Symbols for minerals in Africa. Africa's minerals are an important economic resource. Relief and minerals of Africa

The topic of the relief of Africa in geography is studied in the 7th grade. The relief of Africa is quite complex, although there are no high mountain ranges and lowlands. Basically, the mainland is dominated by plains, the average height of which is from 200 to 1000 meters (above sea level).

Relief types

The African plains were formed in different ways. Some were formed due to the destruction of the mountains that existed here in the Precambrian era. Others were formed due to the rise of the African platform.

The African-Arabian platform, on which Africa stands, is also a relief-forming one for the Arabian Peninsula, the Seychelles and Madagascar.

In addition to the plains in Africa, there are also:

• plateaus ;
• hollows (the largest are located in the states of Chad and Congo);
• faults (It is on this continent that the largest fault in the earth's crust is located - East Africa, from the Red Sea to the mouth of the Zambezi River, through the Ethiopian Highlands).

Fig 1. Map of the relief of Africa

Relief characteristics by regions of Africa

Judging by the height map, all of Africa can be divided into two parts: South and North Africa and East and West Africa. There is one more conditional division: High and Low Africa.

The lower part is wider. It occupies up to 60% of the entire territory of the continent and is geographically located in the north, west and in the central part of the mainland. Peaks up to 1000 meters prevail here.

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High Africa is the south and east of the mainland. The average heights here are 1000 - 1500 meters. Here are the highest point, Kilimanjaro (5895) and slightly inferior to her Rwenzori and Kenya.

Figure 2. Mount Kilimanjaro

If we talk about the characteristics of the reliefs, then they can be briefly represented as follows.

In terms of average height, 750 meters above sea level, Africa ranks third in the world after Antarctica and Eurasia. So, Africa can rightly be considered one of the "highest" continents on the planet.

Relief and minerals of Africa

The minerals of Africa, due to its tectonic structure, are diverse. In addition, the deposits of some of them are the largest in the world.

Since in Africa at the dawn of its formation there was a serious tectonic activity, then there are a lot of igneous rocks that led to the formation of various ore minerals. These deposits are not deep, especially in South and East Africa, where crystalline rocks lie close to the surface, so that they are mined by open-cast mining.

The largest deposits are located in South Africa:

• gold;
• uranium;
• tin;
• tungsten;
• lead;
• zinc;
• copper.

North and West Africa is also rich in:

• coal;
• salts (of various types and properties);
• manganese;
• oil (the coast of the Gulf of Guinea; Algeria, Libya, Nigeria);
• natural gas;
• phosphorites;
• chromites;
• bosquitoes.

Deposits of cobalt, tin, antimony, lithium, asbestos, gold, platinum and platinoids were discovered here.

The richest country in Africa is South Africa. Almost all types of natural resources are mined here, with the exception of oil, natural gas and bauxite. There is especially a lot of coal in South Africa, and its deposits here are as superficial as possible, so the extraction of this natural resource causes no difficulty.

Africa has a diverse array of minerals, many of which are some of the richest deposits in the world. There are large reserves of oil, coal, ores of ferrous and especially non-ferrous metals (iron, manganese, copper, zinc, tin, chromites), rare metals and uranium ores, as well as bauxites. Of the non-metallic minerals, the deposits of phosphorites and graphite are of the greatest value.

The processes of mineralization proceeded mainly in the epochs of the most ancient foldings - in the Precambrian and at the beginning of the Paleozoic. In view of the fact that the ancient foundation of the platform is exposed mainly in Equatorial and South Africa, it is in these areas that all the most important deposits of ore minerals are concentrated. Deposits of copper in the Republic of South Africa, chromites in Southern Rhodesia, tin and tungsten in Nigeria, manganese in Ghana, and graphite on the island of Madagascar are associated with the metamorphization of the most ancient Archean and Proterozoic formations. However highest value among the minerals of the Precambrian is gold.

