27.04.2016

Mineral resources of Crimea - past, present and future

“I reached you, holy one, to the place where you were condemned to imprisonment, now called Inkerman, God-protected, you found there more than two thousand Christians, condemned to hew stone in these mountains: and you were assigned to that with them... ", - from the akathist to Saint Clement.

Ancient Provider

Crimea has a rich history going back centuries. Many peoples have left their mark in shaping the cultural and historical heritage of the peninsula. These are the Scythians and Cimmerians, Taurians, Greeks, Genoese, Goths, etc. But the threads of the history of Crimea are also closely intertwined with the Russian people and their ancestors. It is enough to note that in Crimea Saint Cyril met a Rus and became acquainted with the gospel written in his language even before the start of work on creating a canonical translation of the gospel into the Slavic language. Here, according to the life of Stephen of Sourozh, in the 8th century the army of Prince Bravlin was baptized, and two centuries later, Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir would receive holy baptism in Chersonesos.

Despite the fact that Crimea became part of Russia only in the 18th century, the presence of the ancestors of the Russian people here has been celebrated since ancient times. Starting from the campaigns of princes Oleg and Igor, the peninsula did not leave the sphere of geopolitical, cultural and trade interests of Rus'. This is evidenced by traces of a Slavic settlement near Koktebel (Tepsel Hill), as well as the “Tmutorokan stone”, which immortalized the measurement of the Kerch Strait carried out in the 11th century. Subsequently, Crimea became the territory of military valor and glory of the Russian state, including such historical milestones as the defense of Sevastopol in 1853-1856. and 1941-1942 No less interesting is the history of Crimean mining, including in the context of world and Russian history.

Of course, the first examples of the use of minerals in Crimea can be attributed to the Chalcolithic, when the ancient population of the peninsula learned to make tools from silicon. This period dates back to human settlements in the area of ​​Krasnoperekopsk, Belogorsk, Simferopol, etc. Later, the people who inhabited the Crimea mastered metal smelting. It can be assumed that metallurgical production was based not only on imported metal, but also on iron and gold directly mined on the peninsula. This should have been facilitated by the presence of relatively easily accessible deposits of these minerals in ancient times. Later in the 16th century, Polish envoy Martin Broniewski wrote about gold mining in the Crimean mountains.

In the first century from the birth of Christ in Crimea, Pope Clement, a disciple of the Holy Apostle Peter, worked in exile at the Inkerman quarries. This saint can rightfully be considered one of the heavenly patrons of the miners of the peninsula. Crimea supplied Greece and Rome with building materials for the construction of majestic temples and public buildings.

Speaking about the mineral resources of Crimea, we can distinguish the following main groups that are potentially promising for industrial subsoil use:
coal deposits;
iron and manganese ores;
mercury ores;
native sulfur;
bauxite;
bentonite clays;
construction minerals (sands, gravel, limestone, etc.);
salt deposits;
oil and gas fields.

Below is brief information about the above minerals with an assessment of the prospects for their development.

Coal deposits

The presence of coal deposits in Crimea was discovered at the end of the 18th century. Coal in Crimea is often found in the form of minor accumulations in sandstones and conglomerates of the Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous. More massive coal deposits are typical for Middle Cretaceous rocks, however, due to the complex tectonic history of Crimea, the coal-bearing strata was preserved in extremely local areas of the mountainous Crimea.

The most famous coal deposit is Beshuiskoye, located 35 km from Bakhchisarai. The beginning of industrial development of the Beshuiskoye deposit was initiated by Baron Wrangel to solve the problem of heating the defending peninsula during the civil war. During the Soviet period, the development of the deposit was carried out until 1950.

Exploration work has identified four coal seams, of which only two are characterized as industrial. The coal seams of the deposit are characterized by fairly steep dip angles of up to 40-50 degrees, complex structure with a thickness of 1 m to 3.5 m. Coals belong to grades D and G, characterized by an ash content of 15-25% and a very high sulfur content of 1.12-3.34%. The remaining reserves of the field are extremely insignificant.

In fact, it can be noted that due to its qualitative characteristics and limited reserves, the deposit is not of industrial interest. Other identified small manifestations of coal deposits (Biyuk-Uzenskoye, Deminier, Zaprudnoye, etc.) are also not of industrial interest.

Iron and manganese ores

On the territory of Crimea, only explored reserves of iron and iron-manganese ores amount to about 1.8 billion tons (of which categories A+B+C1 are about 1.4 billion tons), taking into account ore occurrences, the total resource potential is even more significant.

The main deposits and ore occurrences are concentrated on the Kerch Peninsula and along the Azov coast.

The high proportion of manganese and the presence of vanadium are partly compensated by such a negative factor as the high content of phosphorus, ranging from 0.02 to 1.5%, while the main reserves (73-81%) belong to phosphorous ore. This impurity negatively affects the quality of steel, which requires special attention both to beneficiation and metallurgy processes, and to quality management during mining, including the localization of the least phosphorous areas of ore deposits. Of course, the large reserves of the peninsula allow us to hope for the possibility of identifying the highest priority areas, both from the point of view of mining and geological conditions and the quality characteristics of the ores.

According to the conditions of occurrence and the average content of the useful component, the main priority method of extraction is open-pit. In modern market conditions, the construction of underground mines for the extraction of iron ores containing 30-40% total iron is obviously unpromising. Based on the conditions of occurrence of ore bodies (judging by the available schematic sections), within the deposits it is possible to identify areas with a stripping ratio mainly lying in the range from 0.4-1.5 m 3 /t, which is a relatively high, although not prohibitive value. Ore-bearing rocks are clays, sands, limestones, sandy clays, loams, etc. That is, basically, raw materials suitable for use in the construction industry. Thus, in the case of comprehensive development of deposits, with the sale of part of the overburden rocks, the economic efficiency of mining the iron ore deposits of the peninsula will increase significantly.

Previously, a plant operated on the peninsula, working on raw materials from the Kamysh-Burun and Eltigen-Ortel deposits. Iron ore production in 1983 reached 5.4 million tons, producing concentrates with a quality of 44-49%. The concentrate was supplied to the Azovstal metallurgical plant (Mariupol). With the collapse of the USSR, the iron ore industry of Crimea gradually fell into decline. So already in 2005, production was stopped, and the plant was mainly engaged in processing Krivoy Rog iron ores into sinter.

In 2015, a decree of the Republic of Crimea was issued: “To create a State Unitary Enterprise of the Republic of Crimea “Kamysh-Burunskaya Production Company”. Determine that the main goal of the activities of the State Unitary Enterprise of the Republic of Kazakhstan “Kamysh-Burunskaya Production Company” is the production of coke-free iron, rolled metal, and cement; production of limestone and sinter....” Considering, due to known circumstances, the impossibility and inexpediency of using raw materials from Ukrainian companies, only the ores of the peninsula can be considered as a source of raw materials. At the same time, it is advisable to consider not only the restoration of the Kamysh-Burgunsky plant, but also the involvement of other areas in production.

