Minerals and Their Types

Minerals

• Naturally occurring solid substances found in rocks, sand, and soil
• Over 4,000 known minerals; new ones are constantly discovered
• Inorganic, with a defined chemical composition and ordered atomic arrangement
• Can be a single element or a combination of elements
• Found on Earth's surface, in rocks, sand, and soil
• Rocks and minerals are different; rocks are formed from combinations of minerals
• Minerals exhibit crystalline structure, appearing like crystals
• Mineral formation includes volcanic activity

Types of Minerals

• Classified as metallic and non-metallic

Metallic Minerals

• Metallic luster, opaque
• Good conductors of heat and electricity
• Examples: iron, copper, gold, silver, tin, uranium, bauxite, manganese
• Characteristics: metallic shine, contain metals, further categorized into ferrous and non-ferrous
• Ferrous: contain iron (iron ore, manganese, chromites)
• Non-ferrous: do not contain iron (gold, silver, copper, lead)

Non-Metallic Minerals

• Non-metallic luster
• Not easily melted
• Examples: sand, gravel, gypsum, halite, dimension stone

Formation of Minerals

• Several processes:
  • Evaporation of water with dissolved minerals (e.g., salt water)
  • Crystallization of dissolved minerals from cooling water
  • Crystallization from cooling magma or lava (e.g., quartz)
  • Mineral production from living beings (e.g., calcite from oysters and clams, apatite in human bones and teeth)
• Water from bodies of water dissolves minerals; minerals crystallize when water cools
• Many minerals form from magma; atoms in magma combine to form minerals as magma cools

Ores

• Rocks used to extract valuable minerals commercially
• Abundance does not guarantee easy extraction
• Examples: iron ore, gold ore, uranium ore
• Ore minerals are typically oxides, sulfides, silicates, or native metals

Distribution of Minerals

• Minerals concentrated in specific global regions
• Distribution data for metallic and non-metallic minerals by region
• Major producing countries for various minerals (iron ore, copper, bauxite, lead, zinc, manganese, aluminum, silver, gold, uranium)
  • Iron ore: China, Japan, Russia
  • Copper: Southern Central Africa, Chile, western USA, Kazakhstan, Sudbury district (Canada)
  • Bauxite: USA, China, India, Brazil, Australia
  • Lead: Australia, USA, Mexico, Canada, Peru
  • Zinc: USA, Canada, Australia, Mexico, N Japan
  • Manganese: Russia, India, South Africa, Ghana, Brazil, USA
  • Aluminium: Developed countries(Canada, Australia, Norway)
  • Silver: Peru, Mexico, China, USA
  • Gold: South Africa (largest), Canada (second largest)
  • Uranium: Australia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Canada, Niger

Major Mineral Regions in India

• Rich in minerals for key industries; plateau regions have high concentrations
• Specific geographic regions (e.g., North-eastern Plateau, South-western Plateau, North-western, Central, Southern) have distinct mineral concentrations

Deposits of Metallic Minerals in India

• Specific mineral types (iron ore, manganese, copper, gold, silver, uranium, bauxite) and their main producing regions/states
  • Iron ore: Peninsular India (Bellary, Bastar, Singhbhum, Noamundi, Daltonganj, Hazaribagh)
  • Manganese: Odisha, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra (Maharashtra is a major producer)
  • Copper: Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand
  • Gold: Kolar (Karnataka), Jharkhand
  • Silver: Zawar mines (Udaipur district, Rajasthan)
  • Uranium: Jaduguda belt (oldest site), Aravalli hills (Rajasthan), Bhima (Karnataka), Cuddapah basin (Andhra Pradesh)
  • Bauxite: Odisha (largest producer), Jharkhand, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Goa

Deposits of Non-metallic Minerals in India

• Specific mineral types (mica, petroleum & natural gas, limestone, coal) and their main producing regions/states
  • Mica: Andhra Pradesh (largest producer), contributes about 60% of world mica production
  • Petroleum & natural gas: Assam, Gujarat, Mumbai High (offshore), Andhra Pradesh, Telangana
  • Limestone: Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka
  • Coal: Raniganj, Jharia, Daltonganj, Bokaro, Tamil Nadu (Bituminous and lignite coal)

Uses of Minerals

• Used in diverse aspects of daily life (construction, manufacturing, medicine, etc.)
  • Gypsum (plaster casts), lead (pencils), talc (crayons/paints), sulphur (fireworks), copper (electrical equipment, plumbing, heating, roofing, construction), iron (steel for construction, manufacturing, computers), aluminium (automobiles, airplanes, electrical materials), gold & silver (jewelry, coins), lead (roofing, cladding), tin (cans, containers), clay (paper, rubber), diamonds (tools, cutting/polishing)
• Specific examples: plaster casts, pencils, fireworks, electrical equipment, jewelry, tools, plumbing, heating, roofing, construction, etc.
• Silver (water purification), iron & calcium (body function), lithium (batteries), fluoride (toothpaste), iodine (antibacterial agent

Conservation of Minerals

• Non-renewable resources; conservation is essential
• Methods include using renewable energy, substituting scarce minerals, and improving mining technology

Mining

• Extraction of minerals from the Earth
• Includes surface techniques (open pit, strip, placer) and underground mining methods.
• Planning is crucial before extraction
• Products may undergo further processing

Impact of Mining

• Environmental consequences (deforestation, water and soil pollution, habitat destruction, landscape alteration)
• Cultural impacts (destruction of sacred sites, cemeteries, disruption of traditional activities)
  • Specific examples: deforestation, soil erosion, river changes, cultural degradation, release of greenhouse gases and toxic chemicals
  • Destruction of landscapes, forests, soil erosion, dust and noise pollution, river bank and flow alterations, habitat destruction, cultural degradation (sacred sites and cemeteries), special events impacted (e.g. Haiari Fishing in Guyana)