06.11.2019

Tectonic map of Belarus in good quality. Tectonic elements of the territory of Belarus. Tectonic zoning of the territory of Belarus

Tectonics is a branch of geology that studies the development of the structure of the earth's crust and its change under the influence of tectonic movements and deformations associated with the development of the Earth as a whole.

The territory of Belarus lies within the ancient East European (Russian) platform, the formation of the crystalline basement of which was completed in the Archean - early Proterozoic. The thickness of the platform cover (precipitations) within Belarus varies from a few meters (Ukrainian shield) to 6 km (Pripyat trough). In some places, the crystalline basement comes to the surface (near the village of Glushkovichi, Lelchitsky district, Gomel region).

The platform is one of the main deep structures of the earth's crust, characterized by a low intensity of tectonic movements and a flat relief. The platform has a two-tier structure. Its lower tier (platform foundation) is formed by complexes of strongly folded, metamorphosed and penetrated by granite rocks. The upper tier (platform cover) is usually composed of calmly occurring predominantly sedimentary and partly volcanic strata. Within the platform, there are: 1) shields, where the folded foundation protrudes to the surface; 2) slabs in which the foundation is immersed to a considerable depth. The platforms are subdivided into: 1) ancient with a basement of the Precambrian age (for example, the East European platform); 2) young platforms with a Paleozoic or Mesozoic basement (for example, the West Siberian platform, the Turan platform).

The territory of Belarus is characterized by a continental-type crust with a thickness of 32 to 40 km. The basalt layer of the earth's crust within Belarus is located at a depth of 16 - 20 km.

The crystalline basement is formed mainly by metamorphic and igneous rocks and is characterized by the development of structures of the following two types:

1) granite-gneiss domes of the early stages of the consolidation of the earth's crust, whose age is about 2.6 billion years;
2) linear-folded structures of a younger age (approximately from 1.2 to 2.6 billion years).

Granite-gneiss domes have an oval shape and are located in different regions of Belarus (Minsk, Bobruisk, Mozyr, Polotsk, etc.).

Linear-folded structures represent a complex system of synclinoria and anticlinoria. Within Belarus, the following two folded structures are distinguished: 1) Western Belarusian linear-folded structure; 2) East Belarusian linear-folded structure.

1) The Western Belarusian linear-folded structure stretches from the south and southwest to the north and northeast for 500 km with a width of about 150 - 180 km. The structure includes the following substructures: Belsky, Svisloch, Shchuchinsky, Novogrudsky, Karelichsky, Baranovichi synclinories, separated by Belovezhsky, Ivatsevichsky, Radoshkovichsky anticlinoria. These structures are 300 - 400 km long and 15 - 40 km wide.

The anticlinorium is a large (up to several hundred kilometers long) and complex bending of folded rock strata, which generally has an anticline (convex) shape. A synclinorium is a large and complex bend of folded rock strata, generally having a synclinal (concave) shape.

Within the West Belorussian folded structure, of particular interest is the Okolovo graben-syncline, composed of ferruginous quartzites, which can be used as a raw material for the production of ferrous metals.

2) The East Belarusian linear-folded structure stretches for 500 km from the south west to the north east. Its width is about 100 - 600 km. The Novovolynsk system is confined to this structure - the youngest of all the folded structures of the crystalline basement of Belarus.

The crystalline basement is everywhere broken by a system of numerous faults, the deepest of which, within the Pripyat trough, penetrate deep into the mantle.

Tectonics (structure of the earth's crust) of Belarus. The territory of Belarus is entirely located within the East European Platform - a rigid massif of the continental crust. Continental platforms are arranged in such a way that their base is composed of crystalline (igneous and metamorphic) rocks - granites, gneisses, quartzites, amphibolites, etc., occurring mainly in the form of folds. On this basis, which is called the crystalline foundation, layers of looser sedimentary and partially volcanic rocks lie horizontally, forming a platform cover. The areas of the platforms where there is no cover and the foundation rocks come to the surface are called shields, and the areas covered by the cover are called slabs.

Areas of deep basement (1-5 km and deeper) are called syneclises and depressions (isometric dimensions), or troughs and aulacogenes (elongated, bounded by depression faults). The deeper the foundation lies, the greater the thickness of the cover and the more diverse rocks it is complex.

Areas of a high position of the basement and, accordingly, a thin cover (up to 500 m) are anteclises - large structures in area and smaller ones - ledges, horsts, uplifts. Intermediate zones located in one direction (for example, north-south) between two elevations of the foundation, and in the other between its depressions are called saddles.

A significant part of the territory of Belarus (about 99%) is covered by a platform cover, only in the extreme south in some places there are sections of the Ukrainian crystalline shield. The largest positive tectonic structures (areas of high basement position) in the plate part are the Belorussian (center and northwest of the country) and Voronezh (extreme east) anteclises (Fig. 1). The main negative structures are the Pripyat trough (avlakochen) in the southeast (the foundation is lowered along the faults up to 4-6 km), the Orsha depression in the northeast (the occurrence of the foundation at elevations of 1-1.5 km below sea level) and the Podlyassko-Brest a depression in the southwest (the surface of the foundation is submerged up to

1.5 -2 km). A number of saddles are distinguished, separating positive structures on the one hand, and negative structures on the other - Latvian in the northwest, Polesskaya in the south, Zhlobinskaya in the southeast; also ledges and horsts - zones of sharp uplift of the foundation along the faults - Lukovsko-Ratnovsky in the southwest, Mikashevichsko-Zhitkovichsky in the south, etc. (Fig. 1).

Stratigraphy. Stratigraphy is the science of the age of rocks. The age history of the Earth (geochronology) includes three long time zones - Archean, Proterozoic and Phanerozoic. The last one, which began 0.55 billion years ago, is divided into three eras - the Paleozoic

(550-250 million years), Mesozoic (250-65 million years) and Cenozoic

(65-0 million years), which are divided into periods. The complex of rocks formed during geological period is called a system, and eras are called a group.

The most ancient rocks belonging to the Archean and early Proterozoic (age more than 1.5 billion years) form the crystalline foundation of Belarus. These are various igneous (granites, diorites, gabbro) and metamorphic (quartzites, gneisses, amphibolites) formations.

The platform cover is represented by a very wide age range of rocks. The most ancient ones lie at its base and were formed in the late Proterozoic (1.5-0.55 billion years ago). They cover 70% of the territory of Belarus (with the exception of the extreme southeast and northwest) and are represented by sedimentary (sandstones, clays), and in the southwest and volcanic (basalts, tuffs) strata. Their average thickness is 200-300 m, and within the Orsha depression it reaches 1500 m.

Deposits of the Lower Paleozoic (Cambrian and Silurian systems) are distributed in the southwest (Podlasie-Brest depression) and northwest of Belarus. The Cambrian deposits are represented by sandstones and clays (up to 450 m thick), while the Ordovician and Silurian deposits are represented by limestones and marls (up to 700 m). The formations of the Devonian system of the Paleozoic have the greatest thickness and a significant area of distribution in Belarus. Their maximum thickness within the Pripyat trough reaches 4-5 km. They are also developed within the Orsha depression, the Latvian saddle and on neighboring structures. An attractive feature of the structure of the Devonian deposits of the Pripyat trough is the presence of two salt-bearing strata - the lower (up to 1000 m) and the upper (up to 2500 m) separated by an intersalt sandy-clayey-limestone stratum.

In general, the formations of the Devonian system are represented by a wide range of rocks from sedimentary (clastic, biogenic, chemogenic) to volcanic (outflow products, volcanic apparatuses, ash tuffs).