It is known that Africa has long and steadily retained the first place among the countries of the capitalist world in gold mining. Its main reserves are concentrated in the thickness of the Proterozoic conglomerates in the Republic of South Africa (Johannesburg), and the mines are of particular value. Mineralization processes during the Cambrian period led mainly to the accumulation of polymetallic ores, as well as ores of non-ferrous and rare metals.

Among the areas of Cambrian mineralization, first of all, the so-called Central African copper belt stands out, stretching from the Katanga region (in the southeast of the Congo) through Northern and Southern Rhodesia to East Africa. Numerous deposits within this belt are mainly epigenetic, characterized by a high metal content and provide the main amount of copper, for the extraction of which Africa ranks second among the capitalist countries. Along with copper, cobalt, lead, tin and tungsten are mined in this zone.

In Katanga, in the Kazolo-Shinkolobwe region, one of the world's most important uranium ore deposits with a very high uranium content (0.3-0.5%) is exploited. Second large area Cambrian mineralization is concentrated in South Africa, where the formation of a number of large deposits occurred in connection with powerful outpourings of basic lavas and intrusions of granite batholiths. Complex processes of contact metamorphism ended with the formation of large deposits of platinum ores, gold, chromites, titanomagnetite ores.

In addition to non-ferrous metal ores, there are iron ore deposits in South Africa. Iron ores are generally low grade; it is believed that most of them were deposited in brackish sea or ocean waters. Their accumulation, which began as early as the Precambrian, continued into the Silurian. The main deposits are concentrated in the Pretoria region and in Capland. The third area of ​​concentration of Cambrian polymetallic ores is the Moroccan highlands of the Atlas Mountains, in which the oldest rocks of the entire mountain system are exposed.

The mines of Morocco produce cobalt, molybdenum, zinc and lead. By the end of the Paleozoic and the beginning of the Mesozoic era, when the African platform experienced a relatively calm tectonic stage of development and thick strata of continental deposits were deposited on its ancient core, the formation of formations containing coals belongs. The coal basins in the Republic of South Africa, Northern and Southern Rhodesia, the Republic of the Congo (with Leopoldville as its capital), Tanganyika and the island of Madagascar are of the greatest industrial importance.

To the north of the equator during this period of time there was an accumulation of iron and manganese ores of sedimentary origin and oil in the continental sandstones of the Sahara. Significantly more favorable conditions for the formation of various minerals were established at the end of the Mesozoic era, when the sea from the Tethys geosyncline region transgressed to the north of Africa and faults began, leading to the isolation of the African block, accompanied by active volcanism and the intrusion of large granite batholiths.

The group of areas of platform Africa includes the territory of almost the entire African platform, with the exception of its eastern outskirts - the Abyssinian Highlands, the Somali Peninsula and the East African Plateau. On this huge area, anteclises and syneclises of the ancient basement repeatedly alternate, and therefore the relief forms characteristic of the outcrops of the ancient basement and areas of development of the sedimentary cover replace each other.

The largest and most complex in structure and relief region of the Sahara-Sudanese plains and plateaus occupies the northern part of the platform, from the Atlas Mountains to the North Guinean Upland and the Azande Rise. In this area, the ancient foundation protrudes three times. In the west, it is exposed in the plains of the Karet-Yetti crystalline peneplain (up to 500 m high), in the region of the Ragibat Shield. In the center, the ancient foundation was raised in the highlands of Ahaggar and Tibesti and the southern spurs of Ahaggar (Adrar-Iforas and Lir plateau). The uplift occurred along the fault lines of the northwest strike.

