Saudi geologist: one-third of KSA contains rare treasures
The Saudi Geologists Cooperative affirmed that the Kingdom is rich in mineral riches, claiming that one-third of the land is home to unique gems.
Professor Abdulaziz bin Labor, the cooperative’s Chairman of the Board of Directors, stated that “the Kingdom contains many mineral treasures, and that previous mineral exploration operations revealed the discovery of at least 5,300 mineral sites of various types of minerals, metallic and non-metallic rocks, building materials, ornamental stones, and precious stones.”
He stated that “igneous and metamorphic rocks are found at a rate of 32 percent in the Arabian Shield, which covers an area of 630,000 square kilometers, or about a third of the Kingdom’s area, and they are concentrated in metallic minerals, including gold, silver, copper, tin, iron, as well as rare and radioactive and other elements.”
According to Abdul Aziz bin Laboun, “it is envisaged that the findings of the complete mineral survey of the Arabian Shield would lead to the discovery of further mineral wealth.”
“Because of the importance of minerals in the Kingdom and our efforts to invest in them as the third economic pillar of our national economy, after oil and petrochemicals,” he explained, “the state has given them great attention, as evidenced by the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources’ activity in this field, ranging from comprehensive mineral surveys to the Arab Shield and others, to laying foundations for Mineral investment.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Geologists Cooperative stated that “the International Mining Conference was distinguished by a positive initiative, which is to involve the community, through full-day workshops and full-day mining geological trips in Madinah, Jeddah, and Riyadh.
