MINERALS AND ENERGY RESOURCES

Minerals are indispensable part of our lives. Our life is very comfortable today
because we are able to use many different type of minerals. In every walks of life,
agriculture to space explorations, minerals are essential.

What is a mineral? Mineral is a homogenous, naturally occurring substance with a

definable internal structure. Rocks are combinations of homogenous substances called
minerals. Most of the rocks consist of several minerals in varying proportions. There are
different t types of minerals. They are classified on the basis of colour, hardness, lustre,
crystal forms and density.

Classification of minerals

Minerals are classified into Metallic, Non-metallic and Energy Minerals. Metallic
minerals are of three types. They are Ferrous minerals (containing iron) iron ore,
manganese etc. Non- ferrous minerals-Examples copper, bauxite etc. , and precious
metals—gold, silver etc. Non-metallic minerals include mica, salt, potash, sulphur etc.
and energy minerals are coal, petroleum and natural gas.

Occurrence of minerals

Minerals are usually found in ores. Ore is an accumulation of any mineral mixed with
other elements. The good quality ore alone can be mined. The type of formation or
structure in which minerals are formed is important. It decides the commercial extractions
of minerals. There are five type of occurrence of minerals. They are:

1. Metallic minerals life tin, copper, zinc etc. may occur in the cracks, crevices,
faults in Igneous and metamorphic rocks. Smaller occurrence are called veins
and the larger are called loads.
2. In sedimentary rocks a number of minerals occur in beds or layers. They have
been formed as a result of decomposition and accumulation in horizontal strata.
 Coal and some form of iron ore are found like this. Another type of sedimentary
mineral like potash salt, gypsum etc. are formed as a result of evaporation in arid
region.
3. Decomposition of surface rocks and the removal of soluble constituents, leave a
residual mass of weathered material containing ores. Bauxite is formed like this.
4. Certain mineral may occur as alluvial deposits in sands of valley floors and the
base of hills. Mineral like gold, silver etc. may found in these deposits. They are
also called placer deposits.
5. The ocean waters contain vast quantities of minerals like common salt,
magnesium and bromine.

MINERAL RESOURCES OF INDIA

India is rich in many valuable mineral resources. However, these are not evenly
distributed. The peninsular rocks contain most of the metallic minerals and coal and mica
and Gujarat and Assam have good deposits of petroleum.

Distribution of major minerals in India.

Iron ore

India is rich in this ferrous mineral. India has good deposits of both ores of iron-
magnetite and hematite. Magnetite is the finest iron ore with a high content or iron up to
70%. Hematite has 50-60% iron content. Odisha is the leading producer of iron ore
followed by Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and other states. The major iron ore
belts in India are :-

1. Odisha-Jharkhand belt. Mayurbhanj and Kendjuhar districts of Odisha and

Singbhum district of Jharkhand have very good deposits of hematite.
2. Durg-Bastar-Chandrapur belt. Bailadila range of hills in the Bastar district of
Chhattisgarh have very high grade hematite.
 3. Bellari-Chitradurga-Chikamagaluru-Tumkuru belt in Karnataka has large
resources of iron ore. Kudremukh deposits in this region is one of the largest in
the world.
4. Maharashtra-Goa belt includes the state of Goa and Ratnagiri district of
Maharashtra.

Manganese

Manganese is mainly used in the manufacturing of steel and ferro-manganese alloy.

It is also used the manufacturing of bleaching powder, insecticides and paints. Odisha
is the leading producer.

Non-ferrous Minerals

India is not endowed with good deposits of non-ferrous minerals. We are deficient in
certain type of non-ferrous minerals like gold and silver. Anyhow there are considerable
deposits of copper and bauxite.

Copper

Copper is highly useful in electrical and electronic industry. It is a good conductor of

electricity. India is deficient in its production. Copper is mainly extracted from Balghat
mines in Madhya Pradesh, Khethri mines of Rajasthan and Singbhum district of
Jharkhand.

Bauxite

Bauxite is the ore of aluminium. It is extremely light at the same time it has strength
like iron. So it ideally suited to aircraft industry. Major bauxite mines of India are
located in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Odisha.

Non-metallic minerals

Mica is one of the important non-metallic minerals. India has rich deposits of mica. It
is made up of a series of plates or leaves. Due to its excellent di-electrical strength, low
power loss factor, insulating properties and resistance to high voltage, mica is one of
the most indispensable mineral in electric and electronic industries. Jharkhand is the
leading producer of m ca. Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh also have good deposits of
mica.

Rock Minerals

Limestone is the most important rock mineral found in India. It is found in association
with rocks composed of calcium carbonates and calcium and magnesium carbonate. It
is the basic raw material for cement industry. Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and the
leading producers.

