Lesson 5
Minerals
and Energy Resources
Class
10th
Subject
–Social Science (Geography)
Book-
Contemporary India
Question: What is a
mineral?
According to the
Geologists “homogenous, naturally occurring substance with a definable internal
structure” is known as mineral.
Minerals are found in
varied forms in nature, ranging from the hardest diamond to the softest talc.
Question: Write about
the Importance of Minerals.
OR
Question: Minerals are
an indispensable part of our lives. Explain.
Answer: Importance of Minerals is
given below.
(i)
Minerals
are an indispensable part of our lives.
(ii)
Almost
everything we use, from a tiny pin to a towering building or a big ship, all
are made from minerals.
(iii)
The
railway lines and the tarmac (paving) of the roads, our implements and
machinery too are made from minerals.
(iv)
Cars,
buses, trains, aeroplanes are manufactured from minerals and run on power
resources derived from the earth.
(v)
Even
the food that we eat contains minerals.
(vi)
In
all stages of development, human beings have used minerals for their
livelihood, decoration, festivities, religious and ceremonial rites.
Question: What minerals
do your toothpastes have cleaning quality?
Answer: Abrasive minerals like
Silica, Limestone, Aluminium Oxide and various Phosphate minerals do the
cleaning quality.
Question: From which
mineral is fluoride obtained and what is it use?
Answer: Fluoride is obtained from
a mineral fluorite. It is used to reduce cavities in teeth.
Question: Why does
tooth powder provide lustre to our teeth?
Answer: Because mica is present
in those tooth power or tooth paste.
Question: By which
material toothpaste is made white and from which minerals it is obtained?
Answer: Most toothpaste is made
white with titanium oxide; it comes from minerals called rutile, ilmenite and
anatase.
Question: What is the tooth brush and toothpaste tube made
of?
Answer: The tooth brush and tube
containing the paste are made of plastics from petroleum.
Question: ‘Rocks are
combinations of minerals’. Explain.
Answer: Rocks are combinations
of homogenous substances called minerals.
Some rocks, for
instance limestone, consist of a single mineral only,
Majority of the rock
consist of several minerals in varying proportions.
Question: Which rock
consists of single mineral only?
OR
Name the rock which is
made of one mineral.
Answer: limestone, consist of a single mineral only
Question: How many minerals are identified yet so far?
Answer: Approximate 2000 minerals have been
identified till now.
Question: Why are minerals so varied?
OR
Question: What are the properties by which is used by Geologists to
classify the minerals.
Answer: A particular
mineral that will be formed from a certain combination of elements depends upon
the physical and chemical conditions under which the material forms.
This results in a wide range
of colours, hardness, crystal forms, lustre and density that particular mineral
possesses. Geologists use these properties to classify the minerals.
Question: In what form are minerals generally found?
Answer: Minerals are usually found in the form of “ores”
Question: Give definition of ore.
Answer: The term ore is used to describe an accumulation of any
mineral mixed with other elements.
Question: How do minerals occurs in igneous and metamorphic rocks?
OR
Question: How are minerals formed in igneous and metamorphic rocks?
Answer:
In igneous and metamorphic rocks minerals may occur in the cracks,
crevices, faults or joints.
The smaller occurrences are called veins and
the larger are called lodes.
In most cases, they are formed when minerals in liquid/ molten and
gaseous forms are forced upward through cavities towards the earth’s surface.
They cool and solidify as they rise.
Major metallic minerals like tin, copper, zinc and lead etc. are
obtained from veins and lodes.
Question: How do minerals occurs in sedimentary rocks?
Answer: 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.
Coal and some forms of iron
ore have been concentrated as a result of long periods under great heat and
pressure.
Another group of sedimentary minerals include gypsum, potash salt
and sodium salt. These are formed as a result of evaporation especially
in arid regions.
Question: How we get minerals from the decomposition of surface rocks,
and the removal of soluble constituents.
