Symbols of mineral resources. How are oil, gas, coal, and iron ore deposits indicated on maps? Oil: designation in the Forex market How to indicate oil on a contour map

Every year, a huge number of different minerals and rocks are extracted from the bowels of the Earth, which are subsequently used in a wide variety of industries. Thus, gasoline is made from oil, our homes are heated with gas, magnificent sculptures and fountains are made from granite and marble. In this article we will talk about the symbols of minerals that are used in drawing up maps. And we'll show you what they look like.

Minerals and their types

Minerals are mineral formations with certain physical and chemical properties that allow them to be effectively used in the field of material production. In the thickness of the earth's crust they occur in the form of lenses, layers or placers. Sometimes they are concentrated in a small area, forming provinces or basins.

According to their state of aggregation, minerals are solid, liquid or gaseous, and according to their origin - organic or inorganic. They are also divided into three large groups:

• Ore (or metal): gold, silver, platinum, titanium, nickel, uranium, iron ore.
• Non-metallic (or non-metallic): granite, marble, kaolin, graphite, limestone, sand.
• Fuel (or combustible): oil, peat, coal, natural gas, crystalline hydrates.

The quality of a mineral resource is determined by its physical (density, color, moisture), chemical (oxidizability, radioactivity), mechanical (hardness) properties, as well as particle size distribution. Mining began in the Paleolithic era. Today, the most intensively extracted resources from the earth's interior include oil, gas, coal, phosphorites and non-ferrous metal ores.

Below you can see what the most famous symbols look like (iron ore, coal, gas, oil, peat). How are deposits of other minerals indicated on geographical maps? This will be discussed further.

Symbols of mineral resources

On geological, physical and economic maps you can find special graphical deposits of mineral resources. They are generally accepted and have one type (see photo below). In most cases, symbols of minerals are represented by simple or complex geometric shapes. Sometimes they resemble the outlines of the minerals they represent. For example, the symbol for peat is similar to briquettes of this fuel stacked on top of each other.

Sometimes ordinary colored circles are used as symbols on maps (usually ore maps). Inside each of them, the Latin designation of a particular metal is indicated (for example, Fe - iron, Pb - lead, Zn - zinc, etc.). See an example of such a map below. It was taken from the Soviet geological encyclopedia, published in 1984-1990.

In addition, there is a certain GOST (No. 2.857-75), approved back in 1979. It developed its own color system for symbolizing minerals, which is used exclusively in mining. So, for example, in this GOST they are indicated by a purple tint, copper - green, but mercury - red.

Combustible minerals

Fuel resources are usually displayed on maps with black symbols. Let's find out what the most common ones look like:

• Coal is a shaded equilateral square.
• Brown coal is a square with diagonal hatching.
• Oil is an isosceles shaded triangle.
• Gas is an isosceles empty triangle.
• Oil shale is a shaded parallelogram.
• Peat is a pyramid of three rectangles.

Interestingly, the symbol for oil is very reminiscent of a real oil rig.

Ore minerals

Deposits of ferrous ores are often indicated on geographical maps with red symbols. Let's find out what type the most common ones are:

• Iron ore is a filled equilateral triangle.
• Manganese ore is a sign that resembles a crown with two prongs.
• Titan is a diamond with the left half filled in.
• Molybdenum is a rhombus with a square inside.
• Tungsten is an empty square.
• Aluminum is a square with a circle inside.
• Copper is a filled rectangle.
• Mercury is an empty circle.
• Gold is a circle with the left half filled in.

Non-metallic minerals

Non-metallic mineral resources (including various construction raw materials) are often (but not always) shown on maps with green symbols. This is what some of them look like:

• Asbestos is a simple cross.
• Mica is a square crossed diagonally.
• Potassium salt is a cube with painted top and side faces.
• Rock salt is a cube with unpainted edges.
• Glauber's salt is an inverted T-shaped sign.
• Sulfur is an equilateral triangle with the left half shaded.
• Quartz is a diamond with the right half shaded.
• Limestone is a square intersected along both diagonals.
• Phosphorites are a filled circle with a vertical slot.

An interesting fact: the symbol for graphite resembles in its outline a pencil, which, as you know, uses a graphite rod.

Finally

Now you know what mineral symbols look like on maps. The most common ones should be memorized by every educated person. These are primarily icons for oil, natural gas, iron ore, coal and peat. But it will also not be superfluous to know what the designations of other mineral resources look like.

Crude oil is a liquid natural fossil mixture of hydrocarbons of a wide physical and chemical composition, which contains dissolved gas, water, mineral salts, mechanical impurities and serves as the main raw material for the production of liquid energy carriers (gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel, fuel oil), lubricating oils, bitumen and coke Oil extracted from the depths of the earth is separated in fields from dissolved gas, water and salts.

Oil prepared for delivery to the consumer in accordance with the requirements of current regulatory documents is called commercial oil. According to GOST R51858-2002, commercial oil is divided into classes, types, groups, types according to physical and chemical properties, degree of preparation, content of hydrogen sulfide and light mercaptans.

