home Success stories How are stones mined? Mining Developing your own independence.

How are stones mined? Mining Developing your own independence.

Friends, hello everyone. Today I will tell you about what methods of mining exist, and their impact on the environment, but first of all, these methods depend on the minerals themselves, their physical and chemical properties, locations and the development of technological progress.

Until recently, the extraction of natural resources was carried out manually, which required great physical effort and considerable labor costs, and it itself had rather low labor productivity.

In modern conditions, everything has changed radically: with the development of powerful technical means and the use of special machines, labor costs have decreased, and productivity and volumes of mineral extraction have increased significantly.

Basic methods and technology of natural resource extraction

Everything, both solid, liquid, and gaseous on our planet, is distributed unevenly and is either on the surface or deep underground, and depending on their location and occurrence, one or another method is used for their extraction. The most common methods of extracting natural resources can be considered:

open path or career path,
closed method or underground or mine method,
combined method or open-underground method,
geotechnological method or borehole method,
dredging method.

All of these methods have both their advantages and disadvantages, therefore the open-pit mining technology involves the creation of deep pits in the form of large quarries or cuts at the sites of development and extraction of natural resources, the dimensions of which depend on the relatively small depth and length, as well as power fossil beds.
The advantage of this method of extraction is its relative cheapness, the highest productivity and labor intensity, safe working conditions, and the disadvantages are a large decrease in the quality of raw materials due to the content of a large amount of waste rock, and negative consequences for the environment.

Natural construction and industrial raw materials such as -

Solid minerals located at a sufficiently large depth are mined underground, i.e. closed method, in which underground mines are constructed.
The disadvantage of this method is its huge risk for miners, associated with collapse and gas contamination, and therefore an explosion hazard.

Ores, polymetals and mineral raw materials are usually mined in this way.

such as:

copper and gold,
tungsten and iron,
and mineral salts.

If the open and closed method of mining is not suitable for a given deposit of industrial raw materials, then a combined open-underground method is used, where raw materials from the upper layers are first extracted by open method, and then the remaining reserves of metal ores located at a sufficiently large depth are processed using the mine method. .

The advantages of this method are large volumes of extraction of natural raw materials, and many non-ferrous metals and diamonds are usually mined in this way.

The geotechnological or borehole method is used in the extraction of special types of raw materials that are in a gaseous or liquid state using a procedure such as drilling deep wells, where, using the physico-chemical method of sedimentation, leaching and melting, minerals coming out through pipes are extracted from the bowels of the earth to the surface.

This method is usually obtained:

gas and oil,
sulfur and lithium,
phosphorus and uranium.

And finally, a separate dredge method, where the mining enterprise simultaneously carries out both the extraction of raw materials and its enrichment, i.e., with the help of special equipment, the primary separation of valuable rock from the accompanying waste rock occurs.

Placer deposits are usually developed in this way:

gold and diamonds,
platinoids and cassiterite.

Impact on the environment of mining of useful raw materials

Mining by any method cannot but have a negative impact on the environment, since it occupies huge areas of economic land, sometimes reaching tens of thousands of square kilometers.
Such a technogenic load on the natural environment disrupts the natural course of self-regulation of life processes in the environment and sometimes leads to its rapid degradation.

As a rule, the most productive soil chernozems are located under their development:

fields and arable land,
forests and reservoirs,
roads and settlements.

Production begins with preparatory clearing work, where all artificial barriers are removed from the area, as follows:

Perennial forests with valuable tree species are cut down,
centuries-old reservoirs in the form of swamps, rivers and lakes are drained,
Utilities are laid in the form of drainage ditches and access roads.

Then stripping work is carried out, the purpose of which is to layer-by-layer remove and move waste rock into dumps, which opens access to the natural resources themselves:

soft and light rock is mined using bulldozers and earthmoving machines,
rock and hard rock are first blasted using drilling and blasting equipment, and then mined using excavators and scrapers,

already exposed minerals are mined and loaded onto special vehicles - mining dump trucks,

which transport extracted raw materials to processing plants and metallurgical plants.

