Chapter -7

mineral and energy resources

Types of Mineral Resources

Mineral are classified on the basis of their physical and chemical properties which are as
follows:

Metallic Minerals
These minerals are rich in metals e.g. copper, bauxite, iron, manganese, etc. These are of two
types:

•🔜Ferrous Minerals These are rich in iron contents and an important source of iron.
•🔜Non-Ferrous Minerals These do not have iron content and have highest proportion of other
metals. For e.g. copper, bauxite,etc.

Non-Metallic Minerals
These minerals do not have contents of metals. They are classified into two groups:

🔜
• Organic Minerals These are made up of organic matter of buried animal and plants. For
e.g, coal, petroleum.

🔜
• Inorganic Minerals These are inorganic in nature of origin. For e.g. Mica, limestone,
graphite, etc.

Characteristics of Minerals Resources

The main characteristics of minerals are as follows:

1. Their distribution over the earth's surface are uneven.

2. There is inverse(विपरीत) relationship in quantity and quality of minerals i.e. good quality
minerals are less in quantity as compared to low quality minerals.

3. Minerals are exhausti. Once they are used , they can not be supplied immediately at the time
of need. So, minerals have to be conserved and used judiciously.(विवेकपर्ण
ू )

Distribution of Minerals in India

🔜Most of metallic minerals in India occur in the Peninsular Plateau region in the old crystalline
rocks.

🔜River valleys of Damodar, Sone, Mahanadi and Godavari have over 97% of coal reserves
in India.

🔜Sedimentary basins of Assam and offshore region in the Arabian Sea (Gujarat and Mumbai
High) are famous for their crude petroleum reserves.

🔜New reserves of petroleum also have been found in the basins of Krishna- Godavari and
Kaveri.

🔜Most of the major mineral resources occur to the east of a line linking Mangalore and
Kanpur.

🔜Minerals are generally concentrated in three broad belts in India.

🔜 There may be some sporadic(छिटपटु ) occurrences here and there in isolated pockets.
These belts are:

The North-Eastern Plateau Region

•This belt includes the regions of Chotanagpur (Jharkhand), Odisha Plateau, West Bengal and
parts Chhattisgarh.

•Important minerals are iron ore, coal, manganese, bauxite and mica.

•Due to availability of these minerals, most of the iron and steel industries are located here.

The South-Western Plateau Region

•This belt extends to lower Karnataka, Goa and upper areas of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

•Ferrous metals and bauxite are concentrated here along with high grade iron ore, manganese
and limestone. This belt is rich in coal

• Neyveli(industrial city T,M,N)has a lignite coal deposit. Deposits Of monazite sand and
thorium are found in Kerala.

•Mines of iron-ore are located in Goa.

The North-Western Regions

•Minerals of this belt are associated with the Dharwar system of rocks which are found in
Rajasthan and parts of Gujarat.

•Major minerals are copper and zinc. Rajasthan is rich in building stones i.e. sandstone,
granite, marble, fuller's earth and gypsum.

•Some cement industries are also concentrated here due to availability of dolomite and
limestone which are the raw materials of these industries.

•Gujarat is rich in petroleum deposits. Salt is also produced in Gujarat and Rajasthan.

Other Areas/Regions

Both Eastern and Western parts of the Himalayan belt have minerals like copper, lead, zinc,
cobalt and tungsten.

Assam Valley has mineral oil deposits. Besides, oil resources are also found in off-shore(किनारे
से दरू ) areas near Mumbai Coast(Mumbai High).

Spatial(स्थानिक) Pattern of Metallic Minerals

Spatial pattern of some of the important minerals are as follow:

Ferrous Minerals

•India is well placed in respect of ferrous minerals like iron-ore, manganese, chromite, etc.

•These minerals provide a strong base for the development of metallurgical

(धात-ु उद्योग-संबध
ं ी)industries.

Iron ore

•India has largest iron ore reserves in Asia. Its superior quality of hematiteरं ग धात्विक and
magnetic( रं ग काला से भरू ा) iron-ore have a great demand in International market.
• Iron ore mines of India are found near coal fields of North-Eastern Plateau region which is an
advantage for iron-ore industries of India.
• During 2004-05, India has about 20 billion tonnes of iron- ore reserves. Few Indian states have
about 95% of total iron- ore reserves in India.

These states are:

Odisha The important mines are located at Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj and Jhar. Gurumahisani,
Sulaipat, Badampahar in Mayurbhanj and Kiruburce and Bonai (Sundergarh) have important
mines. Jharkhand has the oldest mines in India. Important mines are Noamundi and Guain
Poorbi and Paschimi Singhbhum districts.

Chhattisgarh The mine belt further extended to Durg, Dantewada, Bailadiala, Dalli and
Rajhara.

