Foreign Europe has a fairly diverse range of fuel, ore and non-metallic minerals. However, the reserves of only a few of them, in terms of their value, can be classified as global or at least European. So, according to the estimates of the geographers of Moscow State University, in the world reserves this region is most distinguished for coal (20%), zinc (18%), lead (14%), copper (7%). Its share in the world reserves of oil, natural gas, iron ore, bauxite is 5–6%, while other types of mineral raw materials are represented in foreign Europe with smaller volumes of resources. When characterizing the resource base of the region, it is necessary to take into account the fact that most of the basins and deposits of mineral raw materials in foreign Europe have been developed a long time ago and are currently severely depleted. Therefore, the region is highly dependent on the import of many types of mineral raw materials - oil, natural gas, manganese and nickel ores, copper, bauxite, uranium concentrates, etc.
The distribution of minerals on the territory of foreign Europe is characterized by significant unevenness, which is predetermined by the geological - primarily tectonic - features of the structure of the region's territory. Within its limits, five main ones are usually distinguished tectonic structures: Baltic Shield, Caledonian folding belt, North-West European depression, Epigercynian platform and Alpine folded area. However, with a more generalized approach, they can be combined into two main groups, coinciding with the northern and southern parts region (Fig. 2).
The main feature of the northern part of the region is that it has predominantly platform structure, although far from homogeneous. The most ancient and stable territory within its boundaries, composed of crystalline rocks, forms, as you know, the Baltic Shield. In the east, a very ancient, Precambrian East European platform, covered with a thick cover of sedimentary rocks, also enters the borders of foreign Europe. Most of the rest of the territory is occupied by the younger, the so-called Epigercynian platform, formed on the site of the Hercynian folding, which flowed in the Carboniferous and Permian periods. It is characterized by a mosaic combination of platform areas with intermontane depressions and marginal troughs. These features of the tectonic structure primarily determine the composition and distribution of minerals. Summarizing, we can, apparently, assert that they are genetically related, firstly, with the crystalline basement of the platform, secondly, with its sedimentary cover and, thirdly, with marginal and intermontane troughs.
Minerals associated with the crystalline basement of the platform and having a pronounced magmatic origin are most characteristic of the Baltic Shield. An example is the iron ore deposits in Northern Sweden - Kirunavare, Gallivare, etc. Mineralization here extends from the surface to a depth of 2000 m, and the iron content in the ore reaches 62–65%. Within the same shield on the territory of Finland, Sweden and Norway, there are also deposits of non-ferrous metals. Diverse ore deposits of magmatic and metamorphic origin are also found within the Epigercyn platform in the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Spain and some other countries.
The minerals, which owe their origin to the sedimentary cover of the platform, are even larger and more varied. So, in the Paleozoic (Permian), the copper ore basins of Poland and the Federal Republic of Germany were formed.
In Polish Lower Silesia, deposits of copper ore were discovered in 1957. The average copper content in cuprous sandstones, occurring at a depth of 600-1000 m, is 1.5 °% here; in addition, the ores contain silver, nickel, cobalt, lead, zinc and other metals. The total reserves of copper ores are estimated at 3 billion tons, which is equivalent to more than 50 million tons of metal. This puts Poland in first place in Europe and fourth in the world. Numerous deposits of rock salt (salt domes) in Poland, deposits of potassium salts in the Federal Republic of Germany and French Alsace are also associated with the Permian deposits left by the so-called Zechstein Sea.
In the Mesozoic (Jurassic), in the trough-shaped depressions on the territory of Lorraine (France), iron ore deposits appeared, estimated at 4 billion tons. However, the iron content in the Lorraine ore is quite low (25–35%), and it also contains an admixture of phosphorus. All this is only partly offset by its shallow bedding, which allows open pit mining.
The main mineral of the Cenozoic age associated with the sedimentary cover of the platform is brown coal, which has come down to us in the form of numerous basins of the Paleogene and Neogene age on the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany (Lower Rhine, Lauzitsky), Poland (Belhatuv), Czech Republic (North Bohemian).
Among the minerals that owe their origin to foredeep, the main role is played by coal, oil and natural gas. The coal basins of the region form a kind of latitudinal axis stretching from Great Britain through the basins of northern France and southern Belgium, the Ruhr and Saar basins of the FRG to the Ostrava basin of the Czech Republic, the Upper Silesian and Lublin basins of Poland. (Let us add that the Donetsk Basin is located further to the east on the same axis.) This arrangement of the Carboniferous basins, which together form one of the world's largest coal accumulation belts, is explained by the fact that the northern foredeep of the Epigercyn platform passed through here during the Carboniferous period. Therefore, structurally and tectonically, the basins of this belt show great similarity, which can be illustrated by the examples of the largest of them - the Ruhr (general geological reserves of about 290 billion tons, an area of 5.5 thousand km2) and the Upper Silesian (120 billion tons, 4.5 thousand km2).
Both of these basins are of the paralytic type, formed in large tectonic depressions. During the entire Carboniferous period, these depressions gradually subsided, accompanied by intense sedimentation, as well as repeated marine transgressions.
