Class 6

Subject: Geography

Chapter Title: Minerals

Chapter Number: 5

Learning objectives:

Minerals and Ore Types of Minerals Energy Resources / Minerals Coal, Mineral oil Nuclear Energy ( Atomic Energy) Iron ore, Copper, Bauxite, Gold, Silver, Mica,

Manganese, Limestone Conversion of Minerals

Minerals

We know that the earth’s crust is made up of different minerals embedded in the rocks.

Minerals are an indispensable part of our lives.

Almost everything we use, from tiny pin to a towering building or a big ship, all made from minerals.

Even the food that we eat contains minerals. In stages of development, human beings have

used minerals for their livelihood, decoration, festivities, religious and ceremonial rites.

Minerals and Ore

The natural materials in which the metals or their compounds are found in earth are called minerals.

Those minerals from which the metals can be extracted conveniently and profitably are called Ores.

An Ore contains a good percentage of metal and there are no undesirable impurities in it.

TYPES OF MINERALS Minerals are broadly divided into two main groups:(1) Metallic – 1. Ferrous 2. Non- Ferrous

(2) Non- metallic

Metallic Minerals:

Metallic minerals are those from which we obtain metals.

Iron, gold, copper, silver, aluminium, tin are some of the important examples of metallic minerals.

Metallic minerals may be ferrous or non - ferrous.

Ferrous minerals like iron ore, manganese and chromites contain iron.

A non- ferrous minerals does not contain iron but may contain some other metal such as gold, silver, copper or lead.

Non- metallic Minerals:

Non- metallic minerals are those which do not contain metals.

Coal, mica, sulphur, potash, petroleum are some of the important non- metallic minerals.

ENERGY RESOURCES / MINERALS

Energy resources are considered the backbone of any kinds of economic development.

Due to increase in population and development, demand for energy resources has increased considerably.

There are basically two types of energy resources:(1) Non- Conventional Energy Resources:

Non – Conventional or Renewable energy resources are those which can be used again and again and can be renewed in a short time.

Water, solar, wind and tidal are some of the examples of non- conventional sources of energy.(2) Conventional Energy Resources

Those energy resources which once used cannot be replaced in a short time are called Conventional energy resources or non renewable resources.

Coal, mineral oil, natural gas, etc., are some of the non- renewable resources of energy.

COAL

Coal is the most important sources of energy. Coal can also be treated to yields both

gaseous and liquid fuels, and it is the sources of variety of manufactured chemicals.

The use of coal energy is discouraged because it causes environment pollution.

Burning of coal releases carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and other harmful gases which lead to smog, acid rain, and toxic air pollution.

Remains of plants and animals which are buried under the earth for millions of years got converted by the heat and pressure into fossil fuels.

Fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum and natural gas are the main sources of conventional energy.

USES OF COAL: It is used as a domestic fuel. It is used in industries such as iron and steel,

steam engines as a raw material. It is used to generate electricity known as

thermal power.

DISTRIBUTION OF COAL:

China, United States of America, Russia, Ukraine and India are some of the major producers of coal in the world.

Raniganj (Bengal), Jharia, Bokara (Jharkhand), korba (Chattisgarh) and Neyveil (Tamil Nadu) are the main coal mines of India.

MINERAL OIL

Mineral oil is an indispensable source of power in the world.

The word petroleum has been derived from two Latin words; Petra which means rock and oleum which means oil, so it is a rock oil.

Due to its usefulness in the world, it is also known as Liquid gold.

It has multiplicity of uses like domestic fuel, Lubricant, and for manufacturing manyproducts.

DISTRIBUTION OF MINERAL:

Middle- east countries like Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain are the main oil producingCountries of the world.

Assam, Gujarat and Maharashtra are the leading producers of mineral oil in India.

NUCLEAR ENERGY (ATOMIC ENERGY)

Nuclear energy or atomic energy is the most powerful kind of energy discovered so far.

Nuclear energy is obtained from radioactive substances like uranium and thorium.

A radioactive substance has great capacity to generate energy through nuclear fission.

Nuclear energy is known as energy of the future.

U.S.A, France, Italy, Japan, China, Korea, Canada and India are the leading producers of nuclear energy in the world.

The first atomic power station in India was set up in Tarapur in 1969.

IRON ORE

Iron ore is the basis of modern civilization. It is used in almost all types of machines,

machines tools, Construction of buildings, factories and various means of transport.

Iron ore is considered as the backbone of modern civilization because development of all other industries depends on iron ore.

There are two main Iron ore minerals: haematite and magnetite.

It can be converted into different forms such as, cast- iron, sheets, magnetic iron and steel.

