Australia is the driest continent on earth. It is all in the southern hemisphere. This determines natural conditions and resources of Australia.
Natural conditions and resources of Australia: climate
For the reasons mentioned above, the seasons in Australia are the opposite of those in the northern hemisphere, being hot from November to January and cool from June to August.
The climate in Australia has sharp differences in its different parts. Its northern part, humid and hot, is replaced by semi-desert regions, and the coasts (southeast and south) belong to the subtropical zone, so the climate here is warm and pleasant.
Natural conditions and resources of Australia: relief
The terrain in Australia is mostly flat. From the Cape York Peninsula, in the east of the country, the Great Dividing Range stretches to the Bass Strait, and it continues on the island of Tasmania. The highest point in Australia is Mount Kosciuszko (2228 m).
In the west of the country you will find four deserts: the Great Victoria Desert, the Simpso Desert, the Gibson Desert, and the Great Sandy Desert.
Australia attracts tourists from all over the world with its exoticism, unique flora and fauna, comfortable climate, endless beaches, cloudless skies and bright sun.
Natural conditions and resources: rivers
There are few large rivers on the Australian mainland, except for the island of Tasmania. Australia's main river is the Murray, with tributaries the Goulburn, the Murrumbidgee and the Darling.
At the beginning of summer, these rivers are the most full-flowing, because. snow is melting in the mountains. They become very shallow during the hot season. Even the Darling, which is the longest in Australia, gets lost during a drought in the sands. Dams were built on almost all of the Murray's tributaries, and reservoirs used for irrigation were created near them.
Natural conditions and resources: lakes
The lakes of Australia are predominantly waterless basins. Rarely, when filled with water, they become silty, salty and shallow reservoirs.
The largest lakes in Australia include Lake Eyre, Gairdner, Garnpang, Amadius, Torrens, Mackay, Gordon. But here you can meet unique, simply amazing lakes.
For example, Lake Hillier, which is bright pink, is located on Middle Island. Even if you fill something with water from the lake, its color will not change. There are no algae in the lake, and scientists have not given an explanation for what exactly gives the lake such a pink color.
Or there is the luminous Jeepsland Lake. It is a complex of swamps and lakes located in the state of Victoria. Here, in 2008, a high concentration of microorganisms Noctiluca scintillans or Nightweed was observed.
Photographer Phil Hart and local residents observed such a rare phenomenon. The “night light” glows when it reacts to stimuli, so the photographer threw stones into the water and teased them in every way to capture the glow, and at the same time also an unusual picture of the sky. However, the pictures turned out just wonderful.
Natural conditions and resources: forests
In Australia, forests occupy only 2% of the entire mainland area. But tropical rainforests, located along the shores of the Coral Sea, are unusual for Europeans and very picturesque.
Subantarctic and subtropical forests with huge ferns and eucalyptus trees are located in the east and south of the continent. In the west, "hard-leaved" evergreen savannah forests grow. Here you can find eucalyptus trees whose leaves are turned in such a way that they do not give shade.
About 500 species of different eucalyptus trees can be found in Australia, for example, blue eucalyptus trees in the Blue Mountains in the Thunder Valley.
The largest subtropical forests in the world in terms of area are the Rainforests, which have survived almost unchanged since the time of Gondwana. Here you can see plants that have been growing since the time of the dinosaurs.
A large volcano was once located here, which supplied these lands with good soil. At the moment, the volcano has been destroyed by erosion, but magnificent high waterfalls have appeared. So in the Gondwana forests you will definitely find something to admire.
The rainforests between New Wales and Queensland are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Now this area includes 50 reserves.
Mineral resources
This is the main thing natural wealth Australia. Australia ranks first in the world in zirconium and bauxite reserves and second in uranium reserves.
Australia is one of the largest coal producers in the world. There are deposits of platinum in Tasmania. Gold deposits are located mainly in the southwest of Australia, near the cities of Northman, Coolgardie, Wiluna, Queensland. And there are small deposits of this valuable metal in almost all states of the continent. The state of New South Wales has diamonds, antimony, bismuth and nickel.
The state of South Australia is distinguished by the fact that opals are mined here, and even an entire underground city of Coober Pedy or Coober Pedy has been built. The mining town is located at the bottom of a dried-up ancient sea. Its inhabitants mine opals and live underground to escape the unbearable heat. They say here: "If you need a new house, dig it yourself!" The underground city has shops and even an underground temple.
