[SIR UMAR KHAN DAWAR (0325-2512225)] 1

Mineral Resources

Q) What are minerals?

Minerals are naturally occurring, inorganic, solid substances obtained from under the
surface of the earth.

Q) What is mining?
Mining is the process of digging rocks and minerals from the earth.

Different methods of mining:

Q) Explain open-cast mining/quarrying?
• Some minerals like coal and iron ore often lie near the surface of the earth.
• Thus after clearing the vegetation, removing the top-soil, limited use of explosives
is done to break up the rocks.
• The mineral bearing rocks are stripped off by giant excavators and power shovels.
• The material is then loaded into trucks and lorries to be carried away.

Q) What is adit mining?

• An adit is an opening or passage.
• Adit mining is done in hilly districts where a mineral seam is exposed on a hill side.
• Horizontal tunnels (adits)-(which can also slope up or down) are dug out.
• Digging continues till the seam of the mineral is reached.
Ø Extraction starts.
Ø At times tracks are laid on which trolleys run to bring the material out of the mine.
Ø OR in inaccessible areas, animals (donkeys/mules) are used for this purpose.
Ø Sorting is done and minerals are sold to the middle-man.
Ø The material is loaded into trucks and transported to markets.
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Q) What is shaft mining?

• Vertical tunnels (shafts) are dug down to the minerals in this process, especially for
coal.
• Tunnels are dug then horizontally, if required, to the layers or seams of the
minerals.
• Extraction starts.
• This method is expensive and could be dangerous.

Q) What are the hazards posed by mining?

• Ventilation is a problem and suffocation can occur due to lack of air.
• Underground transport to carry minerals out is another problem.
• Presence of dangerous/poisonous gases and dust.
• Explosions in mines are common.
• Chances of collapsing of tunnel roof.
• Flooding is another hazard.
• Diseases caught by miners (lung diseases).
• On many occasions, miners get trapped inside.

Q) What are the problems associated with the mineral sector?

*[All these points have to be explained]
• Financial constraints.
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• Lack of technical knowledge.

• Inaccessible mineral deposits.
• Institutional mismanagement.
• Lack of experts and skilled labor.
• Low priority given to mineral extraction by the govt. as in case of Balouchistan and
Western mountains.
• Insecurity (FATA and Balouchistan-it discourages investment).

Q) What is the affect of mining on the environment?

• Vegetation cut down, results in deforestation and soil exposure.
• Natural landscape deformed due to construction of roads and miners houses.
• Sinkholes
• Loss of biodiversity
• Contamination of soil
• Rock blasting and noise of machinery creates noise pollution.
• Air pollution caused by smoke and dust.
• Water supply polluted if it comes into contact with mineral waste. (Mining can have
harmful effects on surrounding surface and groundwater. If proper precautions are
not taken, unnaturally high concentrations of chemicals, such as arsenic, sulfuric
acid and mercury can spread over a significant area of surface or subsurface
water.)
• Land pollution due to mining waste.
• Depressions caused by extraction and mining activity on land may become flooded.
• Traditional methods of mining pose hazards to health of miners.
• Acid mine drainage (see the definition)
• Tailings dams can pose a threat to local wildlife as birds and animals bathe in and
drink from the contaminated waters. Leakage of toxic substances from tailings
dams can also cause damage to the immediate environment.

Q) Name the organizations for the promotion and development of minerals in

Pakistan.
• Geological Survey of Pakistan – 1947
• Pakistan Mineral Corporation – 1974
• Resource Development Corporation – 1974
• Gemstone Corporation of Pakistan – 1974
• Punjab Mineral Development Corporation

Q) What is the difference between mineral exploration and mineral exploitation?

• Searching for minerals is known as mineral exploration.
• Proper utilization of minerals after these have been found is mineral exploitation.

Q) Name and describe few metallic and non-metallic minerals found in Pakistan?
Rock salt:
• Is found at Khewra, Jehlum district, Warchha, Sargodha district and at Kala bagh.
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• It is used in the manufacture of sodium compounds, soda ash, bicarbonate of soda

and other sodas for laundries, textiles and tanning.
• Rock salt is also used for cooking and preservative purposes.
Brine:
• It is a solution of salt in water.
• It is used in the chemical and fertilizer industry.
Limestone:
• It is a major sedimentary deposit and is widespread in Pakistan.
• It is the main raw material for cement.
• It is also used in the manufacture of bleaching powder, glass, soap, paper, paint
and lime.
• It is also used to treat sugar cane waste to produce alcohol fuel.
• It is painted on barks of tress to counter pests and termite attacks.
• It is also used to aerate soil and treat salinity.
Coal:
• Pakistan has low quality coal-lignite.
• Coal is mainly used in brick kilns, to make coke, and also for power generation
purpose.
• Large quantity of coal is found in Thar and some parts of Balouchistan.
Gypsum:
• It is found in Kohat district, Dera Ghazi Khan and at Daud Khel area+salt range.
• It is found in grey, white and pink colours.
• Used in manufacturing of paints, fertilizers, prefabricated construction boards.
• White gypsum is used in making cement and plaster of paris.
• It is spread on saline soil to help land reclamation.
Marble:
• Found in white, grey, yellow and brown.
• It is used in buildings and for making chips for flooring and decorative pieces.
Iron:
• Pakistan has fairly rich iron ore deposits but are mostly of low grades. High grade
iron deposits are small in amount.
• Low grade deposits found at Kala bagh and D. G. Khan districts.
• High grade deposits found at Chagai district (Balouchistan), Chitral and Abbotabad.
Copper:
• Pakistan is rich in copper.
• Largest deposits occur at Saindak in Chagai district (Balouchistan). Saindak project
runs successfully.

