MINERAL RESOURCES : USE AND EXPLOITATION, ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF EXTRACTING AND USING MINERAL RESOURCES

MINERALS
Minerals are exhaustible, non renewable resources found in the earth s crust. Properties:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Naturally occurring Inorganic Crystalline solids Definite chemical composition Some Physical properties

TYPES OF MINERALS
Metallic Minerals: Bauxite, Haematite, Copper Pyrites, Chromite etc Non metallic Minerals: Limestone, Graphite, Dimond quartz, (Sources of lime carbon and sillicon)

MAJOR MINERALS IN INDIA

Mica Common Salt Aluminium Bihar state contributes to almost half of India s Mica Gujrat Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra and Sambhar lake Rajasthan Jharkand , West Bengal,Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu

Iron
Copper

Jharkhand Orissa , M.P., A.p, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharshtra and Goa.
(Copper pyrites) found in Rajasthan , Bihar, Jharkhand, Karnataka , M.P. West Bengal , Andhra Pradesh, Uttranchal

Coal and Lignite Uranium

West Bengal JharKhand,Orissa, MP, AP Jharkhand , AP, Meghalaya,and Rajasthan.

MINERAL RESOURCES : INDIA

India has large number of economically useful minerals,they constitute of world s known mineral resources 2/3 of iron deposits are found in belt alongside Orissa and Bihar Hematite deposits are found in MP,Karnataka,Maharashtra and Goa. Magnetite ores are found in TN,Bihar ,HP

MINERAL RESOURCES : INDIA

India has world's largest deposits of coal Bituminous coal is found in Jharia, and Bokaro in Bihar and Ranigunj in WB. Lignite coals are found in Neyveli in TN After Russia India has largest supplu of Manganese(MP,Maharashtra,Bihar Orissa) Chromite deposits are found in Bihar,Cuttak in Orissa, Krishna Distt in AP,Mysore and Hassan in Karnataka. Bauxite deposits are found in Western Bihar,Southwest Kashmir,Central TN,parts of Kerela,UP,Maharashtra and Karnataka.

MINERAL RESOURCES : INDIA

India also produces 75% OF WORLD S Mica (Bihar, AP,Rajasthan) Gypsum reserves (TN,Rajasthan Nickel ore is found in Cuttak,Mayurbanj in Orissa. Ileminite reserves in Kerela along the east and west coast beaches Silimanite Reserves in Sonapur Meghalaya, pipra in MP Copper Ore in Agnigundula AP,Singhbum Bihar,Khetri and Dartiba in Rajasthan,Sikkim and Karnataka

MINERAL RESOURCES : INDIA

Gold Mines:Ramagiri fields in AP, Kolar, Hutti in Karnataka Panna Dimond Belt-only dimond field,Panna , Chatarpur

MINERALS:FORMATION
Minerals were deposited at the time of cooling of earth s crust. Fresh Deposits cannot occur except through backing , sedimentation and volcanic eruptions India is rich in 35 minerals like that or Iron(Heamatite),Aluminium(bauxite),dolomite, limestone and mica. Mineral extraction is related to consumption and export.

USES AND EXPLOITATION

Minerals are sources of extraction of metals, Non metals, and salts. They find use in agriculture , hospitals, defence domestic goods Minerals provide us metals such as iron , copper, aluminium(used in construction of the idustrial plants, heavy machinery and alloys. Mines supply us with gold, silver , diamond , common salt , coal and petroleum for fuel, uranium for nucler energy, phosphates for fertilizers, stone and gravel for contruction of buildings

MINERALS, ROCKS, AND THE ROCK CYCLE

The earths crust consists of solid inorganic elements and compounds called minerals that can sometimes be used as resources.
Mineral

resource: is a concentration of naturally occurring material in or on the earths crust that can be extracted and processed into useful materials at an affordable cost.

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION OF NONRENEWABLE MINERAL RESOURCES

The U.S. Geological Survey classifies mineral resources into four major categories:
Identified:

known location, quantity, and quality or existence known based on direct evidence and measurements. Undiscovered: potential supplies that are assumed to exist. Reserves: identified resources that can be extracted profitably. Other: undiscovered or identified resources not classified as reserves

NONRENEWABLE MINERAL RESOURCES

Ores: is rock containing enough or one or more metallic minerals to be mined profitably. We use more than 40 metals extracted from ores for everyday items.

Gold ore

EXTRACTING NONRENEWABLE MINERAL RESOURCES:

Open-pit (surface mining):

machines dig holes and remove ores (common for iron, copper, limestone, sand)

Dredging (surface mining): chain

buckets scrape the bottom underwater

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF USING MINERAL RESOURCES

Minerals are removed through a variety of methods that vary widely in their costs, safety factors, and levels of environmental harm. A variety of methods are used based on mineral depth.

Surface

mining: shallow deposits are removed. Subsurface mining: deep deposits are removed.