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The area of Australia occupies 7.7 million km2, and it is located on the mainland of the same name, the Tasmanian and many small islands. For a long period of time, the state developed exclusively in an agrarian direction, until alluvial gold (gold deposits brought by rivers and streams) was discovered there in the middle of the 19th century, which caused several gold rushes and laid the foundation for modern demographic models of Australia.
In the post-war period, geology rendered an invaluable service to the country by the continuous launch of mineral deposits, including gold, bauxite, iron and manganese, as well as opals, sapphires and other precious stones, which became an impetus for the development of the state's industry.
Coal
Australia has an estimated 24 billion tonnes of coal reserves, over a quarter of which (7 billion tonnes) is anthracite or black coal, located in the Sydney Basin of New South Wales and Queensland. Brown coal is suitable for power generation in Victoria. Coal reserves fully meet the needs of the Australian domestic market, and allow the export of surplus mined raw materials.
Natural gas
Natural gas deposits are widespread throughout the country and currently provide most of Australia's domestic needs. There are commercial gas fields in every state and pipelines connecting these fields to major cities. Within three years, Australian natural gas production increased almost 14 times from 258 million m3 in 1969, the first year of production, to 3.3 billion m3 in 1972. Overall, Australia has trillions of tons of estimated natural gas reserves spread across the continent.
Oil
Most of Australia's oil production is aimed at meeting its own needs. Oil was first discovered in south Queensland near Muni. Australian oil production is currently around 25 million barrels per year and is based on fields in northwestern Australia near Barrow Island, Mereene and subsoil in the Bass Strait. The deposits of Balrow, Mereeni and Bas Strait in parallel are the objects of natural gas production.
uranium ore
Australia has rich deposits of uranium ore, which are enriched for use as fuel for nuclear power. West Queensland, near Mount Isa and Cloncurry, contains three billion tons of uranium ore reserves. There are also deposits in Arnhem Land, in far northern Australia, as well as in Queensland and Victoria.
Iron ore
Most significant iron ore reserves in Australia are located in the western part of the Hammersley region and its environs. The state has billions of tons of iron ore reserves, exporting magnetite-iron from mines to Tasmania and Japan, while extracting ore from older sources on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia and the Kulanyabing region in southern Western Australia.
The Western Australian Shield is rich in nickel deposits, which were first discovered at Kambalda near Kalgoorlie in southwestern Australia in 1964. Other nickel deposits have been found in older gold mining areas in Western Australia. Nearby, small deposits of platinum and palladium were discovered.
Zinc
The state is also extremely rich in zinc, the main sources of which are the mountains of Isa, Mat and Morgan in Queensland. Large reserves of bauxite (aluminum ore), lead and zinc are concentrated in the northern part.
Gold
Australia's gold production, which had been substantial at the beginning of the century, declined from a peak production of four million ounces in 1904 to several hundred thousand. Most of the gold is mined from the Kalgoorlie Norseman region in Western Australia.
The continent is also known for its gemstones, especially the white and black opals from South Australia and western New South Wales. In Queensland and in the New England region of northeastern New South Wales, sapphire and topaz deposits have been developed.
Australia is rich in a variety of minerals. New discoveries of mineral ores made on the continent over the past 10-15 years have advanced the country to one of the first places in the world in terms of reserves and extraction of such minerals as iron ore, bauxite, lead-zinc ores.
The largest deposits of iron ore in Australia, which began to be developed since the 60s of our century, are located in the region of the Hamersley Range in the north-west of the country (the Mount Newman, Mount Goldsworth, etc. deposits). Iron ore is also found on the Kulan and Kokatu Islands in King's Bay (in the northwest), in the state of South Australia in the Middleback Range (Iron-Knob, etc.) and in Tasmania - the Savage River deposit (in the Savage river valley).
Large deposits of polymetals (lead, zinc mixed with silver and copper) are located in the western desert part of the state of New South Wales - the Broken Hill deposit. An important center for the extraction of non-ferrous metals (copper, lead, zinc) has developed near the Mount Isa deposit (in the state of Queensland). There are also deposits of polymetals and copper in Tasmania (Reed Rosebury and Mount Lyell), copper in Tennant Creek (Northern Territory) and elsewhere.
The main gold reserves are concentrated in the ledges of the Precambrian basement and in the southwest of the mainland (Western Australia), in the area of the cities of Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie, Northman and Wiluna, as well as in Queensland. Smaller deposits are found in almost all states.
