the Kulanyabing region in southern Western Australia.

The Western Australian Shield is rich in nickel deposits, which were first discovered at Kambalda near Kalgoorlie in southwestern Australia in 1964. Other nickel deposits have been found in older gold mining areas in Western Australia. Nearby, small deposits of platinum and palladium were discovered.

Zinc

The state is also extremely rich in zinc, the main sources of which are the mountains of Isa, Mat and Morgan in Queensland. Large reserves of bauxite (aluminum ore), lead and zinc are concentrated in the northern part.

Gold

Australia's gold production, which had been substantial at the beginning of the century, declined from a peak production of four million ounces in 1904 to several hundred thousand. Most of the gold is mined from the Kalgoorlie Norseman region in Western Australia.

The continent is also known for its gemstones, especially the white and black opals from South Australia and western New South Wales. In Queensland and in the New England region of northeastern New South Wales, sapphire and topaz deposits have been developed.