Depending on the mass fraction of sulfur, oil is divided into classes (see Table 1). Based on density, fraction yield and mass fraction of paraffin, oil is divided into 5 types: 0 - extra light, 1 - light, 2 - medium, 3 - heavy, 4 - bituminous. Characteristics of oils of various types are presented in table. 2.

According to the degree of preparation for transportation and processing of oil, they are divided into 3 groups (see Table 3). Depending on the content of hydrogen sulfide and light mercaptans, oil is divided into types (see Table 4).

The oil symbol consists of four numbers corresponding to the designations of the class, type, group and type of oil. When supplying oil for export, the index “e” is added to the type designation.

Table 1

Oil classes

table 2

Types of oil

Note – If according to one of the indicators (density or yield of fractions) the oil belongs to a group with a lower number, and according to another to a group with a higher number, then the oil is recognized as corresponding to the group with a higher number

Table 3

Oil groups by degree of preparation

Note – If according to one of the indicators the oil belongs to a group with a lower number, and according to another to a group with a higher number, then the oil is recognized as corresponding to the group with a higher number

Table 4

Types of oil by mass fraction of hydrogen sulfide and light mercaptans

Note – Oil with a rate of “less than 20 million -1 ( ppm)» according to indicator 1 of the table, it is considered not to contain hydrogen sulfide

Vladimir Khomutko

Reading time: 4 minutes

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Oil: symbol on the Forex market

Oil forms the basis of economic stability in many countries of the world. Historically, the American dollar and oil are closely related, since the United States of America is the world's largest consumer of black gold, and has recently become one of the top three world leaders in its production.

All this has made oil on the Forex market one of traders’ favorite optimal instruments for stock trading. Currently, most brokers in this market provide the opportunity to trade this product.

The most common symbols for oil on the Forex market

The cost of an oil barrel is currently known to many people, even those far from the oil trade, since the exchange rate of the national currency largely depends on this price. Hydrocarbon raw materials are consumed in colossal quantities, as a result of which huge volumes of this energy resource are traded every day. As a result of these trades, prices for it are formed, called in professional language oil quotations.

The price of a barrel is determined on three major world exchanges: London, New York and Singapore.

The designation of oil on the Forex market, through which these trading platforms are available, as well as the basic concepts of this market, are as follows:

• Several reference grades of black gold are traded: Brent, WTI, Dubai Crude, etc.;
• one lot – one hundred barrels;
• the spread varies from 3 to 15 US dollars (depending on the broker).

Oil grades on Forex are designated by the Latin alphabet. So, for example, the Brent mark in quotes is designated UKOIL, and WTI is designated USOIL. In addition to transactions focused on the difference in the current cost of oil mixtures, which are referred to as CFDs, you can trade contracts for future deliveries, which are called futures. Futures symbols are as follows:

• BR – contracts for the future supply of Brent raw materials;
• CL – contracts for the future supply of Light Sweet crude oil (WTI).

These are the most common Latin abbreviations. However, each broker may have its own symbols to describe a particular transaction. As a rule, the designation of such transactions also contains symbols - a Latin letter and a number. The letter indicates the month of delivery (when working with fixed-term contracts), and the number indicates the year of delivery. For example, the abbreviation BRN17 means that a contract was concluded for the supply of Brent oil in June (N) 2017.

Forex is a transnational market. It is traded by entire states and the largest international consortiums, as well as small firms and private players (individuals).

Even airlines often trade black gold to insure themselves against sharp price fluctuations. They make money mainly on the difference in the cost of a barrel (bought cheaper - sold more expensive), although there are other trading schemes. Just like the foreign exchange market, the commodity market is influenced by a number of factors of a political, financial, social, economic nature, and so on.

Black gold itself is traded against the US dollar on Forex.

The price is set per barrel of crude and then adjusted based on supply and demand. The price constantly changes within one day.

The direct participants in the transaction are the seller and the buyer. On the Forex exchange, transactions of a speculative nature are carried out mainly, that is, no one physically delivers goods to anyone.

Quotes are posted in real time on electronic trading platforms that traders use. An increase in oil prices in the long term can cause an increase in prices for certain types of fuel oil products (gasoline and diesel fuel).

Intensive economic growth causes an increase in demand and an increase in the cost of a barrel, and stagnation leads to its fall.

It is worth noting that on Forex oil is a fairly “young” product (previously they traded mainly in currencies), and therefore it has its own advantages, namely:

Oil and the US dollar, as we said above, are closely related to each other. Changes in oil prices affect the exchange rate of the American currency, and the opposite effect is also possible (for example, when the US Federal Reserve discount rate changes). Following the dollar exchange rate, the currencies of other countries are adjusted.

Trading commodities in the stock market is a good investment move because the risks of trading commodities are quite reasonable (unlike forex trading).

The exchange rates of national currencies are relatively stable as long as their internal economies are stable. Intensification of economic growth rates strengthens the national currency, and stagnation leads to its weakening.

Trading hydrocarbons is quite popular among traders. It is developing on a par with trading in precious metals and currencies.