Deposits of the Carboniferous (Carboniferous) and Permian systems of the Paleozoic are developed mainly within the Pripyat trough and partly in the extremely western regions of the country. Carboniferous strata (up to 800 m) are represented by sands, clays, limestones, with layers of brown coal and kaolin. Permian (up to 800 m) are composed of clastic and chemogenic (gypsum, sodium, potassium and magnesium salts) rocks.

Formations of the Mesozoic group (Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous systems) are developed in the southern part of the country (mainly south of the latitude of Minsk).

Triassic deposits occur in the Pripyat trough, where they are represented by gravelstones, sandstones and clays, with a total thickness of up to 800 m, as well as in the extreme west of the Podlyasko-Brest depression.

The formations of the Jurassic system cover the southeastern and extremely western parts of Belarus. They are composed of sands, clays, limestones. In places there are layers of brown coals. The maximum thickness of the Jurassic sequence reaches 220 m in the extreme southeast of Belarus.

Deposits of the Cretaceous system are developed within Belarus, with the exception of the northern part. The section of these strata is composed of sands and clays in the lower part, and marl and writing chalk in the upper part. The maximum thickness of the Cretaceous deposits reaches 280-300 m in the southeast and southwest of the country.

The Cenozoic group is represented by formations of the Paleogene, Neogene and Anthropogenic (Quaternary) systems. Paleogene deposits are developed in the southern half of Belarus. These are mainly green and dark gray sands, as well as clays. The maximum thickness in the southeast of the country reaches 220 m.

Neogene deposits are distributed in the form of separate spots in the south of Belarus. They are represented by sands and clays. In places there are layers of brown coals.

Anthropogenic Quaternary formations are developed throughout Belarus. It is believed that the section of this system represents an alternation of glacial and interglacial formations. The first are represented by the so-called. moraine horizons (unstratified sandy-clayey rocks with boulders), and the second - sands and clays. The average thickness of the Quaternary deposits is 50-80 m, and within the heights of the Belarusian ridge, according to some researchers, it can reach 250 m.

Minerals.

Minerals. The most important types of mineral raw materials of Belarus are combustible minerals, agrochemical raw materials for the production building materials and groundwater.

Among the fossil fuels, the main place is occupied by oil, which in 1964 began to be mined in the Pripyat trough. Oil deposits are confined mainly to pre-salt (located under the lower salt-bearing strata) and inter-salt (located between the upper and lower saline strata) Devonian deposits. Total open

64 oil fields. The annual production of which is about

1.6 - 1.8 million tons.

Brown coals are common in the south of Belarus and are associated with deposits of the Carboniferous, Jurassic, Paleogene and Neogene. The highest quality coals are carbon. They are confined to the southern part of the Pripyat trough and have predicted reserves of more than 400 million tons.

Coal deposits in the Neogene deposits (Zhitkovichskoe, Brinevskoe, Tonezhskoe) are the best studied. However, their quality is significantly inferior to carbon coals.

In the western part of the Pripyat trough, two large deposits oil shales - Lubanskoe and Turovskoe in Devonian deposits. The predicted reserves of oil shale are over 11 billion tons.

The traditional type of fuel in Belarus is peat. 9200 deposits with total reserves of 3 billion tons of peat have been identified. 400 deposits are being exploited with an annual production of 11-15 million tons.

An important place in the mineral resource base of the country is occupied by raw materials for the production of agricultural fertilizers (these are potash salts, dolomites, phosphorites, etc.). Potassium salts are the main mineral wealth of Belarus. They are concentrated in the upper saline strata of the Devonian deposits of the western part of the Pripyat trough. Two large deposits have been discovered - Starobinskoye and Petrikovskoye. The reserves of the first are 2.7 billion tons, and the second 1.3 billion tons. The Starobinskoye deposit is being developed by four mining departments.

Dolomite deposits, from which dolomite flour is produced for liming acidic soils, are located in the Vitebsk region and are confined to Devonian deposits. The Ruba deposit near Vitebsk is being developed with an annual production of up to 4 million tons of dolomite. The Sozhsky phosphorite-bearing basin is confined to the Cretaceous deposits in the east of Belarus. Phosphorites are raw materials for the production of phosphate fertilizers.

In the production of building materials, the main role is played by marl-chalk rocks, which are raw materials for cement. 8 deposits are being developed with total reserves of over 750 million tons. On their base there are 3 cement plants in Krasnoselsky (Volkovysky district), Krichev and Kostyukovichi.

Natural building stone from the rocks of the crystalline basement (granites, granodiorites) is mined in Mikanovichi, Brest region. from the largest quarry in Belarus with a depth of 125 m, as well as in the Lelchitsky district of the Gomel region. (Glushkovichi deposit). Building stone is used as a facing material, also in the construction of roads, buildings and other facilities. Numerous deposits of building sands, sand-gravel mixtures, and clays are concentrated in the Quaternary deposits of Belarus. The deposits of glassy sands in the Gomel and Brest regions are associated with the Paleogene strata.

Belarus has significant reserves of fresh and mineral groundwater. Fresh groundwater is associated with Anthropogene, Paleogene, Devonian and Upper Proterozoic deposits. They occur to depths of 200-250 m. To date, more than 250 deposits have been explored on the basis of which water is supplied to more than 60 cities and other settlements.

The bowels of Belarus are rich in mineral waters and healing brines. They occur mainly from a depth of 250-400 m. More than 60 sources have been explored mineral waters with total reserves of about 15000m³ per day. In deep horizons (more than 3 km) in the Pripyat trough there are resources of thermal waters with a temperature of up to 86 º. Highly mineralized industrial brines are common in the Devonian saline deposits of the Pripyat Trough. They can be used as raw materials for the extraction of rare and rare earth metals, as well as for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes.

Relief features.

The relief is a morphosculpture earth's surface. It is the result of the interaction of two main types of geological processes - endogenous and exogenous. The science that studies landforms and its genesis is called geomorphology.

The territory of Belarus is entirely located within the vast East European Plain. It is believed that a significant part of the plain, mainly the northern and central regions, have been subjected to continental glaciations over the past 100,000 years, which formed the relief of this territory. Depending on the age of the glacier involved in the formation of the relief, geomorphological provinces are distinguished, and the prevailing type of glacial deposits of a certain age determines the geomorphological region.

On the territory of Belarus, two large geomorphological provinces can be distinguished - the Belarusian Lakeland, the relief of which was formed during the last Poozersky (Valdai) glaciation, as well as the province of the Belarusian Ridge and Polesie, formed during the penultimate Pripyat glaciation.

The relief of the Poozerye was formed by the activity of the Voldai glacier. The main landforms are marginal glacial ridges, lacustrine-glacial and fluvial-gloss lowlands and moraine plains. The main feature of the Poozerye relief is the wide development (more than 3 thousand) of lake basins of various genetic types and sizes.

In the central part of the province there is the Polotsk lowland, which has a flat undulating relief with absolute elevations of 140-160 m. Along its periphery there are moraine and fluvnogloss plains with undulating relief and an abundance of lake basins, as well as marginal glacial ridges and uplands - Gorodokskaya, Vitebskaya, Sventyanskaya, Braslavskaya, Osveyskaya. Ridge-hilly relief prevails within the heights, with relative elevations from 15 to 40 m.

In the second geomorphological province, three areas are distinguished, which are represented by different genetic types of deposits of the Polesie glacial horizon - of course - moraine, moraine and water-glacial - of the Central Belarusian marginal uplands and ridges, plains and lowlands of the Predpolesia and Polesskaya lowland.

The region of the Central Belarusian uplands and ridges is characterized by the highest absolute elevations in Belarus, which reach 200-250, and in some places 300-345 m.

The western part of the region, where the Grodno, Volkovysk, Slonim, Novogrudsk, Oshmyansk, Minsk uplands and the Kopyl ridge are located, is characterized by a ridge-hilly relief with a relative elevation of 15-30, in some places 30-45 m.

