| Among the many efforts being undertaken by Saudi Arabia to diversify its economy, is the development of mineral resources. The Arabian Shield, a geological feature that stretches along the entire Red Sea coast contains substantial deposits of precious and non-precious metals and other minerals.Geological surveys and mineral exploration have revealed that, in addition to vast oil reserves, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia possesses large deposits of various minerals, including bauxite, copper, gold, iron, lead, silver, tin and a number of non-metallic minerals. The Arabian Peninsula has ancient rocks, contains economically attractive metal deposits, and has extensive sedimentary successions of shallow water origin, hosting large deposits of industrial minerals. The geology of the Kingdom can be divided into two main zones. The Shield area in the west, adjacent to the Red Sea, covers one-third of the Kingdom and is the focus of gold and base metals exploration and mining. The surrounding sedimentary rocks dip gently toward the Arabian Gulf and contain industrial minerals -- as well as being the reservoir for the Kingdom's prolific oil and gas fields. |
