Minerals – A naturally occurring substance which has a definite chemical composition is called mineral.
Minerals can be identified on the basis of their physical properties and chemical properties.
Ore – A rock from which a particular mineral can be profitably extracted is called ore.
Out of more than 28,000 types of minerals known till date, only about 100 are considered are ores.
Types of Minerals: On the basis of composition, minerals are classified into two main categories:
Metallic Minerals
Non-metallic minerals
Metallic Minerals: Minerals which contain metals in raw forms are called metallic minerals.
Metallic minerals are further classified into ferrous and non-ferrous minerals.
Ferrous Minerals: Minerals which contain iron are called ferrous minerals. Ex– iron ore, manganese and chromite.
Non-ferrous Minerals: Minerals which do not contain iron are called non – ferrous minerals. Ex– bauxite, tin, copper, gold, etc.
Non-metallic Minerals: Minerals which do not contain metals are called non – metallic minerals.
Ex – Limestone, mica, coal, petroleum, etc.
Extraction of minerals: Minerals can be extracted by different processes, which are as follows:
Mining: The process of taking out minerals buried under the rocks is called mining.
There are two main methods of mining:
Open Cast Mining: When minerals are taken out by removing the surface layer, the process is called open – cast mining. Minerals which lie at shallow depths are extracted by this process.
Shaft Mining: When deep bores (called shafts) are made to reach the mineral deposits at great depth, the process is called shaft mining.
Drilling: When deep wells are bored to take out the mineral, the process is called drilling. Petroleum and natural gas are extracted by this method.
Quarrying: When minerals are simply dug out from near the surface, the process is called quarrying.
Distribution of minerals:
Metallic minerals are usually found in igneous and metamorphic rock formations that form large plateaus.
Non-metallic minerals are usually found in sedimentary rock formations of plains and young fold mountains.
Asia:
Iron ore deposits are found in China and India.
Asia produces more than half of the world’s tin.
China, Malaysia and Indonesia are among the leading producers of tin in the world.
China is also a leading producer of lead, antimony and tungsten.
Deposits of manganese, bauxite, nickel, zinc and copper are also found in Asia.
Europe:
Europe is the leading producer of iron-ore.
Russia, Ukraine, Sweden and France have large deposits of iron ore.
Deposits of copper, lead, zinc, manganese and nickel are found in Eastern Europe and European Russia.
North America: There are three regions in North America which have mineral deposits and they are as follows:
The Canadian region: Iron ore, nickel, gold, uranium and copper
The Appalachian region: Coal
Mountain ranges of the west: Copper, lead, zinc, gold and silver
South America:
Brazil is the largest producer of high grade iron ore.
Chile and Peru are the leading producers of copper.
Brazil and Bolivia are among the leading producers of tin.
Deposits of gold, silver, zinc, chromium, manganese, bauxite, mica, platinum, asbestos and diamond are also found in South America.
Mineral oil is found in Venezuela, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Columbia.
Africa:
Africa is the largest producer of diamond, gold and platinum.
A large portion of the world’s gold is produced in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zaire.
Copper, iron ore, chromium, uranium, cobalt and bauxite are also found in Africa.
Oil is found in Nigeria, Libya and Angola.
Australia:
Australia is the largest producer of bauxite.
Australia is among the leading producers of gold, diamond, iron ore, tin and nickel.
Copper, lead, zinc and manganese are also found in Australia.
Large deposits of gold are present in Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie areas of Western Australia.
Antarctica:
Geologists have estimated deposits of a variety of minerals in Antarctica.
Forecasts have been made about significant coal deposits in the Transantarctic Mountains.
Iron is estimated to be present near the Prince Charles Mountains of East Antarctica.
Distribution of minerals in India:
Iron:
There are deposits of high grade iron ore in India.
Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka are the states with iron ore deposits.
Bauxite:
Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu are the states with bauxite deposits.
Mica:
Mica is mainly found in Jharkhand, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.
India is the largest producer and exporter of mica.
Copper:
Copper is mainly found in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Manganese:
Manganese is mainly found in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Limestone:
Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu are the major states which produce limestone.
Gold:
Gold is found in Kolar in Karnataka.
The Kolar mines are among the deepest mines in the world.
Salt:
Salt is obtained from sea, lakes and rocks.
India is among the leading producers and exporters of salt.
Uses of Minerals:
Minerals are used in many industries; like iron and steel, automobiles, airplanes, etc.
Copper is used for making coins, electrical wires, pipes, etc.
Aluminum is used for making automobiles and airplanes.
Precious metals are used in making jewelry.
Iron is used for making heavy machines, tools, and for construction of buildings and bridges.
Conservation of Minerals:
It takes thousands of years for the formation of minerals.
But we are using the minerals at a much faster rate.
Hence, it is necessary to conserve minerals.
This can be done by reducing the wastage during mining.
We should reduce our consumption of items so that demand for minerals can be reduced.
We should reuse old items to reduce the demand for minerals.
Metals can be recycled many times which can help in reducing the demand for fresh minerals.
Power resources: Power resources are classified into two main categories –
Conventional
Non – conventional resources.
Conventional Sources – Those power resources which have been in common use for a long time is called Conventional Sources.
Ex – Firewood and fossil fuels are the two main conventional energy sources.
Firewood – wood that is burnt as fuel is called firewood.
It is widely used for cooking and heating.
In our country more than fifty per cent of the energy used by villagers comes from fire wood.
Remains of plants and animals which were buried under the earth for millions of years got converted by the heat and pressure into fossil fuels.
Fossil fuel such as coal, petroleum and natural gas are the main sources of conventional energy. The reserves of these minerals are limited.