Answer:
Another mode of formation involves the decomposition of surface rocks, and the
removal of soluble constituents, leaving a residual mass of weathered material
containing ores. Bauxite is formed this way.
Question: How are minerals formed in alluvial deposits? Name any
four minerals formed in alluvial deposits.
Answer:
Certain minerals may occur as alluvial deposits in sands of valley floors and
the base of hills. These deposits are called ‘placer deposits’ and generally
contain minerals, which are not corroded by water.
Gold,
silver, tin and platinum are most important among such minerals.
Question:
The ocean waters contain vast quantities of minerals
explain it.
OR
Question: Minerals found in
ocean waters mostly are not of economic significance. Give one reason. Name the
minerals derived from ocean waters.
Answer:
The ocean waters contain vast quantities of minerals; most of these are too
widely diffused so they are not of economic significance.
Minerals
derived from ocean waters
Common
salt, magnesium and bromine are largely derived from ocean waters.
The
ocean beds are rich in manganese nodules.
Question: In which areas in India mining are owned by individuals or
communities.
Answer:
Most of the minerals in India are nationalized and their extraction is possible
only after obtaining due permission from the government.
But
in most of the tribal areas of the north-east India, minerals are owned by
individuals or communities.
In
Meghalaya, there are large deposits of coal, iron ore, limestone and dolomite
etc.
Question: What is “Rat-Hole Mining”? Explain with example.
Answer:
When mining is done in the form of a long narrow tunnel, known as ‘Rat Hole
Mining’. Coal mining in Jowai and
Cherapunjee is done by family member. It is a type of ‘Rat Hole Mining’.
The
National Green Tribunal has declared such activities illegal and recommended
that these should be stopped forthwith.
Question: ‘India is fortunate to have fairly rich and varied mineral
resources’. Give reasons.
OR
Question: ‘Minerals in India are unevenly distributed’. Explain it.
Answer:
India is fortunate to have fairly rich and varied mineral resources.
However,
these are unevenly distributed.
Peninsular
rocks contain most of the reserves of coal, metallic minerals, mica and many
other non-metallic minerals.
Sedimentary
rocks on the western and eastern flanks of the peninsula, in Gujarat and Assam
have most of the petroleum deposits.
Rajasthan
with the rock systems of the peninsula has reserves of many non-ferrous minerals. The vast alluvial plains of north
India are almost devoid of economic minerals.
Question: How does a deposit or a reserve become a mine?
Answer:
The concentration of mineral in the ore, the ease of extraction and closeness
to the market play an important role in affecting the economic viability of a
reserve.
To
meet the demand, a choice has to be made between a numbers of possible options.
When this is done a mineral ‘deposit’ or ‘reserve’ turns into a mine.
Question: What are ferrous metallic minerals? What is the importance
of ferrous metallic minerals?
Answer:
Those minerals which have iron content are known as Ferrous Minerals.
Iron
Ore, Manganese, nickel and cobalt are the major 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.
India
exports substantial quantities of ferrous minerals after meeting her internal
demands.
Question: What are non- ferrous metallic minerals? Give example.
Answer:
Minerals which do not have iron contents are called non- ferrous metallic
minerals.
Copper,
led, tin and Bauxite etc. are example of non- ferrous metallic minerals.
In India reserves and production
of non-ferrous minerals is not very satisfactory.
Question: Write the names of precious metallic minerals.
Answer:
Gold, silver and platinum are the precious metallic minerals
India
is deficient in non- ferrous metallic minerals.
Question: Describe various types of Iron Ore found in India. Also
write the names of major states that produce iron ore
Answer:
Iron ore is the basic mineral and the backbone of industrial development. India
is endowed with fairly abundant resources of iron ore.
Type
of iron ore found in India
India
is rich in good quality iron ores. Two types of iron ore are mainly found in
India.
(i)
Magnetite
is the finest iron ore with a very high content of iron up to 70 per cent. It
has excellent magnetic qualities, especially valuable in the electrical
industry.
