COUNTRY IN FOCUS • which are granitic ring complexes . Eastern Uweinat – the highest point in the Libyan Desert – is a raised sandstone plateau , dotted with eroded volcanic features to the north .
Due to the location of the country in the North of Africa , Libya belongs entirely to the Saharan domain forming the northern part of the African Shield . With / bara few outcrops from Precambrian deposits , the country is mostly covered by Paleozoic , Mesozoic and Cenozoic sediments and Neogene volcanics .
The sweet spot ? The petroleum sector was the most important component of Libya ' s mineral industry , until the collapse of the country . Libya holds the largest proven oil reserves in Africa and is an important contributor to the global supply of light , sweet crude . Oil production stood at more than 1.6 million barrels per day before the Arab Spring uprising . Current production is estimated at 900 000 barrels per day . Oil fields include the Bouri Field , the Mediterranean ' s largest producing oilfield , El Sharara , Elephant , Raguba , Sarir , Waha and Zelten . Sulfur extraction was approximately 13 000 tons / year and was produced as a byproduct of refining petroleum and natural gas .
Due to the heavy reliance on the petroleum sector over the past decades , no real significant geological exploration of other mineral deposits has been undertaken . The main known deposits relate to gypsum deposits that historically produced 150 000 tons per year for the manufacture of cement . Iron ore from Wadi ash-Shati ', with a reserve of 795 million tons with an average grade of 52 % Fe was identified but has not been developed due the isolated location in the desert , around 900km inland .
There are large salt flats in the north of the country with peak production in the 1980s amounting to approximately 11 000 tons of salt per annum . Substantial reserves of magnesium and potassium salts have been recorded , but no exploration or development undertaken . The country has a very small industrial mineral industry , limited to clay , cement and limestone .
There are reports of potentially diamondiferous kimberlites in the East Saharan craton . Metamorphic belts with potential for gold are indicated in the southern regions of the country .
The development of infrastructure is limited to the coastal region along the Mediterranean Sea and the oil fields . Historically the
Pexels | Anthony Beck civil service was the main employer in the country and was able to appoint as much as 70 % of the population at its peak . Libya is also restricted in terms of agricultural potential and remains highly dependent on food imports , due to its extreme climate .
The provision of potable water also remains a massive challenge in the modern-day Libya . Under the Gaddafi government , the Great Man-Made River was the world ' s largest irrigation project . The project utilises a pipeline system that pumps fossil water from the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System from south Libya to cities in the populous northern Mediterranean coast including Tripoli and Benghazi . The water provides 70 % of all fresh water used in Libya , but maintenance of the pipeline has been lacking in the last number of years .
The development of Libya will remain in a state of limbo until the political conflict has been resolved . The global move away from fossil fuels will mean that a future Libya will not be able to rely on the petroleum sector to rebuild the country . A substantial undertaking will be required in the future to locate and develop opportunities and other natural resources . The lack of exploration is both a current impediment to progress and a future sweet spot , should stability ensue . Until then , the sands of the Sahara will continue to move and cover attempts of humans to conquer it . •
References 1 . https :// www . securitycouncilreport . org / monthlyforecast / 2024-02 / libya-47 . php
Audrius Sutkus | Unsplash
The Libyan Desert covers most of the country in Aeolian sand with rock outcrops and the climate is extreme , with temperatures ranging from very hot during the day to freezing cold at night .
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