The extraction of natural raw materials also has such negative consequences for the environment as contamination of soil, water and air with chemical elements from dumps, which has a detrimental effect on both the flora and fauna of the area.

This negative impact on the environment also negatively affects the health of people living in nearby areas - increasing the incidence of illness in the local population.

Therefore, during the development of mineral deposits, such regular activities as observations and environmental monitoring are necessary.
It is possible to reduce the negative impact on the environment in the future by improving development methods, as well as by reclaiming these lands, returning them and bringing them to their original state, but this requires huge financial resources and a considerable time interval.

Therefore, mining enterprises, in accordance with the law of subsoil and environmental protection, are obliged, after all work carried out on the extraction of raw materials, to ensure the restoration of the natural landscape of the area, where at their own expense they plant forests and subsequently create recreation areas, and also restore the fertile layer of soil, involving it in agricultural turnover

I hope you enjoyed my article on mining methods and learned a lot from it. Maybe you know some new ways of extracting natural raw materials. Tell me about it in the comments to the article, I will be curious to know them. Let me say goodbye to you and see you again, dear friends.

I suggest you subscribe to blog updates to receive my articles in your email. You can also rate the article according to the 10 system, marking it with a certain number of stars.

Come visit me and bring your friends, because this site was created especially for you. I am always glad to see you and I am sure that you will definitely find a lot of useful and interesting information here.

The initial use of stone by man was limited to domestic use only. This is a solid material that, at the dawn of civilization, helped to obtain food, keep warm and shelter from bad weather. Jasper, agate, rock crystal, and flint were used to make sharp objects in the human household during the Mesolithic. During the Neolithic, man began an active search for rocks and the extraction of stones. These were shallow developments in which both silicas and other hard minerals that had a sharp edge when chipped (nephrite, jadeite) were mined. Then man began to deify stones, endowing them with magical properties. A logical connection emerged between the deification of inanimate objects and the desire to wear at least a small piece of the deity.

Over time, having appreciated the beauty of individual minerals, man began searching for the most beautiful of them. Later, a person will learn to process stones and make jewelry from them. And demand creates supply. Jewelers needed material for their masterpieces, court ladies competed in the beauty of their jewelry, so the mining of stones and minerals in different countries became more and more active. Indians are considered the first miners of precious stones. In 2000 BC. people already valued emeralds and organized their active mining in the territory of Ancient India and Ancient Egypt. Rubies and sapphires have been known since 600 AD. BC, bringing glory to Sri Lanka. Around the same time, the diamond mines of India became famous throughout the world. In the burials of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, jewelry made of gems was found, which confirms the fact that people have been mining stones and processing them for a long time. At the same time, the calling card of each region was its own gem. If merchants from the East brought diamonds, rubies, and emeralds to Europe, then amber spread in the opposite direction from the territory of the Baltic coast. The whole world learned about the malachite deposits of the Urals in the 18th century.

How were gems mined?

What methods of extracting stones exist? The emergence of rocks containing precious and semi-precious stones on or closer to the earth's surface allowed the development of the mining industry. By chipping, blocks of stones are separated from the main rock and delivered to the surface. For this, picks were first used, then jackhammers and explosives. The places where minerals are mined in this way are quarries and mines. If earlier diamonds were mined intuitively, taking into account the experience of finds, now, to find a diamond deposit, they use special equipment and geological exploration. If we are talking about placer deposits, then stones that had already broken off from the main rock (weathered) fell into the rivers with other fragments. To find them, they used the washing method, and they also did this with the help of dredges - special equipment for washing.

More than 100 of the most famous gem deposits are not quite evenly distributed, but are still dispersed around the world. The East is most famous for its mining of precious stones. If we correlate the stones and their deposits, we get the following: India - diamonds, Myanmar - rubies, Indonesia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka - sapphires, China and Myanmar - jade, Myanmar, Thailand - spinel, Afghanistan, Chile - lapis lazuli, Iran - turquoise , Australia - opals, pearls, sapphires, Madagascar - beryl, Brazil - diamonds, Colombia - emeralds. Russia also has something to be proud of. In the eastern part of the country, diamond, topaz, jade, aquamarine, lapis lazuli and other gems are mined. The Ural Mountains are famous throughout the world for their deposits of emeralds, chrysoberyl, amethyst, rock crystal, jasper and, of course, malachite.