An obvious advantage of the Crimean iron ore deposits is their proximity to ports, which largely compensates for the disadvantages of ores caused by the presence of harmful impurities. The closest iron ore mining and processing plants in Russia are Lebedinsky, Mikhailovsky and Stoilensky, located from the Black Sea ports at a distance of 1000-1100 km, with logistical difficulties in shipping marketable products along existing railway tracks. The actual additional costs associated with the delivery of iron ore products from these mining and processing plants to the Black Sea ports, at current tariffs for railway transportation, amount to about 1000-1500 rubles per ton of product. This value is comparable to the cost of a ton of concentrate at these mining and processing plants.

To obtain commercial products that are competitive on the world market, you should focus on concentrates with an iron content of about 65-66%. Moreover, it is ideal to reach the production of final commercial steel products, which is primarily determined by the specifics of the qualitative composition of the ores and the possible specifics of the quality of concentrates, which complicate direct sales to the foreign market.

It should be noted that the traditionally high energy intensity of the processes of extraction, enrichment of iron ores and especially the subsequent metallurgical processing, usually amounting to about: 10-15 kWh per 1 ton of rock mass, 50-70 kWh/t. concentrate for enrichment processes and 300-400 kWh to produce 1 ton of steel. Thus, obtaining commercial products in the form of concentrate, taking into account the promising stripping ratio and irregular electrical loads, will require about 60 million kWh of electricity per 1 million tons of ore production. In turn, processing melon concentrates into standard steel will require an additional 140 million kWh of electricity. In other words, to launch a full cycle of mining and metallurgical production, designed for 10 million tons of iron ore production per year, about 350 MW of electrical capacity will be required. The full development of the iron ore industry of the peninsula will become possible with the planned commissioning of a thermal power plant in 2018 with an installed capacity of about 940 MW.

Mercury deposits

On the territory of the mountainous Crimea, numerous mercury ore occurrences have been noted, including Alminskoe, Lozovskoe, Malo-Salgirskoe, Perevalnenskoe, Privetnenskoe, Veselovskoe - confined to zones of intense fracturing and hydrothermal changes. There are also traces of the presence of mercury in the products of mud volcanism. The mercury content in individual samples reached 2-3%, although in general it did not exceed tenths and hundredths of a percent. In some cases, mercury-containing minerals are associated with barite, galena, sphalerite and chalcopyrite. To fully assess the prospects for identifying mercury deposits, prospecting and geological exploration work is advisable.

Native sulfur

The first scientific information about the presence of native sulfur deposits in Crimea dates back to 1849. And already in 1909, industrial production began at the Chekur-Koyash deposit of native sulfur, discovered in 1883 by N. I. Andrusov. Mining was carried out in small quantities until 1917. Later, the first USSR sulfur mine was opened on the basis of the deposit, which began work in 1930. With the discovery of large sulfur deposits in Central Asia mining of the mine ceased.

In Crimea, dozens of manifestations of sulfur are currently known with contents of useful components reaching 10-30%. Quite large sulfur deposits are Novonikolayevskoye and Chistopolskoye, located on the Kerch Peninsula. The sulfur content in the rock reaches 12-14%.

In general, the prospects for industrial sulfur production in Crimea are small, both due to the relatively small volumes and the complex mining and geological structure of promising mining areas.

Bauxite

Crimea is quite promising in terms of bauxite raw materials. Bauxite ore occurrences are confined to the northern and northwestern parts of the synclinorium of the southwestern part of the peninsula, the zone of distribution of Upper Jurassic reef limestones with karst and erosion-karst depressions, as well as the weathering surface of the effusive-shale complex of rocks that make up the northern slope of the Kachinsky anticlinal uplift.

The most studied ore occurrence of the Basman-Kermen ridge. Bauxite overlies Oxfordian limestone deposits. Geological work has identified three main ore bodies, the largest of which was traced by exploration workings to 850 m. Along the dip, the ore bodies were traced to a depth of 100-200 m. The maximum thickness of the main ore layer is 4.5 m.

Crimean bauxites are characterized by the following main characteristics:
low silicon index, mainly lying in the range of 2.1-2.8;
titanium module 26-29;
The calcium module generally ranges from 0.6 to 10%.
mineral composition includes: diaspore-boehmite - 28-40%, halloysite, kaolinite - 23-38%, iron hydroxides - 20-24%, hematite - 24%, calcite - 0-8%, titanium group minerals - 0.5- 3%, impurities -0.5-1%.

In general, it should be noted that further geological and economic assessments and work on the presence of bauxite deposits of industrial significance are promising. The presence of vanadium, zirconium, and beryllium in Crimean bauxites determines the feasibility of a comprehensive study of the resource base of the deposits, with an assessment of the presence of rare and rare earth elements.

Bentonite clays

Crimean bentonite clays (kil) are valuable raw materials. Keel is a finely dispersed, homogeneous, soap-like rock with hydrophilic properties, a large specific surface area, and the ability to absorb fats. This determines wide areas of application of the keel, incl. in metallurgy, the chemical, perfumery and pharmaceutical industries, as raw materials for the preparation of pesticides for agricultural purposes, drilling fluids, as catalysts for oil cracking, for the manufacture of powders, for the decolorization of food products, petroleum and fatty products, for balneological purposes, etc. Kil lies in in the form of interlayers and lenses in marly rocks of the Upper Cretaceous, and are also found in deposits of the Sarmatian stage.

There are numerous manifestations of clubroot near the village of Konstantinovka, the village of Maryino, the village of Skalistoe, the village. Belaya Skala, Michurinskoe village, Melovoe, village Glubokoye, Prokhladnoye village, on the banks of the Alma, Bodrak, Chernaya rivers, etc. The most significant deposits are Kudrinskoye and Kamysh-Burunskoye with total reserves listed on the balance sheet of 650,000 tons.

Construction minerals

Crimea is rich in construction minerals, including:
igneous rocks (diorites, grano-diorites, diabases, porphyrites, etc.), recorded balance reserves - about 41 million m 3;
sands, recorded balance reserves - about 12 million m 3;
sand and gravel mixtures, recorded balance reserves - about 3.6 million m 3;
clays and loams, recorded balance reserves are about 62 million m 3;
sand and gravel mixtures, recorded balance reserves are about 3.6 million m 3;
gypsum, recorded balance reserves - about 2 million m 3;
marl, recorded balance reserves - about 175 million tons;
sandstones, recorded balance reserves - about 727 million m 3;
facing limestone, recorded balance reserves - about 9.7 million m 3;
sawn limestone, recorded balance reserves - about 308 million m 3;
fluxing limestone, recorded balance reserves - about 1 billion tons.

The real potential of the peninsula for construction minerals is much higher than the officially recorded reserves. The rational consumption radius of most construction minerals is limited to 300-500 km, which is due to the significant costs of transporting raw materials. The geography of the Crimean deposits makes it possible to minimize the transport component in the cost of construction raw materials for consumers.

