JAC Board Class 10 Social Science Notes Geography Chapter 5 Minerals and Energy Resources
→ Minerals are an indispensable part of our lives.
- They are homogeneous, a naturally occurring substance with a definable internal structure.
- Minerals are obtained from rocks.
- Certain rocks contain only one mineral while
- some other rocks contain many minerals.
- They vary in colour, lustre, density, and hardness.
- Minerals occur in igneous and metamorphic rocks in cracks, crevices, and joints.
- The smaller occurrence is called veins and the larger occurrence is called lodes.
- In sedimentary rocks, minerals occur in layers or beds, e.g., gypsum and potash.
- Certain minerals occur by the decomposition of surface rocks, e.g., bauxite.
- Some minerals involve alluvial deposits. These deposits are called placer deposits which are not corroded by water, e.g., gold, silver, etc.
- Ocean waters contain a vast quantity of minerals e.g., common salt, magnesium, etc.
→ Distribution of Mineral Resources in India
- India is fortunate to have plenty of minerals but they are unevenly distributed.
- Peninsular rocks contain reserves of coal, metallic minerals, mica, etc.
- Sedimentary rocks in western and eastern coasts, Assam and Gujarat have petroleum deposits.
- Rock system in Rajasthan has non-ferrous minerals.
- The alluvial plains are devoid of economic minerals.
→ Ferrous Minerals
Ferrous minerals account for about three- fourths of the total value of the production of metallic minerals. They provide a strong base for the development of metallurgical industries.
→ Iron Ore
- It is the basic mineral and the backbone of industrial development.
- Magnetite is the finest iron ore with 70% iron content. Magnetite has magnetic qualities.
- Haematite is the most important industrial ore in terms of quantity used. It has 50%- 60% iron content.
→ Major Iron Ore Beits in India
- Odisha-Jharkhand Belt: High-grade haematite is found in the Badampahar mines in Odisha, Singhbhum district in Jharkhand.
- Durg-Bastar-Chandrapur Belt (Lies in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra): 14 deposits of super high-grade haematite is found. It is exported to Japan and South- Korea.
- Ballari-Chitradurga-Chikkamagaluru- Tumakuru Belt: It lies in Karnataka. Kudremukh mines are 100% export unit.
- Maharashtra-Goa Belt (Lies in Goa and Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra): Though the ores are not of good quality, they are exported through Marmagao port.
→ Manganese:
- It is used in manufacturing steel.
- 10 kg of manganese is required to manufacture 1 tonne of steel. Madhya Pradesh (27%) is the largest producer of manganese in India.
→ Non-Ferrous Minerals
Important non-ferrous minerals are: copper, lead, zinc, etc.
→ Copper
India is deficient in the production of copper. They are malleable, ductile and good conductor; used in electrical appliances, electronic and chemical industries. Balaghat mines in Madhya Pradesh, Khetri mines in Rajasthan are leading producers.
→ Bauxite
Aluminium is obtained from bauxite. Bauxite is strong like iron with extreme lightness. It is malleable and good conductor. 49% of bauxite is produced in Odisha.
→ Non-Metallic Minerals
Mica
- It splits easily into thin sheets.
- It is an indispensable mineral used in electric and electronic industries due to its dielectric strength, low power loss factor and resistance , to high voltage.
→ Limestone
- It is found in sedimentary rocks,’composed in calcium and magnesium carbonates.
- It is the basic low material for cement industries and essential for iron ore in the refineries.
→ Conservation of Minerals
- Industry and agriculture are strongly dependent on minerals.
- The process of mineral formation is very slow in comparison to its present consumption.
- They are ,finite and non-renewable.
- Continued extraction from greater depth leads to increasing costs and decreases in quality.
- Improved technologies need to be evolved to lower the costs.
- Recycling of metals, using scrap metals and other substances are the steps to consume the minerals for the future.