The quantity of minerals available on earth is very less. It is non renewable. So a

judicious use of mineral is a must. Over utilization of minerals may lead to its extinction.
So there is a need to practice conservation policies. Improved technologies need to be
developed to use low grade ores at low costs. Recycling of metals, using scrap metals
and other substitutes are steps in conserving our mineral resources for the future.

Energy Resources

Energy is required for all activities. Traditionally we are using firewood, cattle dung
cake, coal, petroleum, natural gas, and electricity for energy. These are called
conventional sources. Non- conventional sources include solar, wind, tidal, geothermal,
biogas and atomic energy. Over dependence o9n cattle dung and firewood in rural
areas would affect our forest and agriculture.

Coal, petroleum and natural gas are the important conventional sources of energy.

Coal

It is the most abundantly available fossil fuel. It meet a major part of our energy
needs. Coal is formed due to the compression of plant material over millions of years.
Coal is found in a variety of forms. They are:-
Lignite: it is low grade brown coal, which is soft with high moisture content. It is mainly
found in Neyveli in Tamil Nadu and used for generation of electricity.

Bituminous coal: it is buried deep and subjected to high temperature. It is the m ost
popular coal in commercial use.

Anthracite: it is the highest quality hard coal

On the basis of the period of its formation coal is divided into two categories. They are
Gondwana coal and Tertiary coal. Gondwana coal is over 200 million years old and
tertiary coal deposits are only about 55 million years old. Gondwana coal deposits are
mainly found in the valleys of Godavari, Mahanadi, Son and Wardha. Tertiary coal
occur in north eastern states.

Petroleum

It is the second major source of energy in India. It is used as a fuel, lubricant for
machineries and a raw material in petro chemical industries. It is a nodal industry for
synthetic textile, fertilizer and chemical industries. Most of the petroleum occurrences in
India are associated with anticlines and fault traps in the rock formation of the tertiary
age. It is also found in fault traps between porous and non-porous rocks. Mumbai high,
Gujarat and Assam are the major petroleum producing areas in India.

Natural Gas

It is an important clean energy resources. It is used as a source of energy as well as

an industrial raw material in the petro chemical industry. It is an eco-friendly fuel
because of low carbon dioxide emissions. Large reserves of gas have been discovered
in the Krishna-Godavari basin. Mumbai high, Gulf of Cambay and Andaman and
Nicobar islands also have good reserves of natural gas. The 1700km long HVJ pipeline
which connects Mumbai high with industrial centres of northern India provided an
impetus to India’s gas production.
Electricity

Electricity is generated mainly through two ways-by running water-hydro electricity

and by burning fossil fuels-thermal power. Hydro electricity is generated in various multi
purpose projects like Bhakra Nangal. Thermal electricity is generated by using coal,
petroleum and natural gas.

Non-conventional sources of energy

The growing consumption of energy has resulted in the depletion of fossil fuels and
increase in the prices of coal, oil and natural gas. Moreover increased use of fossil
fuels has caused serious environmental problem. Hence there is a pressing need to
use renewable sources of energy like solar energy, tidal energy, wind energy etc. these
are called non-conventional sources of energy.

Nuclear energy

It is obtained by altering the structure of atoms. Uranium and thorium, which are
available in Jharkhand and the Aravally ranges in Rajasthan are used for generating
nuclear power.

Solar energy

India is a tropical country. So it has enormous possibilities of tapping solar energy.

Solar energy is fast becoming popular in rural and remote areas of the country.
Photovoltaic tech ology converts sunlight directly into electricity. The popularization of
solar energy will contribute to environmental conservation and adequate supply of
manure in agriculture.

Wind power

India has great potential of wind power. The largest wind farm cluster is located in
Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Biogas

Shrubs, farm waste, animal and human waste are used to produce biogas for
domestic consumption in rural areas. The plants using cattle dung are known as
Goober gas plants in rural India. They provide benefits to the farmers in the form of
energy and improved quality of manure.

Tidal Energy

Oceanic tides can be used to generate electricity. Floodgate dams are built across
inlets. During high tide water flows in to the inlet and gets trapped. After the tide falls,
the water flows back to the sea via a pipe that carries it through a power generating
turbine. In India, the Gulf of Khambhat, the Gulf of Kachchh in Gujarat provide ideal
condition for generating tidal energy.

Geo thermal Energy

It refers to the heat and electricity produced by using the heat from the interior of the
earth. There are several hundred hot springs in India, which could be used to generate
electricity.

Conservation of energy resources

There is a huge increase in the consumption of energy in India. As India is not rich
in fossil fuels, there is an urgent need to promote energy conservation methods. India
is one of the least energy efficient countries in the world. So we have to adopt energy
conservation methods. We have to use public transport systems instead of individual
vehicles. Switch off electricity when not in use, use power saving devices and use of
non-conventional sources of energy.