This document discusses mineral resources, which are naturally occurring inorganic solids that are finite and non-renewable. It describes the different types of mineral resources including fuel minerals like coal and oil, and metallic and nonmetallic minerals. Examples are provided of major mineral resources in India like coal, iron ore, bauxite, and copper. The environmental impacts of mineral extraction are also summarized, such as land degradation, water and air pollution, and occupational health hazards from mining activities.

1. MINERAL
RESOURCES
Made by :- MOHD SAMEER
Class :- B-PHARM [SFS] 2nd sem.
 subject :- ENVIROMENTAL
SCIENCES

3. What are mineral resources ?
Minerals are naturally occurring, inorganic,
crystalline solids having a definite chemical
composition and characteristic physical
properties.
They are finite, non-renewable deposits and
include metals (e.g. iron, copper, and aluminium
), and non-metals (e.g. salt, gypsum, clay, sand,
phosphates).

4. There are thousands of minerals occurring in
different parts of the world.
most of these contain inorganic compounds formed
by various combinations of the eight elements (O, Si,
Al, Fe, Ca , Na, K, and Mg) that make up 98.5% of the
Earth’s crust.
Constitute the vital raw materials for many
basic industries and are a major resource for
development.

5. TYPES OF MINERAL RESOURCES
FUEL MINERALS
Coal: we are a good reservoirs for coal and nearby
400 tones are mined annually.
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.

6. Natural gas: The proven reserve for natural gas
on April 1993 works out to be approx. 700 billion
cubic meter (BCM). As regard to production vis a
utilization aspect 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% and it is
unlikely that our gas reserves might last for more
than 20 years.

8. METALLIC MINERALS
Hard substance and
conduct heat and electricity
with a characteristics of luster
or shine.
They contains metals in their
chemical composition and are
potential source of the metal
that can be got through
mining.
Example: Gold, Silver, Tin,
Copper, Lead, Zinc, Iron, Nickel,
Chromium, and Aluminum.
NONMETALLIC
MINERALS
A non-metallic shine or
lustre in their appearance.
Do not contain
extractable metals in their
chemical composition.
No new product can be
generated if they are melted.
Example: sand, gravel,
gypsum, halite, Uranium,
dimension stone.

10. USES OF MINERAL RESOURCES
 Development of industrial plants and
machinery.
Generation of energy e.g. coal, lignite, uranium.
 Construction, housing, settlements.
 Defense equipments - weapons, armaments.
 Transportation means.

11.  Communication- telephone wires, cables,
electronic devices.
 Medicinal system- particularly in Ayurvedic
System.
 Formation of alloys for various purposes (e.g.
phosphorite).
 Agriculture. as fertilizers, seed dressings and
fungicides (e.g. zineb containing zinc, Maneb-
containing manganese etc.).
 Jewellery e.g. Gold, silver, platinum, diamond.

14. SOME MAJOR MINERALS OF INDIA
 Energy generating minerals Coal and
lignite: West Bengal, Jharkhand, Orissa, M.P
.,
A.P
. Uranium (Pitchblende or Uranite ore):
Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh (Nellore,
Nalgonda), Meghalaya, Rajasthan (Ajmer).

15. SOME MAJOR MINERALS OF INDIA
 Other commercially used minerals:
 Aluminium (Bauxite ore): Jharkhand, West Bengal,
Maharashtra, M.P
., Tamilnadu.
 Iron (haematite and magnetite ore): Jharkhand,
Orissa, M.P
., A.P
., Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra
and Goa.
 Copper (Copper Pyrites): Rajasthan (Khetri), Bihar,
Jharkhand, Karnataka, M.P
., West Bengal, Andhra
Pradesh and Uttaranchal.

16. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF
MINERAL EXTRACTION AND USE
The issue related to the limits of the mineral
resources in our earth’s crust or in the ocean is
not so significant. More important
environmental concern arises from the impacts
of extraction and processing of these minerals
during mining, smelting etc.

17. Jharia coal mines, Jharkhand: underground fire
leading to land subsidence and forced
displacement of people.
 Sukinda chromite mines, Orissa: seeping of
hexavalent chromium into river posing serious
health hazard, Cr6+ being highly toxic and
carcinogenic.
 Kudremukh iron ore mine, Karnataka: causing
river pollution and threat to biodiversity.

18. East coast Bauxite mine, Orissa: Land
encroachment and issue of rehabilitation
unsettled.
 North-Eastern Coal Fields, Assam: Very high
sulphur contamination of groundwater.
 Jaduguda Uranium Mine, Jharkhand: exposing
exposing local people to radioactive hazards.

19. IMPACTS OF MINING
Mining is done to extract minerals (or fossil fuels)
from deep deposits in soil by using sub-surface
mining or from shallow deposits by surface mining.
The former method is more destructive,
dangerous and expensive including risks of
occupational hazards and accidents.

20. Surface mining can make use of any of
the following three types:
 Open-pit mining in which machines dig holes and
remove the ores (e.g. copper, iron, gravel, limestone,
sandstone, marble, granite).
 Dredging in which chained buckets and draglines are
used which scrap up the minerals from under-water
mineral deposits.
 Strip mining in which the ore is stripped off by using
bulldozers, power shovels and stripping wheels (e.g.
phosphate rocks).

21. THE ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE CAUSED
BY MINING ACTIVITIES
De-vegetation and defacing of landscape: The topsoil as well as the
vegetation are removed from the mining area to get access to the
deposit. While large scale deforestation or de-vegetation leads to
several ecological losses. The landscape also gets badly affected. The
huge quantities of debris and tailings along with big scars and
disruptions spoil the aesthetic value of the region and make it prone to
soil erosion.
Subsidence of land: This is mainly associated with underground mining.
Subsidence of mining areas often results in tilting of buildings, cracks in
houses, buckling of roads, bending of rail tracks and leaking of gas
from cracked pipelines leading to serious disasters.

22. Groundwater contamination: Mining disturbs the natural
hydrological processes and also pollutes the groundwater. Sulphur,
usually present as an impurity in many ores is known to get
converted into sulphuric acid through microbial action, thereby
making the water acidic. Some heavy metals also get into the
groundwater and contaminate it posing health hazards.
 Surface water pollution: The acid mine drainage often
contaminates the nearby streams and lakes. The acidic water is
detrimental to many forms of aquatic life. Sometimes radioactive
substances like uranium also contaminate the water bodies
through mine wastes and kill aquatic animals. Heavy metal
pollution of water bodies near the mining areas is a common
feature creating health hazards.

23.  Air pollution: In order to separate and purify the metal from
other impurities in the ore, smelting is done which emits
quantities of air pollutants damaging the vegetation nearby
has serious environmental health impacts. The suspended
particulate matter (SPM), SOx, soot, arsenic particles, cadmium,
lead etc. shoot up in the atmosphere near the smelters and the
public suffers from several health problems.
Occupational Health Hazards: Most of the miners suffer from
various respiratory and skin diseases due to constant exposure
the suspended particulate matter and toxic substances. Miners
working in different types of mines suffer from asbestosis,
black lung disease etc.

24. CONSERVATION OF MINERAL
RESOURCES
Selection and adoption of suitable methodology of mining
which will have negligible effect on environment.
 Economic and optimum use of minerals. Low grade ores can
be better utilised by microbial leaching technique.
 Recovering all associated elements as co-products or by-
products.
 Use and reuse of scraps after suitable treatments.
 Replacing rare and costly minerals with those which are
abundant and cheaper.
 Restoration of mineral areas by revegetation.