It should be noted that fluxing limestones, tripoli, dolomites and bentonite clays can simultaneously be classified as mining chemical, metallurgical raw materials, and construction raw materials.

Separately, it should be noted the Mshankovsky limestones, which are better known as Inkerman and Bodrax stone, used as a valuable building and facing stone. These rocks have great strength and are easy to cut. Deposits of Mshankovsky limestones stretch along the western foothills of Crimea.

Marble-like limestones of the Upper Jurassic and shell limestones are also in demand as facing materials.

Coloring clays (brown, yellow, red, green, black, etc.) from the Feodosia, Imaret, Armatluk and Nannikov deposits can be used for the production of oil paints and dyes in the glass and porcelain industries.

Of course, the construction boom noted on the peninsula in connection with the development of infrastructure and the residential sector will be one of the stimulating factors for the development of deposits of construction raw materials.

Salt deposits

The salt resources of Crimea have been known since ancient times. Thus, the ancient Greek geographer Strabo mentioned the salt pan near Chersonesus. In the 19th century, up to 40 percent of Russia's culinary supply came from Crimea. The main resources relate to several dozen salt lakes, grouped as follows: Evpatoria, Tarkhaknut, Perekop, Kerch and Sivash. The lakes are noticeably different chemical composition brines, thickness of bottom sediments, chemical composition of silts and volume of the resource base.

On average, the composition of Crimean salts includes sodium chloride 76-80%, magnesium chloride about 10%, magnesium sulfate 4-7%, calcium chloride 0-8%, potassium chloride 2%. The bromine content in salt reservoirs is typical for the oceans. In some lakes sodium sulfate 3.5-9.5% is also found.

Salt lakes are promising for mining table salt, and the production of bromine, mother brines, magnesium chloride, mud for balneological purposes, iodine-containing preparations, etc.

Interesting reports about possible plans of the Rosatom company to extract rare earth elements from the water of the salt lakes of Crimea, including Lake Sivash, simultaneously obtaining fresh water.

Other solid minerals

The presence of significant gold deposits seems to be supported by the widely known Scythian gold found in Crimea. However, there is no certainty that ancient jewelers used local rather than imported raw materials. However, there is information about the presence of gold concentrations close to industrial concentrations at Cape Fiolent, Cape Frantsuzhenka, along the Azov coast and in other areas of Crimea. In general, gold concentrations do not exceed 1-3 grams per ton of rock, which is a relatively low content that requires, at a minimum, the presence of large deposits suitable for open-pit mining to begin industrial development.

In Crimea, amethyst, agate, opal, chalcedony, brocade jasper, carnelian, etc. are found in small quantities.

Also in Crimea, the presence of titanium minerals was noted in non-industrial concentrations. It should be noted that the geological knowledge of Crimea is insufficient and in the future we can expect a significant expansion of the resource base, both in the form of adding to the balance sheet traditional types of minerals for Crimea, and new ones.

Broad prospects can be seen in the study of the Black Sea shelf zone, with the development of technologies for offshore production of both liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons and solid minerals.

Problems and tasks for the development of the mineral resource base of Crimea

Bibliography:
1. Khmara A.Ya., Khlebnikov A.N., Ivanova V.D. Mineral resources of Crimea and the adjacent waters of the Black and Azov seas - Atlas - Simferopol: "Tavria-Plus", 2011.
2. Geology of the USSR. Volume 8. Crimea. Geological description. (editor-in-chief. Sidorenko A.V.) - M: Nedra, 1969.
3. Geology of the USSR. Volume 8. Crimea. Minerals. (chief editor. Sidorenko A.V.) - M: Nedra, 1974.
4. M.V. Muratov. A brief outline of the geological structure of the Crimean peninsula. – M: Gosgeoltekhizdat, 1960.
5. A. Ponizovsky. Salt resources of Crimea - Simferopol: Crimea, 1965.
6. G. I. Nemkov, E. S. Chernova, S. V. Drozdov, et al. Guide to educational geological practice in Crimea. Volume. 1. (editor-in-chief. Sidorenko A.V.) - M: Nedra, 1973.

Text: A. A. Tverdov, technical director of IMC Montan, Ph.D. tech. Sciences, OERN expert, State Reserves Committee expert, Rostechnadzor certified expert

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The nature of the Crimean peninsula is rich and unique. Many articles have been written about the beauty of the Black Sea coast, but not everyone knows that these lands are carriers of valuable minerals. The unusual topography and specific climate led to the formation of a wide variety of soils, of which there are now more than 20 types, including rich black soil.

Relief features

The entire territory is divided into 3 ridges, 9% of the area is occupied by the mountain surface. The main ridge is located in the south of the peninsula and occupies the sea coast. It extends about 4 km from the sea in the western region. The main ridge is formed by massifs that are unbroken lines.

Among them we can highlight Yalta yayla, Nikitskaya yayla, Ai-Petrinskaya yayla. These relief features play an important role in the formation of minerals. On Bubugan-yayla is located Roman-Kosh – this is the name of the highest point of the Crimean ridge; its height is more than 1.5 thousand meters above sea level.

Ai-Petri, exceeding 1200 meters in height, is another peak that deserves special attention. It is located in the southwest. The peak is famous for its giant trident - this is what the unusual natural formation looks like. The local lands also contain valuable rocks. The slopes characteristic of local massifs have a steep surface.

The Ayu-Dag mountain range in Gurzuf, the Diva rock in Simeiz, Cape Fiolent on the outskirts of Sevastopol, Cape Ai-Todor– amazing nature awarded these places not only with incredible beauty, but also enriched them with minerals. The Karabi-yayla ridges are separated by deep depressions and are 6-7 km away from the sea. The majestic Chatyr-Dag massif is also a relief landmark of Crimea.

The diversity of the relief became the starting point for the natural formation of useful lands.

Not far from Sudak, the mountains are located closer to the sea, and this is important for the formation of minerals in the area. Mainly sedimentary rocks (clay, sandstone, limestone) are mined here. Due to frequent changes in salt levels, the marine fauna also changed, which, accordingly, led to the formation of various minerals on the remains of the soil. Many valuable rocks were formed after a volcanic eruption.

Therefore, Crimean resources are mainly rich in fossils of sedimentary, volcanic and marine origin.

Varieties

Minerals are valuable natural resources that are mineral or organic parts of the earth's crust. These substances are used in numerous fields of activity, and their importance is especially great in the construction industry. Some varieties are found in many regions of Crimea, while other specimens are considered rare. The well-being of the entire peninsula depends on the extraction of many elements.

The most important minerals for a comfortable life in the depths of Crimea are contained in small quantities and mostly of low quality, but there are also very valuable breeds.