(ii)
Hematite
ore is the most important industrial iron ore in terms of the quantity used. It
has slightly lower iron content than magnetite that is 50-60 per cent.
Production
of iron ore in India
In
2018–19 almost entire production of iron ore (97%) accrued from Odisha,
Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Jharkhand. The remaining production (3%) was from
other states.
Question: What is the meaning of Kudre and Bailadila?
Answer:
(i)
Kudre
in Kannada means horse. The highest peak in the western ghats of Karnataka
resembles the face of a horse.
(ii)
The
Bailadila hills look like the hump of an ox, and hence its name.
Question: Explain the distribution of iron ore in India
OR
Question: Name the iron –ore belts in India. List the features of
these belts.
The major iron-ore belts in India are:
Odisha-Jharkhand belt:
In Odisha high grade hematite ore is found in Badampahar mines in
the Mayurbhanj and Kendujhar districts.
In the adjoining Singbhum district of Jharkhand haematite iron ore
is mined in Gua and Noamundi.
Durg-Bastar-Chandrapur belt
This belt lies in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.
Very high grade hematites are found in the famous Bailadila range
of hills in the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh. The range of hills comprises
of 14 deposits of super high grade hematite iron ore.
It has the best physical properties needed for steel making.
Iron ore from these mines
is exported to Japan and South Korea via Vishakhapatnam port.
Ballari-Chitradurga-Chikkamagaluru- Tumakuru belt
This belt in Karnataka has large reserves of iron ore.
The Kudremukh mines located in the Western Ghats of Karnataka are
a 100 per cent export unit.
Kudremukh deposits are known to be one of the largest in the
world.
The ore is transported as slurry through a pipeline to a port near
Mangaluru.
Maharashtra-Goa belt
It includes the state of
Goa and Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra.
Though, the ores are not of very high quality, yet they are
efficiently exploited.
Iron ore is exported through Marmagao port.
Question: What are the uses of Manganese? Explain the distribution
of Manganese ore in India.
Answer:
Uses of Manganese
Manganese is mainly used in the manufacturing
of steel and ferro-manganese alloy.
Nearly 10 kg of manganese is required to
manufacture one tonne of steel.
It is also used in manufacturing bleaching powder, insecticides
and paints.
Distribution of Manganese ore in India
Production
of Manganese showing state-wise share in per cent, 2018–19
Madhya
Pradesh 33%, Odisha 16%, Karnataka 12%, Andhra Pradesh 10%, Others 2%, Maharashtra 27%
Question: Write the names of Non-Ferrous Minerals? What is the
importance of these minerals?
Answer: Non-Ferrous Minerals include copper, bauxite,
lead, zinc and gold.
These minerals play a vital role in a number of metallurgical,
engineering and electrical industries.
Question: Explain the uses and distribution of Copper in India.
OR
Question: What are the uses of copper? Write the names of leading
copper producing states with their mines in India.
Answer:
Uses of copper:
Being malleable, ductile and a good conductor, copper is mainly
used in electrical cables, electronics and chemical industries.
Production and distribution of copper in India :
India is critically deficient in the reserve and production of
copper.
The Balaghat mines in Madhya
Pradesh, Khetri mines in Rajasthan and Singhbhum district of Jharkhand are
leading producers of copper.
Question: what is bauxite? How
is it formed? Write about the qualities of Aluminium?
OR
Question: How aluminium is obtained? What are the the qualities of
Aluminium?
Answer:
Bauxite is a clay-like substance. From bauxite alumina and later aluminium is
obtained. Bauxite deposits are formed by the decomposition of a wide variety of
rocks rich in aluminium silicates.
Qualities
of Aluminium
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.
Question: Write the distribution and production of bauxite in India.
Answer:
(i)
In
India bauxite deposits are mainly found in the Amarkantak plateau, Maikal hills
and the plateau region of Bilaspur-Katni.