Volcanism and volcanic landforms are associated with faults - phonolitic peaks of Ahaggar (Mount Tahat 3005 m), basalt plateaus and extinct volcanoes Tibesti (Emi-Kycsu) -3415 m). On the eastern outskirts of the Sahara, the western wing of the Eritrean crystalline dome rises above the Red Sea by the blocky Etbay Ridge ( highest point Mount Ash-Shayib 2184m), steeply plunging towards the coast. The areas of outcrops of crystalline rocks and their characteristic landforms are surrounded on all sides by covers of sedimentary deposits that make up low plains and medium-altitude plateaus. Lowlands occupy a limited area within the region. In front of the Caretietti plains lies the Atlantic accumulative sea plain; a strip of lowland also stretches along the coast of Libya and the UAR. It occupies the zone of subsidence of the edge of the African Platform to the Mediterranean geosynclinal region. In the RAR, on the lowland, there are several depressions lying below sea level (the depth of Qattara reaches -133 m), worked out by exogenous processes in monoclinal structures.

In front of the Atlas Mountains lies the forward trough of the platform, which is only in the east, near the Gulf of Gabes, expressed in relief as an area of ​​recent subsidence. The lowest places of the basin are vast saline plains (Schotts) lying below the ocean level (Schott Melgir has a mark of -30 m). Most of the Pre-Atlas trough is made up of sedimentary strata that make up piedmont plateaus dissected by dry valleys. The crystalline peneplain of Karet-Yetti is separated from Ahaggar by the low stratified plains of El Jof and the stepped plateau of Tanezruft. The El Jof plains occupy most of the Aravan-Tauden syneclise filled with Paleozoic formations; the Tanezruft Plateau constitutes the western link of the ring of cuest ridges (tassili), worked out in monoclinal sedimentary rocks uplifted along the slopes of Ahaggar and Tibe

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The predominant industry is crop production. There are two areas in the structure of crop production: the production of food crops for local consumption and the production of export crops. Crops consumed in Africa include: millet, sorghum, rice, wheat, corn, cassava, yams and sweet potatoes. The main crops of the African continent are millet and sorghum, ...

Africa is not only a continent famous for its original nature and culture, this continent has a rich supply of natural resources. Most of the mainland is located in the equatorial zone, which provides optimal conditions for the growth of forests, which make up 10% of the total forest area of ​​the Earth. Wood is the main export commodity.

Another treasury of Africa is the Sahara desert, the bowels of which hide huge reserves fresh water. On this continent there are the largest rivers of the planet, which are rightfully called the energy minerals of Africa.

Africa are the main suppliers of resources for black and chemical enterprises for the entire planet. The bowels of Africa are rich in phosphorites, chromites, and titanium. The main reserves of cobalt, copper, manganese), as well as precious minerals and metals (diamonds, gold) the globe focused on this mainland. The minerals of North Africa, which include sedimentary minerals, gas and oil, are of world importance. South and central Africa is valued for igneous minerals - ores of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, as well as diamonds.

Deposits of minerals are due to the formation of the relief of the continent. In the north, there are more lowlands and subsidences, which were flooded by the seas, therefore, coal and manganese ores were formed in the form of precipitation. The east and south of Africa are represented by plateaus and highlands, which historically formed on the site of vertical and horizontal movements of platforms, therefore this part is rich in diamonds, gold, and uranium ores.

This continent has such an unimaginable reserve that the minerals of Africa do not leave one free space on the map, literally every millimeter of the area contains one or another mineral. Africa is famous for its deposits of ores, the formation of which dates back to the time of the birth of the Paleozoic. Currently, this platform is exposed on the equator and the south of the mainland, and therefore, these areas have become the concentration of ore deposits. Thanks to this “exposure” of ancient platforms, copper deposits in South Africa became available to the population of the planet, chromites are being developed in Southern Rhodesia, Nigeria is famous for tin and tungsten, Ghana for manganese, and the island of Madagascar may well provide the entire planet with graphite. But still, Africans thank the Paleozoic for gold deposits. Perhaps, in some areas, Africa lags behind the countries of the West, but in the sphere this continent, represented by South Africa, has long and firmly held the position of a leader.