Deposits of precious stones are not bottomless, which is why a scientific approach is used to further search for diamond deposits. So in 1955, the Mir kimberlite pipe was found and the Yakutsk diamond deposit was founded. The city of Mirny, which arose on that site, is called the modern diamond capital of Russia. Now it is home to more than 35 thousand people, most of whom are employed at diamond mining enterprises. The quarry in which precious stones - diamonds are mined - has a depth of 525 m. Such industrial methods are much more effective than the methods of our ancestors. But at the same time, they are depleting the world’s reserves of stones and minerals at an industrial pace.

People have been interested in mining semi-precious stones ever since primitive man picked up the first colored pebble in the mountains or found transparent amber on the shore.

Most often, precious stones are mined underground, in mine workings, and less often in open quarries. It also happens that under the influence of erosion, stones are gradually freed from the parent rock and are carried downstream by water flows. In such places, the development of these alluvial deposits is carried out by manual washing, using dredges.

Many gem deposits were discovered by accident. Even today, systematic searches in most areas of the world are limited mainly to diamonds alone.

As for other precious stones, the search for their deposits is usually carried out using the simplest means, without the use of modern technology and in the absence of an appropriate scientific base.

Nevertheless, it is still worthy of surprise with what success local search engines are identifying more and more new deposits. Mining enterprises that exploit deposits of precious stones are called mines, mines or mines.

The methods of extracting precious stones, with the exception of diamonds, are very primitive in most countries; in some areas they are essentially the same as at the dawn of our era. The easiest way is to collect gems located directly on the surface. This is possible in a dry river valley or in rock crevices. Crystals that have grown on the rock are broken off using a hammer and chisel, a pick or a crowbar, as well as pneumatic jackhammers or an explosive method.

The extraction of precious stones from young placers is relatively simple. First of all, the overlying sediments are removed. If the placers lie deep from the surface, then there are pits and shafts, sometimes up to 10 or more meters deep. Simple ceilings protect the mouth of the mine from rain; groundwater seeping from below is scooped out with buckets or pumped out with mechanical pumps. From the bottom of the mine, horizontal underground workings run through the layer of sands carrying precious stones. In the largest production shafts, temporary support is installed.

Sometimes precious stones are even mined directly from the river bed. To do this, the river is artificially dammed in some places so that its waters flow faster. Workers, standing waist-deep in such water, stir up the bottom soil with long poles and rakes. Clay-sand components of the soil, which have a lower density, are carried away with the flow of water, and heavier precious stones remain at the bottom.

Further enrichment of sands extracted from mines or rivers with precious stones is carried out by washing them. Workers fill special baskets with loose rock containing gemstones and shake them in wash pits filled with water. This removes the clay and sand, leaving the heavier gemstones to accumulate in concentrate. Light stones like beryl, feldspar, quartz and tourmaline are, of course, lost with this mining method.

In some countries, hydraulic methods of placer mining are practiced, when loose clastic material is washed off the slopes by strong water jets.
The greatest costs are required for underground mining, in which adits pass through hard rock. They resort to it only in those places where the presence of a vein with precious stones is firmly established.

Theft is a particular problem when mining precious stones. They are dangerous for a mining enterprise primarily because they drive down the price of stones to a lower level than is economically justified.
The ingenuity of thieves in the ways and techniques of stealing precious stones from mines and mines seems inexhaustible. But measures to combat theft are becoming more and more sophisticated. Diamond mines are most reliably guarded.

[In the Soviet Union, the extraction of precious stones is carried out both by large specialized mining and processing plants and by small enterprises; Often production is combined with geological exploration and is carried out directly by geological exploration parties.

