Chapter – 5

Minerals and Energy Resources

In this post we have given the detailed notes of class 10 Social Science (Geography) Chapter 5 Minerals and Energy Resources in English. These notes are useful for the students who are going to appear in class 10 board exams.

Chapter 5: Minerals and Energy Resources

What is a Mineral?

A mineral is a homogeneous, naturally occurring substance with a definable internal structure. Minerals are found in varied forms in nature, ranging from the hardest diamond to the softest talc.

• Geologists define a mineral as a “homogeneous natural substance with a definable internal structure.”
• Minerals are usually found in “ores.” The term ore is used to describe an accumulation of any mineral mixed with other elements.
• The extraction of the ore depends upon its concentration and ease of extraction.

Characteristics of Minerals

• A mineral has a definite chemical composition, which cannot be subdivided into other products by any known physical or chemical method.
• Over 2,000 minerals have been identified, but only a few are abundantly found in most rocks.
• Minerals are usually associated with rocks; the type of rock in which they occur is determined by the mode of formation of the mineral.

Mode of Occurrence of Minerals

Minerals are usually found in the earth’s crust and occur in the following forms:

1. In Igneous and Metamorphic Rocks

• Minerals may occur in the cracks, crevices, faults, or joints. The smaller occurrences are called veins and the larger ones are called lodes.
• In most cases, they are formed when minerals in liquid or molten and gaseous forms are forced upward through cavities towards the earth’s surface.
• They cool and solidify as they rise. Examples: tin, copper, zinc, and lead.

2. In Sedimentary Rocks

• A number of minerals occur in beds or layers. They have been formed as a result of deposition, accumulation, and concentration in horizontal strata.
• They occur in this form due to gravity, and pressure, and can also be formed as a result of the evaporation, especially in the case of gypsum, potash salt, and sodium salt.
• Coal and some forms of iron ore have originated from organic matter accumulation and subsequent compression over long periods of time.

3. Decomposition of Surface Rocks

• Decomposition of rocks, removal of soluble components, and left-over insoluble materials forms residual minerals.
• This type of deposit is found in the tropical regions.
• Examples: bauxite is formed this way, along with residual clays.

4. Alluvial Deposits (Placer Deposits)

• Minerals that are in the form of alluvial deposits, in sands of valley floors and the base of hills, are called placer deposits.
• These deposits are found where minerals do not undergo oxidation and are generally heavy.
• Examples of minerals found in this form of deposits are gold, silver, tin, and platinum.

5. In Ocean Waters

• The ocean waters contain vast quantities of minerals, but most are too dilute to be economically extracted.
• However, common salt, magnesium, and bromine are largely derived from ocean waters.
• The ocean beds too are rich in manganese nodules.

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

• Iron ore is the basic mineral and the backbone of industrial development.
• Hematite: The best quality of iron ore, containing up to 70 per cent pure iron; has magnetic properties.
• Magnetite: Chemically the most valuable ore because of its high content of iron up to 72 per cent.
• Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, and Goa are the leading producers of iron ore in India.

Iron Ore Belts of India

• Odisha–Jharkhand belt: In Odisha, high-grade hematite ore is found in Badampahar mines in the Mayurbhanj and Kendujhar districts. In the adjoining Singhbhum district of Jharkhand, iron ore mines occur in a belt.
• Durg–Bastar–Chandrapur belt: Lies in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. Very high-grade hematites are found in the Bailadila range of hills in the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh.
• Bellary–Chitradurga–Chikkamagaluru–Tumkur belt: In Karnataka, has large reserves of iron ore.
• Maharashtra–Goa belt: Includes the state of Goa and the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, though the ores are not of very high quality, they are efficiently exploited.

Manganese

• Manganese is mainly used in the manufacturing of steel and ferro-manganese alloy.
• About 10 kg of manganese is required to manufacture one tonne of steel.
• It is also used in manufacturing bleaching powder, insecticides, and paints.
• Odisha is the largest producer of manganese ore in India.

Non-Ferrous Minerals

India’s reserve and production of non-ferrous minerals is not very satisfactory. However, these minerals, including copper, bauxite, lead, zinc, and gold, are used in industries.

Copper

• Copper is malleable, ductile, and a good conductor, mainly used in electrical cables, electronics, and chemical industries.
• Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand are leading producers of copper in India.