Flammable

Combustible minerals are usually classified into liquid, gaseous and solid. The first category includes, for example, oil. The first well for oil production was drilled in the 60s years XIX century. In those years, “black gold” was most often mined from the Chokrak and Karagan deposits of the Neogene period. In addition to oil, they also extracted gas. In general, it is believed that these finds do not bring much profit when mined in Crimea, since their reserves are very small.

Exploration for oil in the Crimean lands continues. Approximately 5 tons of this fuel are produced per year, which is a very small amount. Another problem is that in local lands oil can move between rock layers, which significantly complicates its extraction. Natural gas, which is a fossil fuel gas, doesn't fare much better.

Crimea cannot boast of coal deposits, although they are actively trying to find this solid substance here. It is mined on Mount Beshui in the Bakhchisarai region. Under Baron Wrangel, the peninsula supplied itself with this fuel until the Germans burned these lands. After the war, coal mining resumed, however, the quality of the substance was inferior to alternatives from other lands, and mining became less and less profitable and more and more dangerous.

Nowadays, only occasionally the most desperate adventurers dare to “walk” through the mines - the mines are almost not fixed, they contain weak soil.

Ore

Ores are actively mined in the Kerch iron ore basin. The field area is about 250 square kilometers. The total ore reserve here is about two billion tons. The extraction of ore minerals, in contrast to the above-mentioned fuels, is much simpler, since these substances do not lie so deep. However, the find cannot boast of excellent quality, and therefore the raw materials are not exported.

In total, 3 types of ores are found here: loose brownish-brown (oolites from limonite and hydrogoethite), dense types (small oolites and hydrosilicates of iron and siderite) and “caviar” (oolites with manganese hydroxides). Low quality is due to low iron content (33-40%). But the manganese content makes the find a little more valuable. The substance is low-melting and therefore widely used in industry.

The formation of ore here began at the bottom of bays and straits, so the substance contains elements of clay, phosphates, and barite. In mountainous areas, ore with inclusions of cinnabar is found, however, these species do not have any particular industrial value. Other ore minerals that are found in the Crimea include zinc blende, cadmium blende, and lead luster.

Gold also belongs to the ore metals. The deposit of this value is kept secret, although there is information that small reserves are mined at Cape Fiolent. In the 80s of the last century, gold elements were discovered in Nizhnezamorsky Leninsky district, they came here through the river of the northern Azov region. A jewel was also found at Cape Frantsuzhenka off the Sudak coast. In general, the republic's gold resources are small.

Nonmetallic

As a rule, construction raw materials are classified as nonmetallic metals. Perhaps, this group is most common in Crimea. The most valuable is considered to be bryozoan limestone, also called Inkerman stone. This substance has been mined since antiquity. Roman roads and houses in Alexandria were built from this unusual stone. Sevastopol itself was once built from limestone.

The White Livadia Palace was also built from Inkerman stone. It is possible to use this raw material for finishing work. For example, this is how the Palace of Culture “Ukraine” in Kyiv or the “Stalinist” towers in the capital of Russia are designed.

Some quarries on the peninsula contain marble-like limestone, which can be seen on the walls of Moscow metro stations. Shell rock is another fairly common raw material used in the construction industry. It can be found, for example, in the area of ​​Evpatoria, the village of Oktyabrskoye, in the Starokrymsky quarry on Agarmysh. Sand mining is also developing here, although environmentalists are now raising the issue of an environmental disaster that could result from illegal sand mining in coastal areas.

The list of other valuable gifts of nature in Crimea is very diverse. For example, in demand are Crimean gems. They are found on the Kara-Dag volcano. Among the most common varieties are agate, chalcedony, opal, onyx, amethyst, rock crystal. These are semi-precious minerals that are widely used in jewelry. Currently, Kara-Dag is a protected area, and the extraction of native stones is prohibited here, although earlier, at the beginning of the 20th century, there was a jewelry workshop here, where jewelry was created from carnelian and agate.

Cornelian belongs to the most popular Crimean gems. Under the tsar, the annual production of carnelian amounted to 16 pounds; Faberge himself made his famous jewelry from the stones. Mount Kara-Dag turned into a protected area after lone searchers headed here in search of stones. They blew up the slopes, wielded sledgehammers and crowbars, extracting chalcedony and agates, and then removed the find from the peninsula. Only after the public, including Soviet writers, opposed such actions, Kara-Dag was declared a nature reserve.

Popular on the South Coast diorite. This rock was obtained after a volcanic eruption. Diorite is found between Alushta and Gurfuz. You can find it near the Lozovoye and Ukrainka districts in the south of Simferopol. In appearance, this stone resembles granite and can also be used in construction. Its surface is gray in color with a greenish tint.

High strength indicators allow the mineral to be used as a raw material for cladding. Diorite is often used to decorate stairs and streets.

Another result of the volcanic eruption was the appearance in the depths of the Crimean peninsula of such a stone as routes It is called rock made from ash. The main purpose of the mineral is economic. Most often, trails can be found in Karadagskoye, which is located 20 km from Feodosia and in the village of Planerskoye. Other valuable materials are also concentrated on the peninsula, including quartz sand and gravel used in construction.

Typically, deposits of this construction raw material are found near Sevastopol and Simferopol, as well as on the Black Sea coast near the Saki region.

Where is it mined?

As already mentioned, most of the ore metals are found on the Kerch Peninsula. The hunt for them is going on in the Kamysh-Burunskoye and Eltigen-Ortelskoye fields. Oil and gas are usually produced on the Kerch and Tarkhankut peninsulas. Large fuel deposits also include Tobechikskoye, Mysovoye, Belokamenskoye, located in the east of the territory, as well as Glebovskoye, Kirovskoye, Olenevskoye, Chernomorskoye fields, located in the west.

The diversity of Crimean minerals is determined by the geological development and structure of the peninsula. There are many industrial minerals, building rocks, fuel resources, salt minerals and other materials.

Metal fossils

A large group of fossils in Crimea are iron ores. They are mined in the Kerch basin of the Azov-Black Sea province. The thickness of the layers on average ranges from 9 to 12 meters, and the maximum is 27.4 meters. Iron content in ore is up to 40%. The ores contain the following elements:

• manganese;
• phosphorus;
• calcium;
• iron;
• sulfur;
• vanadium;
• arsenic.

All ores of the Kerch basin are divided into three groups: tobacco, caviar and brown. They differ in color, structure, depth of layers and impurities.

Non-metallic fossils

Crimea also has a lot of non-metallic resources. This different types limestones used in the construction industry:

• marble-shaped - used for road surfaces, mosaics and facade decoration of buildings;
• nummulitic - used as a wall building material;
• bryozoans - rocks consist of the skeletons of bryozoans (marine organisms) and are used for block structures, decoration and architectural decoration;
• flux - necessary for ferrous metallurgy;
• Shell limestones consist of crushed mollusk shells and are used as a filler for reinforced concrete blocks.

Among other types of non-metallic rocks, marls, which contain clay and carbonate particles, are mined in Crimea. There are deposits of dolomite and dolomitized limestone, and clay and sand are mined.