In the eastern part of the region (east of the Berezina), where the Lukoml and Orsha uplands are located, a plateau-like and gently undulating relief with individual hills prevails. The uplands of this region are separated by measured and water-glacial lowlands and plains with a gently undulating relief. The largest of them is the Upper Nemanskaya. The region of plains and lowlands of Predpolessya occupies a narrow strip (up to several tens of kilometers) in the western part of the country and expands sharply to the east of the meridian of Minsk. It forms, as it were, a step between the uplands of the central part of Belarus and the Polesskaya lowland. This area is characterized by a wide development of moraine and water-glacial plains. The river valleys are wide (1-3 km) and have an incision depth of 10-20 m, in some places 30-40 m. There are few lakes. The absolute elevations of the surface vary in the range of 160-190 m. The predominant forms of relief are flat undulating plains with relative elevations of up to 10-15 m. The Central Berezinsky, Orshano-Mogilev, Krichev and other plains are located here.

The region of the Polesskaya lowland occupies the south of Belarus. The peculiarity of the relief of this area is determined by the wide development of marshy alluvial, lacustrine and lacustrine-alluvial plains with wind accumulation forms (dunes, sand ridges). The width of the river valleys is 1-5 km, and the incision depth does not exceed 10-15 m. The main relief forms are flat plains. The absolute elevations of the surface vary from 120 to 160 m, and only within the Mozyr ridge do they reach 221 m.

In the west of the Polesskaya lowland, a slightly hilly plain stands out in Zagorodye with absolute elevations up to 170 m, and in the eastern Mozyr ridge with a wide development of a ravine-gully network with a cutting depth of up to 70 m.

In recent decades, in the territory of Polesye, a significant role in the transformation of the relief has been played by technogenic processes associated with the extraction of minerals. The largest of the technogenic landforms is a granite quarry near the village. Mikashevichi with a depth of more than 120 m, as well as waste heaps (heaps of waste rock) near Soligorsk with a height of more than 70 m.

Soils of Belarus.

Soil is a thin surface layer of the earth's crust, which was formed in the process of transformation of rocks under the influence of climate, plants and wildlife. The main factors of soil formation are the composition of soil-forming rocks, relief, climate, vegetation, activity of microorganisms, etc. On the territory of Belarus, soil-forming (parent) rocks are divided into clay, loamy, sandy loam, sandy and peat in terms of their mechanical composition.

Clay rocks are found in the north of the country (Polotsk lowland). Loamy soils are developed within the uplands and moraine plains of the northern and central parts of Belarus. Sandy loams and sands are more widely represented in the south and in the center - within the water-glacial plains. The main zones of peat rocks are located in Polissya. The most common (more than 50% of the territory) are sandy loamy soil-forming rocks.

On the territory of Belarus, soils are formed under the influence of podzolic, soddy and bog soil-forming processes.

The podzolic process develops under coniferous and mixed forests with adequate moisture. A large number of precipitation leads to the leaching of organic matter from the upper horizons of the soil to the formation of a clarified layer with a low content of humus (an organo-mineral substance on the amount of which soil fertility depends) layer. Because of the whitish-gray color, it was called podzolic.

Under the grassy vegetation of broad-leaved and mixed forests, as well as meadows, the soddy process of soil formation proceeds. There is no leaching of organic substances entering the soil with plant residues. The content of humus in soils of this type is much higher than in podzolic ones.

The swamp process of soil formation occurs in zones of excessive waterlogging and lack of oxygen. This leads to incomplete decomposition of plant residues that accumulate in the form of peat.

According to the nature of moisture, the soils of Belarus are divided into 3 groups - normal moisture, periodic and permanent waterlogging. The latter account for 51% of all agricultural land, while the former occupy only 35%. Constantly waterlogged soils are developed mainly in areas of low relief.

Normally moist soils include soddy-podzolic, podzolic, soddy-calcareous and brown forest soils. Soddy-podzolic soils are the most common. They occupy 95% of the territory of normally moist agricultural land and are developed evenly throughout the country. The low content of humus (1-2%) and high acidity cause their low fertility. Podzolic soils are characterized by very low fertility. They are developed under coniferous forests and are almost never used in agriculture. Soddy-calcareous soils are formed on carbonate rocks - chalk, marl, limestone. They are characterized by a high content of humus (3-6%) and normal acidity.

These are the most fertile soils. But they are found in the form of spots in the areas where carbonate rocks come to the surface and occupy less than 1% of agricultural land. Stormy forest soils are developed under deciduous forests in the southern regions of the country. Despite the high fertility in agriculture, they are almost not used due to insignificant development.

Soils of periodic waterlogging are divided into soddy-podzolic waterlogged, soddy waterlogged and floodplain soddy waterlogged. Soddy-podzolic waterlogged soils occupy about 37% of the country's agricultural land. They are developed mainly in the northern regions and occupy low areas in the relief. These soils are analogous to soddy-podzolic soils, but have a higher acidity and a somewhat higher content of humus. Soddy swampy soils occupy about 11% of agricultural land. They are developed mainly in Polissya and are formed as a result of soddy and swamp soil-forming processes. They contain a lot of minerals and humus and have a fairly high fertility potential.

Floodplain soddy boggy soils are formed in the floodplains of rivers (mainly the Pripyat and the Dnieper). They have a powerful humus horizon, but are used in agriculture as fodder lands (hayfields, grazing).

Constantly waterlogged soils are divided into peat-bog and alluvial bog. Peat-bog soils occupy about 13% of the country's agricultural land. They are divided into lowland and upland differences. Lowland soils account for 80% of this type of soil. They are formed as a result of the bog soil formation process and have a pronounced peat horizon. They are characterized by high fertility potential, but can only be used after draining. These soils are most widely developed in the south of Belarus. Peat-bog high-moor soils are developed in the north of the country and are confined to flat swampy watersheds. They are characterized by high acidity and low fertility, which is why they are almost never used in agriculture. Alluvial bog soils are formed in the lower areas of floodplains and almost do not differ from lowland peat-bog soils, but contain more minerals.

Within the territory of the country are allocated:

Belarusian, Voronezh and Ukrainian hydrogeological massifs,
Pripyat, Brest, Dnieper-Donetsk, Volyn and Baltic hydrogeological basins,
Gorodoksko-Khatetsky, Bobruisk, Mikashevichsko-Zhitkovichi, Lukuvsko-Ratnovsky, Latvian, Zhlobinsky, Polessky and Braginsko-Loevsky hydrogeological regions.

Figure - Map of hydrogeological zoning of the territory of Belarus (borrowed from the National Atlas of Belarus).

Separate hydrogeological structures prevail on the territory of Belarus (Belarusian hydrogeological massif, Orsha, Pripyat and Brest hydrogeological basins). Others - (Voronezh hydrogeological massif, Dnieper-Donetsk and Baltic hydrogeological basins, some hydrogeological regions) occupy small areas of the country's area and are dominant structures on the territory of neighboring countries - Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia.

Figure - Tectonic scheme of Belarus.

Belarusian hydrogeological massif is located in the central and northwestern parts of Belarus. This is a large groundwater reservoir associated with the tectonic structure of the Belarusian-Masurian anteclise.

The thickness of the water-bearing rocks of the platform cover here varies from 80 to 500 meters, and sometimes - 1000 m.

Orsha hydrogeological basin is part of the Moscow groundwater megabasin and is territorially confined to the north-east of Belarus. Structurally, it is consistent with the southwestern end of the Moscow syneclise. The thickness of water-bearing rocks within this structure reaches 1500–1700 m.

Pripyat hydrogeological basin is located in the south-east of Belarus and spatially coincides with the tectonic structure - the Pripyat trough. The thickness of water-bearing rocks within its limits reaches a maximum of 6200 m.

