Q.3. Write short notes on minerals.
Ans. Minerals are naturally occurring chemical compounds formed through inorganic processes under the crust or the earth. Their presence in the earth’s crust is the result of geological processes operating over a long period of time. Minerals are not found everywhere. Each region has varied deposits of minerals. The distribution of these mineral resources is uneven throughout the earth. India is rich in 35 minerals such as iron, aluminium, manganese, chromium, limestone, dolomite, mica, etc. minerals are non-renewable resources, i.e., once mined and put to use, they cannot be restored or replaced again. They are exhaustible resources and may be diminished by use. Their regular exploitation and overuse may completely exhaust the available deposits. Therefore, it is an imperative duty of people use the irreplaceable resources with care so that generations yet unborn will get their share to the wealth. Minerals have important contributions in the economic and industrial development of a country. The various types of minerals are coal, magnesium, iron, limestone, gold, silver, lead, tin, diamond, platinum, and many more.
Q.4. What are the different types of minerals? (AKTU.- 2005-06)
Ans. Different Types of Minerals: -
Mineral resources are broadly defined as elements, chemical compounds, minerals or rock concentrated in a form that can be extracted to obtain a sustainable, commodity. Minerals in general have been categorized into three classes: -
(i) Fuel Minerals: -
Coal, Oil and Natural gas are the basic fossil fuel.
(a) Coal: -
The calorific value of coal varies with percentage of carbon present in it. Coal depending upon variation in percentage carbon, can be divided into three categories as follows: -
Categories of Coal
(b) Crude Oil (Petroleum): -
It is believed that petroleum has been formed over a period of millions of years, through conversion of remains of micro organisms living in sea, into hydrocarbon by heat, pressure and catalytic action.
The petroleum on fractional distillation and further processing provides us numerous products and by-products.
The percentage composition varies with the quality of crude oil or it could be varied up to a certain limit depending upon the requirement or demand.
On an average the percentage composition of the common product with their number of carbon atoms is given as: -
Average % Composition of Petroleum products (with no. of C atoms) obtained through fractional distillation.
(c) Natural Gas: -
The proven reserves for natural gas on April 1993 works out to be approx. 700 billion cubic meter (BCM). In earlier years, more than half of gas coming out of the wells remained unutilized. However, in recent years, we have achieved a utilization rate of 80 - 90%.
(ii) Metallic: -
(iii) Non-Metallic: -
The different type of non-metallics are listed below: -
