UPSC Geography Minerals and Energy Resources / खनिज और ऊर्जा संसाधन NCERT Extracts - Mineral and Energy Resources in India

Minerals

• The earth's crust is made up of different minerals embedded in the rocks. Various metals are extracted from these minerals after proper refinement.
• Rocks are combinations of homogenous substances called minerals. Some rocks, for instance limestone, consist of a single mineral only, but majority of the rock consist of several minerals in varying proportions.

Minerals generally occur in these forms

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• The ocean waters contain vast quantities of minerals, but most of these are too widely diffused to be of economic significance.
• However, common salt, magnesium and bromine are largely derived from ocean waters. The ocean beds, too, are rich in manganese nodules.

 Distribution of Minerals in India

Most of the metallic minerals in India occur in the peninsular plateau region in the old crystalline rocks.

Minerals in India

• Over 97 per cent of coal reserves occur in the valleys of Damodar, Sone, Mahanadi and Godavari.
• Petroleum reserves are located in the sedimentary basins of Assam, Gujarat and Mumbai High i.e. off-shore region in the Arabian Sea. New reserves have been located in the Krishna-Godavari and Kaveri basins.
• Minerals are generally concentrated in three broad belts in India. There may be some sporadic occurrences here and there in isolated pockets.
• These belts are:

The North-Eastern Plalteau Region

• This belt covers Chhotanagpur (Jharkhand), Odisha Plateau, West Bengal and parts of ChhattisgarhlIt has variety of minerals viz. iron ore coal, manganese, bauxite, mica.

The South-Western Plateau Region

• This belt extends over Kamataka, Goa and contiguous Tamil Nadu uplands and Kerala. This belt is rich in ferrous metals and bauxite. It also contains high grade iron ore, manganese and limestone. This belt packs in coal deposits except Neyveli lignite. This belt does not have as diversified mineral deposits as the north-eastern belt. Kerala has deposits of monazite and thorium, bauxite clay. Goa has iron ore deposits.

The North-Western Region

• This belt extends along Aravali in Rajasthan and part of Gujarat and minerals are associated with Dharwar system of rocks. Copper, zinc have been major minerals. Rajasthan is rich in building stones i.e. sandstone, granite, marble. Gypsum and Fullers earth deposits are also extensive. Dolomite and limestone provide raw materials for cement industry. Gujarat is known for its petroleum deposits. Gujarat and Rajasthan both have rich sources of salt.
• The Himalayan belt is another mineral belt where copper, lead, zinc, cobalt and tungsten are known to occur.
• They occur on both the eastern and western parts. Assam valley has mineral oil deposits. Besides oil resources are also found in off-shore-areas near Mumbai Coast (Mumbai High).

Iron Ore

• Iron ore is the basic mineral and the backbone of industrial development, ore. India is rich in good quality iron ores.
• 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.
• Hematite ore is the most important industrial iron ore in terms of the quantity used, but has a slightly lower iron content than magnetite. (50-60 per cent).
• Kudre in Kannada means horse. The highest peak in the western ghats of Kamataka resembles the face of a horse. The Bailadila hills look like the hump of an ox, and hence its name.
• 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 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 comprise 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 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 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.

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.
• Manganese is an important raw material for smelting of iron ore and also used for manufacturing ferro alloys.                                
• Manganese deposits are found in almost all geological formations, however, it is mainly associated with Dharwar system.
• Odisha is the leading producer of Manganese.
• Major mines in Odisha are located in the central part of the iron ore belt of India, particularly in Bonai, Kendujhar, Sundergarh, Gangpur, Koraput, Kalahandi and Bolangir.
• Karnataka is another major producer and here the mines are located in Dharwar, Ballari, Belagavi, North Canara, Chikkmagaluru, Shivamogga, Chitradurg and Tumkur.
• Maharashtra is also an important producer of manganese which is mined in Nagpur, Bhandara and Ratnagiri districts.
• The disadvantage to these mines is that they are located far from steel plants.
• The manganese belt of Madhya Pradesh extends in a belt in Balaghat-Chhindwara- Nimar-MandIa and Jhabua districts.