Brest hydrogeological basin is part of the larger Masovian-Lublin groundwater basin. Within Belarus, it corresponds to the Belarusian part of the Podlasie-Brest depression. The thickness of the platform cover within the Brest hydrogeological basin does not exceed 1800 meters.

The western end of the Voronezh anteclise, located on the territory of eastern Belarus, forms Voronezh hydrogeological massif .

In the area of the junction of the Pripyat trough with the Ukrainian Shield, some sections of the latter ended up on the territory of Belarus. They belong to Ukrainian hydrogeological massif .

Hydrogeological region of the Latvian saddle occupies a small area in the north-east of Belarus.

Hydrogeological region of the Zhlobin saddle confined to the transition zone between Orsha hydrogeological basin and the hydrogeological region of the Gorodok-Khatet tectonic stage (North-Pripyat shoulder).

Hydrogeological region of the Polesskaya saddle located on the territory of the Belarusian part of the Pripyat Polissya (between the Podlasie-Brest depression and the Pripyat trough).

Hydrogeological region of the Braginsko-Loevskaya saddle is located between the Pripyat hydrogeological basin and the hydrogeological structure of the Dnieper-Donetsk trough.

Mikashevichsko-Zhitkovichi and Bobruisk ledges of the foundation stand out in separate hydrogeological regions.

Small areas of the territory of Belarus in the south-west stand out in Lukowsko-Ratnovsky hydrogeological region . To the south of it is an even smaller area belonging to Volyn hydrogeological basin .

Lecture 8

HYDROGEOLOGICAL STRATIFICATION OF THE PLATFORM COVER OF BELARUS(Continuation)

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Tectonic zoning of the territory of Belarus

When conducting tectonic zoning of any territory, scientists are guided simultaneously by several criteria, the most important of which are invariably:

1) the depth of the crystalline foundation,

2) thickness of the sedimentary cover.

Structures of I, II, III and other (lower) orders are distinguished in the system of tectonic zoning of the territory of Belarus.

Tectonic structures of the first order within Belarus are the Russian plate, the Azov-Podolsk plate and the Ukrainian shield.

I. Russian plate lies at the base of most of the country's territory and consists of separate anticlises, syneclises, troughs, horsts, grabens and saddles.

Belarusian anticlise occupies the western central regions Belarus. Its most elevated part forms Central Belarusian massif.

In the aisles Babovnyansky ledge crystalline rocks lie directly under the Pliocene-Anthropogenic strata.

Relatively raised blocks of the crystalline basement correspond to Vileika, Mazury and Bobruisk buried ledges. Vileika buried ledge and the Central Belarusian massif separated I am a Volozhinsky graben.

The western part of Belarus is occupied by the slope part Voronezh anticlise . The structures of the Voronezh anticlise include Surazhsky and Gromyatsky buried ledges separating Klintsovsky graben.

Zhlobin saddle separates the Belarusian and Voronezh anticlises and has an asymmetric structure: its northern slope is quite gentle, and the southern slope is a system of stepped faults.

The Belarusian anticlise in the north borders on the Baltic syneclise; in the east, the Orsha depression adjoins it.

syneclise - (from the Greek syn - together and enklisis - inclination) - an extensive (up to several hundred km in diameter) gentle deflection of the layers of the earth's crust within the platforms, which has predominantly irregular rounded outlines; the slope of the layers on the wings is measured in fractions of a degree.

Within Baltic syneclise the foundation plunges to a depth of up to 500 m. Its eastern side is limited by powerful faults with an amplitude of up to 300 m. A particular structure of the Baltic syneclise is Neman graben.

Orsha depression has a huge size and is characterized by a significant subsidence of the basement surface in the northeast direction from -800 m to -1700 m. The depression has rather steep edges and a flat bottom. In the central part of this tectonic structure is Central Orsha horst with an amplitude of 200-300 m, which separates Vitebsk and Mogilev troughs.

Trough - a kind of gentle synclinal folds having the shape of a bowl.

In the southwestern part of Belarus is Podlasie-Brest depression , partially capturing the territory of neighboring Poland.

Within its limits, the basement surface descends from east to west from -650 m to -8 km. From the north and south, the depression is bounded by faults with an amplitude of up to 300 m. In the east of the Podlasie-Brest depression there are separate brachiosynclines (“brachio” - short, disproportionate) with an amplitude of about 50-80 m, their diameter does not exceed 5 km.

Polissya saddle separates the Podlasie-Brest depression from the Pripyat trough. The basement surface within the Polessky saddle is characterized by absolute heights from -20 to -500 m. Mikoshevichsko-Zhitkovichi ledge . Its width is about 10 km. From the south, this protrusion is limited by a system of faults with an amplitude of 1 to 3 km. Within the Mikashevichi-Zhitkovichi ledge, crystalline rocks occur at a depth of 10–30 m and are overlain by Neogene-Anthropogenic deposits. This structure is divided by a system of powerful faults into three horsts:

1) Zhitkovichi,

2) Mikoshevichsky,

3) Ozernitsky.

Pripyat trough stretches from west to east for about 300 km, and from north to south - for 140 - 150 km. The boundaries of the Pripyat trough are a system of stepped faults with an amplitude of 2–4 km. The Pripyat trough is characterized by extremely complex fold-block tectonics. Here, tectonic steps, horsts, grabens are distinguished, which, like the trough itself as a whole, were formed as a result of block movements on fault lines. In the northern part of the trough there are Rechitsko-Shatilkova And Malodushinsko-Krasnoslobodskaya blocks. The Rechitsko-Shatilkovsky block is about 240 km long and about 10-25 km wide.

Narovlyansky horst stretches for 150 km and has a width of about 6 km. The absolute marks of the basement within this tectonic structure range from -1.8 to -4.0 km.

In the section of the platform cover of the Pripyat trough, there are huge (up to 4 km) strata of potash and rock salt deposits, which determines a certain specificity of tectonic processes and relief formation.

Braginsko-Loevskaya saddle separates the Pripyat trough from the Dnieper-Donets trough. She is educated Braginsky buried ledge And Loevskaya saddle. Within the Bragin buried ledge (length 45-50 km), the basement descends from south to north to a depth of 300-1500 m. This structure is limited by faults with an amplitude of up to 3 km. Faults also limit the Loevskaya saddle, which stretches for 50-60 km with a width of 30-40 km. In its axial part, the foundation surface is at a depth of 1500 m.

Dnieper-Donets trough enters the territory of Belarus with its western edge. Its internal structure is generally similar to that of the Pripyat trough. The boundaries of the Dnieper-Donetsk trough are faults of the sublatitudinal direction.

The northernmost part of Belarus belongs to Latvian saddle separating the Baltic syneclise and the Orsha depression.

In the central part of the saddle, crystalline rocks lie at elevations of about -700 m, in the east they go to a depth of about -1400 m, and from the side of the Belarusian anticlise they rise to -500 m.

Velizh saddle refers to structures Moscow syneclise and is characterized by the depth of the crystalline basement from - 1300 m to - 1400 m.

II. Azov-Podolsk plate occupies the extreme southwestern part of Belarus. Private tectonic structures of this plate are the Lukovsky-Ratnovsky horst and the Volyn monocline.

Monocline- the type of occurrence of rock layers with the same slope in one direction.

Lukovsko-Ratnovsky horst stretches in the latitudinal direction for 350-400 km and has a width of approximately 13-40 km. This tectonic structure has a block structure and is limited by faults with an amplitude of 100 (in the east) to 1000 m (in the west).

Volyn monocline is characterized by a gradual steady lowering of the foundation to the southwest from 0 to 3 km. Against the background of monoclinal subsidence, several troughs and uplifts stand out with absolute heights from 1.0 to -1.6 km.