However, when entering this market, it is necessary to develop your own strategy and enlist the support of professionals, since exchange trading is always associated with increased risks. The strategy can be worked out on special demo accounts, where real money is not involved, and then proceed to trading for real money, playing in small lots.

In the depths of our planet lies a huge amount of various fuel and mineral resources. Their distribution is shown on special geographical maps. In this article we will introduce you to the main signs and designations of minerals, and also tell you about the main mineral wealth of Russia.

About minerals in brief

Minerals mean those natural formations in the earth's crust that are used or can be used in material production (as fuel or raw materials). Most often they are in a solid state of aggregation. But they can be liquid or gaseous (like oil or gas, for example).

By their origin, minerals can be organic or inorganic, and by the conditions of formation - metamorphic, igneous or exogenous. According to their functional purpose, they are divided into three large groups:

1. Ore (aluminum, copper, iron, gold).
2. Non-metallic (diamonds, limestone, sand, rock salt).
3. Fuel or combustible (oil, natural gas, coal, shale).

Sometimes precious and semi-precious stones are classified into a separate group.

Minerals occur at different depths. In the depths of the earth's crust they are found in the form of veins, lenses, layers, placers, etc. Many of them are extracted by humans to the surface using mines, quarries and wells. The field of economic activity that deals with the development and extraction of mineral resources is called mining.

Symbols of mineral resources on maps

Deposits of certain mineral resources are marked on a number of maps: general geographical, geological, economic and others. In this case, special designations of minerals are used. They belong to the category of non-scale cartographic signs.

Geographical designations for minerals used in cartography are generally accepted. You can see what they look like in the diagram below. These signs are studied at school as part of the subjects of general geography and natural history. They can also be found in school and thematic atlases.

In addition, there is a special GOST number 2.857-75, which was developed by a number of Russian scientific institutes. This standard specifies not only the designations of minerals, but also the conditions of their occurrence. However, these signs are used exclusively by geologists. Thus, diamond deposits in this GOST are designated in red, sulfur - lemon, oil - brown, rock salt - purple.

But we will still return to those designations of minerals that are widely used in cartography. Let's take a closer look at what the symbols look like for those mineral resources that are of the most industrial importance in the modern world.

Ore minerals: symbols of deposits

Examples: iron and copper, nickel, mercury, tin, aluminum, gold, tungsten.

Symbols of ore minerals on maps are most often red. They look like this:

• Iron ores - shaded
• Titan is a diamond with the left half shaded.
• Molybdenum is a rhombus with a white square inside.
• Copper is a filled elongated rectangle.
• Tungsten is an unfilled square.
• Mercury is an open circle.
• Aluminum is an equilateral square with a circle inside.
• Gold is a circle with the left half shaded.
• Polymetallic ores - a designation reminiscent of a radiation hazard sign.

Non-metallic minerals

Examples: graphite, limestone, sand, kaolin, granite, clay, rock salt, phosphorites, marble.

Symbols for non-metallic minerals on maps are usually green. They look like this:

• Asbestos is the sign of a simple Greek cross.
• Native sulfur is an equilateral triangle with the left half shaded.
• Mica is an empty square crossed along one diagonal.
• Phosphorites are a filled circle with a vertical slot in the middle.
• Apatity is a filled circle with a horizontal slot in the middle.
• Diamonds - eight-pointed star.
• Limestone is an empty square intersected along both diagonals.
• Kaolin is a square crossed along one diagonal, with the right half shaded.

Fuel (combustible) minerals

Examples: oil, natural gas, peat, oil shale.

Symbols for fuel minerals on maps are usually black. They look like this:

• Oil is a filled isosceles triangle.
• Natural gas is an empty isosceles triangle.
• Coal is a shaded equilateral square.
• Brown coal is an empty square with diagonal hatching.
• Oil shale is a shaded parallelogram.

Map of mineral resources of Russia

Russia is the largest country in the world by area. Therefore, it is not surprising that a huge amount of a wide variety of minerals is concentrated on its territory. In the depths of Russia, deposits of oil, gas, ferrous and non-ferrous metal ores, and precious stones have been identified, explored and developed.

The Ural Mountains chain is extremely rich in ore deposits. Copper, iron, manganese, nickel, chromite ores, as well as gold and platinum, occur here. There are also ornamental stones of magnificent beauty here. Huge reserves of mercury are concentrated in Altai. Transbaikalia and gold.

Colossal reserves of coal are concentrated in the sedimentary cover of the ancient East European Platform. Western Siberia has rich oil and gas deposits. Potassium salts, a valuable raw material for the chemical industry, are mined in the foothills of the Urals and beyond. The designations of mineral resources in Russia are shown in more detail on the following map.

According to geologists, the country has enormous reserves of oil (12% of global reserves), natural gas (3%), iron ore (25%), nickel (33%), zinc (15%), and potassium salt (31%). However, the degree of their industrial development remains quite low. Experts estimate Russia's total mineral reserves at 28,000 billion US dollars.