What minerals originated from ancient plants? Main Minerals

One of the most valuable sources of energy for the world industry is currently solid combustible minerals. Humanity without them is hardly likely to manage. Among other things, Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleyev, another genius, said: "You can sink bank notes too." The scientist meant that these resources would be more useful to use for the synthesis of substances required by man.

Modern science constantly confirms his correctness. Strangely enough, but in many respects to those riches that lie deep underground, we owe the ancient flora. It was the ancient ferns and trees that formed over time many useful resources. By the way, what kind of minerals were formed from ancient plants? Well, let's find out!

General characteristics of fossil plant fuels

All these types of fuel contain a huge amount of carbon. They all formed from plant debris, which for millions of years had an increased pressure and high temperature. The age of some species of ancient plant fuel significantly exceeds the mark of 650 million years. Approximately 80% of these fossils were formed in the Tertiary period. It is to these times that we are obliged that the resources of minerals still provide us with everything necessary.

The main feature of their formation should be considered the fact that in those days there was still little oxygen on the planet, which now very quickly oxidizes the organic matter, but a lot of carbon and compounds based on it. Sedimentary rocks quickly preserved huge masses of substances in the earth's thickness.

For you to better orient in this matter, we have prepared a table. Minerals are far from being systematically located in the bowels of the earth.

However, among some scientists, the theory of the abiogenic origin of many fossil fuels is popular, which explains their occurrence by a combination of various factors that led to the appearance of complex carbon compounds from simple inorganic substances.

This point of view also has its right to life, but most scientists are still convinced that the vast majority of deposits have the biological nature of occurrence. Well, what kind of minerals came from ancient plants? We will now tell about this.

Importance for industry and man

As we have already said, many of these substances are a real storehouse for the modern chemical industry. The same coal contains many compounds, which in other cases can be obtained only as a result of complex and expensive synthesis. For example, humic acids, which are not naturally found in nature and are rather complex for artificial synthesis, are massively received from cheap and widespread brown coal.

In principle, economic geography will tell you all this . Minerals play a crucial role in shaping the normal production economy of any country.

It should be remembered that the full use of many resources of plant origin is possible only if a person knows the nuances of their education well. First, we will consider the coals mentioned more than once, since the process of their formation is very interesting. Coals, like other basic minerals of vegetable origin, were formed by various plants in the process of their withering away.

Characteristics of the formation of humic coals

A long time ago, when giant dinosaurs still roamed the earth, beautiful lush forests grew on vast expanses. For their growth and development, the conditions were ideal: there is a lot of organic matter in the soil, and carbon dioxide prevails in the atmosphere. However, these same conditions contributed to the fact that the plants are very rapidly dying out. Their parts fell to the ground, where they quickly decayed, as they were not protected from the oxidative action of the air.

The combination of all these factors led to a very rapid decomposition of cellulose. Giant masses of vegetation turned into a real "cocktail" of humic substances, diluted with insignificant amounts of impurities of resins, waxes and paraffins. However, all this mass quickly decomposed by microorganisms, and therefore there was no particularly rapid accumulation of organic matter at that time. The main reserves of minerals appeared somewhat later.

So how was coal formed directly?

The above-described method was the formation of dry peat, which at the present time on the surface of our planet is sufficient. As a rule, no further metamorphoses with him occurred, as most often it was covered with a layer of sand and earth, reliably preserving the organics from the effects of oxygen and microorganisms. Such a mass was extremely plastic, and therefore some kind of stratification or mixing did not occur later.

Since there was very little organic matter in the peat, there were no further processes of decay. Thus, the temperature in the strata was always at the same level.

Pressure and time ...

However, over time, the layers gradually thickened due to caking. Gradually, humic acids were converted to humites, the resins were subjected to a decarboxylation process, and only waxes remained unchanged for millennia. This is how the formation of brown humic coals took place. Especially there are a lot of them in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. These are the most common minerals edge (and an important source of income, of course).

Under the influence of a whole range of environmental factors, a gradual metamorphosis took place, resulting in the formation of stone humus coals. The main role in this process belongs to a high pressure and an equally high temperature. Under these conditions, humic acids began to decompose intensively, the resins and waxes underwent a natural polymerization.

All this led to the synthesis of non-fusible, completely insoluble compounds. It is thanks to them that this type of coal has survived to this day. It lies at comparatively shallow depths, and therefore, provided several other physical and chemical properties, it would inevitably have been washed away. And what minerals were formed from the ancient plants, in addition to the above-described humic coal?