Bauxites occur on the Cape York Peninsula (Waype Field) and Arnhem Land (Gow Field), as well as in the southwest, in the Darling Range (Jarradale Field).
Uranium deposits have been found in various parts of the mainland: in the north (Arnhemland Peninsula) - near the South and East Alligator rivers, in the state of South Australia - near Lake. Frome, in the state of Queensland - the Mary-Katlin field and in the western part of the country - the Yillirri field.
The main deposits of coal are located in the eastern part of the mainland. The largest deposits of both coking and non-coking coal are developed near the cities of Newcastle and Lythgow (New South Wales) and the cities of Collinsville, Blair Atol, Bluff, Baralaba and Moura Kiang in Queensland.
Geological surveys have established that large deposits of oil and natural gas are located in the bowels of the Australian mainland and on the shelf off its coast. Oil is found and produced in the state of Queensland (the Mooney, Olton and Bennet fields), on Barrow Island off the northwestern coast of the mainland, as well as on continental shelf off the south coast of Victoria (Kingfish field). Deposits of gas (the largest Ranken field) and oil have also been discovered on the shelf off the northwestern shores of the mainland.
Australia has large deposits of chromium (Queensland), Gingin, Dongara, Mandarra (Western Australia), Marlin (Victoria).
From non-metallic minerals, there are clays, sands, limestones, asbestos, and mica of various quality and industrial use.
The water resources of the continent itself are small, but the most developed river network is on the island of Tasmania. The rivers there have a mixed rain and snow supply and are full-flowing throughout the year. They flow down from the mountains and therefore are stormy, rapids and have large reserves of hydropower. The latter is widely used for the construction of hydroelectric power plants. The availability of cheap electricity contributes to the development of energy-intensive industries in Tasmania, such as the smelting of pure electrolyte metals, the manufacture of cellulose, etc.
The rivers flowing from the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range are short, in their upper reaches they flow in narrow gorges. Here they may well be used, and partly already used for the construction of hydroelectric power stations. When entering the coastal plain, the rivers slow down their flow, their depth increases. Many of them in the estuarine parts are even accessible to large ocean-going vessels. The Clarence River is navigable for 100 km from its mouth, and Hawkesbury for 300 km. The volume of runoff and the regime of these rivers are different and depend on the amount of precipitation and the time of their occurrence.
On the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range, rivers originate, making their way along the interior plains. In the region of Mount Kosciuszko, the most abundant river in Australia, the Murray, begins. Its largest tributaries, the Darling, Murrumbidgee, Goulbury and some others, also originate in the mountains.
Food r. The Murray and its channels are mostly rainy and to a lesser extent snowy. These rivers are at their fullest in early summer, when the snow melts in the mountains. In the dry season, they become very shallow, and some of the Murray's tributaries break up into separate stagnant reservoirs. Only Murray and Murrumbidgee retain a constant current (except for exceptionally dry years). Even the Darling, the longest river in Australia (2450 km), during summer droughts, getting lost in the sands, does not always reach the Murray.
Dams and dams have been built on almost all the rivers of the Murray system, near which reservoirs have been created, where flood waters are collected and used to irrigate fields, gardens and pastures.
The rivers of the northern and western coasts of Australia are shallow and relatively small. The longest of them - Flinders flows into the Gulf of Carpentaria. These rivers are fed by rain, and their water content varies greatly at different times of the year.
Rivers whose flow is directed to the interior of the mainland, such as Coopers Creek (Barkoo), Diamant-ina, and others, are deprived not only of a constant flow, but also of a permanent, distinctly expressed channel. In Australia, such temporary rivers are called screams. They fill with water only during short showers. Soon after the rain, the riverbed again turns into a dry sandy hollow, often not even having a definite shape.
Most lakes in Australia, like rivers, are fed by rainwater. They have neither a constant level nor a runoff. In summer, the lakes dry up and are shallow saline depressions. The layer of salt at the bottom sometimes reaches 1.5 m.
In the seas surrounding Australia, sea animals are mined and fish are caught. Edible oysters are bred in sea waters. Sea trepang, crocodiles and pearl clams are fished in warm coastal waters in the north and northeast. The main center of artificial breeding of the latter is located in the region of the Koberg peninsula (Arnhemland). It was here, in the warm waters of the Arafura Sea and Van Diemen Bay, that the first experiments were carried out to create special sediments. These experiments were carried out by one of the Australian companies with the participation of Japanese specialists. It has been found that pearl clams grown in warm waters off the northern coast of Australia produce larger pearls than those off the coast of Japan, and in a much shorter period of time. At present, the cultivation of pearl mollusks has spread widely along the northern and partly northeastern coasts.
