Fossil Fuels

Coal: significant reserves, but coal is rarely used domestically as fuel any longer. Coal is mostly used by the Ioudaian steel industry, so export quantities are available.

Natural gas: minor reserves mostly due to our coal fields, but we have a small amount of shale gas. Ioudaia is a major importer.

Oil: significant reserves of heavy, sour crude offshore in Kolpos Aremikos. Domestic production and refining capability are maintained by the Ioudaian Navy as a strategic asset at some expense. However, because of the cost of refining and
desulfurizing our crude oil, Ioudaia is a major importer, except when oil is expensive on regional markets.

Uranium/Thorium: minor reserves as a side effect of rare earth element production. Ioudaia makes only modest use of nuclear power.

Precious Stones

The main gem-producing area in Ioudaia is the foothills of Sarhat Tukidas near Nilakabat.

Ruby has been mined, polished, and cut since antiquity, however, the veins are nearly exhausted. Gem-quality rubies found now are on 1 carat or less, though industrial ruby is still plentiful.

Sapphire is still abundant, but blue sapphire is relatively rare, and fancy sapphire is relatively common. Large gem-quality stones occasionally still turn up.

Moonstone, peridot, and garnet are also found near Nilakabat.

Jaspers of all kinds and sizes are commonly found around Shariyath, giving the city its name (literally, "city of jasper"). In addition, picture jasper/landscape jasper is found in a layer up to several meters thick west of the city, and is cut into large blocks for building facades and table- and counter-tops. X-ray tomography is used to select directions for cutting to maximize value, based on the patterns that will result.

Dimensional Stone

Marble is found in both of our major mountain ranges. Three types are available:

• Fine-grained white and blue marble is the most common. It's sometimes used for building facades, and due to its abundance, even used for monumental buildings and sculpture.

• Coarse-grained cream-colored marble is also abundant. While it's translucent, and thus sometimes used for facades and roofs of monumental buildings, it's too coarse-grained for sculpture.

• Fine-grained snow white marble is available only from a few small quarries any more, and so is expensive. It's mostly used for sculpture, but still is sometimes used for building facades.
  

We have extensive deposits of sandstone in and around Sahel Tufani. It's available in several colors and textures.

Nearly all of our domestic granite is grey speckled with black. It is at best plain and at worst ugly, but it's found in many places. A very small amount of pink granite is quarried, but as with our white marble, is expensive.

Building Materials

The raw materials for concrete and brick are common, and both are made locally. Cinder blocks are manufactured as well.