Bauxite

• India is poorly endowed with non-ferrous metallic minerals except bauxite.
• Bauxite is the ore which is used in manufacturing of aluminium.
• Bauxite is found mainly in tertiary deposits and is associated with laterite rocks occurring extensively either on the plateau or hill ranges of peninsular India and also in the coastal tracts of the country.
• Odisha happens to be the largest producer of Bauxite.
• Kalahandi and Sambalpur are the leading producers.
• The other two areas which have been increasing their production are Bolangir and Koraput.
• The patlands of Jharkhand in Lohardaga have rich deposits.
• Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are other major producers. Bhavanagar, Jamnagar in Gujarat have the major deposits.
• Chhattisgarh has bauxite deposits in Amarkantak plateau while Katni-Jabalpur area and Balaghat in M.P. have important deposits of bauxite.
• Kolaba, Thane, Ratnagiri, Satara, Pune and Kolhapur in Maharashtra are important producers. Tamil Nadu, Kamataka and Goa are minor producers of bauxite.
• Odisha was the largest bauxite producing state in India with 34.97 per cent of the country's total production in 2009-10. Panchpatmali deposits in Koraput district are the most important bauxite deposits in the state.
• After the discovery of aluminium Emperor Napoleon III wore buttons and hooks on his clothes made of aluminium and served food to his more illustrious guests in aluminium utensils and the less honourable ones were served in gold and silver utensils.
• Thirty years after this incident aluminium bowls were most common with the beggars in Paris.

Copper

• Copper is an indispensable metal in the electrical industry for making wires, electric motors, transformers and generators. It is alloyable, malleable and ductile. It is also mixed with gold to provide strength to jewellery.
• The Copper deposits mainly occur in Singhbhum district in Jharkhand, Balaghat district in Madhya Pradesh and Jhunjhunu and Alwar districts in Rajasthan.
• Minor producers of Copper are Agnigundala in Guntur District (Andhra Pradesh), Chitradurg and Hasan districts (Kamataka) and South Arcot district (Tamil Nadu).
• India is critically deficient in the reserve and production of copper. Being malleable, ductile and a good conductor, copper is mainly used in electrical cables, electronics and chemical industries.
• The Balaghat mines in Madhya Pradesh, Khetri mines in Rajasthan and Singhbhum district of Jharkhand are leading producers of copper.

Mica

• 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.
• It can be split into very thin sheets which are tough and flexible.
• Mica in India is produced in Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Telanganga and Rajasthan followed by Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.
• In Jharkhand high quality mica is obtained in a belt extending over a distance of about 150 km, in length and about 22 km, in width in lower Hazaribagh plateau.
• In Andhra Pradesh. Nellore district produces the best quality mica.
• In Rajasthan mica belt extends for about 320 kms from Jaipur to-Bhilwara and around Udaipur.
• Mica deposits also occur in Mysore and Hasan districts of Karanataka, Coimbatore, Tiruchirapalli, Madurai and Kanniyakumari in Tamil Nadu, Alleppey in Kerala, Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, Purulia and Bankura in West Bengal.