III. Ukrainian shield occupies the extreme southern part of the territory of Belarus. Near the village of Glushkovichi, Lelchitsy district, the rocks of the crystalline basement come to the surface. As a private structure of the Ukrainian Shield stands out Ovruch graben-syncline, which is limited by deep faults and extends for 110 km with a width of 5 - 20 km ,89,101,105,109,115).

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Tectonic structure of the territory of Belarus; its reflection in modern relief

The crystalline basement is an ancient mountain system that formed in the Archean and Proterozoic eras. The largest tectonic structures on the territory of Belarus are the Russian plate, the Volyn-Azov plate, the Ukrainian shield. Depending on the depth of the foundation, they are divided into: positive, negative and transitive. Positive tectonic structures include anteclises and shields. Anteclise- this is one of the tectonic structures of the platform, a gentle, dome-shaped elevation of the earth's crust. Shield– platform element within which the crystalline foundation comes to the surface. The largest tectonic structure is the Belarusian anteclise (it occupies the northwestern and central part). The east of the country is occupied by the eastern slopes of another positive structures B-E platform - Voronezh anteclise. In the very south, the Ukrainian shield enters the territory. Smaller positive structures are also distinguished. Negative tectonic structures are represented dips and dips. The most ancient is the Orsha depression. Another negative structure is the Brest depression, in the southwest of the country. The Pripyat trough is located in the southeast of Belarus, the youngest tectonic structure formed in the Devonian. Allocate transitional tectonic structures - saddles is a platform structure that separates two positive and negative tectonic structures. These include - Latvian, Zhlobinskaya, Polesskaya, Braginsko-Loevskaya.

The territory is characterized by a flat relief. Lowlands occupy 30% of the territory (from 80 to 150 meters high). About half of the territory is occupied by plains with a height of 150 to 200 meters. Hills 200-345 meters high. Uplands are confined to the rise of the crystalline basement - Minsk, Novogrudskaya, Oshmyanskaya, etc. Negative and transitional structures correspond to lowlands. Within the Pripyat trough are located - Polesskaya lowland, within the Latvian saddle - Polotsk. Vitebsk and Orsha uplands within the Orsha depression (reverse relief). And etc.

Methods for mapping various phenomena on thematic physical and geographical maps (method of areas, qualitative and quantitative background, methods of isolines, icons, diagrams).

Way of areas:

The method of areas (from the Latin word "area" area, space) is used to highlight on the map areas of continuous (for example, glaciation) or scattered distribution (for example, rice growing area).

In most cases, this method shows the distribution of plants, animals, minerals, agricultural land, etc. In legend symbol The range is usually explained by the words "region (area) of distribution ...."

The range of phenomena that can be displayed by the area method is very large. The only condition for each of these objects is the non-ubiquity of its distribution for the entire territory displayed on the map, since in the latter case the area coincides with the entire area of the map and this method of mapping loses its meaning. The presence of this condition determines the fundamental difference between the methods of qualitative background and areas, although they are very similar in technical execution. The area method is used mainly for the qualitative characterization of the mapped territory, although the area can also be distinguished by quantitative characteristics (for example, an area where the average population density is more than 20 people per km²).

Areas are absolute, outside of which this phenomenon does not occur, and relative, within which this phenomenon has certain properties (for example, the area of industrial development of coal within the area of its occurrence). The relative area is narrower - it shows the places of the greatest concentration of the phenomenon. The ranges are divided into exact and schematic ones depending on the use of real (reliable) or imaginary boundaries. If the mapping object has precise boundaries, then the area will be accurate. Schematic areas are characterized by an approximate display of the phenomenon, when there is no exact data on its location, or for this phenomenon, the uncertainty of boundaries in nature is characteristic.

Graphically, the possibilities of depicting areas are diverse: it is a solid or dotted line of various patterns and colors, coloring or colored shading, geometric or visual icons, or even an inscription.

Ranges can sometimes be accompanied by quantitative indicators, such as the relative density of an animal or bird range, or the average intensity of an event in a range.

The area method is widely used on zoogeographic, geobotanical (animal and plant areola) and other maps of nature, as well as on socio-economic maps that display, for example, areas where certain agricultural crops are grown. Often it is used as an additional method. For example, on an economic map, zones of agricultural specialization are shown using a qualitative background method and, additionally, against the background of coloring areas using special signs, places of cultivation of individual crops (sugar beet, tobacco, etc.) or areas of the most developed horticulture are displayed. Areas can generalize the iconic way. For example, separate icons of deposits of any mineral can be combined into a pool of this mineral.

Qualitative and quantitative background:

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Features of the geological structure of the territory of the Republic of Belarus

CONTENT
Introduction
1. Features of tectonics
3. Neotectonic movements on the territory of Belarus

Introduction

The territory of Belarus lies within the East European (Russian) platform. The formation of its crystalline foundation was completed in the Archean - early Proterozoic. The thickness of the platform cover (precipitations) within Belarus ranges from a few meters (Ukrainian shield) to 6 km (Polessky trough).

The platform is one of the main deep structures of the earth's crust, characterized by a low intensity of tectonic movements and a flat relief. The platform has a two-tiered structure: the lower tier (platform foundation) is formed by complexes of strongly crumpled, metamorphosed and granite-permeated rocks; the upper tier (platform cover) is composed of calmly occurring predominantly sedimentary and partly volcanic strata. Within the platform, shields are distinguished, where the folded foundation protrudes to the surface, and slabs, in which the foundation is submerged to a considerable depth. Platforms are subdivided into ancient platforms with a basement of Precambrian age (for example, the East European Platform) and young platforms with a basement of Paleozoic or Mesozoic age (for example, the West Siberian Platform).

1. Features of tectonics

The territory of Belarus is characterized by a continental-type crust with a thickness of 32 to 40 km.

The basalt layer of the earth's crust is located at a depth of 16 - 20 km.

The crystalline basement is formed mainly by metamorphic and igneous rocks and is characterized by the development of structures of the following two types:

granite-gneiss domes of the early stages of the consolidation of the earth's crust, whose age is about 2.6 billion years);

linear-folded structures of a younger age (1.2 - 2.6 billion years).

Granite-gneiss domes have an oval shape and are located in different regions of Belarus (Minsk, Bobruisk, Mozyr, Polotsk, etc.).

Linear-folded structures represent a complex system of synclinoria and anticlinoria. Within Belarus, the following two folded structures are distinguished - Western Belarusian and Eastern Belarusian.

The West Belarusian folded structure stretches from the south-southwest to the east-northeast for 500 km with a width of about 150 - 180 km. As part of this structure, the Belsky, Svislochsky, Shchuchinsky, Novogrudsky, Karelichsky and Baranovichsky synclinories are distinguished, which are separated by the Belovezhsky, Ivatsevichy and Radoshkovichsky anticlinories. Anticlinoria are 300 to 400 km long and 15 to 40 km wide.

Within the West Belorussian folded structure, the Okolovo graben-syncline, composed of ferruginous quartzites, is of particular interest.

The East Belarusian folded structure stretches for 500 km from the south west to the north east. Its width is 100-600 km. The Novovolynsk system is confined to this structure - the youngest of all the folded structures of the crystalline basement of Belarus.

The crystalline basement is broken everywhere by a system of numerous faults, the deepest of which penetrate deep into the mantle.

2. Tectonic zoning of the territory of Belarus

When conducting tectonic zoning of any territory, scientists are guided simultaneously by several criteria, the most important of which are invariably:

depth of the crystalline foundation,

thickness of the sedimentary cover.

Structures of I, II, III and other (lower) orders are distinguished in the system of tectonic zoning of the territory of Belarus.

Tectonic structures of the first order within Belarus are the Russian plate, the Azov-Podolsk plate and the Ukrainian shield.

