**Distribution of Minerals
1. Ferrous minerals account for about three-fourths of the total value of the production of metallic minerals.
2. Iron ore is the basic mineral and the backbone of industrial development.
3. Magnetite ore has a very high content of iron up to 70 per cent.
4. Hematite iron ore is the largest used iron ore in India.
5. Hematite ore from Bailadila (hump of ox) mines are exported to Japan and South Korea via Vishakapatnam port.
6. The Kudermukh (horse peak) mines located in Karnataka are a 100 per cent export unit.
7. Kudremukh deposits are known to be one of the largest in the world.
8. This ore is transported from Kudremukh as slurry through a pipeline to a port near Mangalore.
9. Iron ore from Goa are exported through Marmagao port.
10.Orissa is the largest producer of manganese ores in India.
11.The Balaghat mines in Madhya Pradesh produce more than half of India’s copper.
12.Bauxite is formed by decomposition of rocks, leaving a residual mass of weathered material.
13.Bauxite is a clay-like substance from which aluminium is obtained.
14.Orissa is the largest bauxite producing state in India.
15.Mica is a mineral made up of a series of plates or leaves. Mica sheets can be so thin that a thousand can be layered into a sheet of a few centimeters high.
16.Jharkhand is the leading producer of Mica.
17.Limestone is the basic raw material for the cement industry and essential for
smelting iron ore in the blast furnace.
18.Mining activity is often called a “killer industry” due to high risks involved.
Questions and Answers
Q.1 Describe the distribution of minerals in India.
Ans. India is fortunate to have fairly rich and varied mineral resources.
i. In Peninsular plateau the reserves of coal, metallic minerals, mica and many
other non-metallic minerals are found.
ii. In the sedimentary rocks of Gujarat and Assam most of the petroleum deposits are found.
iii. In Rajasthan reserves of many non-ferrous minerals are found.
iv. The alluvial plains of north India are almost devoid of economic minerals.
Q.2 Mention the factors which play an important role in affecting the economic viability of a reserve.
Ans. The factors are:
i. The concentration of mineral in the ore,
ii. The ease of extraction
iii. Closeness to the market.
Q.3 Describe the three copper producing regions of India.
Ans. Copper is very low reserves and production of copper.
a. Madhya Pradesh is the largest producer of copper in India. The Balaghat mines in Madhya Pradesh produce 52 per cent of India’s copper.
b. Rajasthan is the second largest producer of copper. The Khetri mines in Rajasthan are famous.
c. Jharkhand, the Singbhum district of it is also has large reserves of copper.
Q.4 What are the uses of Aluminium?
Ans. Aluminium is an important metal because it combines the strength of metals such as iron, with extreme lightness and also with good conductivity and great malleability. It is used in electrical industries, aircraft manufacturing industries, utensils making, etc.
Q.5 Why Mica is considered the most important mineral in electric and electronic industries?
Ans. 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 in electric and electronic industries.
Q.6 What are the impacts of mining on the health and the environment?
Ans. The impacts of mining on the health of the miners and the environment are:
i. The dust and noxious fumes inhaled by miners make them vulnerable to pulmonary diseases.
ii. The risk of collapsing mine roofs, inundation and fires in coalmines are a constant threat to miners.
iii. The water sources in the region get contaminated due to mining.
iv. Dumping of waste and slurry leads to degradation of land, soil, and increase in
stream and river pollution.
Q.7 Explain why the conservation of minerals is necessary.
Ans. Minerals are important for every country for its development and they need to be conserved because:
a. Industry and agriculture depend upon minerals and the substances manufactured from them.
b. Workable minerals are in insufficient quantities. (Just one per cent of the earth’s crust)
c. We are rapidly consuming mineral resources that require millions of years to be renewed.
d. The natural rate of replenishment is very small in comparison to the present rates of consumption.
e. Mineral resources are finite and non-renewable.
f. Mineral deposits in our country will get exhausted in the future.
g. Due to decrease in good quality and they comes from great depths the costs of mineral extraction is increasing.
Q.8 Describe the significance of minerals in our economic life.
Ans. Minerals are indispensable part of our lives. Almost everything we use, from a tiny pin to a lowering building or a big ship, all are made from minerals.
The railways lines and the tarmac (paving) of the roads, our implements and machinery too are made from minerals. Cars, buses, trains, aeroplanes are manufactured from minerals and run by power resources derived from the earth.
Even the food we eat contain minerals. Although our minerals in take represents only about 0.3% of our total in take of nutrients, they are so potent and so important that without them we would not be able to utilize the other 99.7%of foodstuffs.
Human beings have used minerals for their livelihood, decoration, festivities, religious and ceremonial rites. In short, all living things need minerals. Life processes cannot occur without minerals.
Q.9 What is a mineral ?
Ans. Mineral is a homogenous naturally occurring substance with a definable internal structure. They are found in varied forms in nature, ranging from the hardest diamond to the softest talc.
Q10.What is rock?
Ans. Rocks are combination of homogenous substance called minerals. Some rocks consist of a single mineral only ,but majority of the rock consist of several minerals in varying proportions .
Q11. State the factors that influence the formation of a minerals?