Karnataka Important mines are Sundar-Hospet area of Bellary distict, Baba Budan hills and
Kundremukh in Chikmagalur Tumkur districts,

Maharashtra Important iron-ore deposits are located in Chandrapur, Bhandara and Ratnagiri
districts.

Andhra Pradesh Important areas of iron ore are Karimnagar, Warangal, Kumool, Cuddapah
and Anantapur districts.

Others These include Salem and Nilgiris Districts of Tamil Nadu state and Goa state.
Manganese

🔶It is an important raw material which is used in iron and steel industry for smelting of iron-ore
and in the manufacturing of ferro alloys.(लौह मिश्र धात.ु )

🔶It is mainly associated with Dharwar system but found almost in all geological formations.
Important states are:

Odisha It is the largest manganese producer of India. The central part of the iron-ore belt of
India has most of the manganese mines of Odisha. Important mines are located in the districts
of Bonai, Kendujhar, Sundargarh, Gangpur, Koraput, Kalahandi and Bolangir.

Karnataka Dharwad, Bellary, Belgaum, North Canara, Chikmagalur, Shimoga, Chiradurg and
Tumkur.
Maharashtra The main disadvantage of its mines are that these are located away from iron and
steel plants. Nagpur, Bhandara and Ratnagiri have manganese mines.

Madhya Pradesh Balaghat, Chhindwara, Nimar, Mandla and Jhabua districts have manganese
mines.

Others Other producer states of manganese are Andhra Pradesh, Goa And Jharkhand.

Non-Ferrous Minerals ..
India has large reserves of bauxite but lacks other non-ferrous minerals.

Bauxite

🔶It is the ore that used to manufacture aluminum and aluminum products.
🔶It is found in laterite rocks mostly in the plateau or hilly regions of peninsular India and also in
the coastal areas. Important states are:

Odisha It is the largest producer of bauxite and important producing areas are Kalahandi,
Sambalpur, Bolangir andKoraput.

Jharkhand Pelands of Jharkhand in Lohardaga home rich deposits.

Gujarat Bhavanagar and Jamnagar are important sites of bauxite.

Chattisgarh Amarkantak plateau region has large deposits of bauxite.

Madhya Pradesh Katni Jabalpur and Balaghat have important deposits of bauxite.

Others Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Goa are other producers of bauxite.

Copper
🔶It is alloyableमिश्रधात,ु malleableलचीला and flexibility and an important metal in electrical
industry used for making wires, electric motors, transformers and generators.

🔶It is also used to give strength in gold jewelleries. Important copper producing statesare:
Jharkhand Singbhum district

Madhya Pradesh Balaghat

Rajasthan Jhunjhunu and Alwar

Andhra Pradesh Agnigundala in Gunturdistrict

Karnataka Chitradurg and Hasan

Tamil Nadu South Arcot district

Non-Metallic Minerals
Limestone, dolomite, phosphate and mica are some non- metallic
minerals produced in India. Mica is the most important among them while others are produced
for domestic consumption.

Mica

Mica is mainly used in the electrical/electronic industries which can be split into very thin, strong
and flexible sheets. Due to its resistance(प्रतिरोधी/अवरोध) quality it is used in electricals and
electronic industry. Important Producer states are:

. Jharkhand Hazaribagh plateau produces a high quality of mica.'

Andhra Pradesh Nellore district is an important producer of mica, it produces best quality mica.

. Rajasthan A 320 km long belt from Jaipur to Bhilwara near Udaipur produces mica. Karnataka
Mysore and Hasan are important

.producers of mica.

Coimbatore, Tiruchirapalli, Madurai and Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu), Ratnagiri(Maharashtra),

Alleppey, (Kerala), Purulia and Bankura (West Bengal) are also known for mica deposits.

Energy Resources
All sectors of economy i.e. agriculture, industry, transport are run by power which comes
from mineral fuels whether conventional (traditional)or non- conventional(Non-traditional)
energy resources.

Conventional Sources of Energy

These are exhaustible(limited) in nature e.g. fossil fuels like coal, petroleum and natural gas.

Coal

It is required in the generation of thermal power and smelting of iron-ore.

India has about 80% of bituminous coal which is of non-cooking grade.

It is found in two rock sequences i.e. Gondwana coal fields and tertiary coalfields.
Gondwana Coal Fields

Damodar Valley is the important coal field of India.

Jharkhand and West Bengal coal have the entire area of this coal field. Jharia (largest coal
field), Raniganj (second fields largest), Bokaro, Giridih, Karanpura are important coal fields of
this valley. Other river valleys are Godavari, Mahanadi and Sone.

Tertiary Coal Fields

30 से 50% कार्बन

Important states are: Meghlaya Darangiri, Cherrapunji, Mewlong and Langrin (Meghalaya).

• Assam Makum, Jaipur and Nazira in Upper Assam.

• Arunachal Pradesh Namchik-Namphurk jammu and

Kashmir Kalakot Others Nagaland state

• Other Coal Fields

• Besides, the brown coal or lignite coal occurs inthe coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry,
Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir.