The salt riches of Lake Sivash and other salt lakes are of great importance. Concentrated salt brine - brine contains about 44 elements, including potassium, sodium salts, bromine, calcium, magnesium. The percentage of salt in brine varies from 12 to 25%. Thermal and mineral waters are also valued here.

Fossil fuels

Separately, it is worth mentioning such Crimean riches as oil, natural gas and coal. These resources have been mined and used here since ancient times, but the first oil wells were drilled in the mid-nineteenth century. One of the first deposits was located on the territory of the Kerch Peninsula. Now there is a prospect of extracting oil products from the Black Sea shelf, but this requires high-tech equipment.

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT UNDER THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF THE AUTONOMOUS REPUBLIC OF CRIMEA

CRIMEA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORATE OF THE PROGRAM FOR CREATION OF A UNIFIED REPUBLICAN

DIGITAL TERRITORIAL CADASTRE

MINERAL RESOURCES OF CRIMEA AND ADJACENTWATERS OF THE BLACK AND AZOV SEA

Appendix to the scientific and practical discussion and analytical collection

KHMARA A.YA. KHLEBNIKOV A.N. IVANOVA V.D. DYAKOVICH P.I. KAPINOS N. N.

Simferopol

"Tavria - plus"

Scientific supervisor: KHMARA A.Ya.

Corresponding Member of the Crimean Academy of Sciences

Scientific editor: ENA V.G.

professor, academician of the Crimean Academy of Sciences

Scientific and practical discussion and analytical collection "Issues of the development of Crimea" is an ongoing publication carried out by the Committee on Science and Regional Development under the Council of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea together with the Crimean Academy of Sciences.

Editorial Board of the collection "Issues of the Development of Crimea": P.P. Tolochko (chairman), V.A. Bokov (deputy chairman), S.A. Efimov (deputy chairman), A. M. Avidzba, N. V. Bagrov, Ya. I. Barkov, V.A. Bryantsev, M.P. Bulgakov, A.V. Gaevskaya, V.N. Ezhov, V.G. Ena, V.G. Zheleznyak, V.E. Zaika, N.N. Kaladze, V. F.Kubyshkin, F.V.Lazarev, A.I.Lishchuk, V.K.Mamutov, V.A.Mankovsky, K.V.Mukuk, E.V.Nikolaev, Yu.N.Novikov, A.N. Oliferov, I.H. Osmanov, E.F. Panyukov, V.A. Podsolonko, V.F. Rusyaev, A.A. Ruchka, V.G. Sidyakin, N.V. Steshenko, N.P. Sysoev, V.S.Tarasenko, E.I.Terez, N.A.Shulga, F.Ya.Yakubov, A.M.Yarosh.

Editorial Board of the collection: V.A.Bokov (chairman), S.Efimov (deputy chairman), An.V.Ena, V.A.Zagoruiko, A.V.Malygin, V.L.Myts, A.R.Nikiforov, A.T .Poteev, Yu.F.Pradid, A.S.Slepokurov, V.A.Temnenko, P.A.Khrienko.

Mineral resources of Crimea and the adjacent waters of the Black and Azov Seas. Atlas/ Appendix to the scientific and practical discussion and analytical collection "Issues of the development of Crimea" Simferopol: Tavria-Plus, 2001, 80 p., 35 ill.

The work provides a description of the mineral resources of Crimea and the adjacent waters of the Black and Azov Seas: fuel and energy, metallurgical, mining chemical and construction raw materials, as well as fresh, mineral and thermal waters and medicinal mud.

It contains information on the territorial location of deposits of various types of minerals within administrative districts and city councils, the state of reserves and their industrial development, highlighting the most significant objects. In conclusion, a general assessment of the negative technogenic impact of mining on the environment and recommendations for optimizing the mineral resource complex are provided in order to radically improve the environmental situation in areas where mining enterprises are concentrated and achieve a more rational and cost-effective use of the non-renewable mineral resources of Crimea.

The atlas is intended for government specialists, industrialists and entrepreneurs, scientists and educators, schoolchildren and students of educational institutions.

Tables - 11, illustrations - 35, bibliography - 16 titles. Recommended for publication by the Presidium of the Crimean Academy of Sciences.

ISBN 966-7503-54-2

© Y.A.Khmara, A.N.Khlebnikov, V.D.Ivanova, P.I.Dyakovich, N.N.Kapinos, 2001

© Committee on Science and Regional Development under the Council of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, 2001

© Crimean Academy of Sciences, 2001

© ID ERCTK (computer versions of maps), 2001

INTRODUCTION 4

General characteristics of the mineral resources of Crimea. 5

Fuel and energy raw materials 11

Metallurgical raw materials 12

Mining chemical raw materials 14

Construction mineral raw materials 15

Fresh groundwater 17

Mineral and thermal waters 20

General maps of Crimea and layouts of species

mineral

Rice. 1. Structure of mineral resources of the Autonomous Region

Republic of Crimea as of January 1, 2000. 9

Rice. 2. Scheme of geological zoning of the eastern part

Southern oil and gas region 10

Rice. 3. Overview map of Crimea 24

Rice. 4. Administrative division Crimea 25

Rice. 5. Physical-geographical map of Crimea 26

Rice. 6. Structural and formational complexes of Crimea 27

Rice. 7. Fuel and energy raw materials 28

Rice. 8. Metallurgical raw materials 29

Rice. 9. Mining chemical raw materials 30

Rice. 10. Construction mineral raw materials 31

Rice. 11. Brick and tile raw materials 32

Rice. 12. Building stone 33

Rice. 13. Fresh groundwater 34

Rice. 14. Layout of deposits and promising ones

manifestations of mineral and thermal waters 35

Rice. 15. Healing mud 37

12. Distribution of mineral deposits by administrative districts and city councils

Rice. 16. Northwestern shelf of the Black Sea 38

Rice. 17. Chernomorsky district 40

Rice. 18. Razdolnensky district 42

Rice. 19. Saki district 44

Rice. 20. Krasnoperekopsky district and Armenian city

Rice. 21. Pervomaisky district 48

Rice. 22. Sevastopol City Council 50

Rice. 23. Bakhchisarai district 52

Rice. 24. Yalta City Council 54

Rice. 25. Dzhankoy district 56

Rice. 26. Krasnogvardeisky district 58

Rice. 27. Belogorsky district 60

Rice. 28. Alushta City Council 62

Rice. 29. Sudak City Council 64

Rice. 30. Nizhnegorsky district 66

Rice. 31. Sovetsky district 68

Rice. 32. Kirovsky district 70

Rice. 33. Feodosia City Council 72

Rice. 34. Simferopol district 74

Rice. 35. Leninsky district 77

13. Literature 80

Introduction

The Crimean peninsula has large reserves of various minerals. Some of them have been known since ancient times. Already the first steps of man were associated with the use of mineral raw materials, as evidenced by flint and pottery discovered during archaeological research in various regions of Crimea. From the 6th century BC, when Greek settlements arose in Crimea, self-salting salt, keel and building materials were mined in the lakes. From the XV - XVI centuries. Kerch oil was used as a lubricant and medicinal substance. Since the 18th century, iron ores have been used in Crimea. At the beginning of the 20th century, sulfur was mined on the Kerch Peninsula and mineral pigments near Feodosia.