Bauxite

• Bauxite deposits are found mainly in tertiary deposits and are associated with laterite rocks, widely distributed in the peninsular plateau region.
• Bauxite is the ore that is used in manufacturing aluminium. Aluminium is an important metal because it combines the qualities of lightness with the toughness of steel.
• Odisha is the largest producer of bauxite in India, followed by Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Jharkhand.

Rock Minerals — Mica

• Mica is made up of a series of plates or leaves. It splits easily into thin sheets.
• Mica can be clear, black, green, red, yellow, or brown.
• Due to its excellent di-electric strength, low power loss factor, insulating properties, and resistance to high voltage, mica is one of the most indispensable minerals used in the electrical and electronic industries.
• Mica deposits are found in the northern edge of the Chotanagpur plateau in Jharkhand; the middle section of Andhra Pradesh; and in Ajmer in Rajasthan.
• Nellore mica belt of Andhra Pradesh is also well known for good quality mica.

Conservation of Minerals

• The total volume of workable mineral deposits is only 1 per cent of the earth’s crust, and these mineral deposits are non-renewable and can be exhausted with continued use.
• Rich mineral deposits are being depleted, which raises the cost of extraction and consequently increases the price of minerals.
• A concerted effort has to be made in order to use our mineral resources in a planned and sustainable manner.
• Improved technologies need to be constantly evolved to allow the use of low-grade ores at low costs.
• Recycling of metals, using scrap metals, and using substitutes for minerals will also lead to conservation of mineral resources for the future.

Energy Resources

Energy is required for all activities. It is needed to cook, provide light and heat, propel vehicles, and drive machinery in industries. Energy can be generated from fuel minerals like coal, petroleum, natural gas, from electricity, and from nuclear energy resources.

Conventional Sources of Energy

• Firewood, cattle dung cake, coal, petroleum, natural gas, and electricity (both hydel and thermal).
• These sources are widely used, are non-renewable (except firewood and hydel electricity), and cause pollution when burnt.

Non-Conventional Sources of Energy

• Solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, biogas, and atomic/nuclear energy.
• These are renewable, eco-friendly, and considered the sources of energy for the future.

Coal

• Coal is a fossil fuel formed from the accumulation, burial, and subsequent compression of vegetation over millions of years.
• In India, coal occurs in rock series of two main ages — Gondwana, a little over 200 million years in age, and tertiary deposits, about 55 million years old.
• Gondwana coal deposits are found in the Damodar valley (West Bengal-Jharkhand), the Godavari, Mahanadi, Son, and Wardha valleys.
• Tertiary coals occur in Meghalaya, Assam, West Bengal, and Nagaland.
• Coal is used to generate thermal power and to smelt iron ore in blast furnaces.

Types of Coal (in decreasing order of carbon content and quality)

• Anthracite: The highest quality hard coal.
• Bituminous: Found in deeper layers, formed under high heat and pressure — most commonly used for commercial purposes.
• Lignite: A low-grade brown coal, soft with a high moisture content. Deposits found in Neyveli, Tamil Nadu, are used for generating electricity.
• Peat: In the earliest stage of formation, with low carbon and heating capacity.

Petroleum

• Petroleum is referred to as “black gold”. It occupies a place of pride and is often referred to as liquid gold.
• Petroleum refineries act as a “nodal industry” for synthetic textile, fertiliser, and numerous chemical industries.
• Occurrence: About 63 per cent of India’s petroleum production is from Mumbai High, 18 per cent from Gujarat, and 16 per cent from Assam.
• In Gujarat, Ankleshwar is the most important field. In Assam, Digboi, Naharkatiya, and Moran-Hugrijan are important oil fields.
• Petroleum is used to run automobiles, industrial machines, and to produce chemical products including fertilisers, synthetic rubber, and various other products.

Natural Gas

• Natural gas is an important clean and environment-friendly fuel source found in association with or without petroleum.
• It is used as a source of energy as well as an industrial raw material in the petrochemical industry.
• India’s largest natural gas reserves are in the Krishna Godavari basin.
• Along the west coast, the Mumbai High and allied fields, and the Gulf of Khambhat, are important sources.
• The 1,700 km long Hazira-Vijaipur-Jagdishpur (HBJ) cross-country gas pipeline links Mumbai High and Bassein with the fertiliser, power, and industrial complexes in western and northern India.
• This pipeline has given a large fillip to the development of the gas-based fertiliser and power industries.

Electricity

Electricity has such a wide-ranging application in today’s world that its per capita consumption is considered as an index of development. Electricity is generated mainly in two ways:

1. Hydro Electricity

• Generated by fast-flowing water, which is a renewable resource.
• India has a number of multi-purpose projects like the Bhakra Nangal, Damodar Valley Corporation, the Kopili Hydel Project, etc., which are generating hydel power.