I. The Russian plate lies at the base of most of the country's territory and consists of individual anticlises, syneclises, troughs, horsts, grabens, and saddles.

The Belarusian anticlise occupies the western and central regions of Belarus. Its most elevated part is formed by the Central Belarusian massif.

In the aisles of the Babovnyansky ledge, crystalline rocks lie directly under the Pliocene - Anthropogenic strata. Relatively elevated blocks of the crystalline basement correspond to the Vileika, Mazursky and Bobruisk buried ledges. The Vileika buried ledge and the Central Belarusian massif are separated by the Volozhin graben.

The western part of Belarus is occupied by the slope part of the Voronezh anticlise. The structures of the Voronezh anticlise include the Surazhsky and Gromyatsky buried ledges, which are separated by the Klintsovsky graben.

The Zhlobin saddle separates the Belorussian and Voronezh anticlises and has an asymmetric structure: its northern slope is quite gentle, and the southern slope is a system of stepped faults.

The Belarusian anticlise in the north borders on the Baltic syneclise; in the east, the Orsha depression adjoins it.

Synekliza - (from the Greek syn - together and enklisis - inclination) - an extensive (up to several hundred km in diameter) gentle deflection of the layers of the earth's crust within the platforms, which has predominantly irregular rounded outlines; the slope of the layers on the wings is measured in fractions of a degree.

Within the Baltic syneclise, the basement plunges to a depth of up to 500 m. Its eastern side is limited by powerful faults with an amplitude of up to 300 m. The Neman graben is a particular structure of the Baltic syneclise.

The Orsha depression is huge and is characterized by a significant subsidence of the basement surface in the northeast direction from -800 m to -1700 m. The depression has rather steep edges and a flat bottom. In the central part of this tectonic structure there is the Central Orsha horst with an amplitude of 200-300 m, which separates the Vitebsk and Mogilev troughs.

A trough is a kind of flat, bowl-shaped synclinal folds.

In the southwestern part of Belarus there is the Podlasie-Brest depression, which partially covers the territory of neighboring Poland. Within its limits, the basement surface descends from east to west from - 650 m to - 8 km. From the north and south, the depression is bounded by faults with an amplitude of up to 300 m. In the east of the Podlasie-Brest depression, there are separate brachiosynclines (“brachio” - short, disproportionate) with an amplitude of about 50-80 m, their diameter does not exceed 5 km.

The Polessky saddle separates the Podlasie-Brest depression from the Pripyat trough. The surface of the foundation within the Polessky saddle is characterized by absolute heights from -20 to -500 m. Its width is about 10 km. From the south, this protrusion is limited by a system of faults with an amplitude of 1 to 3 km. Within the Mikashevichi-Zhitkovichi ledge, crystalline rocks occur at a depth of 10 - 30 m and are overlain by Neogene-Anthropogenic deposits. This structure is divided by a system of powerful faults into three horsts:

Zhitkovichsky,

Mikoshevichsky,

Ozernitsky.

The Pripyat trough stretches from west to east for about 300 km, and from north to south - for 140-150 km. The boundaries of the Pripyat trough are a system of stepped faults with an amplitude of 2 - 4 km. The Pripyat trough is characterized by extremely complex fold-block tectonics. Here, tectonic steps, horsts, grabens are distinguished, which, like the trough itself as a whole, were formed as a result of block movements on fault lines. In the northern part of the trough, there are the Rechitsko-Shatilkova and Malodushinsko-Krasnoslobodskaya blocks. The Rechitsko-Shatilkovsky block is about 240 km long and about 10-25 km wide.

The Narovlyansky horst stretches for 150 km and has a width of about 6 km. The absolute marks of the foundation within this tectonic structure range from - 1.8 to - 4.0 km.

The Braginsko-Loevsky saddle separates the Pripyat trough from the Dnieper-Donets trough. It is formed by the Braginsky buried ledge and the Loevsky saddle. Within the Bragin buried ledge (length 45 - 50 km), the foundation descends from south to north to a depth of 300 - 1500 m. This structure is limited by faults with an amplitude of up to 3 km. Faults also limit the Loevskaya saddle, which stretches for 50-60 km with a width of 30-40 km. In its axial part, the foundation surface is at a depth of 1500 m.

The Dnieper-Donetsk trough enters the territory of Belarus with its western edge. Its internal structure is generally similar to that of the Pripyat trough. The boundaries of the Dnieper-Donetsk trough are faults of the sublatitudinal direction.

The northernmost part of Belarus belongs to the Latvian saddle, which separates the Baltic syneclise and the Orsha depression. In the central part of the saddle, crystalline rocks lie at elevations of about - 700 m, in the east they go to a depth of about - 1400 m, and from the side of the Belarusian anticlise they rise to - 500 m.

The Velizh saddle belongs to the structures of the Moscow syneclise and is characterized by the depth of the crystalline basement from - 1300 m to - 1400 m.

II. The Azov-Podolsk plate occupies the extreme southwestern part of Belarus. Private tectonic structures of this plate are the Lukovsky-Ratnovsky horst and the Volyn monocline.

Monocline - a type of occurrence of rock layers with the same slope in one direction.

Lukovo-Ratnovsky horst stretches in latitudinal A board at 350-400 km and has a width of approximately 13 - 40 km. This tectonic structure has a block structure and is limited by faults with an amplitude of 100 (in the east) to 1000 m (in the west).

Volyn monocline is characterized by a gradual steady lowering of the foundation to the southwest from 0 to 3 km. Against the background of monoclinal subsidence, several troughs and uplifts stand out with absolute heights from 1.0 to -1.6 km.

III. The Ukrainian shield occupies the extreme southern part of the territory of Belarus. Near the village of Glushkovichi, Lelchitsy district, the rocks of the crystalline basement come to the surface. The Ovruch graben-syncline stands out as a particular structure of the Ukrainian Shield, which is limited by deep faults and extends for 110 km with a width of 5–20 km.

3. Neotectonic movements on the territory of Belarus (Neogene - Anthropogenic time, about 25 million years)

tectonic zoning belarus

Neotectonics (recent tectonics) is a section of tectonics devoted to the study of tectonic processes that manifested themselves in the Neogene-Anthropogenic time.

The total amplitude of neotectonic movements on the territory of Belarus ranges from 160 to 180 m. Neotectonic movements manifest themselves in different ways. However, the zero isobase stretches approximately from Grodno through Minsk to Vitebsk.

To the north of the zero isobase is the West Belorussian subsidence zone with separate structures (Zaslavl, Oshmyansky, Naroch, Pleschenitsky domes, Polotsk trough).

To the south of the zero isobase there is an extensive zone of neotectonic uplifts: the Central Belarusian monocline, which is joined by the South Belarusian and East Belarusian uplifts. Between these tectonic structures stretches a system of structural bays - Mogilev, Berezinsky, Pinsk and Brest. The maximum amplitudes of tectonic uplifts are typical for Polissya (isobase + 120m).

Modern vertical movements on the territory of Belarus are very complex and ambiguous. However, in any case, the maximum uplift rates are characteristic of the southern and eastern regions of the country.

The territory of Belarus is also characterized by certain seismic activity. Most of the territory of the republic belongs to the areas of possible 6-7 magnitude earthquakes. Earthquakes in Belarus can have the following two main causes:

1) movement along fault lines separating blocks of the earth's crust,

2) echoes of seismic processes in the adjacent areas of young mountain building, primarily in the Carpathians. Thus, the echoes of the Carpathian earthquakes were felt in Belarus in 1977 and 1990. For example, on May 30, 1990 in Minsk, the intensity of the earthquake, the epicenter of which was in the Carpathians, was estimated at 3-4 points. Another cause of earthquakes in the country is associated with the filling of voids formed during the extraction of potash salts in the Soligorsk region. The intensity of local shocks here sometimes reaches 3-4 points (10,25,53,59,77,80,90,109).