An important role in the knowledge of the geology and mineral resources of Crimea was played by the expeditions of P. Pallas and the research of N.I. at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. Andrusova, N.A. Golovkinsky, F.Yu. Levshson-Lessinga, A.D. Arkhangelsky, V.I. Luchitsky, V.I. Vernadsky, A.F. Sludsky, A.E. Fersman and others.

Mineral raw materials are the material basis for the development of the energy, industrial, agricultural and construction industries. The problem of providing society with mineral raw materials and fuel became one of the most important during the Great Patriotic War and after its end, when the country began to restore factories, cities and villages destroyed by the war. A new stage has begun in the study and development of the mineral resources of Crimea. During this period, work on geological mapping of the territory, searches and exploration of mineral deposits was sharply expanded. This gave positive results in understanding the geological structure of the peninsula and reassessing the reserves of previously exploited known mineral deposits, and also led to the discovery of new deposits and ore occurrences of iron ores, fluxing limestones and bentonite clays on the Kerch Peninsula, oil and natural gas in the Plain Crimea, fresh, mineral and thermal waters, etc. Later, the unique Sivash deposit of mining chemical raw materials and the North Sivash deposit of industrial iodine water were explored with an assessment of their reserves. Extensive geophysical research was carried out on the shelf of the Black and Azov Seas, which led to the discovery of new gas and gas condensate fields, which became objects of intensive exploitation.

A significant contribution to the knowledge of geology and the creation of the mineral resource base of Crimea was made by Crimean specialists: geologists - Bashkirtseva A.A., Beletsky S.V., Borisova L.I., Bondarchuk G.K., Borisenko L.S., Vanina M.V. ., Vaisman L.Ya., Vereskun V.A., Shduk V.V., Gaiduk I.S., Gordievich V.A., Grigorieva V.A., Grin B.S., Gurji L.A., Demushkina L. P., Dergacheva A.Ya., Zhalovsky V.P., Ivanova V.D., Kerusov E.N., Kozin Ya.D., Kukhtina L.N., Kurylo G.L., Leskiv I.V., Lychagin G.A., Lebedinsky V.I., Litvinenko A.U., Lvova KV., Mazur OJL, Markov P.K., Melnichuk P.N., Naumenko P.I., Palinsky R.V., Plakhotny L. G., Polyakov N.N., Polyakova M.M., Poltodokov G.I., Regush L.M., Rybakov V.N., Samuleva V.I., Sidenko O.G., Stashchuk M.F. , Tikhonenkov E.P., Tkachuk V.G., Tokoy I.N., Frolov V.P., Khlebnikov A.N., Chedenanova E.P., Chernyak N.I., Chir N.M., Shtokov E.F., Yurk Yu.Yu., Yatsenko Yu.G.

with the active participation of geologists from the Moscow Geological Prospecting Institute under the leadership of prof. V.M. Muratova; hydrogeology - Albov S., Burdukova N.S., Dublyansky V.N., Erysh I.F., Ivanov B.N., Kapinos N.N., Kirichenko A.F., Kovalenko P.V., Kurishko V. A., Lushchik A.V., Martakova E.Ya., Morozov V.I., Neklyudov G.D., Nesterov K.V., Olifedov A.N., Riches E.A., Rinsky E.V. , Solomatin V.N.; geophysicists - Apareev V.N., Amirov A.N., Gerasimov M.E., Glubev L.V., Kivshik N.K., Kotlyar A.I., Merkulov V.I., Sviridenko I.L., Teslenko V.P., Chernov V.I., Shishkin B.K. and many others.

By 2000, 262 deposits of 32 types of minerals, included in the State Balance of Mineral Reserves, had been identified and explored in Crimea and the adjacent waters of the Black and Azov Seas. Data about them is given in this Atlas. Only those deposits that, with a positive geological and economic assessment, have been tested by the State Commission for Mineral Reserves of Ukraine and can be developed on an industrial scale with modern level scientific and technical development of mining production.

The development of the Atlas was carried out by a group of Crimean specialists consisting of: A.Ya. Khmary - leading researcher, corresponding member of the Crimean Academy of Sciences, scientific supervisor of the work; Khlebnikov A.N. - head of the Crimean regional department of Geoinformation of Ukraine; Ivanova V.D. - Chief Geologist of the State Enterprise "Crimgeology", P.I. Dyakovich - Head of the Geological Department of GAO "Chenomorneftegaz"; Kapinos N.N. - Head of the ecological and hydrogeological department of the enterprise "Yuzhekogeotsentr".

Sections “General characteristics of the mineral resources of Crimea”, “Meallurgical raw materials”, “Mining chemical raw materials”, “Construction mineral raw materials” were compiled by A.Ya. Khmara and A.N. Khlebnikov; section "Fuel and energy raw materials" - V.D. Ivanova, A.Ya. Khmara and P.I. Djakovic; section "Fresh underground waters" - N.N. Kapinos; section "Mineral and thermal waters" - A.N. Khlebnikov, A.Ya. Khmara and SN. Taletsky; section "Therapeutic gnawing" - A.N. Khlebnikov. Sections “Introduction”, “Conclusions”, “Recommendations” and tables of mineral resources for administrative districts and territories of city councils of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea were compiled by A.Ya. Gloomy.

The publication of this Atlas was carried out thanks to the responsible approach to the matter on the part of the employees of the Executive Directorate of the program for the creation of a Unified Digital Territorial Cadastre: N.I. Borisova, G.N. Kazakova, N.G. Katyuk, L.V. Nikolaeva, Yu.N. Podvigina, N.V. Shilina, SV. Yatsenko.

1. general characteristics mineral resources of Crimea

In the complex of natural resources of Crimea, a prominent place belongs to mineral resources, these are deposits of natural gas, oil and gas condensate, iron ores, flux and building limestones, marl, tires, loams, sand and sand-gravel mixture, igneous rocks, table salt, salts bromine and magnesium, fresh, mineral and thermal underground waters, brine from salt lakes, therapeutic mud, bentonite and other minerals. In addition to the listed minerals, in Crimea there are known ore and mineral occurrences of zeolites, sulfur, coal, graphite, bauxite, mercury, gold, polymetals, iodine, boron, strontium, mineral paints (siderite), sandstone, trass, jasper, carnelian, agate, rock crystal and other mineral formations. The large number of mineral types of minerals is due to their formation in different geological and tectonic conditions that existed in the long history of the geological development of the peninsula for about 240 million years, covering 7 geological periods from the Triassic to the Quaternary (Table 1).