2. Thermal Electricity

• Generated by using coal, petroleum, and natural gas.
• It uses non-renewable fossil fuels for generating electricity.

Both hydro and thermal electricity are essential and complement each other, since hydel power depends on adequate and continuous water flow (which varies seasonally), while thermal power depends on the continuous supply of fuel.

Non-Conventional Sources of Energy

Need for Non-Conventional Sources

• The growing consumption of energy has caused a serious energy crisis in the country.
• Increasing use of fossil fuels also causes environmental problems, such as pollution.
• Fossil fuels, being formed over millions of years, are exhaustible and non-renewable, which requires that we use them judiciously.
• This calls for a shift in emphasis to non-conventional sources such as solar energy, wind, tide, biomass, and energy from waste material as well as nuclear energy.

Nuclear or Atomic Energy

• Obtained by altering the structure of atoms.
• Uranium and thorium, which are available in Jharkhand and the Aravalli ranges of Rajasthan, are used for generating atomic or nuclear power.
• The Monazite sands of Kerala are also a source of nuclear energy.

Solar Energy

• India is a tropical country with enormous possibilities of tapping solar energy.
• Photovoltaic technology converts sunlight directly into electricity.
• The largest solar plant of India is located at Madhapur, near Bhuj, where solar energy is used to sterilise milk cans.
• The National Solar Mission is being implemented to promote the use of solar energy.

Wind Power

• India has great potential of wind power, and the country’s largest wind farm cluster is located in Tamil Nadu from Nagercoil to Madurai.
• Other important wind farm sites include Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Lakshadweep.

Biogas

• Biogas is produced from shrubs, farm waste, animal, and human waste using biogas plants.
• It provides an efficient and environment-friendly fuel for domestic use, and decomposed slurry left behind is used as manure.
• These plants are known as gobar gas plants in rural India.

Tidal Energy

• Oceanic tides can be used to generate electricity. Floodgate dams are built across inlets.
• India has great potential for tidal energy in the Gulf of Khambhat, the Gulf of Kachchh in Gujarat, and the Sunderban regions of West Bengal.

Geothermal Energy

• Geothermal energy refers to the heat and electricity produced by using the internal heat of the earth.
• There are several hundred hot springs in India, which could be used to generate electricity.
• Two experimental projects have been set up in India to harness this energy — one is located in the Parvati valley near Manikaran in Himachal Pradesh and the other is located in the Puga Valley, Ladakh.

Conserving Energy Resources

• Energy is a basic requirement for economic development, and every sector of the national economy needs inputs of energy.
• The economic development plans place emphasis on increasing the production of energy resources within the country.
• Promotion of energy conservation and increased use of renewable energy sources are the twin planks of a sustainable energy policy.
• We must conserve energy resources available to us for balanced use, both in the interest of the economy and the environment.
• Simple steps like switching off electricity when not in use, using public transport instead of individual vehicles, and using energy-efficient equipment can help conserve energy.

Key Points to Remember

• A mineral is a homogeneous, naturally occurring substance with a definable internal structure and definite chemical composition.
• Minerals occur in veins/lodes (igneous & metamorphic rocks), beds/layers (sedimentary rocks), through decomposition of surface rocks (bauxite), as placer/alluvial deposits (gold, tin, platinum), and dissolved in ocean waters (common salt, magnesium, bromine).
• Ferrous minerals include iron ore (hematite, magnetite) and manganese; India’s iron ore belts are Odisha-Jharkhand, Durg-Bastar-Chandrapur, Bellary-Chitradurga-Chikkamagaluru-Tumkur, and Maharashtra-Goa.
• Non-ferrous minerals include copper and bauxite; mica is a rock mineral vital to the electrical industry.
• Minerals are non-renewable and must be conserved through recycling, substitution, and improved technology.
• Conventional energy sources are coal, petroleum, natural gas, and electricity (hydel/thermal); non-conventional sources are solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, biogas, and atomic energy.
• Coal types in order of quality are anthracite, bituminous, lignite, and peat; Gondwana and Tertiary deposits are the two main coal-bearing series in India.
• Mumbai High is India’s largest source of petroleum; the HBJ pipeline carries natural gas across western and northern India.
• The National Solar Mission promotes solar energy; Tamil Nadu leads in wind power; geothermal energy is tapped at Manikaran and Puga Valley.

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