Since the Australian mainland long time, since the middle of the Cretaceous period, was in conditions of isolation from other parts the globe, its flora is very peculiar. Of the 12 thousand species of higher plants, more than 9 thousand are endemic, i.e. grow only on the Australian continent. Among the endemics are many species of eucalyptus and acacia, the most typical plant families in Australia. At the same time, there are also plants that are inherent in South America(for example, southern beech), South Africa (representatives of the Proteaceae family) and the islands of the Malay Archipelago (ficus, pandanus, etc.). This indicates that many millions of years ago there were land connections between the continents.
Since the climate of most of Australia is characterized by severe aridity, dry-loving plants dominate in its flora: special cereals, eucalyptus trees, umbrella acacias, succulent trees (bottle tree, etc.). The trees belonging to these communities have a powerful root system, which goes 10-20, and sometimes 30 m into the ground, due to which they, like a pump, suck out moisture from great depths. The narrow and dry leaves of these trees are painted mostly in a dull gray-greenish color. In some of them, the leaves are turned to the sun with an edge, which helps to reduce the evaporation of water from their surface.
In the far north and northwest of the country, where it is hot and warm northwest monsoons bring moisture, tropical rainforests grow. Giant eucalyptus trees, ficuses, palm trees, pandanuses with narrow long leaves, etc. predominate in their woody composition. The dense foliage of the trees forms an almost continuous cover, shading the ground. In some places along the coast there are thickets of bamboo. Where the shores are flat and muddy, mangrove vegetation develops.
Rainforests in the form of narrow galleries stretch for relatively short distances inland along the river valleys.
The farther to the south, the drier the climate becomes and the hotter breath of the deserts is felt more strongly. The forest cover is gradually thinning. Eucalyptus and umbrella acacias are arranged in groups. This is a zone of humid savannas, stretching in a latitudinal direction south of the tropical forest zone. In appearance, savannahs with rare groups of trees resemble parks. There is no undergrowth in them. Sunlight freely penetrates through a sieve of small tree leaves and falls on the ground covered with tall dense grass. Forested savannahs are excellent pastures for sheep and cattle.
The central deserts of parts of the mainland, where it is very hot and dry, are characterized by dense, almost impenetrable thickets of thorny low-growing shrubs, consisting mainly of eucalyptus and acacia. In Australia, these thickets are called scrub. In some places, the scrub is interspersed with vast, devoid of vegetation, sandy, rocky or clayey areas of deserts, and in some places - thickets of tall soddy cereals (spinifex).
The eastern and southeastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range, where there is a lot of rainfall, are covered with dense tropical and subtropical evergreen forests. Most of all in these forests, as elsewhere in Australia, eucalyptus trees. Eucalyptus trees are industrially valuable. These trees have no equal in height among hardwood species; some of their species reach 150 m in height and 10 m in diameter. The growth of wood in eucalyptus forests is large, and therefore they are very productive. There are also many tree-like horsetails and ferns in the forests, reaching 10-20 m in height. At their top, tree-like ferns carry a crown of large (up to 2 m long) pinnate leaves. With their bright and fresh greenery, they somewhat enliven the faded bluish-green landscape of eucalyptus forests. Higher in the mountains, an admixture of damarr pines and beeches is noticeable.
Shrub and grass covers in these forests are varied and dense. In less humid variants of these forests, grass trees form the second layer.
On the island of Tasmania, in addition to eucalyptus trees, there are many evergreen beeches related to South American species.
In the southwest of the mainland, forests cover the western slopes of the Darling Range, facing the sea. These forests consist almost entirely of eucalyptus trees, reaching considerable heights. The number of endemic species is especially high here. In addition to eucalyptus, bottle trees are widespread. They have an original bottle-shaped trunk, thick at the base and tapering sharply upwards. In the rainy season, large reserves of moisture accumulate in the tree trunk, which are consumed during the dry season. In the undergrowth of these forests there are many shrubs and herbs, full of bright colors.
In general, Australia's forest resources are small. The total area of forests, including special plantations, consisting mainly of species with soft wood (mainly radiata pine), at the end of the 70s was only 5.6% of the country's territory.