Coal

• Coal is a one of the important minerals which is mainly used in the generation of thermal power and smelting of iron ore.
• Coal occurs in rock sequences mainly of two geological ages, namely Gondwana and tertiary deposits. About 80 per cent of the coal deposits in India is of bituminous type and is of non-coking grade.
• The most important Gondwana coal fields of India are located in Damodar Valley.
• They lie in Jharkhand-Bengal coal belt and the important coal fields in this region are Raniganj, Jharia, Bokaro, Giridih, Karanpura.
• Jharia is the largest coal field followed by Raniganj.
• The other river valleys associated with coal are Godavari, Mahanadi and Sone.
• The most important coal mining centres are Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh (part of Singrauli coal field lies in Uttar Pradesh), Korba in Chhattisgarh, Talcher and Rampur in Odisha, Chanda-Wardha, Kamptee and Bander in Maharashtra and Singareni in Telangana and Pandur in Andhra Pradesh.
• Singareni collieries, the country's premier coal production company, still uses canaries to detect the presence of deadly carbon monoxide in underground mines.
• Miners collapse and often die even if small quantities of the highly poisonous CO are present in the air.
• Tertiary coals occur in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Nagaland. It is extracted from Darangiri, Cherrapunji, Mewlong and Langrin (Meghalaya); Makum, Jaipur and Nazira in upper Assam, Namchik-Namphuk (Arunachal Pradesh) and Kalakot (Jammu and Kashmir).
• Besides, the brown coal or lignite occur in the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir.

Petroleum

• Crude petroleum occurs in sedimentary rocks of the tertiary period.
• Oil exploration and production was systematically taken up after the Oil and Natural Gas Commission was set up in 1956.
• Till then, the Digboi in Assam was the only oil producing region but the scenario has changed after 1956.
• In Assam, Digboi, Naharkatiya and Moran are important oil producing areas.

Distribution of Coal, Oil and Natural Gas in India

• The major oil fields of Gujarat are Ankaleshwar, Kalol, Mehsana, Nawagam, Kosaniba and Lunej.                                                                
• Mumbai High which lies 160 km off Mumbai was'discovered in 1973 and production commenced in 1976.
• Oil and natural gas have been found in exploratory wells in Krishna-Godavari and Kaveri basin on the east coast.
• Oil extracted from the wells is crude oil and contains many impurities. It cannot be used directly. It needs to be refined.
• There are 21 refineries in India.

Natural Gas

• Natural gas is an important clean energy resource found in association with or without petroleum. It is used as a source of energy as well as an industrial raw material in the petrochemical industry.
• Gas, being lighter usually occurs above the oil.
• About 63 per cent of India's petroleum production is from Mumbai High, 18 per cent from Gujarat and 16 per cent from Assam.
• Natural gas is considered an environment friendly fuel because of low carbon dioxide emissions and is, therefore, the fuel for the present century.
• Large reserves of natural gas have been discovered in the Krishna- Godayari basin.
• Along the west coast the reserves of the Mumbai High and allied fields ;are supplemented by finds in the Gulf of Cambay.
• Andaman and Nicobar islands are also important areas having large reserves of natural gas.
• The 1,700 km long Hazira-Vijaipur-Jagdishpur cross country gas pipeline links Mumbai High and Bassien with the fertilizer, power and industrial complexes in western and northern India.
• This artery has provided an impetus to India's gas production. The power and fertilizer industries are the key users of natural gas.
• Use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for vehicles to replace liquid fuels is gaining wide popularity in the country.
• The Gas Authority of India Limited was set up in 1984 as a public sector undertaking totransport and market natural gas,

Nuclear Energy Resources

• Important minerals used for the generation of nuclear energy are uranium and thorium.
• Uranium deposits occur in theDhaiwarrocks.
• Geographically, uranium ores are known to occur in several locations along the Singbhum Copperbelt.
• It is also found in Udaipur, Alwar and Jhunjhunu districts of Rajasthan, Durg district of Chhattisgarh, Bhandara district of Maharashtra and Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh.
• Thorium is mainly obtained from monazite and ilmenite in the beach sands along the coast of Rerala-anii Tamil Nadu.
• World's richest monazite deposits occur in Palakkad and Kollam districts of Kerala, near Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Mahanadi river delta in Odisha.
• Atomic Energy Commission was established in 1948, progress could be made only after the establishment of the Atomic Energy Institute at Trombay in 1954 which was renamed as the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in 1967.
• The important nuclear power projects are Tarapur (Maharashtra), Rawatbhata near Kota (Rajasthan), Kalpakkam (Tamil Nadu), Narora (Uttar Pradesh), Kaiga (Karnataka) and Kakarapara (Gujarat).