In some cases, precious stones are mined as a by-product during the development of deposits of other types of mineral raw materials.

Regarding the rights to exploration and mining of precious stones, and the payment of workers, each country has its own rules. In general, it can be said that in most countries, work in the exploration and mining of precious stones is the lot of poor people.

Mineral resources are minerals that form naturally in the earth's crust. They can be of organic and inorganic origin.

More than two thousand minerals have been identified, and most of them contain inorganic compounds formed by various combinations of eight elements (O, Si, Al, Fe, Ca, Na, K, and Mg), which make up 98.5% of the Earth's crust. The world's industries depend on about 80 known minerals.

Read also:

A mineral deposit is an accumulation of solid, liquid or gaseous minerals in or above the earth's crust. Mineral resources are non-renewable and exhaustible natural resources and may also have metallic (eg iron, copper and aluminum) as well as non-metallic properties (eg salt, gypsum, clay, sand, phosphates).

Minerals are valuable. This is an extremely important raw material for many basic sectors of the economy, which is the main resource for development. Mineral resource management should be closely integrated with the overall development strategy, and the exploitation of mineral resources should be guided by long-term goals and perspectives.

Minerals provide society with all the necessary materials, as well as roads, cars, computers, fertilizers, etc. Demand for minerals is increasing around the world as populations grow and the extraction of the Earth's mineral resources accelerates with environmental consequences.

Classification of mineral resources

World Mineral Resources Map

The role of mineral resources

Mineral resources play an important role in the economic development of countries around the world. There are regions rich in minerals, but unable to extract them. Other resource-producing regions have the opportunity to grow economically and gain a number of benefits. The significance of mineral resources can be explained as follows:

Industrial development

If mineral resources can be extracted and used, the industry that uses them will develop or expand. Gasoline, diesel fuel, iron, coal, etc. necessary for industry.

Employment

The presence of mineral resources creates jobs for the population. They enable skilled and unskilled personnel to have employment opportunities.

Agricultural development

Some mineral resources serve as the basis for the production of modern agricultural equipment, machinery, fertilizers, etc. They can be used for modernization and commercialization of agriculture, which help develop the agricultural sector of the economy.

Energy source

There are various energy sources such as gasoline, diesel, natural gas, etc. They can provide the necessary energy to industry and populated areas.

Developing your own independence

The development of the mineral resources industry allows for the creation of more jobs with high quality products, as well as the independence of individual regions and even countries.

And much more

Mineral resources are a source of foreign currency, making it possible to earn money from the development of transport and communications, increase exports, supplies of building materials, etc.

Mineral Resources of the Oceans

Oceans cover 70% of the planet's surface and are involved in a huge number of different geological processes responsible for the formation and concentration of mineral resources, and are also a repository for many of them. Consequently, the oceans contain a huge amount of resources, which are the basic needs of mankind today. Resources are now extracted from the sea or areas that used to be within it.

Chemical analyzes have shown that seawater contains about 3.5% dissolved solids and more than sixty identified chemical elements. The extraction of dissolved elements, as well as the extraction of solid minerals, is almost always economically expensive, since the geographical location of the object (transportation), technological limitations (the depth of ocean basins) and the process of extracting the necessary elements itself are taken into account.

Today, the main mineral resources obtained from the oceans are:

Salt;
Potassium;
Magnesium;
Sand and gravel;
Limestone and gypsum;
Ferromanganese nodules;
Phosphorite;
Metallic sediments associated with volcanism and vents on the ocean floor;
Gold, tin, titanium and diamond;
Fresh water.

Extraction of many mineral resources from the depths of the oceans is prohibitively expensive. However, population growth and the depletion of readily available land-based resources will undoubtedly lead to increased exploitation of ancient deposits and increased extraction directly from the waters of the oceans and ocean basins.

Extraction of mineral resources

The purpose of mining mineral resources is to obtain minerals. Modern mining processes include mineral prospecting, profit potential analysis, method selection, direct extraction and processing of resources, and final land reclamation upon completion of the operation.