The first colonists did not find plant species characteristic of Europe on the mainland. Subsequently, European and other species of trees, shrubs and herbs were brought to Australia. Grapevine, cotton, cereals (wheat, barley, oats, rice, corn, etc.), vegetables, many fruit trees, etc. are well established here.
In Australia, all soil types characteristic of tropical, subequatorial and subtropical natural zones are presented in a regular sequence.
In the area of tropical rainforests in the north, red soils are common, changing towards the south with red-brown and brown soils in wet savannahs and gray-brown soils in dry savannahs. Red-brown and brown soils containing humus, a little phosphorus and potassium, are valuable for agricultural use.
Within the zone of red-brown soils, the main wheat crops of Australia are located.
In the marginal regions of the Central Plains (for example, in the Murray basin), where artificial irrigation is developed and a lot of fertilizers are used, grapes, fruit trees, and fodder grasses are grown on gray earth soils.
Gray-brown steppe soils are widespread in the inner desert territories of semi-desert and especially steppe regions surrounding the ring, where there is grass, and in some places shrub-tree cover. Their power is insignificant. They contain little humus and phosphorus, therefore, when using them even as pastures for sheep and cattle, the application of phosphorus fertilizers is required.
The Australian continent is located within three major warm climate zones. southern hemisphere: subequatorial (in the north), tropical (in the central part), subtropical (in the south). Only a small part of Tasmania lies within the temperate zone.
The subequatorial climate, characteristic of the northern and northeastern parts of the continent, is characterized by an even temperature course (during the year, the average air temperature is 23 - 24 degrees) and a large amount of precipitation (from 1000 to 1500 mm., and in some places more than 2000 mm.). Precipitation is brought here by the humid northwest monsoon, and it falls mainly in the summer. In winter, during the dry season, rain falls only occasionally. At this time, dry, hot winds blow from the interior of the mainland, which sometimes cause droughts.
In the tropical zone on the Australian continent, two main types of climate are formed: tropical wet and tropical dry.
The tropical humid climate is characteristic of the extreme eastern part of Australia, which is included in the zone of action of the southeast trade winds. These winds bring moisture-saturated air masses from the Pacific Ocean to the mainland. Therefore, the entire region of the coastal plains and the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range is well moistened (on average, precipitation is from 1000 to 1500 mm) and has a mild warm climate (the temperature of the warmest month in Sydney is 22 - 25 degrees, and the coldest - 11, 5 - 13 degrees).
Air masses that bring moisture from the Pacific Ocean also penetrate beyond the Great Dividing Range, losing a significant amount of moisture along the way, so precipitation falls only on the western slopes of the ridge and in the foothills.
Located mainly in tropical and subtropical latitudes, where solar radiation is high, the Australian mainland is getting very hot. Due to the weak indentation of the coastline and the uplift of the marginal parts, the influence of the seas surrounding the mainland is weakly felt in the inner parts.
Australia is the driest continent on Earth, and one of the most characteristic features of its nature is the wide distribution of deserts that occupy vast spaces and stretch for almost 2.5 thousand km from the shores of the Indian Ocean to the foothills of the Great Dividing Range.
The central and western parts of the mainland are characterized by a tropical desert climate. In summer (December-February), the average temperatures here rise to 30 degrees, and sometimes even higher, and in winter (June-August) they drop to an average of 10-15 degrees. The hottest region of Australia is the northwestern one, where in the Great Sandy Desert the temperature stays at around 35 degrees and even higher almost all summer. In winter, it decreases slightly (up to about 25-20 degrees). In the center of the mainland, near the city of Alice Springs, in the summer, the temperature during the day rises to 45 degrees, at night it drops to zero and below (-4-6 degrees).
Central and western parts of Australia, i.e. about half of its territory receives an average of 250-300 mm of precipitation per year, and the vicinity of the lake. Air - less than 200 mm; but even these insignificant precipitations fall unevenly. Sometimes for several years in a row there is no rain at all, and sometimes in two or three days, or even in a few hours, the entire annual amount of precipitation falls. Part of the water seeps quickly and deeply through the permeable soil and becomes inaccessible to plants, and part evaporates under the hot rays of the sun, and the surface layers of the soil remain almost dry.
Within the subtropical belt, three types of climate are distinguished: Mediterranean, subtropical continental and subtropical humid.