4. Stratigraphy of the territory of Belarus

Stratigraphy - (from lat. stratum - layer and .... graph) - a section of historical geology that studies the sequence of formation of rocks and their primary spatial relationships. Only in the second half of the 19th century were the main geological systems identified and their sequence outlined. In modern stratigraphy, various methods are used (paleontological, spore-pollen analysis, isotropic determinations, lithological, geochemical, geophysical, etc.), which make it possible to compile a consolidated stratigraphic column, for which a strict hierarchy of stratigraphic units is established - the stratigraphic scale.

On the territory of Belarus there are deposits of almost all major geological divisions: from the Archean to the Holocene. At the same time, the territory of Belarus differs significantly in terms of the completeness of the geological record. For example, within the Babovnyansky ledge, anthropogenic deposits lie directly on the rocks of the crystalline basement, and in the vicinity of the village of Glushkovichi (Ukrainian shield), ancient crystalline rocks come to the surface.

The most complete stratigraphic section is characteristic of the Pripyat trough, where only Early Paleozoic rocks are absent.

The most widespread on the territory of Belarus are anthropogenic deposits, which cover the territory of the country with a complete, almost continuous cover. The exceptions in this regard are sections of the Ukrainian shield, the steep banks of some large rivers and the edges of developed quarries, where ancient rocks come to the surface.

Archean - Lower Proterozoic (crystalline foundation). Rocks of the Archean-Lower Proterozoic age occur at different depths - from the level of the day surface near the village of Glushkovichi to 6 km in the zone of the Pripyat trough. These rocks, the oldest in the country, have been studied mainly from borehole cores and are suitable for visual inspection in a quarry with a depth of about 100 m near the town of Mikashevichi. The oldest rock of the crystalline basement has an age of about 2580 million years, the youngest - 1630 - 1710 million years.

Of the rocks of the crystalline basement, such metamorphic rocks as gneiss, schists, quartzites, and amphibolites are widespread. In general, the calm bedding of these rocks is often disturbed by felsic intrusions.

Gneisses are about 2.6 billion years old and occur in the Shchuchin area (Grodno region). Shales are widespread in the zone of the Mikashevichi-Zhitkovichi ledge. The main areas of occurrence of ferruginous quartzites are the Karelich and Grodno districts of the Grodno region.

The crystalline basement of Belarus includes the following three series of Archean and Lower Proterozoic rocks:

shchuchin series,

round series,

Zhitkovichskaya series.

The Shchuchinskaya series is the most ancient and dates back to about 2.6 billion years. This series is composed of gneisses and amphibolites interrupted by numerous intrusions of granites and other rocks.

The Okolovo Series is about 2 billion years old and is formed by gneisses, amphibolites, and ferruginous quartzites with gabbro and diabase intrusions. In general, this series belongs to the Upper Archean.

The Zhitkovichi series dates back to approximately 1.6 - 1.7 billion years and is represented by shales, quartzites and other rocks.

Upper Proterozoic. Upper Proterozoic rocks form 1) Riphean and 2) Vendian complexes. Deposits of the Upper Proterozoic are distributed over 90% of the territory of Belarus; their thickness reaches 3,000 m.

The Riphean complex consists of 1) Bobruisk, 2) Sherovichi and 3) Belorussian series.

The Bobruisk series has an age of about 1.3 - 1.6 billion years. The sequences of this series are concentrated within the Bobruisk and Zhitkovichi ledges and are formed by quartz porphyries and gray quartzites.

The Sherovichi series was formed in the interval from 1.3 to 1.0 billion years and is composed of coarse-grained sandstones, clays and other rocks. In the Orsha region, the thickness of the rocks of this series reaches 225 m.

The Belarusian Series is dated at about 1.0 - 0.7 Ga. The deposits of this series extend in an almost continuous strip up to 250 km wide across the entire republic from the southwest to the northeast. The rocks of this series are best studied in the regions of Pinsk and Orsha. The Belarusian Series is mainly composed of fine-grained sandstones, silts, clays, and dolomites. The sediments contain the remains of lower algae, bacteria and some other marine organisms that existed in this area about 1 billion years ago. All these organisms represent the most ancient evidence of former biospheres in the country.

The Vendian complex includes 1) Vilchanskaya, 2) Volynskaya and 3) Valdai series.

The Vilchanskaya series was formed about 650-620 million years ago and is widespread in the southeast, east and central parts of Belarus. The Vilchanskaya series is a system of peculiar deposits of the largest glaciation in the history of the Earth, covering a vast territory of our planet in the Upper Proterozoic: from Greenland and Svalbard to Africa and Australia. The thickness of the Vilchanskaya series within Belarus reaches 470 m. The rocks of the Vilchanskaya series are represented by moraine loams, sandstones, clays, which are repeatedly overlapped in the section.

The Volyn series is typical for most of the territory of Belarus and is composed mainly of basalts and tuffs, as well as red-colored sandstones of small thickness - up to 20-30 m. The Volyn series is characterized by a basalt formation occupying about 17 thousand km2.

The Valdai series is distributed mainly in the north of Belarus. It has a thickness of about 350 m and is composed of sandstones, clays, silts with remains of algae and unicellular organisms.

The generalized stratigraphic section of the Upper Proterozoic reveals various conditions accumulation of sediments, including volcanism and glaciation.

Paleozoic. Paleozoic deposits are very unevenly distributed over the territory of Belarus.

Cambrian deposits are found within the Podlasie-Brest depression and the western slope of the Belarusian anticlise and are represented by clays, silts, sandstones with a thickness of 120 m (Belarusian anticlise) to 400 m (Podlasie-Brest depression). Remains of brachiopods and other primitive organisms are found in the Cambrian strata.

Ordovinian deposits are found within the Podlasie-Brest depression and the Baltic syneclise. In the southwest, this system is composed of quartz-glaucanitic sandstones, limestones, marl, and contains traces of brachiopods, corals, bryozoans, and echinoderms. The average thickness of the Ordovician deposits is about 40 m. Within the Baltic syneclise, the thickness of the Ordovician reaches 150 m and includes quartz sandstones, phosphorites, marl, and argillaceous limestones.

The Silurian deposits are distributed in the same areas as the Ordovician ones (Podlasie-Brest depression, Baltic syneclise). Their thickness within the Podlessko-Brest depression reaches 630 m, and in the Baltic syneclise it is only 70 m. The Silurian system is composed mainly of clays, marls and limestones. In the Podlasie-Brest basin, these rocks are often bituminous, that is, they contain signs of oil. Remains of invertebrate fauna are very characteristic of this system.

Devonian deposits cover about 80% of the territory of Belarus. Their total thickness reaches 3.5 - 4 km.

Lower Devonian rocks are known only in the south-west of Belarus; they are represented by clays, marls and limestones no more than 80 m thick.

The Middle Devonian rocks are about 300 m thick and are composed of marl, dolomites, and clays.

The rocks of the Upper Devonian are characterized by a very significant thickness and occupy vast territories in the south, southeast and east of Belarus. According to the features of the structure and occurrence of the layers, 1) the Pripyat trough and 2) the Orsha depression with the adjacent slopes of the Latvian saddle are distinguished.

In the Pripyat trough, the thickness of the Upper Devonian deposits reaches 3.5 km. Here they form several strata of different composition with interlayers of rock and potash salt, oil shale, etc.

Within the Orsha depression and the Latvian saddle, the Upper Devonian strata are represented by dolomites, limestones, clays, marl, remains of a rich fauna of brachiopods and other marine animals. The thickness of the deposits reaches 150 m. In some places along the valleys of the Dnieper and Zapadnaya Dvina, Upper Devonian deposits come to the surface.