Table 1 shows the occurrence of mineral resources in various stratigraphic units. The highest concentration of minerals is characteristic of geological formations of the middle Jurassic (Bajocian stage) - diorites, diabases and diabase porphyrites, plagiogranites; Upper Jurassic (Tithonian stage) - flux and marbleized limestones, fresh groundwater; Lower Cretaceous - gas condensate, gas and oil fields, marbled limestones and clays; Upper Cretaceous - natural gas, marl and chalk, mineral waters; Lower Paleocene - gas, gas condensate and oil fields, saw construction limestones, fresh groundwater; Middle Eocene - saw limestones, limestones for lime production; Upper Eocene - marl and loams; Upper Oligocene - gas, gas condensate and oil fields and expanded clay; lower, middle and upper Miocene - gas and oil deposits, flux and saw limestones, expanded clay and brick-tile clays, fresh and mineral underground waters; Lower Pliocene - brown iron ores; Upper Pliocene - glass sands; the middle section of the Quaternary system - brick-tile clay, medicinal mud and fresh groundwater; upper section of the Quaternary system - construction sand and sand-gravel mixture; modern regulations of the quaternary system - kitchen and magnesium salts, bromine compounds, brine of salt lakes.

Mineral resource base of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea as of

the beginning of 2000 is given in Table 2, and its structure is shown in Fig. 1.

Mineral resources play a very important role in the economy of Crimea, as

^ on their basis a number of sectors of the national economy were formed. How

and Bottom from the table, at the beginning of 2000, out of 262 fields in operation

85 were located and another 18 were being prepared for operation. In total, 103 deposits or 39.3% of their total number are involved in development, which generally reflects the high level of industrial development of the mineral resource base.

The structure of the mineral resource base is sharply dominated by deposits of construction mineral raw materials - 161 or 61.4%. The second largest number of hydrocarbons is occupied by hydrocarbons - 33 deposits (12.6%), including 6 deposits on the northwestern shelf of the Black Sea and 4 on the southern shelf of the Azov Sea. This is followed by therapeutic mud - 25 deposits (9.5%), metallurgical raw materials - 15 deposits (5.7%), fresh and mineral underground waters - 11 deposits each (4.2%), mining and chemical raw materials - 3 deposits ( 1.1%), bentonite clay - 2 deposits (0.8%) and thermal waters - 1 (0.4%) deposit. In general, the mineral resource potential of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea is very significant. According to I.V. Rudenko, Crimea ranks 7th among 25 administrative units of Ukraine in terms of this indicator, second only to Donetsk, Dnepropetrovsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye, Lvov and Kharkov regions. And within the autonomy, the share of mineral resources potential according to the point system is 10% of the total natural resource potential of Crimea.

The Crimean region is characterized by an uneven distribution of mineral deposits, which is explained by the spatial distribution of productive structural and formation complexes in which they were formed. The highest saturation with minerals (except for fresh groundwater) is characteristic of the Saki and Leninsky (with the city of Kerch) regions - 52 deposits in each region, the Black Sea (28), Bakhchisarai, Belogorsk and Razdolnensky (16 deposits in each region), Pervomaisky (15), Simferopol (14) and Sevastopol City Council (9). On the territory of other districts and city councils, several (up to 5) deposits of solid minerals are known, in the Sovetsky district there is only one deposit of building stone, and in the Nizhnegorsky district there are no such deposits at all. Note that from the calculation of the number of deposits by administrative districts and territories of city councils, 11 deposits of fresh groundwater are excluded, since most of them are associated with aquifers of wide area distribution, usually occupying the territory of several districts, and they cannot be attributed to any one district. Here only a quantitative description of the location of mineral deposits within the Republic is given, and below in the text and special tables more complete information is provided on the types of minerals with reserves of mineral raw materials for all administrative units of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the northwestern shelf of the Black Sea and the southern shelf of the Azov Sea seas.

Continuation of Table 2.

Continuation of Table 2.

Oil and gas

Healing mud 25

Brick and tile raw materials 12

/ Building stone 125

Fig. 1 Structure of mineral resources of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea as of January 1, 2000. (The numbers under the names of mineral groups indicate the number of deposits.)

7500m 0 15 30km i-■ " 1

Rice. 2. SCHEME OF GGOLOGICAL ZONING OF THE EASTERN PART OF THE SOUTHERN OIL AND GAS REGION

Boundaries: 1- oil and gas bearing areas; 2~ oil and gas bearing areas;

Fields: 3 - oil; 4- gas; 5- gas condensate; 6- oil and gas; 7 active gas pipelines

Deposits: 1-Odesskoe; 2- Unnamed; 3- Golitsynskoe; 4- Yuzhno-Golitsynskoye; 5- Shmidtovskoe; 6-Storm; 7- Arkhangelskoe; 8- Crimean; 9- Olenevskoe; 10- Black Sea; 11- Krasnopolyanskoe; 12- West Oktyabrskoe; 13-October; 14- Karlovskoe; 15- Yarylgachskoe; 16-Zadornenskoe; 17-Serebryanskoe; 18- Tatyanovskoe; 19- Dzhankoyskoe; 20- Strelkovoe; 21- North Kerch; 22- Vladislavovskoe; 23- Yuzhno-Sivashskoe; 24- Semenovskoe; 25-Aktash; 26-Moshkarevskoe; 27- Alekseevskoe; 28- Rotary; 29- Fontanovskoe; 30-Voikovskoe; 31- Borzovskoe; 32- Roadside; 33-Priozernoe; 34- North Kazantip; 35- East Kazantip; 36- North Bulganakskoe.

Note: Odesskoye (1) and Bezymyanoye (2) deposits gravitate towards the Odessa region; Strelkovoe (20) is located in the Kherson region. The remaining fields (3-8 on the northwestern shelf of the Black Sea, 21 and 34-36 in the southern part of the Azov Sea) are geographically located in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

