Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan.20
By Fatih Karimov - Trend: Namak Lake in Iranholds 240 million tons of minerals, IRNA quoted Touraj Zare', an official with the Iranian Mines & Mining Industries Development & Renovation (IMIDRO), as saying on Jan. 20.
Namak Lake is a salt lake. It is located approximately 100 km east of the central city of Qom.
Three minerals, namely Magnesia, Halite, and Sylvite have been identified so far in the lake, with estimated reserves of 32 million tons, 200 million tons, and 4.5 million tons, respectively Zare' said.
These minerals are used in the agriculture, steel, and aluminum industries.
Namak Lake has a surface area of about 1800 km², but most of this is dry. Water only covers 1 km².
Iran holds three per cent of the world's mineral reserves which puts the country first in the Middle East and third in Asia.
Iran is ranked among the 15 major mineral-rich countries of the world and exports its industrial and mineral products to 159 countries, including Iraq, China, the United Arab Emirates, India and Afghanistan.
The important mines of Iran include coal, metallic minerals, sand and gravel, chemical minerals and salt.
The country has the world's largest zinc and second largest copper deposits and ranks ninth for its iron reserves.
Edited by C.N.
