Research shows that Africa has the richest content in terms of minerals and gems.
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This post is going to list a few of those resources, so anyone reading will have a clue of the riches deposited in the African soil.
Most of the mineral resources are as a result of unique eruptions that occurred billions of years ago.
Let’s begin with South Africa, where we have the Bushveld complex.
The Bushveld complex is deposited with a large mass of igneous rocks (one of the largest on earth), it contains other deposits of a vital metal like platinum, vanadium and chromium; these metals are indispensable and are major tools used in the production of tech and industrial devices. It is said that the Bushveld complex is over 2billion years old.
History has it that there was an intrusion of magmatic rocks that was composed of augite, olivine, and hypersthene. It occurred over 2.5 billion years ago in Zimbabwe. A name was given as the Great Dyke. Found also were deposits of asbestos, nickel and chromium. The largest percentage of chromium reserves in the world is in Africa. Uses of chromium varies from the production of harden alloys, used in producing stainless steels.
Uranium and Gold are found side by side in South Africa. Uranium can also be found in Niger, Zaire, Gabon and Namibia. Gold is the major mineral that can be found in south Africa as it has the largest deposits of gold in the world.
Mineral deposits of gold can also be found in Ghana, Zimbabwe and Zaire. Another different deposit of gold called alluvial gold caused by soil erosion and rock strata near rivers can be found in cote d’ivoire, Gabon and Burundi.
Another eruption is said to have occurred during the Cretaceous in Southern and central Africa. This unique eruption formed kimberlite pipes. These kimberlite pipes are the source of the industrial diamonds and gems found in Africa. Africa possesses about 40% of diamonds in the world. Diamonds can be found in South Africa, Namibia, Zaire, Botswana and Angola.
Cobalt can be found in Zaire and Zimbabwe. About a quarter of the world’s reserve of aluminium ore is found in the costal belt of West Africa including Guinea and Togo. Guinea has the largest reserves
Coal deposits can be found in southern Africa, also in northern Africa, even in Zaire and Nigeria. Petroleum reserves are found in North Africa also, particularly in Algeria, Egypt and Libya. Nigeria is the largest and biggest producer of petroleum as well as Cameroon, Gabon and Congo who are also oil reserves.
West Africa has most of the iron reserves in Africa. Liberia, Nigeria, Gabon and Mauritania have these deposits of iron.
Africa is so blessed with all these resources and more.
Am a proud African!
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