(ii)
Production
of Bauxite showing state-wise share in per cent in 2018–19 are given below.
(iii)
Odisha
is the largest bauxite producing state in India with 65% of total bauxite
production. Koraput is the important deposits of bauxite.
(iv)
Chhattisgarh
produce 6% bauxite. Bilaspur is the important bauxite producing region of this
state.
(v)
Jharkhand,
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh are other major bauxite producing states.
Question: Which type of mineral is Mica? What are the
characteristics of Mica? Explain the distribution of Mica in India.
Answer: Non-Metallic Minerals.
Characteristics
of Mica
(i)
Mica is a mineral made up of a series of plates or leaves.
(ii)
It splits easily into thin sheets.
(iii) These
sheets can be so thin that a thousand can be layered into a mica sheet of a few
centimeters high.
(iv) Mica
can be clear, black, green, red yellow or brown.
Question: Why mica is one of
the most indispensable minerals used in electric and electronic industries.
Answer: 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 electric and electronic industries.
Question: Write about the Distribution of mica in India.
Answer: Distribution
of mica in India is discussed below
(i)
Mica deposits are found in the northern edge of the Chota Nagpur
plateau.
(ii)
Koderma Gaya – Hazaribagh belt of Jharkhand is the leading
producer.
(iii) In
Rajasthan, the major mica producing area is around Ajmer.
(iv) Nellore
mica belt of Andhra Pradesh is also an important producer in the country.
Question: In which type of rock is limestone found?
Answer:
Limestone is found in association with rocks composed of calcium carbonates or
calcium and magnesium carbonates.
It
is found in sedimentary rocks of most geological formations.
Question: what are the uses of lime stone?
Answer:
Limestone is the basic raw material for the cement industry.
It
is essential for smelting iron ore in the blast furnace.
Question: Write the names of
the major states where limestone found?
Answer: Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat,
Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra are the major
states where limestone found
Question: Why Mining is Hazardous for human life.
OR
Question: What are the
impacts of mining on the health of the miners and the environment?
Answer:
The impacts of mining on the health of the miners and the environment are given
below.
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.
Question: What should government do to prevent mining from becoming
a “killer industry”?
Answer:
Stricter safety regulations and implementation of environmental laws are
essential to prevent mining from becoming a “killer industry”.
Question: Why is the conservation of minerals essential?
OR
Question: Explain the need of conservation of minerals.
OR
Question: Why do we need to conserve mineral resources?
Answer:
(i)
Mineral
resources are finite and non-renewable.
(ii)
There
is a strong dependence of industry and agriculture upon mineral deposits and
the substances manufactured from them.
(iii)
The
total volume of workable mineral deposits is an insignificant fraction i.e. one
per cent of the earth’s crust.
(iv)
We
are rapidly consuming mineral resources that required millions of years to be
created and concentrated.
(v)
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.
(vi)
Continued
extraction of ores leads to increasing costs as mineral extraction comes from
greater depths along with decrease in quality.
Question: Explain the methods of conservation of minerals.
Answer:
Methods of conservation of minerals are
given below.
(i)
A
concerted effort has to be made in order to use our mineral resources in a
planned and sustainable manner.
(ii)
Improved
technologies need to be constantly evolved to allow use of low grade ores at
low costs.
(iii)
Recycling
of metals, using scrap metals and other substitutes are steps in conserving our
mineral resources for the future.
Question: Why do we need Energy
Resources?
Answer:
Energy is required for all activities.
It
is needed to cook,
It
is needed to provide light and heat,
It
is needed to propel vehicles
It
is needed to drive machinery in industries.
Question: How can energy be generated?
Answer:
Energy can be generated from fuel minerals like coal, petroleum, natural gas, uranium
and from electricity.
Energy
can also be generated from Non-conventional sources include solar, wind, tidal,
geothermal, biogas etc.
Question: Classify the energy
resources available in India. Give examples of each .
