Brazil is also a major producer of several other key commodities such as gold, coal and phosphates. Brazil is also the world's largest exporter of niobium, tin, lithium, tantalum and gemstones. Bauxite, gold, manganese, among other primary mineral products, also contribute positively to mineral export revenues.
Job losses continue to occur as a result of privatisation and joint venture activities.
A wide range of geological environments are encountered in the country, with nearly half of the country covered by younger sedimentary successions, which cover extensive Precambrian terranes, some of which is Archaean in age. The cratonic areas contain greenstone belts and sedimentary volcanic rocks, responsible for deposits of gold, silver, iron, manganese and base metals. The wide diversity of geological environments found in Brazil is the main characteristic that gives Brazil the status of possessing one of the largest mineral potentials in the world.