On the process of formation of a mixed type of coals

It should be noted that in nature the formation of pure humic compounds was extremely rare. Much more often there was a mixed process. Scientists suggest that he went immediately in several directions. As a rule, all this happened at the bottom of ancient reservoirs, in the place of which mineral deposits are located.

Humic substances were gradually brought there with rainwater and slowly, over the centuries, settled on the bottom. Plankton, which actively developed with such an abundance of organic substances, was gradually mixed with all this mass. But everything could be quite different.

After the powerful hurricanes and torrential rains hit the land, a huge amount of humic substances and various mineral compounds came into the reservoirs. At first, heavy minerals settled on the bottom, and humic acids acted on them as powerful oxidants. Gradually, all this mass was polymerized. Since there was very little oxygen at the bottom of the reservoirs, the substances eventually became affected by the dehydration process. That's how the coal formed mixed.

These minerals in Russia are extremely common in the eastern part of our country.

On the chemical composition of coals

In general, their composition is not particularly diverse: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur. The difference is only in the mass fraction of all these substances, since it is by their percentage that we can confidently determine not only the type of fossil fuel fuel, but even the region of its origin and production. That you had at least an approximate idea of this issue, let us examine the composition of the average brown humic coal.

Classification of substances that make up coal

The most typical substances that make up any of its varieties are called carbon-forming agents. Here is their full list:

• Strangely enough, proteins. In the hydrolysis of coal, scientists drew attention to the fact that in the resulting mixture there is a certain amount of amino acids. Finding these substances in the thickness of the fossil fuel strata can be explained quite simply: these are the protozoans preserved in ancient times, as well as the remains of more highly developed organisms. In any case, many deposits of minerals can often boast a collection worthy of a paleontological museum.
• Of course, cellulose. This complex carbohydrate, which is the main building material of any plant life form, constitutes a considerable part of both coal and combustible shales (we'll talk about them below).
• Waxes, of which we have repeatedly mentioned. They are esters of some carboxylic acids and aliphatic alcohols.
• Resins. This is a very complex mixture of all the same carboxylic acids, as well as saponific and unsaponifiable substances. In some specific conditions, it is easy to decarboxylate and rapidly polymerize. They are a kind of "link" for coal, as they fasten its components to the primary compression process.

It is almost identical composition of all fossil fuel types that speaks of their plant and partly animal origin. To the proponents of the abiotic appearance of the same oil, it is not possible to find sufficiently convincing arguments with which to refute these factual data. In any case, any map of minerals (organic) will show that their deposits are mainly located on the places of ancient seas rich in organic matter.

Basic information about coal mining

Characteristics and methods of this process fully depend on the depth of bedding. If it does not exceed one hundred meters, then an open, career way of development is possible. It often happens that with the increase in the depth of the cut, the mine method becomes economically more expedient.

On the territory of our country the level of the deepest mine is approximately 1200 meters. Any map of minerals in Russia will show that most of them are in Siberia. This region is deservedly considered a real pantry, a breadbasket of nature.

Other important substances

It should be noted that clusters of substances with enormous industrial value are often found in coal beds. These include some valuable geological rocks (marble, for example), a huge amount of methane, and rare, scattered chemical elements. For example, some varieties of brown coal contain a lot of germanium, without which the modern electronic industry is unthinkable, since it is on its basis that many types of semiconductors are created.

The use of coal in modern industry

Long gone are the times when this kind of minerals was used exclusively as a fuel. As we have already noted, some rare chemical elements are extracted from it, coal serves as a raw material for the production of many types of plastics. Since the Second World War, it is known that artificial gasoline can be made from it.

It is these minerals of Russia that largely ensured the intensive growth of industry after the revolution. They also allow to maintain the economy at a consistently high level.

Combustible Shale

It is a solid combustible fossil of vegetable origin from the group of solid caustobioliths. The main feature of the shale, which has provided them so high popularity in recent years, is the resin that is part of their composition. It is obtained during distillation. Its value lies in the fact that, in terms of its physico-chemical properties, it is very close to oil, but the cost of its extraction is much lower than the oil industry.

Differential composition

The main difference between slate and all the same coal is that it contains more minerals. Its organic part is kerogen. Only in shales of the highest quality, its share reaches 70%, whereas in all other cases the organic content does not exceed 30%. Kerogen is a fossil remains of the oldest unicellular algae.

That part of them, which for centuries has not lost traces of the cellular structure, is a thallomalginitis. Accordingly, completely degraded unicellular algae were called colloallinitis. In addition, in slates, it is often possible to find even parts of higher plants that have been on our planet in time immemorial.

Here are some useful minerals formed from ancient plants. We hope that from this article you have received all the information that interested you.