Minerals And Energy Resources

Resource
A resource is a thing obtained from a source and can be used to satisfy human
needs. It has valuable values and hence, is of economic significance. Resources
may be classified in many ways. Mineral and energy resources are two of them.
Earth's crust is made up of minerals. Minerals are the most valuable,
homogeneous natural resources which can be used as fuel and a source for
ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

Ore
An ore is a type of rock in which metallic minerals are present in concentrated
form. Mineral ores are required to be refined before their use for the extraction of
metals.

Classification of Minerals Metallic

Minerals Ferrous Minerals Iron Ore
The main ore from which iron is extracted for steel manufacture. It is the
backbone of modern civilization as everything - from a tiny pin to a gigantic
skyscraper, bridges, railroads, etc. - is made of iron and steel. Of the four classes
of iron ore –
• Magnetite is the most refined quality ore, which is black.
• Hematite is also a good quality ore. It is reddish. Areas having rich iron ore
deposits in India

Distribution of Iron Ore in India

States Mining areas
Odisha Gorumahisani, Badampahar in Mayurbhanj
Jharkhand Singhbhum, Noamundi
Chhattisgarh Dalli-Rajhara, Bailadila in Bastar District
Goa Bicholim, Ratnagiri District
Karnataka Kudremukh in Chikmagalur, Bellary district

Manganese
When added to iron, manganese acts as a 'cleanser' in manufacturing steel to
remove glasses. It is also used in the manufacture of bleaching powder,
pesticides, and paint.
Non-Ferrous Minerals
Copper
As copper is a ductile metal and a good conductor, it is ideal for making electric
wires. It is also used in the electronics and chemical industries.

State-wise Distribution of Copper Ore in India:

State Mining Area
Madhya Pradesh Balaghat
Jharkhand Singhbhum
Rajasthan Khetri

Bauxite
Bauxite is a rock consisting of aluminium oxides. Aluminium is an essential
metallic mineral as it is light, resistant to corrosion. It combines the strength of
the metals such as iron. Odisha is the leading state producing bauxite. Koraput,
Sambalpur are some important districts where bauxite is mainly found.

Non-Metallic Minerals
Mica
It has thin crystal layers and is brittle. It can be easily broken into sheets. It has a
low power loss factor and is resistant to high voltage; it is used in the electric and
electronic industries.

State-wise Distribution of Mica in India:

State Mining Area
The northern edge of the Chota Nagpur plateau,
Jharkhand Koderma Gaya of Hazaribagh belt are the leading
producer of mica in The India.
Rajasthan Ajmer
Andra
Nellore
Pradesh

Energy Resources
An energy resource produces heat and light, is needed to cook food and run
vehicles. Energy resources can be classified into two kinds, they are :
i. Conventional Energy Resources
ii. Non-Conventional Energy Resources
Conventional Energy Resources
Conventional energy resources have been in everyday use on a large
commercial scale for generating power. These include the non-renewable fossil
resources of coal, petroleum, and natural gas on the one hand and running water
on the other.

Coal
Coal is formed from the remains of plants that got buried in deep layers of the
earth's surface over a million years.

Types of Coal:
i. Peat (the first stage)
ii. Lignite or Brown Coal (the second stage with 30-40% carbon content)
iii. Bituminous Coal (the third stage with 40-80% carbon content is the most
popular coal in commercial use) iv. Anthracite (the fourth stage with 90% carbon
content, it is also known as 'hard coal')

Importance and uses of coal

● It is an essential source of power in India.

● Besides providing heat and raising steam in industrial sectors, it is still an

essential domestic fuel.

Regional Distribution of Coal

● The primary source of Gondwana coal is in Damodar Valley.

● Jharia, Bokaro, and Giridih in Jharkhand are some essential coalfields.

Petroleum
It is formed from the dead plants and animals buried in rocky strata on the ocean
floor. It has the broadest range of domestic as well as industrial use and so it is
called liquid gold.
Regional Distribution of Petroleum
● About 60-63% of the country's total production is from Bombay High.

● About 18-19% of the output is from Gujarat. Ankleshwar is the essential oil
mining field here.

● About 16% of the output is from Assam. Here, the oldest oil field of India is
located in Digboi.

Natural Gas
It is considered a clean environmental fuel or energy resource as less carbon
dioxide is emitted from its combustion.

Hydro-electricity
By constructing dams on the river, river water is stored and is made to fall from a
height over turbine blades which start moving by the force of falling water.
Moving blades of a turbine turn the generator that produces electricity. E.g., the
BhakraNangal Project, Damodar Valley Corporation, the Hirakud Project, etc.,
have hydroelectric power.

Thermal Electricity
Fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas generate thermal power.