→ Energy Resources
- Energy is required for all the activities, i.e., to cook, to provide light and heat, to propel vehicles and to drive machinery. Energy resources are of two types:
- Conventional Resources: Include firewood, cattle dung cake, coal, petroleum, natural gas and electricity.
Non-conventional Resources: Include solar, the wind, tidal, geothermal, bio-gas and atomic energy.
→ Coal
Used for power generation, to supply energy to industry and domestic need.
→ Types of Coal
- Peat: Decaying plants in swamps produce peat. It has low carbon, high moisture, and low heating capacity.
- Lignite: It is a low grade brown coal.
Neyveli in Tamil Nadu has great reserves of lignite. This is also used for generation of electricity. - Bituminous: It is buried deep and subjected to increased temperatures. Most popular coal in commercial use.
- Anthracite: It is the highest quality hard coal.
- Coal occurs in rock series of 2 main geological ages- Gondwana and Tertiary.
→ Petroleum
- It provides fuel for heat and lighting, lubricants for machinery and raw materials for industries.
- Most of the petroleum occurrences are of tertiary age.
- Mumbai, Gujarat and Assam are major petroleum-producing states in India.
- Assam is the oldest oil producing state in India.
→ Natural Gas
- Natural gas is found in association with or without petroleum.
- It is an environment-friendly fuel because of the low carbon dioxide emission.
- Large reserves are found in the Krishna- Godavari basin.
- The 1700 km long Hazira-Vijaypur- Jagdishpur cross-country gas pipeline links Mumbai High and Bassien.
→ Electricity
- Per capita consumption of electricity is considered as an index of development.
- It is generated in two ways: Hydro electricity and Thermal electricity.
→ Hydro Electricity:
It is generated by fast flowing water. It is a renewable fuel. In India, there are many multi-projects like Bhakra Nangal, Kopili, Hydel project, etc. Thermal Electricity: It is generated by using coal, petroleum and natural gas. It is a non-renewable fossil fuel.
→ Importance of Non-Conventional Source of Energy
- Growing consumption of energy resulted in the over dependent on fossil fuels, like coal, petroleum, etc.
- Rising prices of oil and gas have raised uncertainties about the supply in future.
- Increasing use of fossil fuels results in the environmental problems.
- Therefore, there is a pressing need to use renewable resources like solar, wind, tidal energy, etc
→ Nuclear/Atomic Energy
- It is obtained by altering the structure of atoms.
- Uranium and Thorium are used for generating electricity.
- Monazite sands of Kerala are rich in thorium.
→ Solar Energy
- Since India is a tropical country, there are enormous possibilities of tapping solar energy.
- Photovoltaic technology directly converts sunlight into electricity.
- It will minimize the use of firewood and dung cakes in rural areas.
→ Wind Power
The largest wind farm cluster is located in TamilNadu, between Nagercoil and Madurai.
→ Bio-Gas
- Shrubs, fast waste animal, and human waste are used to produce bio-gas for domestic use in rural areas.
- It has higher thermal efficiency.
- The plants using cattle dung are called ‘Gobar Gas Plants’.
- It has two benefits: Providing energy for electricity and providing manure.
→ Tidal Energy
- Oceanic tides are used to generate electricity.
- Gulf of kachchh in Gujarat, Gulf of Khambhat provide tidal energy.
→ Geothermal Energy
- Heat and electricity is produced by using the heat from the interior of the Earth.
- Ground water absorbs the heat from the rocks and becomes hot.
- There are hundreds of hot springs in India.
- Two experimental projects have been set up-one in Manikaran (Himachal Pradesh) and the other in Puga valley (Ladakh).
→ Importance of Conservation of Energy Resources
- Energy is a basic requirement for economic development.
- Every sector of the national economy, i.e., agriculture, industry, domestic, etc. needs inputs of energy.
- Consumption of energy has been increasing since independence.
- Energy conservations and use of renewable energy are the two features of sustainable energy.