The Mediterranean climate is characteristic of the southwestern part of Australia. As the name suggests, the climate of this part of the country is similar to the climate of the European Mediterranean countries - Spain and Southern France. Summers are hot and generally dry, while winters are warm and humid. Relatively small fluctuations in temperature by season (January - 23-27 degrees, June - 12 - 14 degrees), a sufficient amount of precipitation (from 600 to 1000 mm).
The subtropical continental climate zone covers the southern part of the mainland adjacent to the Great Australian Gulf, includes the vicinity of the city of Adelaide and extends somewhat further east, to the western regions of the state of New South Wales. The main features of this climate are low rainfall and relatively large annual temperature fluctuations.
The subtropical humid climate zone includes the entire state of Victoria and the southwestern foothills of the state of New South Wales. In general, this entire zone is characterized by a mild climate and a significant amount of precipitation (from 500 to 600 mm), mainly in the coastal parts (the penetration of precipitation into the interior of the continent decreases). In summer, temperatures rise to an average of 20-24 degrees, but in winter they drop quite a lot - up to 8-10 degrees. The climate of this part of the country is favorable for the cultivation of fruit trees, various vegetables and forage grasses. True, artificial irrigation is used to obtain high yields, since in the summer the moisture in the soil is not enough. Dairy cattle (grazing on fodder grasses) and sheep are bred in these areas.
The temperate climate zone includes only the central and southern parts of the island of Tasmania. This island is largely influenced by the surrounding waters and has a climate of moderately warm winters and cool summers. The average January temperature here is 14-17 degrees, June - 8 degrees. The prevailing wind direction is west. The average annual rainfall in the western part of the island is 2500 mm, and the number of rainy days is 259. In the eastern part, the climate is somewhat less humid.
In winter, snow sometimes falls, but it does not last long. Abundant rainfall favors the development of vegetation, and especially herbs, which vegetate all year round. Herds of cattle and sheep graze all year round on evergreen succulent natural and improved by oversowing fodder grasses meadows.
The hot climate and insignificant and uneven precipitation over most of the mainland lead to the fact that almost 60% of its territory is deprived of runoff to the ocean and has only a rare network of temporary watercourses. Perhaps no other continent has such a poorly developed network inland waters like in Australia. The annual flow of all the rivers of the continent is only 350 cubic km.
The main natural wealth of the country is mineral resources. Australia's endowment with natural resource potential is 20 times higher than the world average. The country ranks 1st in the world in bauxite reserves (1/3 of the world reserves and 40% of production), zirconium, 1st in the world in uranium reserves (1/3 of the world) and 3rd (after Kazakhstan and Canada ) for its extraction (8022 tons in 2009). The country ranks 6th in the world in terms of coal reserves. It has significant reserves of manganese, gold, diamonds. In the south of the country (the Brownlow field), as well as off the northeastern and northwestern coasts in the shelf zone, there are insignificant deposits of oil and natural gas.
The largest deposits of iron ore in Australia, which began to be developed in the 60s of the XX century, are located in the region of the Hamersley Range in the north-west of the country (the Mount Newman, Mount Goldsworth, etc. deposits). Iron ore is also found on the islands of Kulan and Kokatu in King's Bay (in the northwest), in the state of South Australia in the Middleback Range (Iron-Knob, etc.) and in Tasmania - the Savage River deposit (in the valley of the Savage River).
Large deposits of polymetals (lead, zinc mixed with silver and copper) are located in the western desert part of the state of New South Wales - the Broken Hill deposit. An important center for the extraction of non-ferrous metals has developed near the Mount Isa deposit (in the state of Queensland). There are also deposits of non-ferrous metals in Tasmania (Reed-Rosebery and Mount Lyell), copper - in Tennant Creek (Northern Territory) and in other places.
The main gold reserves are concentrated in the ledges of the Precambrian basement and in the southwest of the mainland (Western Australia), in the area of the cities of Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie, Northman and Wiluna, as well as in Queensland. Smaller deposits are found in almost all states.
Bauxites occur on the Cape York Peninsula (Waype Field) and Arnhem Land (Gow Field), as well as in the southwest, in the Darling Range (Jarradale Field).
Uranium deposits have been found in various parts of the mainland: in the north (Arnhemland Peninsula) - near the South and East Alligator rivers, in the state of South Australia - near Lake Frome, in the state of Queensland - the Mary Catlin deposit and in the western part of the country - the Yillirri deposit.
The main deposits of coal are located in the eastern part of the mainland. The largest deposits of both coking and non-coking coal are developed near the cities of Newcastle and Lythgow (New South Wales) and the cities of Collinsville, Blair Atol, Bluff, Baralaba and Moura Kiang in Queensland.