      The minerals of the Crimean Peninsula are closely related to the history of its geological development, and their distribution is closely related to its structure.
      From minerals steppe Crimea The first place in importance is occupied by iron ores, deposits of which are located along the eastern and northern shores of the Kerch Peninsula. They are confined to the Pliocene deposits of the Cimmerian Sea and fill bowl- or trough-shaped depressions - troughs. There are nine of them on the Kerch Peninsula.
      The chemical composition of Kerch ores is quite varied. In addition to iron, they contain manganese, phosphorus, sulfur, calcium, vanadium and a number of other elements.
      Due to the insignificant depth of occurrence, the ore is mined by open-pit mining; here, at the Kamysh-Burunsky plant, it is enriched and sintered into agglomerate (pieces of certain sizes), and then transported to metallurgical plants.
      According to proven ore reserves, Kerch deposits occupy a prominent place in the iron ore industry of Ukraine.
      The steppe Crimea is rich in salts. The salt lakes of the Tarkhankut and Evpatoria coasts, the Perekop and Kerch lakes, as well as Sivash contain salts of sodium, magnesium, bromine, calcium and other chemical elements. They are an important raw material base for the chemical industry of Ukraine. Based on the complex processing of brines from Sivash and salt lakes, dozens of valuable chemical products can be obtained.
      Salt reserves in Sivash amount to millions of tons and are replenished thanks to the constant influx of sea water. Today, chemical plants operate on the basis of the Saki and Perekop salt lakes. These enterprises have mastered the production of many types of products that are used by the national economy of the country and supplied to 30 countries of the world.
      The Kerch Peninsula is rich in mineral springs with chloride-sulfate hydrogen sulfide waters. In particular, there are many sources with a high content of hydrogen sulfide near Lake Chokrak (northwest of Kerch).
      There are many deposits of building materials in the steppe Crimea. These primarily include limestone-shell rocks.
      Sarmatian limestones are widespread within the Tarkhankut and Kerch peninsulas. Bryozoan limestones of the Kerch Peninsula are sediments of the Meotic sea, where colonies of microscopic invertebrate organisms with a calcareous skeleton—bryozoans—developed.
      Limestones are used in large quantities as flux raw materials in ferrous metallurgy. Thus, from the Ivanovsky quarry near Kerch alone, a million tons of fluxing limestone are sent annually to enterprises in Donbass and the Dnieper region.
      The strip of yellow shell limestones extends to Evpatoria to railway Dzhankoy - Simferopol. In the west it reaches the Tarkhankut coast, in the north – to the village. Pervomayskoe.
      Limestones from the Krasnopartizansky, Bagerovo, Bondarenkovsky and Akmonaisky deposits of the Kerch Peninsula are used as building material.
      Many quarries on the Kerch Peninsula were a base for Crimean partisans during the war. Thus, entire garrisons of people’s avengers took refuge in the Central and Small Adzhimushkai quarries.
      Pure quartz sands used for glass production lie along the southern shore of the Kazantip Bay, under the waters of Lake Aktash and in other places of the Kerch Peninsula.
      Gypsum deposits are also known in the steppe Crimea. Its reserves are practically inexhaustible in Sivash and salt lakes.
      In the steppe Crimea there are large reserves of clays suitable for brick production. Pottery, dyeing and other clays were also found.
      The fact that there is oil and gas in Crimea was known back in ancient times. But systematic research here began only with Soviet power. Thus, several small oil fields were discovered on the Kerch Peninsula, confined mainly to Oligocene-Miocene (Maikop) deposits.
      Due to insignificant well flow rates and limited oil reserves, its production turned out to be unprofitable and was suspended.
      In the northern part of the Kerch Peninsula there is the Mysovoe oil field, in the northwestern part there are the Belokamenskoye and Malobabchinskoye oil fields, and near the Tobechiki Lake there is the Priozernoye oil field. Not far from Feodosia there are the Vladislavskoye, Moshkarovskoye and Kuibyshevskoye oil fields.
      The Oktyabrskoye oil field is known on the Tarkhankut Peninsula. West Oktyabrskoye, Glebovskoye, Karlovskoye, Kirovskoye, Krasnopolyanskoye, Chernomorskoye, and Olenevskoye gas condensate fields have also been explored in this area. They are confined mainly to Paleocene limestones.
      In the mountainous Crimea, mineralization of a number of metals was discovered: lead, zinc, copper, mercury, iron, manganese, aluminum. Most often they are associated with zones of deep tectonic faults - Sevastopol-Feodosia, separating the structures of the mountainous and steppe Crimea, Alupka-Bakhchisarai, Alushta-Simferopol, Kara-Dag and others.
      Mountainous Crimea is the richest in building materials. They are represented by limestones, clays, marls, sandstones, shales, sands, gravels, pebbles, as well as igneous rocks. There are many mineral springs here.
      Marble-like limestone, often found in the Crimean Mountains, has long been used as a building material. The most famous deposits are Batilimana (near Cape Aya) and Mramornoe (south of Simferopol), near the village. Gaspra and the city of Agarmysh. They are used as facing and wall material, as fluxes for burning lime, etc. Upper Jurassic flux limestones are exported outside the Crimea, the main reserves of which are concentrated in the Balaklava region. These limestones often have a pleasant reddish or cream color with a beautiful pattern and are quite widely used as a cladding material. The original contours of the shells of gastropods, corals and elasmobranchs give the drawings a special flavor. A special feature of marble-like limestones is the purity of their chemical composition.
      Upper Jurassic limestones, which are mined near Inkerman and the village, are also used as building materials. Rocky. They are composed of the skeletons of very small marine animals - bryozoans and are known as Inkerman and Bodrak stone. Upper Jurassic limestones are very convenient for the manufacture of various architectural details, cladding of houses, etc. They are durable, and wall blocks are cut from them. Hundreds of houses in Sevastopol, Simferopol and other cities of Crimea are faced with Inkerman and Bodrak limestone.
      Near Simferopol and Bakhchisarai, among the Upper Cretaceous sediments, extremely plastic light green clay, called keel, or kefekelite, lies in the form of thin layers. Its deposits are also known in the areas of Inkerman, Chernorechensky, Balaklava, Belogorsk, Ukrainka, Sevastopol, etc. As a rule, this clay forms layers and lenses in marly rocks of the Cretaceous and Neogene (Sarmatian) systems.
      Kil is used in the chemical industry as an adsorbent, for bleaching organic and mineral substances, making medicines, in soap making, production of artificial fiber, plastics, etc. It is also used in foundry and well drilling.
      Highly plastic Lower Cretaceous clays deserve attention as a building material. They are an excellent raw material for the manufacture of roofing tiles, bricks, etc. These clays are mined in the areas of Simferopol, Balaklava, Old Crimea, Feodosia and other places.
      Mountain Crimea is relatively rich in ornamental stones and gems. In particular, the yellow and pink limestones of Balaklava and the pink-red limestones of. Marble (Simferopol region), brown-gray and black limestones of the Gasprinskoye deposit, green limestones with patterns of black dendrites near Simferopol.
      High decorative properties of certain varieties of diabases, gabbro-diabases, greenish porphyrites (Ayu-Dag, Kastel, Uraga, the vicinity of the villages of Ukrainka, Lozovoye and Partizans of the Simferopol region). As an ornamental material, variegated (black, gray, yellow, blue) flints of Upper Cretaceous age, discovered near Bakhchisarai, Simferopol and Belogorsk, travertines (limestone tuffs) of the Red Caves area, calcite, aragonite, and Iceland spar can be used.
      Semi-precious stones are found in the Kara-Dag region: rock crystal, amethyst, citrine, chalcedony, carnelian, heliotrope, agate, opal, semi-opal of milky white and bluish colors, jasper and others. However, due to the fact that the territory of Kara-Dag has been declared a protected area, there can be no talk of using its mineral wealth.