The rate at which the growing world population is consuming them is far greater than the rate of their formation. So, these are likely to be exhausted soon.
Coal – A hard rock which can be burned as a solid fossil fuel is called coal.
This is the most abundantly found fossil fuel.
It is used as a domestic fuel, in industries such as iron and steel, steam engines and to generate electricity. Electricity from coal is called thermal power.
The coal which we are using today was formed millions of years ago when giant ferns and swamps got buried under the layers of earth.
The leading coal producers of the world are China, USA, Germany, Russia, South Africa and France.
The coal producing areas of India are Raniganj, Jharia, Dhanbad and Bokaro in Jharkhand.
Petroleum – A naturally occurring liquid found beneath the earth’s surface that can be refined into fuel is called Petroleum.
The petrol that keeps your car running as well as the oil that keeps your cycle from squeaking, both began as a thick black liquid called Petroleum.
It is found between the layers of rocks and is drilled from oil fields located in off-shore and coastal areas.
This is then sent to refineries which process the crude oil and produce a variety of products like diesel, petrol, kerosene, wax, plastics and lubricants.
Petroleum and its derivatives are called Black Gold as they are very valuable.
The chief petroleum producing countries are Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The other major producers are USA, Russia, Venezuela, and Algeria.
The leading producers in India are Digboi in Assam, Bombay High in Mumbai and the deltas of Krishna and Godavari rivers.
Natural Gas – A mixture of gases which are rich in hydrocarbons is called natural gas.
Natural gas is found with petroleum deposits and is released when crude oil is brought to the surface.
It can be used as a domestic and industrial fuel.
Russia, Norway, UK and the Netherlands are the major producers of natural gas.
In India Jaisalmer, Krishna Godavari delta, Tripura and some areas off shore in Mumbai have natural gas resources.
Very few countries in the world have sufficient natural gas reserves of their own.
The toxic pollutants released from burning these fuels are also a cause for concern.
Unchecked burning of fossil fuel is like an unchecked dripping tap which will eventually run dry.
This has led to the tapping of various non-conventional sources of energy that are cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels.
Hydel Power – A form of renewable energy that uses the power of moving water to generate electricity is called hydel power.
Rain water or river water stored in dams is made to fall from heights.
The falling water flows through pipes inside the dam over turbine blades placed at the bottom of the dam.
The moving blades then turn the generator to produce electricity. This is called hydro electricity.
The water discharged after the generation of electricity is used for irrigation.
One fourth of the world’s electricity is produced by hydel power.
The leading producers of hydel power in the world are Paraguay, Norway, Brazil, and China.
Some important hydel power stations in India are Bhakra Nangal, Gandhi Sagar, Nagarjunsagar and Damodar valley projects.
Non – conventional Sources of Energy – The energy sources which are continuously replenished by natural processes is called Non-conventional Sources of Energy.
Ex – solar energy, wind energy, tidal energy, biogas etc.
Solar energy – Energy that uses the power of the sun to produce electricity is called solar energy.
Sun’s heat and light energy can be felt by us every day.
Solar energy trapped from the sun can be used in solar cells to produce electricity.
Many of these cells are joined into solar panels to generate power for heating and lighting purpose.
The technology of utilising solar energy benefits a lot of tropical countries that are blessed with abundant sun shine.
Solar energy is also used in solar heaters, solar cookers, solar dryers besides being used for community lighting and traffic signals.
Wind Energy – The process by which wind is used to generate electricity is called wind energy.
Wind is an inexhaustible source of energy.
Wind mills have been used for grinding grain and lifting water since times immemorial.
In modern time wind mills, the high speed winds rotate the wind mill which is connected to a generator to produce electricity.
Wind farms having clusters of such wind mills are located in coastal regions and in mountain passes where strong and steady winds blow.
Windfarms are found in Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, UK, USA and Spain are noted for their wind energy production.
Nuclear Power – Electric or motive power generated by a nuclear reactor is called nuclear power.
Nuclear power is obtained from energy stored in the nuclei of atoms of naturally occurring radioactive elements like uranium and thorium.
These fuels undergo nuclear fission in nuclear reactors and emit power.
The greatest producers of nuclear power are USA and Europe.
In India Rajasthan and Jharkhand have large deposits of Uranium.
Thorium is found in large quantities in the Monazite sands of Kerala.
The nuclear power stations in India are located in Kalpakkam in Tamilnadu, Tarapur in Maharashtra, Ranapratap Sagar near Kota in Rajasthan, Narora in Uttar Pradesh and Kaiga in Karnataka.
Geothermal Energy – The process by which energy produce using the internal heat of the Earth’s crust is called Geothermal Energy
Heat energy obtained from the earth is called geothermal energy.
The temperature in the interior of the earth rises steadily as we go deeper.
Sometimes this heat energy may surface itself in the form of hot springs.
This heat energy can be used to generate power.
Tidal Energy – The form of hydropower that converts the energy obtained from tides into useful forms of power is called tidal energy.
Energy generated from tides is called tidal energy.
Tidal energy can be harnessed by building dams at narrow openings of the sea.
During high tide the energy of the tides is used to turn the turbine installed in the dam to produce electricity. Russia, France and the Gulf of Kachchh in India have huge tidal mill.
Biogas – A mixture of methane and carbon dioxide produced by the bacterial decomposition of organic wastes and used as a fuel is called biogas.
Organic waste such as dead plant and animal material, animal dung and kitchen waste can be converted into a gaseous fuel called biogas.
The organic waste is decomposed by bacteria in biogas digesters to emit biogas which is essentially a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide.
Biogas is an excellent fuel for cooking and lighting and produces huge amount of organic manure each year.
