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Minerals And Energy Resources
What is Mineral

• Geologists define minerals as “ homogenous, naturally occurring substances with a definable internal structure.”
• Some minerals are soft e.g. graphite while some are hard e.g. diamond.

Sources of minerals

• Homogeneous mixtures of minerals are called rocks. Some rocks contain single mineral only such as limestone while some contain mixture of several different minerals e.g. lead-zinc ore contain other minerals such as galena(PbS) and sphalerite (ZnS).
• The formation of minerals by the combination of elements depends on physical and chemical conditions. Thus the formed minerals may vary according to color, hardness, crystal forms, lustre and density.

Classification of Minerals

• Based on these properties minerals can be classified as Metallic, Non-metallic and Energy minerals.
• Metallic minerals further classified as
• Ferrous minerals which contain iron e.g. iron ore & nickel ore
• Non-Ferrous minerals which did not contain iron e.g. copper & tin
• Precious minerals e.g. gold, & silver etc
• Non-Metallic minerals are e.g. mica, salt, potash, granite, limestone, sulphur, marble, etc.
• Energy Minerals are the sources of energy. e.g. coal, petroleum and natural gas.

Mode of Occurrence of Minerals

Sources:

• Some rocks contain minerals called as ore. ores are mixtures of minerals and impurities such as dust.
• For commercially profitable process the amount of mineral in the ore must be higher.
• The type of formation or the structures in which minerals are found determines the ease and cost for extraction.

Occurrence of Minerals

• Igneous and Metamorphic Rocks:
• The Molten Magma when forced upwards through cavities in the earth’s crust which get cooled to form Igneous Rocks. Similarly, existing rock undergo physical and chemical change due to temperature and pressure to form metamorphic rock. These rocks contain minerals such as tin, copper, zinc and lead. If occurrence of minerals is small then it is Veins while larger occurrences are lodes.
• Sedimentary Rocks:
• Over Years, mineral continuously accumulate at one place to form a layer or bed. Layers of minerals deposit one over another. Under intense pressure the bottom layer get converted into rock called sedimentary rocks. such rocks may contain minerals such as coal, iron ore, gypsum, & potash salt.
• Surface Rocks:
• Surface rocks contains aluminium undergo decomposition by the effects of Environmental Factors such as oxygen, water. as a result the soluble elements get washed away leaving bauxite ore.

• Alluvial Rocks:
• Water flowing from hills to the base of the hills deposits sand at the base. Such deposits are called alluvial deposits or placer deposits. These deposits contain minerals such as gold, silver, platinum or tin which usually did not corroded by water.
• Ocean Water:
• The ocean water is Rich in Minerals. We get common salt, magnesium and bromine from seawater. But extraction process is not economical. Seabed also contain manganese nodules.

Ferrous Minerals

• Ferrous Minerals: Minerals that contain iron is called ferrous minerals.
• Ferrous minerals are three fourth of the total metallic mineral production. India also export large quantity of minerals.
• Iron Ore:
• India is rich in good quality Iron ore. Magnetite ore contain very high percentage of iron i.e. about 70% .It has excellent magnetic properties hence used in electrical industries such as electricity generation.
• Hematite ore also contain about 50 – 60% of iron. It is used in production of pigments.
• The major iron ore belts in India are
• Odisha-Jharkhand belt: High grade Hematite ore is found in Badampahar mines in Mayurbhanj and Kendujhar districts of odisha. The adjoining district Singbhum of Jharkhand also contain haematite ore in Gua and Noamundi.
• Durg-Bastar-Chandrapur belt in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra:
• Bailadila range of hills in Bastar district contain 14 deposits of super high grade haematite ore. which is used to make steel.
• Bellary-Chitradurga-Chikmaglur-Tumkur belt in Karnataka has large ore of Iron. The Kudermukh mines in Western Ghats of Karnataka is one of the largest ore in the world. the ore is transported as slurry through pipeline to port near Mangalore.
• Maharashtra-Goa belt: Goa and Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra contain iron ore that is economically extractable & transferred to Marmagao port.
• Manganese Ore:
• Manganese is mainly used in manufacturing of Steel and Ferro-Manganese alloy,  bleaching powder, insecticides and Paints.  Nearly 10 Kg or manganese is required for the manufacture of one tonne of steel.
• Manganese ore is primarily obtained from Orissa.