Mining generally creates a negative impact on the environment, both during mining operations and after they are completed. Consequently, most countries around the world have adopted regulations aimed at reducing exposure. Occupational safety has long been a priority, and modern methods have significantly reduced the number of accidents.

Features of mineral resources

The first and most basic characteristic of all minerals is that they occur naturally. Minerals are not produced by human activity. However, some minerals, such as diamonds, can be manufactured by humans (these are called synthesized diamonds). However, these man-made diamonds are classified as minerals because they meet their five basic characteristics.

Besides being formed through natural processes, mineral solids are stable at room temperature. This means that all solid minerals that occur on the surface of the Earth do not change in shape under normal temperature and pressure. This characteristic excludes liquid water, but includes its solid form - ice - as a mineral.

Minerals are also represented by chemical composition or atomic structure. The atoms contained in minerals are arranged in a certain order.

All minerals have a fixed or variable chemical composition. Most minerals are composed of compounds or various combinations of oxygen, aluminum, silicon, sodium, potassium, iron, chlorine and magnesium.

The formation of minerals is a continuous process, but a very long one (the level of resource consumption exceeds the rate of formation) and requires the presence of many factors. Therefore, mineral resources are classified as non-renewable and exhaustible.

The distribution of mineral resources is uneven throughout the world. This is explained by geological processes and the history of the formation of the earth's crust.

Problems of using mineral resources

Mining industry

1. Dust generated during the mining process is harmful to health and causes lung diseases.

2. Mining of certain toxic or radioactive minerals poses a threat to human life.

3. Exploding dynamite during mining is very risky as the gases released are extremely poisonous.

4. Underground mining is more dangerous than surface mining because there is a high probability of accidents due to landslides, flooding, insufficient ventilation, etc.

Rapid mineral depletion

Increasing demand for mineral resources forces the extraction of more and more minerals. As a result, energy demand increases and more waste is generated.

Destruction of soil and vegetation

Soil is the most valuable thing. Mining operations contribute to the complete destruction of soil and vegetation. In addition, after extraction (obtaining minerals), all waste is dumped on the ground, which also entails degradation.

Ecological problems

The use of mineral resources has led to many environmental problems, including:

1. Transformation of productive lands into mountainous and industrial areas.

2. Mining of minerals and the extraction process are among the main sources of air, water and soil pollution.

3. Mining involves huge consumption of energy resources such as coal, oil, natural gas, etc., which in turn are non-renewable sources of energy.

Rational use of mineral resources

It is no secret that the reserves of mineral resources on Earth are rapidly declining, so it is necessary to rationally use the existing gifts of nature. People can save mineral resources by using renewable resources. For example, by using hydroelectricity and solar energy as an energy source, minerals such as coal can be conserved. Mineral resources can also be conserved through recycling. A good example is scrap metal recycling. In addition, the use of new technological mining methods and training of miners saves mineral resources and saves people's lives.

Unlike other natural resources, mineral resources are non-renewable and they are not evenly distributed across the planet. They take thousands of years to form. One important way to conserve some minerals is to replace scarce resources with abundant ones. Minerals that require large amounts of energy to produce must be processed.

The extraction of mineral resources has an adverse impact on the environment, including destroying the habitats of many living organisms and polluting the soil, air and water. These negative consequences can be minimized by preserving the mineral resource base. Minerals are increasingly influencing international relations. In those countries where mineral resources were discovered, their economies improved significantly. For example, oil-producing countries in Africa (UAE, Nigeria, etc.) are considered rich because of the profits made from oil and its products.

Articles about natural disasters appear more and more often in news feeds. Man has already witnessed more than one destruction. What awaits us ahead and what changes have occurred in the bowels of the earth? Where is the guarantee that a beautiful stone picked up on the street is not dangerous for you?

Back in the days of the Soviet Union, such a hobby as creating your own collection of minerals was widely known. In some cases, this business brought in a lot of money. In some - a ridiculous death.

In the depths of the earth there are incredibly bright minerals that can be clearly seen among others. But the fact is that this deceptive beauty is very harmful.