The Cambrian period of the formation of earth platforms is considered the beginning of the formation of the copper belt, which formed such minerals in Africa as copper, tin, cobalt, lead, tungsten and brought it to a leading position in the world. In terms of development and extraction of the above minerals, Africa ranks second. During this period, deposits of uranium and platinum ores were formed on the continent. Iron ores were formed in the depths of the sea, but due to the deposition of sea salts, these minerals of Africa are of low grade.

At the junction of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic, the terrestrial platform of the continent experienced a calm period with the absence of movement of the earth's platforms, which allowed the formation of coal deposits, which are especially abundant in South Africa, Rhodesia, Congo and Madagascar.

The Sahara-Sudanian Plain of Africa is the most complex formation in structure, which has undergone faults and outcrops of rocks, uplifts and troughs of ancient foundations, is valued by deposits of iron, manganese ores and oil.

Africa is exceptionally rich in natural resources. It is one of the main suppliers of ferrous and non-ferrous metal ores for the global metallurgical industry. The continent boasts graphite deposits, deposits of oil and natural gas, and relatively small deposits of coal.

And yet the main treasure of Africa is the deposits of gold and gem diamonds. In addition, there are deposits of uranium ores on the mainland, the uranium content of which reaches 0.3%.

Features of the relief of Africa and their impact on mineral deposits

The processes of mineralization of the bowels of the African continent took place in the Precambrian period, as well as at the beginning of the Paleozoic. And since the ancient foundation of the continental platform rose to the surface in the southern parts and in the region of Equatorial Africa, it is there that all the most important places of occurrence of ore minerals are concentrated.

Metamofroses in the layers of ancient Archean and Proterozoic plates in various parts of the mainland led to the formation of deposits of chromites in Southern Rhodesia, copper ore in the South African region, tungsten and tin in Nigeria, as well as graphite in Madagascar and manganese in Ghana.

As a result of hydrothermal processes in the bowels of the mainland in West Africa, gold deposits were formed. South Africa is rich in gold ore of igneous origin.

Africa is so rich in diamonds that even one of the types of diamond pipes - kimberlite - was named after the African province of Kimberley, where this type of pipe was first discovered. Kimberlite pipes are the so-called primary deposits of diamonds formed from graphite, which for a long time was under pressure deep in the Earth's layers (at a depth of 100 to 200 km), was modified into diamond and brought to the surface by magma during volcanic eruptions.

Types of minerals in Africa

combustible minerals

Coal(deposits in South Africa). Formed from parts of ancient plants, it is one of the most important energy resources today.

Oil(deposits in Libya, Algeria and Nigeria). Refers to fossil fuels, has an oily liquid structure, consists of hydrocarbons of various masses. Highly valued in the world.

Ferrous metal ores

manganese ores(deposits in South Africa). Used as an additive to iron alloys to give them hardness and strength, for the production of alloyed iron and steel.

Chromite ores(deposits in South Africa). From chromites, chromium is extracted, which is an indispensable component of stainless and heat-resistant superalloys.

Titanium magnetite ores(deposits in South Africa). Ores containing vanadium are the rarest ferrous metal. It is used for the production of grade alloys of steel and cast iron.

Ores of non-ferrous metals

Aluminum(deposits of bauxite in Cameroon). It has a wide application due to its lightness, high thermal and electrical conductivity, resistance to corrosion. The most common metal in earth's crust.

Copper(deposits in the copper belt of the Republic of the Congo and Zambia). The most valuable among non-ferrous metals. It is used in the power engineering industry, in mechanical engineering, as well as in the production of various alloys.

Lead(SOUTH AFRICA). It is part of such minerals as cerussite, galena, anglisite, etc. It is widely used in the automotive, electrical, electronic and military industries.

Nickel(SOUTH AFRICA). It is used for the production of nickel steel, as a coating for various metal alloys, in the manufacture of coins, etc. In the earth's crust, it is present only in the composition of various ores.

Cobalt(Republic of the Congo and Zambia). It is used for the manufacture of high strength alloys and in the production of powerful magnets.