Geological surveys have established that large deposits of oil and natural gas are located in the bowels of the Australian mainland and on the shelf off its coast. Oil has been found and produced in Queensland (the Mooney, Olton and Bennet fields), on Barrow Island off the northwestern coast of the mainland, and also on the continental shelf off the south coast of Victoria (the Kingfish field). Deposits of gas (the largest Ranken field) and oil have also been discovered on the shelf off the northwestern coast of the mainland.
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Natural conditions and resources
Australia is rich in a variety of minerals. New discoveries of mineral ores made on the continent over the past 10-15 years have advanced the country to one of the first places in the world in terms of reserves and extraction of such minerals as iron ore, bauxite, lead-zinc ores.
The largest deposits of iron ore in Australia, which began to be developed since the 60s of our century, are located in the region of the Hamersley Range in the north-west of the country (the Mount Newman, Mount Goldsworth, etc. deposits). Iron ore is also found on the Kulan and Kokatu Islands in King's Bay (in the northwest), in the state of South Australia in the Middleback Range (Iron-Knob, etc.) and in Tasmania - the Savage River deposit (in the Savage river valley).
Large deposits of polymetals (lead, zinc mixed with silver and copper) are located in the western desert part of the state of New South Wales - the Broken Hill deposit. An important center for the extraction of non-ferrous metals (copper, lead, zinc) has developed near the Mount Isa deposit (in the state of Queensland). There are also deposits of polymetals and copper in Tasmania (Reed Rosebury and Mount Lyell), copper in Tennant Creek (Northern Territory) and elsewhere.
The main gold reserves are concentrated in the ledges of the Precambrian basement and in the southwest of the mainland (Western Australia), in the area of the cities of Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie, Northman and Wiluna, as well as in Queensland. Smaller deposits are found in almost all states.
Bauxites occur on the Cape York Peninsula (Waype Field) and Arnhem Land (Gow Field), as well as in the southwest, in the Darling Range (Jarradale Field).
Uranium deposits have been found in various parts of the mainland: in the north (Arnhemland Peninsula) - near the South and East Alligator rivers, in the state of South Australia - near Lake. Frome, in the state of Queensland - the Mary-Katlin field and in the western part of the country - the Yillirri field.
The main deposits of coal are located in the eastern part of the mainland. The largest deposits of both coking and non-coking coal are developed near the cities of Newcastle and Lythgow (New South Wales) and the cities of Collinsville, Blair Atol, Bluff, Baralaba and Moura Kiang in Queensland.
Geological surveys have established that large deposits of oil and natural gas are located in the bowels of the Australian mainland and on the shelf off its coast. Oil has been found and produced in Queensland (the Mooney, Olton and Bennet fields), on Barrow Island off the northwestern coast of the mainland, and also on the continental shelf off the south coast of Victoria (the Kingfish field). Deposits of gas (the largest Ranken field) and oil have also been discovered on the shelf off the northwestern coast of the mainland.
Australia has large deposits of chromium (Queensland), Gingin, Dongara, Mandarra (Western Australia), Marlin (Victoria).
From non-metallic minerals, there are clays, sands, limestones, asbestos, and mica of various quality and industrial use.
The water resources of the continent itself are small, but the most developed river network is on the island of Tasmania. The rivers there have a mixed rain and snow supply and are full-flowing throughout the year. They flow down from the mountains and therefore are stormy, rapids and have large reserves of hydropower. The latter is widely used for the construction of hydroelectric power plants. The availability of cheap electricity contributes to the development of energy-intensive industries in Tasmania, such as the smelting of pure electrolyte metals, the manufacture of cellulose, etc.
The rivers flowing from the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range are short, in their upper reaches they flow in narrow gorges. Here they may well be used, and partly already used for the construction of hydroelectric power stations. When entering the coastal plain, the rivers slow down their flow, their depth increases. Many of them in the estuarine parts are even accessible to large ocean-going vessels. The Clarence River is navigable for 100 km from its mouth, and Hawkesbury for 300 km. The volume of runoff and the regime of these rivers are different and depend on the amount of precipitation and the time of their occurrence.
On the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range, rivers originate, making their way along the interior plains. In the region of Mount Kosciuszko, the most abundant river in Australia, the Murray, begins. Its largest tributaries, the Darling, Murrumbidgee, Goulbury and some others, also originate in the mountains.