A person often does not attach importance to this, because he saw a beautiful pebble and he definitely needs to take a closer look at this “exhibit”. But, as it turns out, his health and even life may now be at stake... People whose activities are related to quarrying or mining must always be on alert. And those whose home interiors are decorated with unknown stones need to find out what these minerals are and how they affect the human body.

Scientists have been working with minerals for a long time. More than 4,000 species have been discovered by the 21st century. Every year, geologists find more and more new units. Many of them are very beneficial for the environment and humans, but not all. There are a huge number of useless, harmful or even poisonous minerals.

It is worth noting that Russia cannot “boast” of a large number of dangerous minerals. They can only be found in mines or developments. This is undoubtedly encouraging. But still, it is simply necessary to consider these stones in more detail.

This unit belongs to the class of sulfates. It has a very distinctive blue color, which became the creator of the name of this stone (from the Greek “chalcos” - copper, “anthos” - flower). The composition also served as the creator of the mineral's name.

Chalcanthite is a secondary substance. It develops in places where copper-sulfide deposits are oxidized in places where the climate is dry. This occurs by precipitation from waters that contain large amounts of copper sulfate. Sometimes the mineral is formed from fumarole sources.

The stone has become widespread in Russia (Northern Urals, Turinsky mines and other deposits), Spain, Germany, USA, Chile, on the island of Cyprus and so on.

CuSO4∙5H2O is very soluble in water, which is why it is suitable for arid climates. The mineral crystals are preserved much better in this case. Chalcanthite is not hard at all: on the Mohs scale (which is 10-point) it is 2 points. It is slightly transparent and very fragile, its crystals have a shimmery shine.

It has been proven that the stone is incredibly beautiful. But what is its danger (and fatal!)? The fact is that chalcanthite contains a large amount of copper, sulfur and water, but there is very little water there. Thus, the combination of substances in these proportions makes the mineral toxic. Copper dissolves in water and can then be absorbed into the body in a matter of seconds. Copper, which enters the body in large doses, turns into poison for humans. In minutes, organs are now capable of stopping their work and leading to death.

If you happen to have chalcanthite in your hands, throw it away immediately and wash your limbs clean. And it's not a joke! There are cases when geologists tasted a pebble (they wanted to make sure there was no salt in its composition), and as a result received acute poisoning or died. In the places where this mineral is mined, the environmental situation leaves much to be desired and is deteriorating more and more every year. Isn't this proof that chalcanthite is a poison for humans?

This mineral belongs to the class of sulfides. Lead shine is the second name for the stone. Naturally, the composition of the mineral has a large part of lead (86.6%). Sulfur is also part of (PbS).

This mineral has a radiant shine, but, nevertheless, it is not transparent. The peculiarity of the stone is that it can be found in different colors: green, yellow, black, gray and others. The hardness of galena is average, but its density is quite high. The stone does not like the sun, as well as moisture, for the reason that under their influence it can lose its shine, which so attracts the human eye. But how can a mineral affect the body?

Galena is potentially poisonous and very toxic. Lead tends to accumulate in the body, and this substance is very harmful to humans. Although, in ancient times, the mineral in question was used in medicine. It was believed that galena gives strength and an easy birth to a pregnant woman. However, modern scientists have proven only the reverse effect of the mineral on the human body.

This mineral is very ancient: it was first mentioned in 1878. He was found in Colorado, USA. The name of the stone was given according to the location of its discovery. It belongs to the sphalerite group. The mineral is formed at average temperatures. Its deposits are known in Russia (Southern Urals), Chile, Romania, Iran, Canada, China and other countries. Coloradoite can often be seen in magma veins.

The color of the mineral is bright black, with an iron tint. It has a metallic luster, but at the same time very high density. That is why it is easy to notice the harm of other stones. But what danger does he pose to society?

If a person nevertheless takes this mineral into his hand, then the threat to him increases twice as much as that posed by simply poisonous stones. Coloradoite contains a mixture of two very harmful elements, which when heated (even in the hands) begin to release a specific mixture of dust and steam. This mixture poses a particular danger to humans.

