Minerals and Energy Resources
* Mineral: It is defined as a “homogenous, naturally occurring
substance with a definable internal structure.”
- Minerals are found in varied forms in nature, ranging from the
hardest diamond to the softest talc.
- Rocks are combinations of homogeneous substances called
minerals.
* Mode of Occurrence of Minerals
- Minerals are usually found in “ores”. The term ore is used to
describe an accumulation of any mineral
mixed with other
elements. Minerals generally occur in the following forms:
(i) In igneous and metamorphic rocks, minerals may occur in the
cracks, crevices, faults or joints.
(ii) In sedimentary rocks, a number of minerals occur in beds or
layers.
(iii) The decomposition of surface rocks and the removal of
soluble constituents also forms the
minerals.
(iv) Minerals also occur as alluvial deposits in sands of valley
floors and the base of hills.
(v) The ocean waters contain vast quantities of minerals.
* Ferrous Minerals
- Ferrous minerals account for about three-fourths of the total
value of the production of metallic
minerals.
[1] Iron Ore
1. India is endowed with fairly abundant resources of iron ore.
2. Magnetite is the finest iron ore with a very high content of iron,
up to 70%. It has excellent magnetic qualities.
3. Hematite ore is the most important industrial iron ore. It
contains 50 to 60% iron.
* The major iron ore belts in India are:
(i) Odisha-Jharkhand belt
(ii) Durg-Bastar-Chandrapur belt
(iii) Ballari-Chitradurga-Chikkamagaluru-Tumakuru belt
(iv) Maharashtra-Goa belt
[2] Manganese
1. It is mainly used in the manufacturing of steel and ferro-
manganese alloy.
2. Nearly 10 kg of manganese is required to manufacture 1 tonne
of steel.
3. It is also used in manufacturing bleaching powder, insecticides
and paints.
* Non-Ferrous Minerals
- Non-ferrous minerals include copper, bauxite, lead, zinc and gold.
These minerals play a vital role in a
number of metallurgical,
engineering and electrical industries.
[1] Copper
1. Malleable, ductile and good conductor of heat and electricity.
2. Mainly used in electrical cables, electronics and chemical
industries.
3. The Balaghat mines in Madhya Pradesh, Khetri mines in
Rajasthan and Singhbhum district of Jharkhand are leading
producers of copper.
[2] Bauxite
1. Bauxite deposits are formed by the decomposition of a wide
variety of rocks rich in aluminium
silicates.
2. Aluminium is obtained from bauxite. Aluminium has good
conductivity and great malleability.
3. Deposits are mainly found in the Amarkantak plateau, Maikal
hills and the plateau region of
Bilaspur-Katni.
* Non-Metallic Minerals
1. Mica is a mineral made up of a series of plates or leaves. It can
be clear, black, green, red, yellow or brown.
2. Mica is the most indispensable minerals used in electric and
electronic industries.
3. It has excellent di-electric strength, low power loss factor,
insulating properties and resistance to
high voltage.
4. Mica deposits are found in the northern edge of the Chota
Nagpur plateau.
* Rock Minerals
1. Limestone is found in rocks composed of calcium carbonates
or calcium and magnesium
carbonates.
2. It is the basic raw material for the cement industry and essential
for smelting iron ore in the blast
furnace.
*Conservation of Minerals
- Minerals are a non-renewable resource. It takes thousands of
years for the formation and concentration
of minerals. Continued
extraction of ores leads to the depletion of minerals. So, it's
important to take
the necessary steps so that mineral resources
can be used in a planned and sustainable manner.
* Energy Resources
- Energy resources can be classified as
1. Conventional Sources: It includes firewood, cattle dung cake,
coal, petroleum, natural gas and
electricity.
2. Non-Conventional Sources: It includes solar, wind, tidal,
geothermal, biogas and atomic
energy
* Conventional Sources of Energy
[1] Coal:
1. It is the most abundantly available fossil fuel.
2. It is used for power generation, to supply energy to the industry
as well as for domestic needs.
3. Lignite is a low grade brown coal, which is soft with high
moisture content.
4. Coal that has been buried deep and subjected to increased
temperatures is bituminous coal.
5. Anthracite is the highest quality of hard coal.
6. Jharia, Raniganj, Bokaro are important coalfields.
[2] Petroleum
1. It provides fuel for heat and lighting, lubricants for machinery
and raw materials for a number of manufacturing industries.
2. Petroleum refineries act as a “nodal industry” for synthetic
textile, fertiliser and numerous chemical industries.
3. Mumbai High, Gujarat and Assam are major petroleum
production areas in India.
[3] Natural Gas
1. Natural gas is an important clean energy resource. It is
considered an environment-friendly fuel.
2. The power and fertilizer industries are the key users of natural
gas.
3. Compressed Natural Gas (CNG ) is used in vehicles to replace
liquid fuels.
4. Large reserves of natural gas have been discovered in the
Krishna-Godavari basin
[4] Electricity
- Electricity is generated mainly in 2 ways:
1. By running water which drives hydro turbines to generate Hydro
Electricity. It is a renewable resource of energy. India has a
number of multi-purpose projects like the Bhakra Nangal,
Damodar Valley Corporation, the Kopili Hydel Project.
2. By burning other fuels such as coal, petroleum and natural gas
to drive turbines to produce
[5] Thermal Power.
- It uses non-renewable fossil fuels for generating electricity.
* Non-Conventional Sources of Energy
- The renewable energy sources like solar energy, wind, tide,
biomass and energy from waste material
are called Non-
Conventional Energy Sources.
-Let’s discuss them one by one.
[1] Nuclear or Atomic Energy
Nuclear Energy is obtained by altering the structure of atoms.
Uranium and Thorium are used for generating atomic or nuclear
power.
[2] Solar Energy
Solar energy is produced by the Sun's light. Photovoltaic technology
converts sunlight directly into
electricity.
[3] Wind Power
Wind Energy or Power is the use of wind to generate electricity. Wind
turbines are used for this
purpose. The largest wind farm cluster is
located in Tamil Nadu from Nagarcoil to Madurai.
[4] Biogas
Biogas is a type of biofuel that is naturally produced from the
decomposition of organic waste. Biogas is the most efficient use of
cattle dung. It improves the quality of manure.
[5] Tidal Energy
Tidal energy is the form of hydropower that converts the energy
obtained from tides into useful forms of
power, mainly electricity. In
India, the Gulf of Khambhat, the Gulf of Kachchh in Gujarat on the
western
coast and Gangetic delta in Sunderban regions of West
Bengal provide ideal conditions for utilising tidal energy.
[6] Geo-Thermal Energy
When heat and electricity are produced by using the heat from the
interior of the earth, it is known as
Geo-Thermal Energy. In India,
geothermal energy is harnessed from Parvati valley near Manikarn
in
Himachal Pradesh and from Puga Valley, Ladakh.
*Conservation of Energy Resources
- Every sector of the national economy – agriculture, industry,
transport, commercial and domestic -
needs inputs of energy.
There is an urgent need to develop a sustainable path for energy
development.
* Here are some ways that each one of us can contribute to save
energy resources:
1. Using public transport systems instead of individual vehicles
2. Switching off electricity when not in use
3. Using power-saving devices.
4. Using non-conventional sources of energy
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