DISTRIBUTION OF GLOBAL MINERALS

Minerals, generally are divided into energy minerals (or mineral fuels) and two types of non-energy mineral resources. Energy resources are for petroleum, natural gas, coal, uranium and so on. Non-energy mineral resources can be divided into black metal (or iron, ferroalloy metals) resources, like iron, manganese, chromium, etc. and nonferrous metals (or non-ferrous metals) resources which can be divided into five categories, namely, heavy, light, expensive, semi-metals and rare metals according to physics, chemistry, values, and in the crust distribution of non-ferrous metals. There are non-metallic minerals, in which potassium, phosphorus, sulfur and other mineral resources are called agricultural minerals. Now there are more than 80 kinds of mineral resources widely used in the world, of which has high value, wide range in the international market and plays an important role are iron, copper, bauxite, zinc, lead, nickel, tin, manganese, gold and phosphate, as described below.

Distribution of the world's total non-energy mineral resources: the distribution is very uneven, concentrated in a few countries and regions. This is highly influenced by the geological structure forming conditions, economic and technological development capacity of every countries and regions. Richest mineral resources countries: the United States, China, Russia, Canada, Australia, South Africa; rich countries: Brazil, India, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Zambia, Zaire, and Morocco.
The distribution of major mineral resources
10 major world distributions of mineral resources:
Iron: total world’s amount is 850 billion tons, proven reserves is 400 billion tons, iron content of 93.08 billion tons. It is mainly distributed in Brazil (17.5%), Russia (16.8%), Canada (11.7%), Australia (11.5%), Ukraine (9.8%), India, China, France, South Africa, Sweden, and United Kingdom. Rich iron ore are 140 billion tons, in Australia, Brazil, Russia, Ukraine, India, Sweden, South Africa.

Copper: according to foreign statistics, are 6.41 million tons (metal content), 70% of which are located in four different geological areas: ① Chile and Peru, porphyry copper deposit, is the world's largest copper mine, the total world 27% of reserves. ② the American West copper mine copper and sandstone and shale, the total reserves of 20%; ③ adjacent to northern Zambia and Zaire's copper belt sandstone and shale, about 15% of total reserves, located in length of 55 km, 65 km wide strip of area, is the world's largest reserves and the most famous copper belt. ④ Russia, Kazakhstan, 10% all kinds of copper. By country, Chile ranked first (20.9%), followed by the United States, Australia, Russia, Zambia, Peru, Zaire, Canada, and Kazakhstan. In recent years, in Poland, the Philippines, there is new discoveries, and enters the world’s top.

Aluminum: The world's total reserves of bauxite aluminum is more than 250 million tons, mainly in Guinea, Australia, Brazil, Jamaica, India and other countries, five of which accounting for 60% of total reserves. Other countries are China, Cameroon, Suriname, Greece, Indonesia, Colombia and so on.

Lead and zinc: most of them are in the zinc complex in nature, and its consumption is the world’s second other than iron, aluminum, copper, ranking No. 4 (zinc) and 5 (lead) positions. Proven reserves of lead is 1.5 million tons, zinc 115 million tons. They are mainly distributed in United States, Canada, Australia, China and Kazakhstan and other countries，total reserves of which are about world’s 70% of lead and 60% of zinc .

Tin: The world's proven reserves are 10,140,000 tons. They are distributed in belt, and the Pacific is the main hidden areas(mainly in Southeast Asia and East Asia). Southeast Asian tin belt is the whisk Bang highland in Myanmar to the north, along the Myanmar-Thai border, the west part of Malay Peninsula to the south, extending to the Indonesian island of Bangka and Belitung Island. They are associated with tungsten, therefore with the name "tin-tungsten zone". Its reserves accounts for 60% of the world's total reserves.

East Asian tin belt: ① West: Yunnan, China East: along the structural zone of Nan linge xtends to the Guangxi ② south from northern Korea, the northeastern region of China has been extended to Russia's Siberia; ③ starting from China's Hainan Island, along the China east coast extended to Hong Kong; ④small tin-tungsten ore in north of the island of Honshu, it is the side of tin ore in mainland China. In addition, the Andean tin belt of South America, central Africa also has a tin distribution. Indonesia, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Bolivia, have more reserves than other countries.

Manganese: the world's 12 billion tons of proven reserves are concentrated in South Africa (45%), Ukraine, Australia, Brazil, India and China and other countries.

Nickel: over 110 million tons of total world reserves are concentrated in New Caledonia, Cuba, Canada, Australia, Russia and Indonesia and other countries.

Gold: precious metal, the world's total reserves of which is more than 41,000 tons, mainly distributed in South Africa (69%), Russia (about 10%), United States (9%), Canada and other countries.
Phosphate: the world's total reserves is 760 million tons, commercial-grade phosphate rock reserves is 155 ~ 164 million tons, concentrated in Morocco (56.2%), United States, Russia and the Western Sahara and other countries and regions.


Australia is the continent with the world's largest uranium reserves. Canada is the largest exporter of Uranium Ore. Mexico is the largest silver exporter in the world. Earlier diamonds were found only in alluvial deposits of southern India. At present Diamond deposits are also found in Africa, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Congo. The most common element found on earth is Iron. The five largest producers of iron ore are China, Brazil, Australia, Russia and India. These five countries account for about 70% of the world's iron ore production. Huge chunk of Gold supply comes from South Africa. Canada, United States and Western Australia are also major producers of gold. Interestingly, the world's oceans also hold vast amounts of gold. Copper-ore can be found in Chile, Mexico, United States, Indonesia, Australia, Peru, Russia, Canada, China, Poland and Kazakhstan. Oil reserves can be found in Canada, United States, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. Bauxite reserves are found in Australia, Brazil, Guinea, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Russia, Suriname, United States and Venezuela.