Biogas

• Shrubs, farm waste, animal and human waste are used to produce biogas for domestic consumption in rural areas. Decomposition of organic matter yields gas, which has higher thermal efficiency in comparison to kerosene, dung cake and charcoal.
• Biogas plants are set up at municipal, cooperative and individual levels. The plants using cattle dung are known as 'Gobar gas plants' in rural India.
• These provide twin benefits to the farmer in the form of energy and improved quality of manure.
• Biogas is by far the most efficient use of cattle dung. It improves the quality of manure and also prevents the loss of trees and manure due to burning of fuel wood and cow dung cakes.

Wind Energy

• Wind energy is absolutely pollution free, inexhaustible source of energy.
• The mechanism of energy conversion from blowing wind is simple.
• The kinetic energy of wind, through turbines is converted into electrical energy.
• The permanent wind systems such the trade winds, westerlies and seasonal wind like monsoon have been used as source of energy.
• Besides these, local winds, land and sea breezes can also be used to produce electricity.
• Wind power plant at Lamba in Gujarat in Kachchh is the largest in Asia. Another, wind power plant is located at Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu.

Tidal Energy

• Oceanic tides can be used to generate electricity. Floodgate dams are built across inlets.
• During high tide water flows into the inlet and gets trapped when the gate is closed.
• After the tide falls outside the flood gate, the water retained by the floodgate flows back to the sea via a pipe that carries it through a power-generating turbine.
• In India the Gulf of Khambhat, the GulfofKuchchh in Gujarat on the western coast and Gangetic delta in Sunderban regions of West Bengal provide ideal conditions for utilizing tidal energy.

Geo Thermal Energy

• Geo thermal energy refers to the heat and electricity produced by using the heat from the interior of the Earth. Geothermal energy exists because, the Earth grows progressively hotter with increasing depth.
• Where the geothermal gradient is high, high temperatures are found at shallow depths. Groundwater in such areas absorbs heat from the rocks and becomes hot.
• It is so hot that when it rises to the earth's surface, it turns into steam. This steam is used to drive turbines and generate electricity.
• There are several hundred hot springs in India, which could be used to generate electricity.
• Two experimental projects have been set up in India to harness geothermal energy.
• One is located in the Parvati valley near Manikam in Himachal Pradesh and the other is located in the Puga Valley, Ladakh.
• In India, a geothermal energy plant has been commissioned at Manikaran in Himachal Pradesh.
• The first successful (1890) attempt to tap the underground heat was made in the city of Boise, Idaho (U.S.A.), where a hot water pipe network was built to give heat to the surrounding buildings. This plant is still working.

Some Important Facts

• Abrasive minerals like silica, limestone, aluminium oxide and various phosphate minerals do the cleaning. Fluoride which is used to reduce cavities, comes from a mineral fluorite.
• Most toothpaste are made white with titanium oxide, which comes from minerals called rutile, ilmenite and anatase. The sparkle m some toothpastes comes from mica. The toothbrush and tube containing the paste are made of plastics from petroleum.
• Do you know that most of the minerals in India are nationalised 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. Coal mining in Jbwai and Cherapunjee is done by family member in the form of a long narrow tunnel, known as 'Rat hole' mining.
• 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's reserves and production ofnon- ferrous minerals is not very satisfactory. However, meseiBinerals, which include copper, bauxite, lead, zinc and gold play a vital role in a nuinber of metallurgical, engineering and electrical industries.
• 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.
• Limestone is the basic raw material for the cement industry and essential for smelting iron ore in the blast furnace.
• Decaying plants in swamps produce peat which has a low carbon and high moisture contents and low heating capacity. Lignite is a low grade brown coal, which is soft with high moisture content.
• The principal lignite reserves are in Neyveli in Tamil Nadu and are used for generation of electricity.