Geology of Azerbaijan - the geological structure of the territory of Azerbaijan .
Content
Geological structure
Azerbaijan is located in the Alpine folded belt . Sedimentary deposits covering the southwestern parts of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus , including the mouth of the Kura River and the Caspian basin, consist of a variety of flexor systems. The thickness of the earth's crust in Azerbaijan varies in the range from 38 to 55 km. Its maximum thickness is observed in the Lesser Caucasus , while its minimum thickness is typical of the Talysh foothills. The geological situation of the region consists of sedimentary, volcanic-sedimentary, volcanic and terrestrial deposits, covering almost the entire stratigraphic range, starting with the cryptozoic and ending with the Holocene .
Minerals
Azerbaijan is rich in fuel and nonmetallic minerals. Non-metallic minerals are mainly distributed in the mountainous territories of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus , fossil fuels in the lowlands and in the South Caspian basin. It was this that caused the development of the ore industry in the west of the country and the oil and gas industry in the east (see. Baku oil and gas region ).
Combustible fossils
Fossil fuel resources in Azerbaijan are represented by oil, gas, oil shale, peat, etc., the oil industry is the most important sector of the Azerbaijani economy . Oil in Azerbaijan is produced on land and in the Caspian Sea . Azerbaijan (in particular Absheron ) is mentioned as the oldest oil-producing region in the world. Already in the VII - VI centuries BC. e. oil was extracted on the Absheron Peninsula and sold to other countries. In 1985, up to 1.2 billion tons of crude oil was produced in Azerbaijan.
Other natural resources
Hematite and ores are found in Azerbaijan in four forms: in the form of magma , skarne , as well as in the form of thermal metasomatic and sedimentary deposits.
Groundwater is one of the most important natural resources of Azerbaijan . Due to differences in chemical composition, they are of different types, such as industrial water, drinking water, medical water, and water used in various industrial sectors.
Mud Volcanoes
By the number of mud volcanoes, Azerbaijan ranks first in the world. There are about 350 of the 800 mud volcanoes in the Republic of Azerbaijan. Along with the geographical term - “mud volcanoes”, they are also popularly called as yanardag (burning mountain), pilpil (terrace), gainacha (boiling water), bozdag (gray mountain).
Mud volcanoes by origin are associated with oil and gas fields. In the areas of mud volcanoes, rich deposits of gas condensate and oil were discovered ( Lokbatan , Garadagh , Neftnye Kamen , Mishovdag , etc.). In addition, the lava, mud and liquid that mud volcanoes erupt are used as raw materials for the chemical and construction industries, as well as for pharmacology. NASA geologists who have studied the nature of Mars have concluded that the mud volcanoes of Azerbaijan are similar in structure to the elevations of the red planet.
At the international competition of the Swiss non-profit organization "Seven Wonders of Nature" mud volcanoes of Azerbaijan took 5th place. Although this is little known
Seismicity
The first seismological station in Azerbaijan was founded in 1902 by Alfred Nobel in Baku . Later, seismological stations were founded in Lenkoran , Ganja , Nakhichevan , Shemakha and Mingechevir .
Messages about earthquakes in Azerbaijan have been preserved since ancient times. The first news of the earthquake that has come down to us dates back to 427 . In 1139, the city of Ganja suffered a devastating earthquake of magnitude 9, as a result of which it was partially destroyed. It is noteworthy that as a result of this particular earthquake, Lake Goygol appeared. In the 19th century, a number of devastating earthquakes with a magnitude of 7 to 9 occurred in the city of Shemakha .
See also
- Geography of Azerbaijan
- Relief of Azerbaijan
- Seismicity of Azerbaijan
- Volcanoes of Azerbaijan
- Hydrography of Azerbaijan
- Natural resources of Azerbaijan
Literature
- Mountain Encyclopedic Dictionary , vol. 3. / Ed. V.S. Beletsky. - Donetsk: Eastern Publishing House, 2004. - 752 p. ISBN 966-7804-78-X .