Carboniferous deposits are less widespread and less thick (up to 1000 m) than Devonian ones. They are developed mainly within the Pripyat and Dnieper-Donetsk troughs, as well as the Volyn monocline.

In the Pripyat trough, the thickness of the Carboniferous deposits is very different. In depressions, it is somewhat greater, and within the salt domes it is sharply reduced to complete disappearance.

Permian deposits are found in the Pripyat and Dnieper-Donetsk troughs, the Podlasie-Brest depression, and also on the northwestern slope of the Belarusian anticlise.

In the Pripyat trough, the thickness of the Permian deposits reaches 500 m. At the base of the geological section, conglomerates formed as a result of the destruction of the Ukrainian shield are revealed. Above the section, red sandy-clayey rocks are observed. The upper Permian is characterized by sands, sandstones, aolitic limestones, as well as gypsum, anhydrite, and barite interlayers.

In the west of Belarus, the thickness of Permian deposits does not exceed several tens of meters; sandstones and conglomerates prevail here, which are replaced higher along the section by limestones and dolomites with traces of corals, worms and other organisms.

Mesozoic. In the Mesozoic era, marine transgressions developed quite widely on the territory of Belarus, which penetrated from the south and reached the latitude of Vitebsk. That is why deposits of all three systems of the Mesozoic group are known and well represented on the territory of the country: Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous.

Triassic deposits are common in the Pripyat trough and partly in the Podlasie-Brest basin. In the Pripyat trough, they are distinguished by their high thickness and completeness of the section.

The Lower Triassic is characterized by a thickness of up to 1,100 m and is represented by red-brown quartz sands and sandstones with interlayers of clays, marls and dolomites.

The Middle Triassic is composed of clays with interlayers of sandstones and sands and has a thickness of about 290 m.

The Upper Triassic is represented by greenish-gray kaolin clays with interlayers of sand, in which numerous plant remains are often found, forming thin interlayers of brown coal (up to 1 cm).

Jurassic deposits are widely developed in the east of Belarus, where they extend to the latitude of the city of Gorki. small plot Jurassic deposits are also found in the north-west of the country and is located north of the city of Grodno. Jura deposits are represented only by the middle and upper sections.

The Middle Jura is up to 6 m thick; composed of gray medium-grained sands, silts and sandstones, including plant remains, pieces of wood and interlayers of coal.

The Upper Jurassic is much more developed than the Middle Jurassic; its maximum thickness (up to 200 m) is observed within the Pripyat and Dnieper-Donetsk troughs. In the north and west, the thickness of the Upper Jurassic decreases significantly. The Upper Jurassic section begins with black and dark gray carbonate clays with a rich fauna of mollusks and protozoa. Limestones, marl, sands and clays occur higher along the section. Remains of corals, bryozoans and protozoa are found in limestones. In these deposits, at a depth of 90-400 m, there are accumulations of coal up to 4 m thick.

Cretaceous deposits are the most widespread (compared to deposits of other Mesozoic systems). In the valley of the Sozh River, they come to the surface. Cretaceous deposits are best expressed in the southern regions of Belarus, where they are formed by glauconite-quartz sandstones, dark gray and black clays, quartz sands with plant remains.

Cenozoic. On the territory of Belarus each period cenozoic era(Paleogene, Neogene, Anthropogen) was distinguished by its specific features of the paleographic chronicle. In the Paleogene, for example, there was the last marine basin in the country. In the Neogene, the accumulation of sediments occurred in continental conditions, and in the Anthropogen, repeated continental glaciations developed.

Paleogene deposits are ubiquitous. Rocks of all departments of the Paleogene system are distinguished, i.e. 1) Paleocene, 2) Eocene and 3) Oligocene. Along the valleys of the Dnieper, Sozha, Vykhra and Besed, they quite often come to the surface.

The Paleocene strata are composed of oleurites, clays, inequigranular quartz sands, and sandstones. Their thickness reaches 40 m.

The Eocene strata are widespread and are formed by glauconite-quartz sands, clays, sandstones, marl, etc. The thickness of the Eocene rocks is about 120 m.

The Oligocene sequences in the lower part of the section are mainly represented by glauconite-quartz sands and silts up to 50 m thick. The upper part of the section is characterized by kaolin clays, quartz sands with interlayers of brown coal, about 70 m thick.

Neogene deposits cover the largest areas in the interfluves of the Pripyat, Yaselda, Stviga and Slovechna and reach a thickness of 160 m. They are also found in other regions of Belarus in the form of small separate islands. Neogene outcrops are known in the Dnieper valley in the southern regions of the republic, on the Sozh River and its tributaries, etc. The most typical deposits of the Neogene on the territory of Belarus are white quartz sands with interlayers of brown coal.

Anthropogenic deposits (Quaternary period) are primarily associated with the activity of glaciers and have a thickness of about 325 m.

The main genetic types of Anthropogenic deposits on the territory of Belarus are:

moraine,

finite moraine,

fluvioglacial,

lacustrine-glacial,

loess and loess,

alluvial,

marsh,

slope,

chemogenic,

technogenic.

Moraine deposits are characterized by the maximum distribution and occupy more than half of the entire anthropogenic section of Belarus. The essential features of moraine deposits are: 1) mixed mechanical composition; 2) the presence of small particles, boulders and large boulders. Moraine deposits also include the largest boulder in the country - the Great Stone, brought to the territory of Belarus by a glacier from Finland.

End-morainic deposits formed at the edges of melting glaciers and often include masses of bedrock, mainly Cretaceous, Devonian, Paleogene. For example, in the region of the city of Volkovysk, the thickness of Cretaceous deposits reaches 200 m.

Fluvioglacial (flow-glacial) deposits are represented by glacio-alluvial, outwash, fluvio-glacial-deltaic, ozic and kame varieties.

Sandra - plains formed near the outskirts of ancient ice sheets by meltwater flows; composed of sands and pebbles (Pripyat Polissya).

Lacustrine-glacial deposits are typical of the Poozersky glaciation region. They were formed at the bottom of ancient glacial lakes: Polotsk, Surazh, Skidel, etc.

Alluvial deposits form floodplains and above-floodplain terraces of modern rivers, as well as the arable alluvium of the Pra-Dnieper and its numerous tributaries.

Loesses and loess-like deposits are most typical of the Orsha-Mogilev plateau, where their thickness is about 20 m.

Loess is a non-layered, homogeneous, fine-grained calcareous sedimentary rock of light yellow or pale yellow color. Its composition is dominated by particles of 0.01 - 0.05 mm; the largest grains usually consist of quartz and feldspar. Porosity - 40-55%. Loesses are able to maintain vertical slopes and give subsidence when wet. As a rule, loesses occur in the form of continuous covers with a thickness of several meters to 50-100 m on watersheds.

List of sources used

1. Ahoney natural terrytors and memorials of the nature of Belarus. - Mn., 1985.

2. Balandin R.K., Bondarev L.D. Nature and civilization. - M., 1988.

3.Belarusian Savetskaya Encyclopedia: In 12 volumes - Mn., 1969-1975.

4.Belarusian SSR: Short encyclopedia: In 5 volumes - Mn., 1978-1981.

5. Belousov V.V. Basic questions of geotectonics. - M., 1954.

6. Reservoirs of Belarus: Natural features and interaction with environment. - Mn., 1991.

7. Geography of Belarus / Ed. A.V. Dementieva. - Mn., 1977.

8. Geology of Belarus: Achievements and problems / Ed. G.I. Goretsky. - Mn., 1983.

9. Esakov V.A. Theoretical problems of physical geography in Russia in the 19th - early 20th centuries. - M., 1987.