This group of minerals belongs to the class of silicates. The entire mineral group is of natural origin; it is based on silicon dioxide, iron, sodium and oxygen. The crystals of the stone are black in color and can easily disappear into the air due to their thread-like base.

Asbestos has been known since ancient times. Moreover, the ancient Egyptians believed that this stone brought benefits to human health, as well as in everyday life. Even tablecloths were woven from the fiber of this mineral.

But modernity has proven that the mineral is very harmful to the health of the nation. Asbestos can easily penetrate a person's lungs without him even realizing it. Thus, a kind of “accident” will occur in the organ. Crystals of the mineral immediately cause a carcinogenic effect during irritation of the lungs. Accordingly, most people at this moment are not even aware that there is a minimal dose of asbestos in their lungs.

Antimonite - this is the second name acquired by the next mineral, distinguished by wild beauty, but insane danger. It belongs to the class of sulfides. Sb2S3 is trivalent antimony sulfide. The crystals are very interesting in their appearance: their shape is needle-like, prismatic, with noticeable shading in the vertical direction. The color of stibnite can vary from lead gray to steel gray. If you break the crystal, a more faded color is visible to the naked eye. But breaking it is not so easy: the mineral is very flexible.

The stone is very similar to silver, but what lies behind its appearance? The fact is that already in ancient times it became clear that the mineral was dangerous. People who ate from dishes made of stibnite, or fought with similar swords, soon received poisoning or even died.

In conclusion, it should be mentioned that even if the mineral is in your stone collection, you need to deal with it very carefully in order to prevent health problems.

Mercury sulfide is the chemical name for this mineral. It is processed, but at the same time remains almost the highest level of toxicity on Earth. “Dragon's Blood” is a slightly merciless translation of the name belonging to this mineral. Its ore is identified as the main source of mercury production.

The main deposit of cinnabar is located in Spain (80% of production comes from this place). It can be found in Montenegro, Slovenia or Ukrainian lands. This stone can be found near volcanoes or sulfur birthplaces. The stone will produce a bright scarlet color. No wonder the ancient Egyptians used cinnabar not only to obtain mercury, but also as a paint.

But then people don’t know what they’re dealing with. Modern scientists have proven that the mineral is very dangerous to human health. If you heat the mineral, it turns into pure mercury. The same effect occurs when processing stone. And everyone is well aware of the potential effects of mercury on our body.

In the Middle Ages, along with a death sentence, people were sent to the mines to extract this mineral. And in modern times, a person must by any means not create the same situation for himself.

The mineral is a hydrous phosphate of copper and uranyl. It is formed mainly in places of sedimentary deposits or in zones where pegmatites are oxidized. A secondary deposit also occurs in this case, and it occurs in granite rocks.

This stone can be found in the Czech Republic, France, Great Britain, USA or Poland. There were no deposits of this element in Russia.

The mineral is incredibly beautiful: its crystals are green and prism-shaped. The crystals accumulate in an original way, which attracts collectors. But what is the danger? It has the following beginning: this stone contains uranium, it reacts with copper, phosphorus and water. This causes the copper to escape, releasing a deadly gas called radon. This gas inevitably leads to lung cancer and, most likely, death.

It is also a mineral grade of thallium. The color of the stone is very unusual: a grayish tint on silvery-white metal. The mineral looks like lead, but it is much more dangerous. You can easily find this danger in the mountains of Europe. Also occurs near volcanoes or sulfur deposits.

The effect of stone on the human body is very strange. You may notice hair loss and various diseases. And this is from a single touch of the mineral. Hutchinsonite contains three dangerous components: thallium, arsenic and lead. When used individually, they are harmful to human health, but taken together they can be deadly.

Everything has been said above, examples and evidence are given. All that remains to be noted is that a person should remember to be careful in his daily life. After all, even a grandmother at the market selling pebbles can ruin not only her own life, but also the lives of her neighbors...