Food r. The Murray and its channels are mostly rainy and to a lesser extent snowy. These rivers are at their fullest in early summer, when the snow melts in the mountains. In the dry season, they become very shallow, and some of the Murray's tributaries break up into separate stagnant reservoirs. Only Murray and Murrumbidgee retain a constant current (except for exceptionally dry years). Even the Darling, the longest river in Australia (2450 km), during summer droughts, getting lost in the sands, does not always reach the Murray.
Dams and dams have been built on almost all the rivers of the Murray system, near which reservoirs have been created, where flood waters are collected and used to irrigate fields, gardens and pastures.
The rivers of the northern and western coasts of Australia are shallow and relatively small. The longest of them - Flinders flows into the Gulf of Carpentaria. These rivers are fed by rain, and their water content varies greatly at different times of the year.
Rivers whose flow is directed to the interior of the mainland, such as Coopers Creek (Barkoo), Diamant-ina, and others, are deprived not only of a constant flow, but also of a permanent, distinctly expressed channel. In Australia, such temporary rivers are called screams. They fill with water only during short showers. Soon after the rain, the riverbed again turns into a dry sandy hollow, often not even having a definite shape.
Most lakes in Australia, like rivers, are fed by rainwater. They have neither a constant level nor a runoff. In summer, the lakes dry up and are shallow saline depressions. The layer of salt at the bottom sometimes reaches 1.5 m.
In the seas surrounding Australia, sea animals are mined and fish are caught. Edible oysters are bred in sea waters. Sea trepang, crocodiles and pearl clams are fished in warm coastal waters in the north and northeast. The main center of artificial breeding of the latter is located in the region of the Koberg peninsula (Arnhemland). It was here, in the warm waters of the Arafura Sea and Van Diemen Bay, that the first experiments were carried out to create special sediments. These experiments were carried out by one of the Australian companies with the participation of Japanese specialists. It has been found that pearl clams grown in warm waters off the northern coast of Australia produce larger pearls than those off the coast of Japan, and in a much shorter period of time. At present, the cultivation of pearl mollusks has spread widely along the northern and partly northeastern coasts.
Since the Australian mainland for a long time, starting from the middle of the Cretaceous period, was in conditions of isolation from other parts of the globe, its flora is very peculiar. Of the 12 thousand species of higher plants, more than 9 thousand are endemic, i.e. grow only on the Australian continent. Among the endemics are many species of eucalyptus and acacia, the most typical plant families in Australia. At the same time, there are also such plants that are inherent in South America (for example, the southern beech), South Africa (representatives of the Proteaceae family) and the islands of the Malay Archipelago (ficus, pandanus, etc.). This indicates that many millions of years ago there were land connections between the continents.
Since the climate of most of Australia is characterized by severe aridity, dry-loving plants dominate in its flora: special cereals, eucalyptus trees, umbrella acacias, succulent trees (bottle tree, etc.). The trees belonging to these communities have a powerful root system, which goes 10-20, and sometimes 30 m into the ground, due to which they, like a pump, suck out moisture from great depths. The narrow and dry leaves of these trees are painted mostly in a dull gray-greenish color. In some of them, the leaves are turned to the sun with an edge, which helps to reduce the evaporation of water from their surface.
In the far north and northwest of the country, where it is hot and warm northwest monsoons bring moisture, tropical rainforests grow. Giant eucalyptus trees, ficuses, palm trees, pandanuses with narrow long leaves, etc. predominate in their woody composition. The dense foliage of the trees forms an almost continuous cover, shading the ground. In some places along the coast there are thickets of bamboo. Where the shores are flat and muddy, mangrove vegetation develops.
Rainforests in the form of narrow galleries stretch for relatively short distances inland along the river valleys.
The farther to the south, the drier the climate becomes and the hotter breath of the deserts is felt more strongly. The forest cover is gradually thinning. Eucalyptus and umbrella acacias are arranged in groups. This is a zone of humid savannas, stretching in a latitudinal direction south of the tropical forest zone. In appearance, savannahs with rare groups of trees resemble parks. There is no undergrowth in them. Sunlight freely penetrates through a sieve of small tree leaves and falls on the ground covered with tall dense grass. Forested savannahs are excellent pastures for sheep and cattle.
Conclusion: Australia is rich in a variety of minerals. Australia is located on a large mainland and this shows the diversity of resources. Australia is mostly a desert continent.