Nuclear Energy
When atoms of one chemical element change into those of another, the energy
which is released is known as Nuclear Energy. Many places reserve certain
nuclear minerals in India, e.g.- Uranium deposits are found in Rajasthan and
Singhbhum in Jharkhand. High-grade thorium is located in the monazite sands
on the coast of Kerala.

Non-Conventional Energy Resources

These are eco-friendly energy resources, reduce our carbon footprint, and not
emit greenhouse gases that pollute the environment. Being natural resources,
they are renewable and are all ''flow'' resources that are inexhaustible and
sustainable.

Solar Energy
Heat energy from the sun is captured by using a solar energy collector or
concentrator and used in various applications. Solar energy has domestic as well
as commercial usage. It is used in solar cookers, solar water heating systems,
solar air heating systems, crop dryers, refrigerators, etc. The largest solar plant
of India is located in Madhapur, near Bhuj, Gujarat.

Wind Energy
As the wind in the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Maharashtra blows
steadily, comparatively at high speed, the wind turbines can operate efficiently.
Hence, wind energy plants/turbines are primarily localized in the coastal areas.
The largest wind firm cluster is installed in Tamil Nadu from Nagercoil to
Madurai.

Biogas Energy
Biogas is the gaseous mixture produced by the breakdown of organic matter in
the absence of oxygen, primarily methane and carbon dioxide. It can be
synthesized from kitchen waste (green), agricultural waste containing manure,
plant parts, municipal waste, and sewage. Biogas is readily available and hence,
acts as a low-cost raw material for electricity generation.

Tidal Energy
The areas which are situated in the coastal regions of Bay Bengal/ Gulf of Kutch
(an inlet of the Arabian sen along the west coast of India), there the energy can
be easily extracted from tides rather than the cities which are situated far away
from the coastal areas.

Geo-Thermal Energy
The heat energy present in rocks deep within the earth is called Geothermal
energy. The groundwater in these areas absorbs heat from the rocks and
becomes warm. It is so hot that when it reaches the earth's surface, it turns into
steam used to drive turbines and electricity. These are clean and safe and readily
available. Many hot springs or geothermal energy locations are there in India.
Among them, the Parvati Valley near Manikaran in Himachal Pradesh is
essential.
Question-1
Give three examples of metallic and three examples of non-metallic minerals.
Solution:
Metallic minerals are- Iron- ore, Copper, Manganese, Nickel.
Non – Metallic Minerals – Limestone, Dolomite, Mica.
Question-2
Name four important iron ore-producing states of India.
Solution:
The four iron-ore producing states are:
1. Chattisgarh.
2. Jharkhand.
3. Orissa.
4. Karnataka.
Question-3
Name four manganese ore-producing states of India.
Solution:
The four manganese producing states are (I) Karnataka,(2) Orissa, (3) Madhya
Pradesh, (4) Maharashtra.
Question-4
Name four bauxite-producing states.
Solution:
The Bauxite producing state are:(1)Jharkhand, (2) Orissa, (3) Gujarat, (4)Maharashtra.
Question-5
Name three states which are known for the production of mica.
Solution:
Mica producing states are: (1) Jharkhand, (2) Bihar, (3)Andhra- Pradesh.
Question-6
What are commercial sources of energy?
Solution:
The commercial sources of energy are: Coal, Petroleum, Natural gas, Hydro –electricity
and Nuclear energy.
Question-7
What are conventional sources of energy?
Solution:
The conventional sources of energy are Coal, Petroleum, Natural gas and Electricity.
Question-8
Name six non-commercial sources of energy.
Solution:
Non- commercial source of energy are fire wood, charcoal, cowdung and agricultural
wastes, wood coal and babool wood.
Question-9
Name three most important coal producing states of India.
Solution:
Three important coalproducing states are (1) Jharkhand, (2) Orissa and (3) West
Bengal.
Question-10
Mention three areas where petroleum is found in India.
Solution:
Gujarat, Mumbai High and Assam are three areas of petroleum.
Question-11
Distinguish Between Metallic and Non-metallic minerals
Solution:
Metallic Minerals:
1. They can be melted to obtain new products.
2. They are usually hard and have shines or luster of their own.
3. They are ductile and malleable.
4. They are generally associated with igenous rocks.
5. When hit, they do not get broken.
6. Example: Copper, iron, aluminimum, tin, silver, gold, manganese, etc.
Non- Metallic Minerals:
1. They do not yield new products on melting.
2. They are not so hard and have no shine or luster of their own.
3. They are not ductile and malleable.
4. They are generally associated with sedimentary rocks.
5. When hit, they may get broken into pieces.
6. Example: Sulphur, coal, mica, petroleum, salt, clay, marble etc.
Question-12
Distinguish Between Commercial and Non-Commercial Energy
Solution:
Commercial Energy:

