GEOGRAPHY-CH.

5-MINERALS AND ENERGY RESOURCES

Q/A
1. What is a mineral?
*Geologists define mineral as a homogenous, naturally occurring substance with a definable
internal structure.
*Minerals are found in varied forms in nature, ranging from the hardest diamond to the softest talc.
*Minerals are concentrated in a particular area or rock formations.
2. Minerals are an indispensable part of our lives. Explain with egs.
*Almost everything we use, from a tiny pin to a towering building or a big ship, all are made from
minerals.
*The railway lines and the tarmac (paving) of roads,our implements and machinery too are made from
minerals.
*Cars,buses,trains,aeroplanes are manufactured from minerals and run on power resources.The food
we eat also contain minerals.
*In all stages of development,human beings have used minerals for their livelihood, decoration.
festivities, religious and ceremonial rites.
3.How can we classify minerals on the basis of their properties?(refer page.no.51-flow chart)
4.What is an ore?
Minerals are usually found in ores.The term ore is used to describe an accumulation of any mineral
mixed with other elements.The mineral content of the ore must be in sufficient concentration to make
its extraction commercially viable.
5.How are minerals formed in igneous and metamorphic rocks?(refer p.no.51-(i)mode of
occurrence)
6.How are minerals occur in sedimentary rocks?(refer p.no. 51-(ii)mode of occurrence)
7.What is Rat-Hole mining?(refer p-52-interesting fact-from 2
nd
sentence onwards)
8.India has varied mineral resources.Explain with examples.
India is fortunate to have fairly rich and varied mineral resources but unevenly distributed.For eg.
*Peninsular rocks contain most of the reserves of coal,metallic minerals,mica and many other non-
metallic minerals.
*Sedimentary rocks in Gujarat and Assam have most of the petroleum deposits.
*Rajasthan has reserves of many non-ferrous minerals.
9.List the major iron ore belts in India.(p.no.53,iron ore belts and one point each)
10.Name the ore from which Aluminium is extracted. Write the uses and the states where it is
found.
It is from Bauxite, a clay-like substance that aluminium is formed. Bauxite deposits are formed by the
decomposition of a variety of rocks rich in aluminium silicates. Aluminium is used in the manufacture
of aeroplanes, utensils, electrical wires and furniture. Two states where bauxite is found are Jharkhand
and Orrissa.
11.Which mineral is considered as the backbone of industrial development? Name the two
important iron ores found in India.
Iron ore is the basic mineral and the backbone of industrial development. Magnetite and Hematite are
the two important iron ores. Magnetite is the finest iron ore with a very high content of iron upto 70%
and excellent magnetic qualities. It is used in electrical industries. Hematite ore is the most important
industrial iron in terms of the quantity used, but has a lower iron content than magnetite;50-60%.
12.Which is the most important non-metallic mineral and used in electric and electronic
industries?
Mica is the most indispensable mineral used in electric and electronic industries. It is due to its
excellent di-electric strength, low power loss factor, insulating properties and resistance to high
voltage. It is a mineral made up of series of plates or leaves and it splits easily into thin sheets.
Koderma Gaya- Hazaribagh belt is the leading producer.
13.Why is mining called a killer industry? Or Describe the hazards of mining.
*The water resources in the region get contaminated due to mining.
*Dumping of waste and slurry leads to degradation of soil, land and increase in stream and river
pollution.
*The dust and noxious fumes inhaled by miners make them vulnerable to pulmonary diseases.
14. Write a note on the following minerals.
a) Manganese (p.no.53) b) Copper (p.no.55) c) Limestone (p.no.56)

15. Why do we need to conserve mineral resources ?
*Minerals are non-renewable and exhaustible.
*Minerals are needed for industrialization and economic development.
*Minerals need to be conserved to meet the needs of present as well as future generation as
they are depleting faster.

15. Suggest few measures for conservation of minerals.
*Use mineral 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.