Ans. A particular mineral that will be formed from a certain combination of elements depending upon the physical and chemical conditions under which the material forms. This results in wide range of colours, hardness, crystal forms, lustre and density that a particular mineral possesses.
Q.12 Distinguish between a rock and mineral.
Ans. A rock may contain many minerals in varying proportions A mineral contains high proportion of a mineral along with certain impurities
Q.13. Why are geographers and geologists interested in the study of minerals?
Ans. A geographer studies minerals with the following aims.
(i)He looks at the earth’s crust for a better understanding of landforms.
(ii) (ii) He is interested in distribution of mineral resources and associated economic activities
A geologist, however, is interested in the formation of mineral, their age and physical and chemical composition.
Q.14 Distinguish between metallic and non-metallic minerals.
Ans. Metallic Minerals Non- metallic minerals
Metallic minerals are those substances which * Non metallic minerals are those
provide metal after their processing such as iron, which do not provide metal after their
copper, aluminum, tin, silver and gold. processing such as sulphur, mica, coal Petroleum etc.
They are hard and have lustre or shine * They are not hard and they do not have a of their own.
These can be smelted, can be drawn into * They cannot be smelted and cannot be
moulded wires and rolled down into sheets. Into sheets.
Q.15 Distinguish between ferrous and non-ferrous minerals.
Ans. The mineral which have fair amount of iron contents are called ferrous minerals eg. Iron ore, maganeses ore Chromium cobalt etc. The minerals that do not posses iron contents are non-ferrous minerals eg. Copper, tin, zinc, gold, silver etc.
Q.16. Explain the importance of iron, manganese , mica, bauxite and copper
Ans Iron ore * It is the backbone of industrial development.
* It is used in manufacturing of steel , machine, tools and equipments.
* It is used in transport sector and many other section of production.
Manganese- * It is used in manufacturing of steel and ferro manganese alloy. Nearly 10 kg of Manganese is
required to manufacture one tonne of steel.
* These alloys became very strong and therefore are used in making giant machines
* It is also used in manufacturing bleaching powder, insecticides and paints.
Bauxite – * It is a source of aluminium-useful light metal
* Aluminium is an important metal because it combines the strength of metals such as iron, with
extreme lightness and also with good conductivity and great malleability
* It is used in electrical goods.
Mica- * Due to its di-electric strength, low power loss factor, insulating properties and Resistance to high
voltage, mica is one of the most indispensable minerals used in electric and electronic industries.
Copper- * It is malleable, ductile and a good conductor of heat.
* It is mainly used in electrical cables, electronics and chemical industries.
Q.17. “Minerals are unevenly distributed in India” Explain.
Ans- India is fortunate to have fairly rich and varied minerals resources. However these are unevenly distributed
resources.
Peninsular rocks contains most of the reserves of coal, metallic, mica and many other non metallic
Minerals
Sedimentary rocks on the western and eastern flanks of the peninsular in Gujarat and Assam have most of
the petroleum deposits.
Rajasthan with the rock system of the peninsula has reserve of many non-ferrous minerals.
The vast alluvial plains of the north India are almost devoid of economic minerals These variations exists
largely because of the differences in the geological structure, process and time involved in the formation of
minerals.
Q.18 Mining and smelting of copper in India is a costly affair. Why?
Ans. The main reason are as follows.
Copper ore which is found in India contains less than 1% of copper.
Quality of the copper is also not very good.
Q.19. What is the impacts of mining on the health of the miners and the environment?
Ans The impacts of mining on the health of the miners and the environment
The dust and noxious fumes inhaled by miners make them vulnerable to pulmonary diseases
The risk of collapsing mine roofs, inundation and fires in coalmines are a constant threat to miners.
The water sources in the region get contaminated due to mining
Dumping of waste and slurry leads to degradation of land ,soil, and increase in stream and river pollution Q Q.20.Why is there need to conserve minerals?
Ans. We all appreciate the strong dependence of industry and agriculture upon mineral deposits and the
substance manufactured from them. The total volume of workable mineral deposits is an insignificant
fraction i.e one per cent of the earth’s crust.
We are rapidly consuming mineral resources the required millions of years to be created and concentrated.
The geological processes of mineral formation are so slow that the rates of replenishment are infinitely small
in comparison to the present rates of consumption Mineral resources are therefore, finite and non renewable.
Rich mineral deposits are our country’s extremely valuable but short-lived possessions. Continued costs as
mineral extraction comes from greater depths along with decrease in quality.
Q21.How can we conserve minerals?
Ans. A concerted effort has to be made in order to use our mineral resources in planned and sustainable manner
resources in a planned and sustainable manner.
Improved technologies need to be constantly evolved to allow use of low grade ores at low costs.
Recycling of metals, using scrap metals and other substitutes are steps in conserving our mineral resources for
the future.
Further intensified exploration of mineral deposits is also required.
Q22. Write differences b/w conventional and non-conventional source of energy.
Ans. Conventional sources of energy Non Conventional sources of energy
1. Conventional sources of energy have been used 1. Non –conventional sources of energy have come into
since the early times. use recently.
