Mineral and Energy Resources

Minerals and Energy Resources
Chapter-5
Mineral:
Geologists define mineral as a “homogeneous, naturally occurring substance with a definable
internal structure.” They have physical and chemical properties by which they can be identified.
Rocks are combinations or aggregates of minerals in varying proportions. Some rocks

consist of a single mineral, e.g., limestone while most rocks consist of several minerals.
The term ‘ore’ is used to describe an accumulation of any mineral mixed with other
elements.
Mode of Occurrence of Minerals

1. Minerals occur in the cracks, crevices, faults, or joints in igneous and
metamorphic rocks.
2. A number of minerals occur in the beds or layers of sedimentary rocks.
3. Minerals are also formed due to the decomposition of surface rocks and the
removal of soluble constituents.
4. Vast quantities of minerals occur in ocean waters.
Classification of Minerals
1. Metallic Minerals
2. Non- Metallic Minerals
3. Energy Resources
Metallic Minerals
Metallic minerals are those minerals that are used in industries like
automobiles, construction, and manufacturing. Metallic minerals are further
divided into ferrous minerals, Non- ferrous minerals and Precious minerals.
Ferrous Minerals
Ferrous minerals account for almost three-fourths of the overall value of metallic
mineral output.
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.
Four major iron ore belts:
1. Odisha-Jharkhand Belt: Badampahar Mines—High grade hematite ore is found

here.
2. Durg-Bastar-Chandrapur Belt: Bailadila Mines—Super high grade hematite ore
deposits are found in Bailadila range. Iron ore from these mines is exported to
Japan and South Korea.
3. Bellary-Chitradurga-Chikmaglur Tumkur Belt in Karnataka: Kudremukh Mines — A
100 per cent export unit. The ore is transported as slurry to a port near Mangalore.
4. Maharashtra-Goa Belt: Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra—Ores are not of very
high quality. Iron ore is exported through Marmagao port.
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.
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.
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
Non-metallic minerals are used in industries like cement, glass, and
ceramics. Non-metallic minerals like limestone, mica, gypsum, and salt are
abundantly available in India.
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
 Limestone can be found in rocks containing calcium carbonates or calcium
and magnesium carbonates.
 It is the primary raw material used in the cement industry and is required for
the blast furnace to smelt iron ore.

Conservation of Minerals
 Minerals are a non-renewable resource.
 Continued extraction of ores leads to the depletion of minerals.
Energy Resources
Energy resources can be classified as
 Conventional Sources: It includes firewood, cattle dung cake, coal,
petroleum, natural gas and electricity.
 Non-Conventional Sources: It includes solar, wind, tidal, geothermal,
biogas and atomic energy
Conventional Sources of Energy

Coal:
1. It provides a substantial part of the nation’s energy needs as it is abundantly
available.
2. It is an indispensable raw material for iron and steel industry.
Four types of coal and their characteristics:
(a) Anthracite—1. It is the highest quality hard coal; 2. It contains more than 80%
carbon content. It gives less smoke. ,
(b) Bituminous— 1. It is the most popular coal in commercial use and has 60-80%
carbon content; 2. Metallurgical coal is high grade bituminous coal and is of special
value for smelting iron in blast furnaces.
(c) Lignite—1. It is a low grade brown coal; 2. It is soft with high moisture content. The
main lignite reserve is Neyveli in Tamil Nadu.
(d) Peat—1. It has a low carbon and high moisture content; 2. It has low heating
capacity and gives lot of smoke on burning.
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.
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. Large reserves of natural gas have been discovered in the Krishna-Godavari
basin.
Electricity
Electricity is mostly produced in two ways:
1. Running water powers hydro turbines, which create hydroelectricity. It is a
renewable energy source.
2. Thermal power is produced by burning other fuels such as coal,
petroleum, and natural gas to drive turbines. It generates power using
nonrenewable fossil fuels.
3.
Non-Conventional Energy Sources
Non-Conventional Energy Sources include renewable energy sources such as
solar energy, wind energy, tide energy, biomass, and energy from waste.
Atomic or nuclear Energy
Nuclear energy is created by modifying the atomic structure. Uranium and
Thorium are employed in the production of atomic or nuclear power.
Solar Energy
The Sun’s light generates solar energy. Photovoltaic technology directly turns
sunlight into power.
Wind Energy
It is often known as wind power, which is the utilization of wind to create
electricity. Wind turbines are utilized to do this. Tamil Nadu has the biggest wind
farm cluster, stretching from Nagercoil to Madurai.
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.
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.
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. Here are some ways that
each one of us can contribute to save energy resources:
 Switching off electricity when not in use
 Using power-saving devices.
 Using non-conventional sources of energy

Mineral and Energy Resources

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Mineral and Energy Resources

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Minerals and Energy Resources

Rocks are combinations or aggregates of minerals in varying proportions. Some rocks

Mode of Occurrence of Minerals

Four major iron ore belts:

1. Odisha-Jharkhand Belt: Badampahar Mines—High grade hematite ore is found

1. Mica is a mineral made up of a series of plates or leaves. It can be clear,

Conventional Sources of Energy

Four types of coal and their characteristics:

1. Natural gas is an important clean energy resource. It is considered an

 Biogas is a type of biofuel that is naturally produced from the

Conservation of Energy Resources

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