Non-Ferrous Minerals

• Non-Ferrous Minerals include copper, bauxite, lead, zinc and gold. India’s production in terms of non-ferrous minerals in Not Satisfactory. These minerals are used in Metallurgical Processes, engineering processes and electrical industries.
• Copper:
• Copper is malleable i.e. it can form sheet. ductile i.e. it can form thin wires. and good conductor of electricity, hence it is used in electrical cables, electronics and chemical industries. In India copper exist in Balaghat Mines in Madhya Pradesh, Kheri mines in Rajasthan and Singhbhum district of Jharkhand.
• Unfortunately India did not produce much copper.
• Bauxite:
• Bauxite ore is primary source for getting aluminum metal. Bauxite ore is formed by decomposition of rocks rich in aluminium silicates. Aluminium has good strength, good conductivity and good Malleability. India’s bauxite deposits are found in Amarkantak plateau, Maikal hills and Bilaspur-Katni Plateau regions. Odisha produces largest quantity of Bauxite Mineral in India it is about 34.97 percent of total bauxite production.

Non-Metallic Minerals:

Mica

• Mica is a mineral with platelike structures. It can easily splitted into thin sheets. In the few centimeters we can place thousands of such thin sheets.
• Color of Mica can be clear, black, green, red yellow or brown.
• It has excellent dielectric strength i.e. mica did not break even if exposed to very high electric fields.
• It has low power loss factor indicating that it has low losses so it can store electrical energy.
• It is a good insulator which did not break even if exposed to high voltages. Because of all these reasons it is used in electrical and electronic industries.

Limestone:

• Limestone is generally found in sedimentary rocks i.e. the rocks formed by continuous accumulation of mineral layers. It is found along with calcium carbonate or calcium and magnesium carbonates.
• Limestone is used as raw material for cement industry and for smelting of iron ore in the blast furnace during production of iron metal.
• Limestone is majorly produced in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka States.

Need of Conservation of minerals

• Finite and Non-renewable:
• India is mineral rich country, where usable mineral stock is just 1 percent of earth’s crust. where formation minerals takes thousand of years. We need these resources for agriculture and industrial purposes. Where consumptions these resources is very high it indicate that the stock will end soon. Mineral Resources are finite and non-renewable.

Effect on cost of Extraction

• For more extraction of minerals we need to dig deeper in the earth’s crust. But the deeper earth contain low quality of minerals thus the extraction process become costly.

Energy Resources:

Firewood, Cattle dung cake:

• These are primarily obtained from forests and used as fuel in rural areas. But with decrease in forest area use of these resources becoming difficult.

• Most of industrial as well as household energy need is fulfilled by coal.

• Coal is classified depending on degree of compression and, depth and time of burial.
• Based on Degree of Compression
• Peat has low carbon and high moisture hence it produces low heat.
• Lignite is low grade, soft, brown coal that contain high moisture. It is used for electrical generation.
• Bituminous coal is formed under intense pressure and high temperature. It is widely used in energy needs. High grade bituminous coal is used for smelting of iron in blast furnace i.e. heating iron so as to melt it.
• Anthracite is a hard coal with highest quality.
• Coal Based on Depth and time of burial
• Gondwana Coal: Coal formed due to burial of plants and animals before 200 million years is the Gondwana coal. Its Major sources are Damodar Valley, Jharia, Raniganj and Bokaro.
• Tertiary Coal: It is 55 million years old. Its major sources are Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
• Major thermal power plants and industries are near coalfields as coal is a bulky material and is difficult to transport.

Petroleum or Mineral Oil

• It provides fuel for heat and lighting, lubricants for machinery and raw material for manufacturing industries. Petroleum industries act as Nodal Industries for synthetic textile industries, fertilizer industries and chemical industries.

