Minerals
Minerals
Minerals
Geographers study minerals as part of the earth’s crust for a better understanding of landforms
A geologist is interested in the formation of minerals, their age and physical and chemical
composition
Ferrous Minerals
Iron Ore
Manganese
Non-Ferrous Minerals
Copper
Critically deficient
Being malleable, ductile and a good conductor - electrical cables, electronics and chemical
industries
The Balaghat mines in Madhya Pradesh, Khetri mines in Rajasthan and Singhbhum district of
Jharkhand
Bauxite
Bauxite deposits are formed by the decomposition of a wide variety of rocks rich in aluminium
silicates
Amarkantak plateau, Maikal hills and the plateau region of Bilaspur-Katni
Non-Metallic Minerals
Mica
Rock Minerals
Limestone
CONSERVATION OF MINERALS
Energy Resources
Coal
In India - Gondwana- over 200 million years in age & tertiary deposits - about 55 million years
old
Gondwana - Damodar valley
Jharia, Raniganj, Bokaro are important coalfields
The Godavari, Mahanadi, Son and Wardha valleys also contain coal deposits
Tertiary coals - north eastern states of Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland
Coal - bulky material, loses weight on use - ash
Petroleum
Provides fuel for heat and lighting, lubricants for machinery and raw materials
“Nodal industry” for synthetic textile, fertiliser and numerous chemical industries
Occurrences - anticlines and fault traps
Fault traps between porous and non-porous rocks
Mumbai High, Gujarat and Assam are major petroleum production areas
Ankeleshwar - most important field of Gujarat
Assam is the oldest oil producing state of India
Digboi, Naharkatiya and Moran-Hugrijan are the important oil fields
Natural Gas
Hazira-Vijaipur- Jagdishpur
Electricity
Obtained by altering the structure of atoms- energy released in the form of heat - used to
generate electric power
Uranium and Thorium - used for generating atomic or nuclear power
Solar Energy
Wind power
The largest wind farm cluster - Tamil Nadu from Nagarcoil to Madurai
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Kerala, etc
Nagarcoil and Jaisalmer - effective use of wind energy
Biogas
Tidal Energy
Heat and electricity produced by using the heat from the interior of the Earth
Groundwater in high geothermal gradient areas absorbs heat from the rocks and becomes hot
Rises to the earth’s surface- steam - drive turbines and generate electricity
Parvati valley near Manikarn in Himachal Pradesh and the other is located in the Puga Valley,
Ladakh - hot springs to harness energy