2. These are non –renewable sources of energy 2. These are renewable sources of energy e.g. wind
e.g. coal and petroleum once they have been used, energy, solar energy tidal energy.
they cannot be replaced
3. They cause air and water pollution as their burning 3. They are eco-friendly as they do not cause any
emits smoke and leave residue. Pollution.
4. They are going to last for few hundreds of years 4. They are found in abundance and of renewable
nature, so they are going to last forever.
5. These sources of energy require huge capital 5. They are comparatively cheaper and can be renewed
investment. with minimum efforts and money.
Q.23. How are energy resources important to us?
Ans. Energy is required for all the activities. It is needed: -
To cook
To provide light and heat
To propel vehicles
To drive machinery in industries
Q.24. Which is the principal source of commercial energy in India?
Ans. In India, coal is the most abundantly available fossil fuel. It provides a substantial part of the nation’s energy needs.
It is used for power generation, to supply energy to industry as well as for domestic needs. India is highly dependent on coal for meeting its commercial energy requirements.
Q.25. What do you know about the occurrence and distribution of coal in India.
Ans. In India coal occurs in rock series of two main geological ages: -
* Gondwana age: - It is little over 200 million years in age. The major resources of gondwana coal, which are metallurgical coal, are located in Damodar Valley (West Bengal-Jharkhand) Jharia, Raniganj, Bokaro are important waterfalls. The Godavari, Mahanadi, Son and Wardha Valleys also contain coal deposits.
* Tertiary Age:- It is only about 55 million years old. Tertiary coal occur in north-eastern states of Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
Q-26 Explain different types of coal.
Ans There are four different type of coal
Peat * It contains less than 50 percent carbon.
* It burns like wood and gives more smoke .It has high moisture contents and low heating capacity.
* It is produced by decaying of plants in swamps.
Lignite * It contains about 60% carbon.
* It is low grade brown coal, which is soft with high moisture content.
* The major lignite reserves are in Neyveli in Tamil Nadu and are used for generation of electricity. Bituminous
* It contain 60 to 80 % Carbon
* As it has been buried deep and subjected to increased temperature, so it has less moisture and high
heating capacity.
* It is most widely used variety of coal. It is used for smelting iron in blast furnaces.
Anthracite
* It contains more than 80% carbon. It is hard, black and compact.
Q-27 Explain petroleum under the following headings
Ans. a) Importance b) Formation
Importance : * It provides fuel for heat and lighting
* It provides lubricants for machinery.
* It also gives raw material for a number of manufacturing industries.
* Petroleum refineries act as a “nodal industry “for synthetic textile , fertilizer and numerous
chemical industries
Occurrence:- Most of the petroleum occurrences in India are associated with anticlines and fault traps in the rock
formations of the tertiary age.
In regions of folding, anticlines or domes, it occurs where oil is trapped in the crest of the upfold.
The oil bearing layer is a porous limestone or sandstone through which oil may flow. The oil is
prevented from rising or sinking by intervening non-porous layers.
Petroleum is also found in fault traps between porous and non-porous rocks. Gas, being lighter usually occurs above the oil.
Q.28. How nuclear energy is obtained Name the minerals used in generating nuclear energy and where are they found in India?
Ans. Nuclear energy is obtained by altering the structure of atoms. When such an alteration is made, much energy if released in the form of heat and is used to generate electric power. Uranium and thorium are used to generate nuclear energy. These minerals are available in Jharkhand and the Aravalli ranges of Rajasthan. The monazite sands of Kerela is also rich in thorium.
Q.29. What are the uses of natural gas?
Ans. In a power deficient country, natural gas is a precious gift. It can be used as a source of energy. It takes less time to built a power plant based on natural gas. It can be used as an industrial raw material in petro-chemical industry. It can be used in building the fertilizer plants and thereby encouraging the use of fertilizers. It can boost agricultural production. Through easy transportation by way of pipelines, its utility is further increased.
Q.30. Why you think that nuclear energy is bound to play an increasingly important role in India?
Ans. India is deficient in quality coal and natural oil. Therefore, nuclear energy is expected to play a complementary role. Nuclear power stations would be handy when other power resources are either not tapped or are in short supply. Nuclear power is supplied to the power grid and in no way different from hydel or thermal power. India has been a leader in peaceful uses of atomic energy in fields like medicine and agriculture.
Q.31. Why does solar energy in Rajasthan and biogas in the plains and hills of North India have greater potential as non-conventional sources of energy?
Ans. Solar energy has greater potential to develop in Rajsthan to due to following reasons: - It is a hot and dry region. There are clear skies for considerable part of the year. There is abundant insolation. So there are better prospects of trapping the solar energy.
Bio-gas has a greater potential in the plains and hills of North India due to the following reason.
There is dense vegetation and large number of cattle and livestock are reared here. There is high density of population especially in the northern plains. Therefore huge decay and human waste material is available.
Q.32. How is tidal energy generated? In India which area provides ideal conditions for utilizing tidal energy?
Ans. Oceanic tides can be used to generate electricity.
Flood gates dams are built across inlets. During high tide water flows into the inlets and gets trapped when the gate is closed.