1. The sources of energy which are used by the people for commercial purposes.
2. The use of commercial source of energy can be used as an indicator of economic
development of the country.
3. Coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydro-electricity are the major commercial sources of
energy.
Non- Commercial Energy:
1. The sources of energy which are used by the people for home consumption.
2. The use of non-commercial source of energy can be used an indicator of living
standard of the country.
3. Fire wood, charcoal, cow-dung and agriculture waste are the major non-commercial
sources of energy.
Question-13
Distinguish between Anthracite and Bituminous Coal
Solution:
Anthracite and Bituminous Coal
Anthracite:
1. This is the best quality of coal.
2. It contains 90 to 95% if carbon content in it.
3. It is generally formed when the beds of coal are subject to extreme pressure and heat
to the earth movements.
Bituminous Coal:
1. It is the second in quality.
2. It contains 60 to 80% carbon in it.
3. It is widely used.
Question-14
Solution:
Natural Gas:
1. It is used as source of power in the urban areas.
2. It is also used as raw materials in petro chemcial industries.
3. It takes less time in establishing a power plant.
4. Fertilizers are also produced by natural gas.
5. Its transportation is very easy. It is transported through pipeline.
BioGas:
1. It is used mostly in rural areas.
2. It is not used as raw material.
3. It is derived from farm shrubs, farm wastes animal and human wastes.
4. Decomposition of organic matter yields gas which has higher thermal efficiency in
comparison to kerosene, charcoal etc.
5. Biogas plants are set up on Municipal, cooperative and individual basis.
Question-16
Describe the distribution of iron ore in India.
Solution:
Iron –ore is the backbone of modern cultivation. It is used for manufacturing machines
and tools. India has about 20% of the world reserves of iron ore. Most of the iron-ore
mined in the country came from Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Goa and Karnataka.
Some well known iron-ore mines are in Durg and Dantiwar- a district of Chattisgarh,
Singhbhum district of Jharkhand and Sundargarh, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj district of
Orissa, North Goa, Chikmagalaur and Bellary district of Karnataka.
Question-17
Describe the distribution of coal in India.
Solution:
In Jharkhand, the largest producer where Jharia, Bokaro, karampur , Palamu are the
major coal fields.
In West Bengal , Raniganj, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling are the coal fields.
In Chhatisgarh , Sarguja, Bilaspur, Raigarh and Bastar districts are coal fields.
M.P. has coal fields in Chhindwara district.
In Maharashtra – Chanda is the main coalfield.
Question-18
Why do you think that solar energy has a bright future in India?
Solution:
It is true that solar energy has bright future in India because
a. India is blessed with plenty of solar energy because most part of the country receive
bright monsoonsunshine.
b. India has developed technology to use solar energy for cooking, water heating, space
heating, crop drying etc.
c. It is most abundant, inexhaustible and universal source of energy.
d. India is tropical country.
e. It is pollution free.
Question-19
What is Anthracite?
Solution:
Anthracite is the highest quality of hard coal.
Question-20
List four non-conventional energy resources.
Solution:
Solar energy, wind power, biogas and geo-thermal energy are non-conventional energy
resources.
Question-21
Suggest two ways of conserving minerals.
Solution:
Recycling of metals and discovering new substitutes for metals are ways of conserving
minerals.
Question-22
Name two non- metallic minerals.
Solution:
Mica and marble are non- metallic minerals.
Question-23
What is commercial and non-commercial energy
Solution:
Commercial Energy:
The sources of energy which are used by the people for commercial purposes. The use
of commercial source of energy can be used as an indicator of economic development
of the country. Coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydro-electricity are the major commercial
sources of energy.
Non- Commercial Energy:
The sources of energy which are used by the people for home consumption. The use of
non-commercial source of energy can be used an indicator of living standard of the
country. Fire wood, charcoal, cow-dung and agriculture waste are the major non-
commercial sources of energy.
Question-24
Write a brief note on conventional and non-conventional sources of energy.
Solution:
Conventional Sources of Energy:
Conventional source of energy have been used since the early times. Coal, Petroleum,
natural gas, hydro-electricity, thermal power are the source of energy. All conventional
sources of energy except hydro-electricity are exhaustible. These source cause
environmental pollution. These source require huge capital.
Non-Conventional Sources of Energy:
Non- conventional source of energy have came into the use only recently. Wind energy,
solar energy, tidal energy, geothermal, biogas are example of these source of energy.
Most of the non- conventional sources of energy are inexhaustible. These sources do
not cause environmental pollution. Small amount of money is sufficient to have these
sources.