Tin. Most tin is mined from the mineral cassiterite (tin stone). The metal is safe, corrosion resistant and non-toxic, so it is mainly used as a coating.

Antimony(Republic of the Congo). Contained mainly in the ore mineral antimonite. It is used for the manufacture of flame retardants - compounds that reduce the flammability of various materials.

precious metal ores

Gold(SOUTH AFRICA). A precious metal used in jewelry and other industries. It is found in the composition of ore, as well as in pure form in water sources.

Platinum and platinoids(SOUTH AFRICA). It is the rarest and most expensive among precious metals. It is valued for its refractoriness, high resistance to corrosion and oxidation, high strength and electrical conductivity.

Ores of rare and radioactive metals

There are deposits of mineral ores on the African continent, from which niobium (northern Nigeria), tantalum (Egypt), cesium (Zimbabwe and Namibia), radioactive uranium (Namibia and South Africa) are mined.

Diamonds

The most famous among precious stones. They are highly valued as jewelry, and are also widely used in industry due to their hardness.

Resources and deposits

Consider briefly the largest mineral deposits in Africa. The continent is considered a leading supplier of gold, platinum and diamonds. The first place in the world in the extraction of gold and platinum belongs to South Africa (in 2011, 198 tons of gold and 151 tons of platinum were mined in the country). Also, large deposits of these metals are located in Zimbabwe, Ghana, the Republic of the Congo and Mali. Zambia holds the lead in copper mining in the world, and Zambia, together with the Congo, leads in cobalt deposits.

Priceless reserves of minerals are concentrated in the bowels of South Africa: 91% of the world's manganese ores, 58% of chromite ores and 50% of vanadium deposits. Cameroon holds 3.8% of the world's aluminum reserves.

The richest diamond deposits are located in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Angola. It is noteworthy that 100% of the diamonds mined in Namibia are of gem value.

There are large oil fields in Algeria (15th place in the world), Libya, Nigeria and Egypt. The northern coast of the continent is rich in iron, manganese and lead-zinc ores.

A. - the second largest continent after Eurasia. The area is 29.2 million km2 (with islands 30.3 million km2, about 1/5 of the land area of ​​the globe). Population 328 million people (1967).

The main features of orography
The relief of Azerbaijan is dominated by plains, plateaus, and plateaus lying at an altitude of 200–500 m above sea level (39% of the area) and 500–1,000 m above sea level (28.1% of the area). Lowlands occupy only 9.8% of the area, mainly along the coastal margins. In terms of average height above sea level (750 m), Africa is second only to Antarctica and Eurasia.

Almost all of Africa to the north of the equator is occupied by the plains and plateaus of the Sahara and Sudan, among which the Ahaggar and Tibesti highlands rise in the center of the Sahara (Mt. m). On S.-W. The Atlas Mountains (Tubkal, 4,165 m) rise above the plains of the Sahara; the Etbay Range (Mount Oda, 2,259 m) extends eastward along the Red Sea. The plains of the Sudan are framed in the south by the North Guinean Upland (Bintimani, 1948 m) and the Azande plateau; from the east, the Ethiopian highlands rise above them (the city of Ras Dashan, 4620 m). It breaks off abruptly to the Afar depression, where the deepest depression of Afar is located (Lake Assal, 150 m). Behind the Azande Plateau lies the Congo Basin, bounded on the west by the South Guinea Upland, on the south by the Lunda-Katanga Plateau, and on the east by the East African Plateau, on which the highest peaks of Africa rise - Mt. Kilimanjaro (5895 m) , Rwenzori (5109 m).

South Africa is occupied by the high Kalahari plains, framed in the west by the plateaus of Namaqualand, Damaraland, and Kaoko, and in the east by the Dragon Mountains (Tabana-Ntlenyana, 3,482 m). Along the southern edge of the mainland stretch the medium-altitude Cape Mountains.