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF USING MINERAL RESOURCES

The extraction, processing, and use of mineral resources has a large environmental impact.
Figure 15-9

Surface mining

Metal ore

Separation of ore from gangue

Smelting

Melting metal

Conversion to product

Recycling

Discarding of product (scattered in environment)

Fig. 15-9, p. 344

Natural Capital Degradation

Extracting, Processing, and Using Nonrenewable Mineral and Energy Resources

Steps Mining Exploration, extraction Processing Transportation, purification, manufacturing Use Transportation or transmission to individual user, eventual use, and discarding

Environmental effects Disturbed land; mining accidents; health hazards, mine waste dumping, oil spills and blowouts; noise; ugliness; heat Solid wastes; radioactive material; air, water, and soil pollution; noise; safety and health hazards; ugliness; heat Noise; ugliness; thermal water pollution; pollution of air, water, and soil; solid and radioactive wastes; safety and health hazards; heat

Fig. 15-10, p. 344

MINING
Mining is the process of taking out minerals and substances from the earth. These substances include non- minerals such as coal , sand oil, natural gas

TYPES OF MINING

OPEN-PIT MINING
Machines dig holes and remove ores, sand, gravel, and stone. Toxic groundwater can accumulate at the bottom.

Figure 15-11

AREA STRIP MINING

Earth movers strips away overburden, and giant shovels removes mineral deposit. Often leaves highly erodible hills of rubble called spoil banks.

Figure 15-12

CONTOUR STRIP MINING

Used on hilly or mountainous terrain. Unless the land is restored, a wall of dirt is left in front of a highly erodible bank called a highwall.

Figure 15-13

Undisturbed land
Overburden

Pit

Bench

Spoil banks
Fig. 15-13, p. 346

MOUNTAINTOP REMOVAL
Machinery removes the tops of mountains to expose coal. The resulting waste rock and dirt are dumped into the streams and valleys below.

Figure 15-14

IMPACTS OF MINING

MINING IMPACTS

Metal ores are smelted or treated with (potentially toxic) chemicals to extract the desired metal.

Figure 15-15

IMPACTS OF MINING

Since natural replace of the minerals is very slow process and it cannot match with the fast process of mineral extraction . Mining there fore has a detrimental effect on the environment
1.

Loss of vegetation n and defacement of the landscape because of the removal of the forest and soil leading to floods, soill erosion. It also gives ugly look to the landscape.

IMPACTS OF MINING
2.

3.

Land over the mines may subside and collapse causing cracks and tilting of the houses, roads , bending of the rail tracks , leaking of the gas pipe leading to serious accidents. Ground water pollution due to leaching of heavy metals which leads to health hazards.Sulphur present in water may get converted to sulphuric acid making the water acidic which is unfit for use

IMPACTS OF MINING
4.

5.

Surface water pollution:The water becomes acidic due to mine wastage drained into the water bodies and lakes. The acidic water is detrimental to aquatic life.radioactive substances leach into water and kill theaquatic animals.Pollution from heavy metals can cause health hazards Processes like roasting and smelting release enormous quantities of pollutants like SPM,soot, arsenic , lead

IMPACTS OF MINING
6.

7.

8.

Health hazards for the workers- The fine dust coming out of mining causes variety of respiratory illnesses like asbestosis,silllicosis, black lung disease Waste of Land: Mining causes permanent damage to the landscape, also waste of the agricultural land. Negligence and neglect of the area occur when the mines are abandoned

NEW WAYS OF EXTRACTING MINERALS

SUPPLIES OF MINERAL RESOURCES

New technologies can increase the mining of low-grade ores at affordable prices, but harmful environmental effects can limit this approach. Most minerals in seawater and on the deep ocean floor cost too much to extract, and there are squabbles over who owns them.

GETTING MORE MINERALS FROM THE OCEAN

Hydrothermal deposits form when mineral-rich superheated water shoots out of vents in solidified magma on the ocean floor.

Figure 15-17

USING MINERAL RESOURCES MORE SUSTAINABLY

Scientists and engineers are developing new types of materials as substitutes for many metals. Recycling valuable and scarce metals saves money and has a lower environmental impact then mining and extracting them from their ores.

Solutions Sustainable Use of Nonrenewable Minerals

Do not waste mineral resources. Recycle and reuse 6080% of mineral resources. Include the harmful environmental costs of mining and processing minerals in the prices of items (full-cost pricing). Reduce subsidies for mining mineral resources. Increase subsidies for recycling, reuse, and finding less environmentally harmful substitutes. Redesign manufacturing processes to use less mineral resources and to produce less pollution and waste. Have the mineral-based wastes of one manufacturing process become the raw materials for other processes. Sell services instead of things.

Slow population growth.

Fig. 15-18, p. 351

Extracting, processing and using mineral resources has environmental impacts.

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF MINING MINERAL RESOURCES

Fig. 16-14 p. 344

MORE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF NONRENEWABLE MINERAL RESOURCES

Surface mining Subsurface mining

Overburden Spoil Open-pit Dredging Strip mining

Room and pillar

Longwall

Refer to Figs. 15-4 and 15-5, p. 341 and 342

Acid mine drainage.

REMEDIAL MEASURES
Eco friendly mining technology should be adopted. Microbial leaching techniques should be followed for the low grade oes Plantation of the vegetation in mined areas should be carried out Measures for stablization of the mined areas should be adopted Lauws and legislation should enforce the mining companies to plan for the reclaimation of land after it become abandoned by the company

REMEDIAL MEASURES

Measures to minimize the toxic drainage discharge should be adopted