However, the formation of coal is associated only with the deposits of the Upper Carboniferous, which in the Ruhr basin reach a thickness of 5000–6000 m, and in the Upper Silesian 3000–7000 m. This means that the mining and geological conditions of coal occurrence in the Upper Silesian basin are more favorable. In addition, the depth of development in it is less than in the Ruhr. However, in terms of the quality of coals and especially in terms of the share of coking coal, the Ruhr Basin is ahead of the Upper Silesian.
Oil and gas basins, explored in the northern part of overseas Europe, are usually very small in size. They are genetically associated with small intermontane depressions of the Epigercyn platform. The only large basin in this region is the Severomorsky one. It arose within the North Sea syneclise, where the sedimentary strata of the Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic age reaches a thickness of 9000 m. This stratum is characterized by an abundance of oil-bearing reservoirs and oil and gas-resistant seals.
The main feature of the southern part of the region is that it lies within the geologically much younger fold zone, which is part of the vast European-Asian geosynclinal belt. Differences of this part of the region from the northern one: a much younger geological age of most of the minerals, the origin of which is associated mainly with the era of alpine mountain building; predominance of ore fossils of magmatic and metamorphic origin; lower territorial concentration of mineral resources.
Ore basins and deposits in the southern part of the region (chromium, copper, polymetallic, mercury ores) are of magmatic origin and are mostly associated with volcanic intrusions. The exception is bauxite, the deposits of which form a wide Mediterranean belt stretching from France to Greece. They formed here in lacustrine and sea conditions under the dominance of a humid subtropical climate and are associated with eluvial red-colored rocks - laterites (from Latin later - brick).
Deposits and basins of coal, oil and gas, and native sulfur have also formed in the sedimentary deposits. Among coal, brown coal basins prevail, primarily of the lowest grade - lignite (for example, Kosovskiy in Serbia, East Maritskiy in Bulgaria). In most cases, they formed in small intermontane and intramontane depressions under lacustrine sedimentation. Small oil and gas basins also appeared in intermontane and intramontane depressions, and the largest of them - the Ciscarpathian basin in Romania - formed within a vast foredeep stretching along the Southern and Eastern Carpathians. More than 70 oil and gas fields have been explored in this basin, located in the sediments of the Cenozoic and Mesozoic. However, oil production began here in the middle of the 19th century, and now the deposits are severely depleted. Exploration and production of oil has long been directed not so much "in breadth" as "in depth", and the depth of wells reaches 5000-6000 m.
The countries of foreign Europe can serve as a clear example of the "incompleteness" of the set of minerals. So, in Poland there are large reserves of coal, copper ores, sulfur, but almost no oil, natural gas, iron ore. In Bulgaria, on the contrary, there is no coal, although the reserves of lignites, copper ores, polymetals are quite significant.
The rating of the largest oil producers in Europe does not include Russia - one of the 3 world leaders. Russia extracts 5 times more than the whole of Europe - the countries with access to the North Sea, which are called "the oil cuisine of Europe."
Over the years, these countries, for various reasons, lost their leading positions in the European rating, but they provided themselves with oil and gained relative energy independence.
The leader is Norway, which produces about 2 million barrels of oil per day. The rich country, like most oil-producing countries, is on the oil needle, but it is quite successful in diversifying its economy. Curiously, the European Union, which Norway is not a member of, produces about 1.5 million barrels of oil per day.
The second place in the European ranking is taken by Great Britain with a daily production of 800 thousand barrels, produced on the shelf of the North Sea. And this is a leader in the European Union. However, in order to cover the growing needs of the country, its own oil (periodically) is not enough, and uses imported raw materials.
The largest oil fields on the British shelf in the North Sea are Lehman Bank, Brent, Morcham and Bizzard. Brent gave its name to the North European oil. Among the continental - the largest oil field Wutch Farms is considered to have oil reserves of 60 million tons.
Denmark ranks third in Europe in terms of oil production - 200,000 barrels per day. She has enough "for food". Outlook - oil was discovered offshore in the North Sea and in the south of Jutland.
The fourth place is occupied by Germany - the European economic leader. But its oil production is very modest - 170 thousand barrels per day, and therefore Germany is the largest European importer of oil and oil products. The main production of German oil is the most large deposit on the coast of Schleswig-Holstein. The projected oil reserves in Germany are 560 million tons. Production is low-profit.
The fifth in Europe is Italy with 112 thousand barrels of oil per day. Deposits both onshore and offshore. But most offshore fields produce heavy oil, which complicates refining. But refineries are also focused on "heavy oil" delivered mainly from Russia and the Persian Gulf region.
There is no Europe on the world map of oil production. There is the United States producing 11.82 million barrels per day, Russia - 10.83 and Saudi Arabia- less than 10 million barrels per day. But in the world consumption market, Europe is in second place after the United States.
But something else is more important: European oil companies are the world's main oilmen, participants in oil production at all the world's major fields. They have not only practically unlimited funds, but most importantly - experience, technology and trained personnel.
And we can say with confidence that European companies will participate in all projects in the Arctic.