The predominance of a leveled relief on the mainland is due to its platform structure. In the northwestern part of Azerbaijan, with a deep basement and extensive development of the sedimentary cover, elevations of less than 1,000 m (Low Azerbaijan) predominate; in the southwest of A., where the ancient foundation is raised and exposed in many places, the heights of St. 1000 m (High A.). The troughs and protrusions of the African platform correspond to large depressions (Kalahari, Congo, Chad, etc.) and uplifts that separate and border them. The eastern margin of Africa is the most elevated and fractured within the activated section of the platform (the Ethiopian Highlands and the East African Plateau), where a complex system of East African faults extends.

In the elevated areas of Vysokaya A., the largest area is occupied by basement plains and basement blocky mountains, framing the depressions of the Vost. A. (including Rwenzori) and Katanga. In Low Africa, basement ranges and massifs stretch along the coast of the Gulf of Guinea and jut out into the Sahara (in the Lhaggar and Tibesti highlands, and the Etbay range). Lava plateaus and cones are widespread in the Ethiopian highlands and in the East. A. (Kilimanjaro, Kenya, etc.), crown the peaks of Ahaggar and Tibesti, are in Sudan (Marra), Cameroon (Cameroon Volcano, Adamawa Mountains), block the Dragon Mountains in Lesotho. Stratified denudation plains and plateaus occupy most of the area in Low Africa (Sahara, Sudan); in Vysokaya A. they are confined to the deposits of the Karru syneclise and make up the Drakensberg Mountains, the Veldov Plateau adjoining them from the west and lying south of the river. Orange Top Carr. Accumulative plains are found mainly in the Low Asia: in the middle reaches of the Niger, in the basins of the Chad and White Nile, in the depression of the Congo; in High Alps they occupy the Kalahari depression. The Cape Mountains and the hinterland of the Atlas belong to the fold-block mountains. The northern ranges of the Atlas are the only young Neogene-Paleogene folded mountains in Armenia.

The relief of Africa is dominated by surfaces of the Neogene cycle of denudation and accumulation, which are dissected by the modern Congo cycle. Above them rise the remnants of the predominating surfaces worked out by more ancient cycles (up to the Gondwanal one).

Geological map

Geological structure and minerals.
Almost all of A., except for the Atlas Mountains in the northwest. and the Cape Mountains in the extreme south, is an ancient platform that also includes the Arabian Peninsula and about. Madagascar with the Seychelles. The foundation of this African-Arabian platform, composed of Precambrian rocks, mostly folded and metamorphosed, protrudes in many regions of Africa, from the Anti-Atlas to the northwest. and Zap. Arabia in the north-east. to the Transvaal in the south. As part of the basement, rocks of all age divisions of the Precambrian are known - from the lower Archean (more than 3 billion years) to the upper Proterozoic. The consolidation of most of the A. ended by the middle of the Proterozoic (1.9-1.7 billion years ago); in the Late Proterozoic, only peripheral (Mauritanian-Senegalese, Arabian) and some internal (Ugarta-Atakor, Western Congolese, Namaqualand-Kibar) geosynclinal systems developed, and by the beginning of the Paleozoic, the entire area of ​​the modern platform was already stabilized (according to the latest data, deposits, shown on a geological map south of the Sahara as Cambrian, turned out to be Upper Proterozoic). In areas of early consolidation, late, and in some places even early or middle Proterozoic deposits (the Transvaal, Zimbabwe, and some other massifs) already belong to the platform cover. The rocks of the Early Precambrian basement are represented by various crystalline schists, gneisses, metamorphosed volcanic formations, replaced by granites over large areas. They are subordinated to deposits of iron ores of sedimentary-metamorphic origin, gold (associated with granites), and chromites (in ultrabasic rocks). Large accumulations of gold and uranium ores are known in the coarse clastic rocks at the base of the sedimentary cover in southern Africa. near them), copper, lead, zinc and uranium ores.