Petroleum Occurrence:

• Petroleum source is trapped in folds of stratified rocks and also in fault traps i.e. fracture and slippage of rock. oil is trapped in crest of  rock. The layer consists of porous limestone through which oil may flow. Usually gas occurs above the oil

Locations:

• Mumbai High, alone produce about 63% of India’s petroleum production, beside this Ankleshwar in Gujarat produce 18% and Digboi, Naharkatiya and Moran-Hugrijan in Assam produce 16%.

Natural Gas:

• It is a clean fuel as it does not cause significant air pollution because of low carbon dioxide emissions.
• It is used as fuel in vehicles and as a raw material in petrochemical industry.
• Locations:
• Natural gas is primarily obtained from Krishna-Godavari basin.
• The reserves of Mumbai High and similar fields are supplemented by Gulf of Cambay.
• Andaman and Nicobar islands also have large reserves of natural gas.
• Transportation: Hazira-Vijaipur-Jagdishpur pipeline act as artery that links Mumbai High and Bassein and provide natural gas to fertilizer plants, power plants and other industries.

Electricity:

• Electricity is generated mainly by hydroelectric plants and by thermal power plants. In hydroelectric plant water drives the turbine and produce electricity. In Thermal plants steam produced by heating water with the help of fossil fuel drives the turbine and produce electricity.
• In India some Multi-purpose projects are Bhakra-Nangal, Damodar Valley Corporation, Kopili Hydel Project Etc. there are more than 310 Thermal Power plants for production of electricity.

Non-Conventional Sources of Energy

Nuclear or Atomic Energy

• Nucleus of heavy atoms such as Uranium is highly unstable. If a neutron is bombarded on such a nucleus then it breaks into two nucleus producing large energy which can be used to generate electrical energy.
• Uranium and Thorium are found in Jharkhand and Aravalli Ranges of Rajasthan. Monazite Sands of Kerala is rich in Thorium.
• Some of the locations of nuclear power plant are Tarapur Atomic Power Station in Maharashtra, Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS) in Rajasthan, Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) in Tamil Nadu, Kudankulam Atomic Power Project in Tamil Nadu, Narora Atomic Power Station (NAPS) in Uttar Pradesh, Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) in Gujarat, Kaiga Generating Station (KGS) in Karnataka.

Solar Energy

• India comes in tropical region where plenty of solar energy is available for longer duration. This solar energy can be converted to electricity by using Photovoltaic Technology.
• The popularity of solar energy is increasing in rural and remote area peoples. It reduces the use of conventional sources such as firewood and cow dung cakes and thus contributes in Conservation of Environment.

Wind Power

• Wind energy can be converted to electrical energy with the help of windmills. Tamil Nadu has largest cluster of windmills located near Nagercoil to Madurai. Other states are Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra and Lakshadweep.

Biogas:

• The organic waste decomposes to produce biogas which is used as fuel. It has higher efficiency than kerosene, charcoal, cow dung cake.
• These plants are set up at municipal, cooperative and individual levels.
• Biogas plants also called ‘Gobar Gas Plants’. it also provide good quality manure.
• As it is mainly used in rural areas for fuel hence the use of firewood reduces thus saving the trees.

Tidal Energy:

• Gravitational pull of moon causes rising or falling of sea water level i.e. high tide or low tide.
• If we construct floodgate dam having narrow openings in the sea, then the tidal energy can be converted to electrical energy by placing a turbine at its opening.
• Ideal locations for such energy are Gulf of Khambhat, Gulf of Kachchh in western coast of Gujarat and Gangetic Delta in Sunderban of West Bengal.

Geothermal Energy:

• With the depth temperature goes on Increasing. The hot rocks convert water into steam. Steam drives the turbine and generate electricity.
• In India two experimental projects are running in Parvati Valley near Manikaran in Himachal Pradesh and Puga Valley, Ladakh.

Conservation of Energy Resources:

• Every sector of national economy need energy. With progress their energy demand also increases. The increased energy demand must be satisfied by sustainable management. Use of renewable resources can also help in conserving the non-renewable resources.
• As a citizen we should limit the use of these resources e.g. by switching of electricity when not required.
• At last “Energy Saved is the Energy Produced”.