Q) What are the differences between metallic and non-metallic minerals?

Metallic minerals Non-metallic minerals

• Economically more valuable. • Economically non-valuable except

• Generally hard and shiny. for fossil fuels e.g. oil, coal, natural
• Can be molded into shapes without gas etc.
breaking. • Softer, rough with dull appearance.
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• Can be stretched and compressed. • Break away when shaped.

• Good thermal and electrical • Cannot be stretched and
conductors. compressed.
• Poor conductors.

Q) What is the affect of mining on the environment?

• Vegetation cut down, results in deforestation and soil exposure.
• Natural landscape deformed due to construction of roads and miners houses.
• Rock blasting and noise of machinery creates noise pollution.
• Air pollution caused by smoke and dust.
• Water supply polluted if it comes into contact with mineral waste.
• Land pollution due to mining waste.
• Depressions caused by extraction and mining activity on land may become flooded.
• Traditional methods of mining pose hazards to health of miners.

Q) What measures could be taken for the protection of the environment for mining
hazards?
• Mining should be done on scientific lines.
• When mining is done, special precautions must be taken to prevent environmental
loss.
• Dug land should be leveled and refilled.
• Mines should be designed so that they produce less waste and/or use less toxic
chemicals.
• Mining companies should be held accountable for abandoned mining sites, and be
required to carry out an environmental cleanup.
• All mining waste should be treated before final disposal.
• Proper protection should be given to miners involved in mining.
• Area around a mine should be properly planted with trees to keep the atmosphere
healthy.
• Water treatment plants should be set up to supply clean water to the workers living
in the mining area.
• Mining naturally produces significant amounts of waste - such as tailings, rocks and
wastewater. In many cases, businesses leave waste behind when mining
operations cease. Companies can use waste rocks in simple on-site construction,
like backfilling voids and reconstructing mined terrain in a way that prevents soil
erosion.

Q) What is meant by sustainable development and mining?

It implies that the minerals raw material needs of society are met over a longer period of
time.
AND
Mining done in such a way without compromising the future societies to meet their needs,
or damaging the environment.
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Illegal mining
Illegal mining is mining activity that is undertaken without state permission, in particular in
absence of land rights, mining licenses, and exploration or mineral transportation permits.

Acid mine drainage

Acid mine drainage is the formation and movement of highly acidic water rich in heavy metals

Mine tailings
Tailings are the waste products from mining. Mechanical and chemical processes are used to
grind up rock into a fine sand to extract the valuable mineral or metal from the rock ore. All the
unrecoverable and uneconomic remnants from this process are waste. They include finely
ground rock particles, chemicals, minerals and water. Depending on the type of mining, tailings
can be liquid, solid or a slurry of fine particles. Many substances found in tailings are toxic, even
radioactive, and it’s not uncommon to find large amounts of cyanide, mercury and arsenic in
tailings.

Tailings dams
Tailings dams are used to store water and waste that come as by products from the mining
process. Tailings dams can be huge in size, as big as lakes, and reach 300 metres high. As the
slurry of waste is piped into the dam, the solids settle to the bottom and the water is recycled to be
used in the separation process again.
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Questions related to mineral resources

What is the difference between quarrying and mining? [2]

Mining is the process of extracting buried material below the earth surface. Quarrying
refers to extracting materials directly from the surface.

For each of the mines A and B,

(i) name the type of mine, [2]
A – adit / drift
B – shaft

(ii) explain why that is the type of mine there, [2]

A – coal (seam) exposed on a slop e/ can dig tunnels along the seam
B – coal (seam) underground / does not outcrop

(iii) describe the method of mining. [5]

Adit mining
-Horizontal shaft into hillside
-Possibly several shafts at different levels
-Pick and shovel/trepanner
-Dynamite on seam
-Buckets/trucks/trolleys/conveyor belt/donkeys to surface

Shaft mining
-Main shaft (vertical or sloping)
-Tunnels/side shafts along seams

(i) Name the two main raw materials quarried in Pakistan that are used to make
cement. [2]
Limestone and gypsum

(ii) Name three other inputs used by a cement factory. [3]

-Labour,
-Land / area
-Buildings
-Machinery
-Money / capital / investment
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-Power / electricity / gas / coal / oil

-Water

(i) Name three ways by which coal is mined. [3]

Shaft, adit / drift, open cast

(ii) Why is coal produced in Pakistan described as low quality? [3]

Lignite
-Low burning temperature / produces less energy
-Low carbon content / more impurities / more smoke
-High ash content
-High sulphur content

iii) Limestone and rock salt are both called ‘bulky goods’. What is the cheapest form
of transport for these goods? [1]
Railway

(iv) Why is the supply of limestone to most areas likely to be cheaper than rock
salt? [1]
-does not have to travel so far
-quarried in many areas/more widely available

(b) Nearly one million tonnes of rock salt were extracted in Pakistan during 2002.
(i) What is a mixture of rock salt and water called? [1]
Brine

(ii) What is rock salt used for in Pakistan? [2]

Cooking, preservation, soda ash, bicarbonate, caustic soda for tanning, textiles and
laundries, Table salt