The Phanerozoic sedimentary cover developed over the Precambrian basement mainly in the western and central parts of North Africa (Sahara Plate), in the large depressions of Equatorial and South Africa (Congo, Okavango, Kalahari, Karoo), in the Mozambique trough of the east coast, and between the mainland and the . Madagascar, as well as in the strip of the Atlantic coast from Mauritania to Angola. Marine Early and Middle Paleozoic folded deposits are distributed mainly in the region of the Sahara Plate, where they contain large deposits of oil and gas (Algeria, Libya), as well as in the Atlas and Cape geosynclines. The formations of the Upper Paleozoic and Triassic are almost everywhere continental; in Equatorial and South Africa, they begin with glacial deposits (upper Carboniferous–lower Permian), witnessing the glaciation of a large part of the continent, and continue with Lower Permian coal-bearing deposits, with which the main coal resources of Africa are associated (South Africa, Southern Rhodesia, and others). In northern Africa, coal-bearing is the Middle Carboniferous, above which red-colored continents are common, and lagoonal sediments (in the Triassic with large strata of salts and gypsum).

The beginning of the Jurassic includes powerful volcanic eruptions and intrusions of basic (basalt) magma, which are most common in southern Africa but also occur in the west of northern Asia. During the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous, most of Africa experienced uplift; continental deposits accumulated in internal depressions; at the end of the Jurassic - the beginning of the Cretaceous, alkaline granites and carbonatites with deposits of rare elements (niobium, tantalum, etc.) were introduced, as well as the formation of kimberlite pipes, with which diamond deposits are associated - primary and redeposited in younger sediments and placers (South Africa, Angola , Democratic Republic of the Congo, the countries of the northern coast of the Gulf of Guinea). By the same time (the end of the Jurassic - the beginning of the Cretaceous), the design of the modern contours of A., associated with the subsidence along the ruptures of the bottom of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans and the formation of a system of perioceanic troughs containing significant deposits of oil and gas (Nigeria, Gabon, Angola, etc.). Madagascar separated from the continent at the end of the Paleozoic. At the same time, intensive subsidence of the modern coast of Tunisia and Libya occurs with the formation of oil deposits in the Cretaceous and Eocene deposits. In the middle and end of the Cretaceous, a significant transgression engulfed the Sahara Plate: sea straits arose that connected the Mediterranean Sea with the Gulf of Guinea and existed until the middle of the Eocene.

From the end of the Eocene to the beginning of the Oligocene, Africa (mainly the eastern and southern regions) experienced intense uplift, accompanied by the formation of mountainous terrain, the emergence of the East African fault zone and graben-rifts of the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, Ethiopia, lakes Rudolf, Albert, Rukva, Tanganyika, Nyasa, etc. An outbreak of volcanic activity, which continues in certain areas and in modern era(Kenya, Kilimanjaro, volcanoes of the Virungi region). Uplifts and volcanic activity also manifested themselves in the Ahaggar and Tibesti highlands in the Sahara, Cameroon (Cameroon Volcano) and in some areas of the Atlantic coast (Green Cape).

At the end of the Miocene, a folded structure of the Atlas Mountains arose; in the Pliocene, its central part descended along faults into the Alboran Basin of the Mediterranean Sea.

Azerbaijan has large reserves of iron ores (total reserves are estimated at approximately 16–23 billion tons), manganese ores (about 400 million tons), chromites (500–700 million tons), bauxites (3.3 billion tons), copper (certain and probable reserves are about 48 million tons), cobalt (0.5 million tons), phosphorites (26 billion tons), tin, antimony, lithium, uranium, asbestos, gold (A. provides about 80% of the total production of capitalist and developing countries), platinum and platinoids (about 60% of production), diamonds (98% of production). After World War II, large reserves of oil (the total reserves are estimated at 5.6 billion tons) and natural gas were discovered on the territory of Africa (mainly in Algeria, Libya, and Nigeria).

Tectonic map