Answer:
Energy resources can be classified as conventional and non-conventional
sources.
(i)
Conventional
sources include firewood, cattle dung cake, coal, petroleum, natural gas and
electricity (both hydel and thermal).
(ii)
Non-conventional
sources include solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, biogas and atomic energy.
Question: what are most common Energy sources in rural India?
Answer:
Firewood and cattle dung cake are most
common in rural India.
Question: Why do the use of firewood and cattle dung cake decreasing
in rural areas?
Answer:
(i)
According
to one estimate more than 70 per cent energy requirement in rural households is
met by these Non-conventional sources named as Firewood and cattle dung cake.
(ii)
Continuation
of these is increasingly becoming difficult due to decreasing forest area.
(iii)
Moreover,
using dung cake too is being discouraged because it consumes most valuable
manure which could be used in agriculture.
Question: What is the importance of coal?
Answer: The importance of coal is discussed below.
(i)
Coal is the most abundantly available fossil fuel.
(ii)
It provides a substantial part of the nation’s energy needs.
(iii) It
is used for power generation, to supply energy to industry as well as for
domestic needs.
(iv) India
is highly dependent on coal for meeting its commercial energy requirements.
Question: Explain the types of coal found in India.
Question: How is coal formed? Describe the qualities of different
types of coal found in India.
Answer: Coal is formed due the compression of plant material over
millions of years. Coal, therefore, is found in a variety of forms depending on
the degrees of compression and the depth and time of burial.
Type of coal (Qualities of Different Types of Coal)
(i)
Decaying plants in swamps produce peat. This has a low carbon and
high moisture contents and low heating capacity.
(ii)
Lignite is a low grade brown coal. This is soft with high moisture
content. The principal lignite reserves are in Neyveli in Tamil Nadu and are
used for generation of electricity.
(iii) Coal
that has been buried deep and subjected to increased temperatures is bituminous
coal. It is the most popular coal in commercial use. Metallurgical coal is high
grade bituminous coal which has a special value for smelting iron in blast
furnaces.
(iv) Anthracite
is the highest quality hard coal.
Question: Explain the Coal Belts in India.
OR
Question: Describe the distribution of coal in India.
Answer: In India coal
occurs in rock series of two main geological ages, namely Gondwana and Tertiary
deposits.
Gondwana deposits: A 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
coalfields. The Godavari, Mahanadi, Son and Wardha valleys also contain coal
deposits.
Tertiary deposits: Tertiary deposits are only
about 55 million years old. Tertiary coals occur in the north eastern states of
Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
Why industries and thermal power stations are located on or near the
coalfields?
Answer: Coal is a bulky
material, which loses weight on use as it is reduced to ash. Hence, heavy
industries and thermal power stations are located on or near the coalfields.
Question: How Petroleum is Important for in human life?
Answer:
(i)
Petroleum
or mineral oil is the next major energy source in India after coal.
(ii)
It
provides fuel for heat and lighting, lubricants for machinery and raw materials
for a number of manufacturing industries.
(iii)
Petroleum
refineries act as a “nodal industry” for synthetic textile, fertiliser and
numerous chemical industries.
Question: What are the Areas of occurrences of petroleum in India?
Answer:
(i)
Most
of the petroleum occurrences in India are associated with anticlines and fault
traps in the rock formations of the tertiary age.
(ii)
In
regions of folding, anticlines or domes, it occurs where oil is trapped in the
crest of the upfold.
(iii)
The
oil bearing layer is a porous limestone or sandstone through which oil may flow.
(iv)
The
oil is prevented from rising or sinking by intervening non-porous layers.
(v)
Petroleum
is also found in fault traps between porous and non-porous rocks. Gas, being
lighter usually occurs above the oil.
Question: What are the Major petroleum production areas in India?
Answer:
(i)
Mumbai
High, Gujarat and Assam are major petroleum production areas in India.
(ii)
Ankeleshwar
is the most important field of Gujarat.
