GEOGRAPHY-(VIII) LESSON-3 MINERAL AND POWER RESOURCES LESSON NOTES

GEOGRAPHY-(VIII) LESSON-3

MINERAL AND POWER RESOURCES

LESSON NOTES

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v INTRODUCTION-

Ø In this lesson we will read about minerals and power resources and its classification. We also focus on some important minerals that are found in the world and India. We also try to know about the importance of these minerals and power resources. This lesson also deals with the need and steps of conservation of minerals and power resources.

v MINARALS

Ø A naturally occurring substance that has a definite chemical composition is known as minerals. These are found in rocks.

Ø Rocks-A natural substance composed of solid crystals of different minerals is known as minerals.

Ø Ores- Rocks from which minerals are mined are known as ores.

Ø These are found in certain areas only and not everywhere.

Ø Minerals are formed only by natural processes.

v CLASSIFICATION OF MINERALS

Ø Minerals can be identified on the basis of their physical properties like color, density, hardness and chemical properties.

Ø On the basis of composition minerals are mainly classified as Metallic and non metallic minerals.

METALLIC MINERALS	NON METALLIC MINERALS
1.The minerals which contain metal in raw form are called as metallic minerals	1. The minerals which don’t have the iron contain in its raw form are called as non metallic minerals.
2. They are hard substance and good conductor of heat and light	2. They are not a hard substance and bad conductor of heat and light.
3. They have a characteristic luster and shine.	3. They don’t have a characteristic luster and shine.
4. They are found in igneous and metamorphic rocks.	4. They are found in sedimentary rocks.
5. Examples-Iron ore, bauxite, manganese	5.Examples-Limestone, mica, gypsum, coal petroleum etc.

 

v TYPES OF METALLIC MINERALS

FERROUS	NON FERROUS
1.The metallic minerals which have iron contain are known as ferrous minerals.	The metallic minerals which do not have iron contain are known as non-ferrous minerals.
2.Example- Iron ore, manganese and Chromites etc.	Example- Gold, Silver, copper or lead etc.

v EXTRACTION OF MINERALS

Ø There are different ways by which minerals are extracted from the earth surface.

§  The process of taking out minerals from rocks buried under the earth’s surface is called mining.

·       When the minerals lying at shallow depths and taken out by removing the surface layer is known as open-cast mining.  

·       When the minerals lying at large depths and taken out by deep bores (shaft) is known as shaft mining. 

§  A method of extraction in which deep wells are bored to take out minerals is known as drilling.

§  When minerals lying very close to the surface and extracted just by digging them out is called as Quarrying

v DISTRIBUTION OF MINERALS-WORLD

Ø Asia produces over half the total Tin production in the world. China and India have large iron ore deposits. Asia also has deposits of manganese, bauxite, nickel, zinc and copper. China leads in the production of lead, antimony, tin and tungsten.

Ø North America is divided into three zones to describe the presence of mineral deposits. These are Canadian region north of the Great Lakes, the Appalachian region and the mountain ranges in the western part of the continent.

Ø In South America Chile and Peru are leading producers of copper. Brazil and Bolivia are important producers of tin.

Ø Africa is the continent richest in mineral resources. South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zaire are the world’s most important producers of gold.

Ø Europe is the leading producer of iron-ore in the world. The countries with large deposits of iron ore are Russia, Ukraine, Sweden and France.

Ø Australia produces the largest quantity of bauxite. It also produces gold, diamond, iron, tin and nickel. The areas called Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie have large deposits of gold.

v DISTRIBUTION OF MINERALS-INDIA

Ø In India, high-grade iron ore is produced in Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Ø Bauxite is produced in Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

Ø Copper is mainly produced in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Ø Mica deposits are found in Jharkhand, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. India is the largest producer and exporter of mica in the world.

Ø Kolar in Karnataka has large deposits of gold.

Ø India is a leading producer and exporter of salt. It obtained from sea and salt lakes. Sambhar lake of Rajasthan produced largest salt.

v USES OF MINERALS

Ø Minerals are used for a lot of purposes.

Ø Many minerals are used for jewellary like-gold, silver , diamond.

Ø Copper is a metal used in nearly everything from coins to pipes.

Ø Silicon is obtained from quartz. It is a basic tool of the computer industry.

Ø Aluminum obtained from its ore bauxite is used in automobiles and airplanes, bottling industry, buildings and even in kitchen cookware.

v CONSERVATION OF MINERALS

Ø Minerals are a non-renewable resource. It takes thousands of years for the formation and concentration of minerals. So it is very important to conserve the minerals. we can use these steps for conservation-

§  It is necessary to reduce wastage in the process of mining.