It is more useful than other metals due to its hardness, strength, ductility and durability.

It can be used to prepare different alloys.

DISTRIBUTION OF IRON ORE U.S.A, Russia, Ukraine, Australia, Brazil, India

and Canada are the major producers of iron ore in the world.

Lake Superior and Alabama region are two most important regions of iron production of USA.

Sweden is the leading iron ore producer of Europe.

COPPER

Copper is the reddish orange metal that has been widely used for more than five thousand years.

Copper is the first metal discovered and used by man.

Copper is best known for its ability to conduct electricity.

It is used in electrical appliances. Copper is also a good conduct of heat. Copper is useful in making cooking utensils,

radiators and refrigerators. Copper is also used to make alloys such as

brass and bronze.

DISTRIBUTION OF COPPER

Chile, U.S.A., Canada, Africa and Russia are the major producers of copper in the world.

Chile is the largest producer of copper and it produces nearly 16% of the total production in the world.

Chaibasa, Hazaribagh (Jharkhand), Khetri (Rajasthan) are the largest producers of copper in India.

BAUXITE

Bauxite is an ore of aluminium. Aluminium is a light metal and is a good

conductor of heat and electricity. It is used for making utensils, spare parts of

automobiles, aeroplanes and in the ship building industry.

It is also used in electrical equipment industry and for transmitting electricity.

It can be made strong by mixing it with other metals to form alloys.

DISTRIBUTION OF BAUXITE

Australia, Guinea, Brazil, Surinam, Russia and France are the major producers of Bauxite in the world.

Odisha, Gujarat, Jharkhand and Maharashtra are the major producers of Bauxite in India.

GOLD

Gold properties make it one of the most coveted metals in the world.

Gold is used in manufacture coin, medal, jewellery etc.

China, Australia, Russia, USA is the major producers of gold in the world.

Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh are the major producer of gold in India.

SILVER

Silver is another metal produced in India. It is used for making ornaments due to its

softness and attractive white colour. It is also used in the manufacture of chemical,

electroplanting, photography and for colouring glass, etc.

Maxico is the leading producer of silver followed by China and Russia.

Jharkhand, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are leading producer of silver in India.

MICA

Mica is a non- metallic mineral. India is the largest producer of mica and it

produces more than 60% of world’s mica.

Main properties and uses of mica:

It is made up of a series of plates or leaves. It can be converted into thin sheets. It can be black, green, red, yellow or brown.

It has an excellent di- electric strength, insulting properties and high resistance.

Due to all these properties it is one of the most indispensable minerals used in electric and electronic industries.

China, USA, South Korea are the leading mica producing countries in the world.

In India Andhra Pradesh is also an important producer in the country.

MANGANESE

Manganese is an important mineral which is used for making iron and steel.

It is also a basic raw material for manufacturing its alloy.

It increases the strength of steel. It is also used for making paints, glass,

chemicals, etc. South Africa is the largest producer of

Manganese. China, Australia, etc., are the other leading

producer of Manganese. Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha,

Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are the leading producers of manganese.

LIMESTONE

Limestone is associated with rocks composed of either calcium carbonate or magnesium, or mixture or these two.

It is found in sedimentary rocks. It is a basic input in cement industry. It is used to remove impurities from molten

iron. It is used in the purification of molten glass. It is used in the production of Portland

cement. It is used as a construction stone in building.

DISTRIBUTION OF LIMESTONE:

China is the largest producer of Limestone followed by, USA, Russia and Japan.

Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat are the major producers of Limestone in India.

Mining and its types:

Mining is a process of extracting useful minerals from the surface of the earth, including the sea.

There are different methods of extracting minerals:(1) Open- cast mining(2) Underground mining(3) Shaft mining or shaft sinking(4) Drilling(5) Quarrying

1.Open- cast mining:

In this process, the area is cleared of all topsoil and vegetation, the wasterock layer is removed and a pit is dug into the ground to reach the mineral seam.

2.Underground mining:

Underground mining is generally used for areas where the mineral are buried too far underground for open cut mining to be used.

A tunnel, called a decline, is created to allow workers and machinery to reach the location of the minerals.

Stope mining is used for most hard rock mining of minerals such as copper, silver, lead and zinc.

3.Shaft mining or shaft sinking:

It refers to the method of excavating a vertical or near- vertical tunnel from the top down,

where there is initially no access to the bottom.

4.Drilling:

Drilling is a process under which deep wells are bored to take the minerals out.

Petroleum and natural gas occur far below the earth’s surface.

5. Quarrying:

Minerals that lie near the surface are simply dug out, by the process known as quarrying.