Petroleum
• Crude petroleum consists of hydrocarbons of liquid and

•Gaseous phases differ in chemical composition, color and specific gravity.

•It is used as a source of energy in all internal combustion engines of automobiles,

railways and airplanes

• It is also used as a raw material in petrochemical industries to produce fertilizer, synthetic

rubber, synthetic fiber, medicines, vaseline, lubricants(oils), wax soap and cosmetics, etc.

• It is also called liquid gold due to the scarcity and different uses.

• Crude oil is found in sedimentary rocks of tertiary age. Before independence, Digboi was
the only crude oil producing region in India but after independence in 1956, Oil and Natural
Gas Commission was set up.

🔶Important oil producing regions are:

•Assam Digboi, Naharkatiya and Moran.

•Gujarat and Mumbai High Ankleshwar, Kalol, Mehasana, Nawagam, Kosamba and Lunej.
Krishna, Godavari and Kaveribasin also have Oil and Natural Gas reserves on the East coast of
India.

🔶There are two types of oil refineries in India:

•Field Based Refineries Digboi is an example of a field based refinery.

•Market Based Refineries Barauni is an example of

market based refinery. There Are total 21 refineries as on June 2011.

⭐Natural Gas
It occurs along with oil as well as separately in gas reserves in India.

These gas reserves are located along with Eastern coast of Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Andhra
Pradesh, Tripura, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Gujarat and Maharashtra have off-shorewells of natural gas.

According to a survey report, there are indications of huge gas reserves in Ramanathapuram in
Tamil/Nadu state.
🔶Non-Conventional Energy Sources
Unlike conventional sources of energy,non- conventional energy sources are
renewable(नवीकरणीय) i.e. solar, wind, hydro- geothermal and biomass and are not a threat to
the natural system.

Their use ensures sustainable development as these are environment friendly and cheaper
energy sources.

⭐Nuclear Energy Sources

•Nuclear energy has emerged as a feasible व्यवहार्य source in recent times.

•Uranium and thorium are main minerals that are used to generate nuclear energy.

🔶Uranium Deposits in India

It is found in the Dharwar rock system. Important Regions are:

Jharkhand Singhbhum (along with the copper belt)

Rajasthan Udaipur, Alwar, Jhunjhunu districts.

Chhattisgarh Durg district

Maharashtra Bhandara district.

Himachal Pradesh Kullu district.

🔶Thorium Deposits in India

It is found in very few places in India:

Kerala (in monazite and ilmenite beachsands) Palakkad and Kollam districts.

Andhra Pradesh Visakhapatnam.

Odisha Mahanadi river delta

• These three states have the world's richest monazite deposits. The development of nuclear
energy was started after the establishment of the Atomic Energy Institute at Trombay in 1954
which was renamed as the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in 1967.

• Tarapur (Maharashtra), Rawatbhata near Kota (Rajasthan), Kalapakkam (Tamil Nadu), Narora
(Uttar Pradesh), Kaiga (Karnataka) and Kakarapara (Gujarat) are other nuclear power sites in
India

Solar Energy

•Sun's energy trapped by two methods i.e.photovoltaic cells and solar thermal technology and
converted into electricity is called solar energy.

•Its construction is easy, eco-friendly andcost competitive.

•It is 7% and 10% more effective than coal and oil based plants and nuclear energy,
respectively.

•Heaters, dryers, cookers and other heating appliances use solar energymore than others.

•Gujarat, Rajasthan and the Western part of India have higher potential for the development of
solar energy.
Wind Energy

•Wind energy is a non-polluting and renewable source. Through turbine mechanism, the
kinetic(गतिज) energy of wind can be directly converted into electrical energy.

•Electricity can be produced by permanent wind systems like trade wind, westerlies or seasonal
winds like monsoon winds. Besides, production of electricity can also be done by local winds,
land and sea breezes.

•India already has started generating wind energy to lessen the burden of oil import bill. It is
estimated that India has 50'000 megawatts potential of wind generation, of which one-fourth
may be easily employed

•Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka have higher potential for the development of
wind energy.

Tidal and Wave Energy

•Ocean currents are the store house of infinite energy. Large tidal waves are known to occur
along the west coast ofIndia.

•Many efforts for the efficient use of oceanic tides and waves were madesince 17th and 18th
century.

•But these waves have not yet been utilised properly because of lack of technology'.

Geothermal Energy
• Magma that comes over the earth' surface releases vast amount of heat. This heat energy can
be converted into electrical energy by tapping it. It is called geothermal energy

• Main sources of this energy are magma,hot spring (hot water), hot geysers, etc._

• Geothermal energy is gaining importance and can be used as an alternative to conventional

energy sources.

•In India at Manikaran in Himachal Pradesh, a geothermal energy plant has been commissioned