16.Which is the most abundantly available fossil fuel in India? What are its three major forms?
Write main features of each form.
The most abundantly available fossil fuel in India is coal. The three forms of coal are :
(i) Lignite: It is a low grade brown coal, which is soft with high moisture content.
(ii) Bituminous: It is the most popular coal used for commercial purposes mainly for smelting
of iron.It is found deep under the earth with high temperatures.
(iii) Anthracite is the highest quality hard coal.

17.Describe the distribution of coal in India.
In India coal occurs in rock series of two main geological ages, namely Gondwana , a little over 200
million yrs in age and in tertiary deposits which are only about 55 million yrs old.
Gondwana coal is located in Damodar valley. Tertiary coals occur in the north eastern states of
Meghalaya,Assam,Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.

18.Describe the importance of petroleum and areas of production.
Petroleum is the second important source of energy in India. It provides fuel for heat and lighting,
lubricants for machines and rawmaterials for other industries. Oil refineries act as a nodel industry for
synthetic textiles, fertilizers and other chemical industries.
About 63% of Indias petroleum production is from Mumbai High, 18% from Gujarat and 16%
from Assam.Assam is the oldest oil producing state .Important oil fields are Ankeleshwar
(Gujarat),Digboi (Assam).

19. Why do you think that solar energy has a bright future in India?
India being a tropical country has ample sunshine throughout the year.
India has developed technology for the production and utilization of solar energy.
Solar energy is becoming popular in rural areas where it is used for cooking, boiling water,
lighting of homes and streets.
Solar energy is a renewal source of energy.
The use of solar energy will be able to minimize the dependence of rural house holds on fire
wood & dung cakes which in turn will contribute to environmental conservation and
adequate supply of manure in agriculture.

20. Distinguish between ferrous & non ferrous minerals.

Ferrous Non Ferrous
1. Minerals which have iron content 1. Minerals which does not have iron content
2. They help in the development of metallurgical
industries.
2. They play important role in a number of
metallurgical, engineering, electrical industries.
3. Ferrous minerals are manganese, nickel, cobalt
etc.
3. Non Ferrous minerals are copper, lead, tin,
bauxite etc.

21. Natural gas is a precious gift to India. Explain the statement by giving 5 points.
(i) Natural gas is an important source of energy today as there are enormous reserves of natural
gas in India.
(ii) It is used as a energy resourceas well as an industrial raw material especially in the fertilizer
industry and petro chemical industry.
(iii) It is a pollution free source of energy.
(iv) It can be easily transported through pipelines.
(v) At present it is used as compressed natural gas for running automobiles thus substituting
coal and petroleum in a big way.

22. Distinguish between conventional and non-conventional sources of energy.
Conventional sources of energy Non- conventional sources of energy
1. Conventional sources of energy are the
traditional sources of energy generatedfrom wood,
cattle dung, coal, petroleum etc.
1. Non-conventional sources of energy are the
recently developed sources from Sun, wind,
water, tides, geothermal etc.
2. It is non-renewable 2. It is renewable.
3. It causes large scale pollution. 3. It is an eco friendly source of energy.
4. Generation of electricity is expensive 4. Initial cost of generation is expensive but
cheaper in the long run.
5. Technology is available for utilistion of this
energy. Hence thry are the present energy
resources.
5. They call for modern technology which is yet to
be developed and hence they are future energy
resources.

23. Distinguish between Thermal Electricity and Hydro Electricity
Thermal Electricity Hydro Electricity
1. Thermal electricity is produced by burning
coal, petroleum and nuclear minerals.
1. Hydro electricity is produced from falling
water.
2. It is a non-renewable and an expensive source
of power.
2. It is renewable and the cheapest source of
power.
3. It pollutes the atmosphere. 3. It is pollution free.
4. 75% of energy is thermal power 4. 25% of energy is hydel power

24. Suggest few measures for conservation of energy resources.
Use public transport system instead of individual vehicles.
Switching off electricity when not in use
Use power saving devices
Greater use of non-conventional sources of energy
Check the power equipments regularly.

25. Write a short note on the following. ( Refer the Page No. 62 & 63 )
a. Bio Gas b. Tidal Energy c. Geo Thermal Ene