CONVERSATION OF MINERALS

The total volume of workable mineral deposit is very small i.e. only 1% of the earth crust.

Mineral resources are finite and non- renewable.

Over utilisation of minerals also lead to problem of pollution.

We need to use improved technology to extract and use minerals.

We need to reduce wastage of minerals. Recycling the metals, using scrap metals and

other substitutes are steps in conserving our mineral resources for the future.

We are rapidly consuming mineral resources that required millions of years to be created and concentrated.

NOTE:

Petroleum is found between the layers of rocks and is drilled from the oil fields located in off-shore and coastal areas.

This is then sent to refineries which process the crude oil and produce a variety of product

like diesel, petrol, kerosene, wax, plastics and lubricants.

DO YOU KNOW:

A rock is an aggregate of one or more minerals but without definite composition of constitute of minerals.

Rocks from which minerals are mined are known as ores.

WORKSHEET

A. Answer the following question briefly.1.Define minerals.2.Name the country which is the largest coal

producer in the world.3.Name any four coal mines of India.4.Which mineral is known as liquid gold? 5.Name any two mineral oil producing state in

India.6.Write any two major producers of iron ore

in the world.

7.Name any two major producers of aluminium in India.

8.Name the state which is the largest producer of iron ore in India.

9.Name any two copper mines of India.10. What is metallic minerals?11. What are non- metallic minerals?12. Why is copper is used for making

radiators?13. Name a mineral which is used for making

iron and steel.A. Match the following

A B1.Copper a. Non- metallic

minerals2.Aluminium b. Electrical appliances3.Bauxite c. Rajasthan4.Coal d. Duralumin5.Khetri e. Australia

B.Fill in the blanks with suitable words:1.The word ‘petroleum’ has been derived

from two Latin words, ‘Petra’ which means

________ and ‘oleum’ which means ________ .

2.________ mines are used when deposits of commercially useful minerals or rocks are found at shallow depths.

3.______ and ______ regions are famous for the production of coal in USA.

4.______ and ______ are metallic minerals.5._____ and _____ are non- metallic minerals. 6.Singhbhum in Jharkhand is the leading

producer of the ________ in India.7.________ is the largest producer of the

copper in the world.8.________ is a light metal and a good

conductor of heat and electricity.

C.Multiple choice question:1.Which one of the following is a leading

producer of copper in the world?a.Boliviab.Chilec. Ghanad.Zimbabwe

2.________ is the major iron producing region of Canada.a.Ontariob.Alabamac. Mt. New Mand.Tai- Yeh

3.________ is the major producer of iron in India.a.Uttar Pradeshb.Odishac. Haryanad.Punjab

4.________ is the major producer of copper in India.a.Uttar Pradeshb.Odishac. Rajasthand.Punjab

5.________ is the largest producer of bauxite in the world.a.Australiab.Indiac. Russiad.China

D. Read the statement and identify the mineral or the metal:1.Most important resources of energy.2.Known as liquid gold.3.It is radioactive substance.4.It is the basis of modern civilisation.5.It is used in electric appliances.6.It is used for making spare parts of

aeroplanes.7.It is basic input in cement industry.8.It is made up of series of plates or leaves.9.Known as international currency.10. Used for making ornaments.

WORKSHEET ANSWERS

A. 1. A substance which is found in earth’s crust and which generally has a define chemical composition. Time. 2. USA is the largest coal producer in the world.

3. Raniganj (Beagal), Jharia, Bokara (Jharkhand), Korba( chhatisgarh) and Neyveli ( Tamil Nadu) are the main coal mines of India. 4. Petroleum is known as liquid gold. 5. Assam and Gujarat 6. USA and India 7. Gujarat and Odisha 8. Odisha and Karnataka 9. Chaibasa, Hazaribagh (Jharkhand), Khetri (Rajasthan) 10. Metallic minerals are those from which we obtain metals. Iron, gold, copper, silver, aluminium, tin are some of the important Examples of metallic minerals. 11. Non- metallic minerals are those which do not contain metals. Coal, mica, sulphur, potash, petroleum are some of the important Non- metallic minerals. 12. Because it is a good conductor of heat. 13. Manganese

B. 1 (b), 2(d), 3(e), 4(a), 5(c)

C.Fill in the blanks1.Rock, oil2.Open cast 3.Western interior, eastern interior4.Gold, copper5.Coal, mica6.Copper7.Chile8.Aluminium

D. 1.(b), 2.(a), 3.(b), 4.(c), 5.(a)E.1. Coal

2. Petroleum3. Uranium, Thorium4. Ore5. Copper6. Bauxite7. Limestone8. Mica