§  Recycling of metals is another way in which the mineral resources can be conserved.

v POWER RESOURCES

Ø Power means energy. We require power for industry, agriculture, transport, communication and defense etc.

v TYPES OF POWER RESOURCES

Ø Power resources can be classified into these two types:

Conventional Energy Resources	Non-conventional Energy resources
1. Conventional power sources are those that have been in use for a long time.	Non-conventional power sources are those power sources that have come into use recently.
2. These do not required high technology.	2. These required high technology.
3. These power resource are not eco friendly.	3. These power resources are mostly eco friendly.
Example- Fossil fuels as Coal(thermal), petroleum and natural gas and firewood, HYDEL power	Example- Solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy, nuclear power, and tidal energy etc.

v CONVENTIONAL ENERGY RESOURCES

Ø FIREWOOD

§  Firewood is widely used in India for cooking and heating. It is easy access to more number of people specially in rural area.

§  But it is not good for environment and promotes deforestation. It increase green house gases in the atmosphere.

Ø FOSSIL FUEL

§  Remains of plants and animals which were buried under the earth for millions of years got converted by the heat and pressure into fossil fuels. coal, petroleum and natural gas are important fossil fuel.

§  COAL

·       It is most abundantly found fossil fuel. It is used as a domestic fuel, in industries such as iron and steel, steam engines and to generate electricity.

·       Electricity from coal is called thermal power. Coal is referred to as Buried Sunshine.

·       The leading coal producers of the world are China, USA, Germany, Russia, South Africa and France.

·       The coal producing areas of India are Raniganj, Jharia, Dhanbad and Bokaro in Jharkhand

§  PETROLEUM

·       Petroleum and its derivatives are called black gold because of their importance.

·       It is found between the layers of rocks and is drilled from oil fields located in off-shore and coastal areas.

·       This is then sent to refineries which process the crude oil and produce a variety of products like diesel, petrol, kerosene, wax, plastics and lubricants.

·       The chief petroleum producing countries are Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, USA, Russia, Venezuela, and Algeria.

·       The leading producers in India are Digboi in Assam, Bombay High in Mumbai and the deltas of Krishna and Godavari rivers.

§  NATURAL GAS

·       Natural gas is found with petroleum deposits and is released when crude oil is brought to the surface.

·       It can be used as a domestic and industrial fuel as CNG(Compressed Natural Gas and LPG (Liquefied Natural Gas)

·       Russia, Norway, UK and the Netherlands are the major producers of natural gas.

·       In India Jaisalmer, Krishna Godavari delta, Tripura and some areas off shore in Mumbai have natural gas resources.

§  HYDEL POWER

·       The energy possessed by river water (stored in dams) or rain water falling from great heights to rotate the turbines to generate electricity that is known as Hydel power.

·       The leading producers of hydel power in the world are Paraguay, Norway, Brazil, and China.

·       Some important hydel power stations in India are Bhakra Nangal(Punjab), Gandhi Sagar (MP) Nagarjunsagar (AP) and Damodar valley projects (WB) Salal Dam(J&K).

v NON- CONVENTIONAL ENERGY RESOURCES

Ø SOLAR ENERGY

§  The heat and light captured from the sun with the help of Solar panels is known as solar energy.

§  Solar energy is used in solar heaters, solar cookers, solar dryers, etc.

§  It is good source of energy for tropical countries as India, USA, Brazil, Many African countries.

Ø WIND ENERGY

§  The energy possessed by moving air (wind) with the help of Windmills is known as Wind Energy.

§  It is used in the mountain pass and coastal areas.

§  Wind farms are found in Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, UK, USA and Spain.

§  In India wind farms are in Gujarat, Tamilnadu, Rajasthan, Odisha Etc.

Ø NUCLEAR POWER

·       The energy possessed by the nuclei of atoms of naturally occurring radioactive elements like uranium, thorium, etc. is known as nuclear energy.

·       The greatest producers of nuclear power are USA and Europe.

·        In India Rajasthan and Jharkhand have large deposits of Uranium. Thorium is found in large quantities in the Monozite sands of Kerala. The nuclear power stations in India are located

·       Kalpakkam in Tamilnadu,

·       Tarapur in Maharastra,

·       Ranapratap Sagar near Kota in Rajasthan,

·       Narora in Uttar Pradesh

·       Kaiga in Karnataka.

·       Kakrapara In Gujarat

Ø GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

§  Heat energy obtained from the inside of the earth is called as geothermal energy. It is accessed in the form of hot springs.

§  USA has the world’s largest geothermal power plants followed by New Zealand, Iceland, Philippines and Central America.

§  In India, geothermal plants are located in Manikaran in Himachal Pradesh and Puga Valley in Ladakh.

Ø TIDAL ENERGY

§  It is the energy generated from tides. It is harnessed by building dams at narrow openings of the sea.

§  Russia, France and the Gulf of Kachchh in India have huge tidal mill farms.

Ø BIOGAS

§  It is a gaseous fuel obtained from the decomposition of organic waste like dead plant and animal material or animal dung and kitchen waste. It is an excellent fuel for cooking and lighting and is environment- friendly.

§  It is a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide.

v Energy is everywhere but we can see that harnessing this energy is both difficult as well as costly. Each one of us can make a difference by not wasting energy. Energy saved is energy generated. Act now and make brighter energy future.