The document discusses the key characteristics and uncertainties of mineral deposits. Mineral deposits are nonrenewable resources that were formed over millions of years through geological processes. In contrast to renewable resources like forests, the quantity of a mineral deposit does not increase over time. There is uncertainty around the quantity, quality, and usability of mineral deposits due to factors like their subsurface location, heterogeneous composition, and the indirect measurement techniques used to assess them. Mineral deposits also have complex geological variations in their size, shape, and form. Their fixed locations mean they are unevenly distributed and cannot be altered like agricultural lands. Mineral resources are crucial to industrial and economic development.

2.  Introduction
 Nonrenewable Resource
 Finite Quantity
 Depth Dimension
 Uncertainty about Quantity
 Uncertainty in Quality
 Uncertainty in Usability
 Geological complexities
 Locational and Distributional peculiarities
 Relationship between Mineral Deposits and Political Boundaries
 Perpetuality of mineral Deposits
 Relationship between minerals and Economy
 High Investment Risk
 Conclusion
 References

3.  Mineral: Naturally occur, inorganic
substance definite chemical composition.
 Mineral deposits are generally compared to
land, flora & fauna of a country.
 Floral resources are best represented by
forests and faunal resources by wildlife.
 The only common factor of these four assets
is all are natural resources.

4.  Majority of the mineral deposits have formed in
the geological past involving millions of years &
once a mineral deposit is used up it will not be
replenished.
 This feature contrasts mineral deposits from flora
and faunal resources which can be replenished by
nature in a short span of time involving a couple of
years.
 However these are some exception in case of
sulfur deposits that constantly form from hot
springs & borax deposits of ladak & form
continuously from thermal springs.

6.  Unlike forest & wildlife resources which are
capable of expanding on their own without
activity of man the quantity of a mineral
deposit doesn’t increase.
 However the use of a mineral deposit & its
mining limit can be extended into
uneconomic occurrences by improvement of
technology or by increases in sale price of
the mineral.

7.  While other natural resources occur on the
surface mineral deposits are mostly in the
subsurface often extending to 1000s of feet
depth.
 In India the KOLAR gold mine has reached
around 10,000s of feet depth.
 This has significance on the cost of
exploitation of mineral resource also the
depth dimension introduces complexity in
assessing a mineral deposit.

8.  Mineral deposits not only occur in the
subsurface but also occupy a large volume of
space therefore the quantity of an entire
mineral deposits can’t be measured directly
& indirect methods like drilling, pitting etc.
are employed to estimate the quantity of
mineral deposits.
 Since actual measurements are carried out
only at sample points there is an dement of
uncertainty in estimating the quantity of any
mineral deposits.

9.  As in the case of estimating the quantity, the
quality or grade of mineral deposits is
determined by drawing the sample at various
points.
 By analyzing these samples extrapolations
are made for estimating the grade of entire
deposits.
 Further mineral deposits are not homogenous
in term of chemical or mineralogical
composition. All these factors introduce
complexities in estimating the grade of a
mineral deposit.

10.  The usability or application of a mineral also
depends on many other factors like price,
availability of mining and processing
technology, infrastructure, accessibility,
discovery of new mineral deposits etc..
 Therefore issues related to usability of
mineral deposits depends on a numbers of
interconnected factors each of which has an
element of uncertainty.

11.  Since mineral deposits form by a variety of
geological processes there are diverse type
of controls of mineralization which result in
variations in size, shape, quality, form &
depth of mineral deposits.
 Deposits of two or more minerals may be of
the same form or the same mineral may
occur in a variety of forms. This peculiarity
of mineral deposits is not noted in any other
natural resource.

12.  Mineral deposits having formed from natural
processes without intervention by human beings
are unevenly distributed in the earth’s crust.
 Therefore no country is sufficient in all mineral
although the fertility of the land can be improved
by artificial means
 Areas of agricultural resources can be changed &
forests can be shifted by means of afforestation
program. Mineral deposits have fixed location &
can’t be changed.

13.  Land surface can be divided into countries,
states, districts & cities whereas mineral
deposits being located on surface as well as
subsurface can’t be subjected to such
divisions or political boundaries.

14.  A fertile land may become a desert in course
of time & trees may decay either naturally or
due to climatic factors or wild animals die
naturally, but no such thing can happen to
mineral deposits.
 A mineral deposits if not exploited will
remain intact & only under rare
circumstances natural calamities like
volcanic eruption & Earthquake may slightly
disturb the form of mineral deposits.

15.  Minerals are base for all industrial &
agriculture based products & represent the
foundation of the economy of any country.
 Minerals deposits in the past, present &
future occupy a distinctive place in the
economic resource of any country.

16.  Many of the uncertainties associated with
mineral deposits about quantity, quality,
usability & geological complexity makes
investment in mining of mineral deposits a
highly risky venture compared to other
industries.
 Added to this risk element is the fairly long
gestation period associated with mining.

17.  Minerals are nonrenewable resource and
never changing.
 Mineral deposits are generally compared to
land, flora & fauna of a country.
 Minerals are base for all industrial &
agriculture based products & represent the
foundation of the economy of any country.
 Minerals deposits in the past, present &
future will occupy a distinctive place in the
economic resource of any country.

18. Reference:
 Kaulir Kisor Chatterjee, An Introduction to Mineral
Economics by PP (8-15) Publisher, H.S.Poplai for Wiley
Eastern Limited, New Delhi.
 K.Sinha and N.L.Sharma, Mineral Economics (Fourth
Edition) by PP (8-13), Published by Mohan Primlani For
oxford & IBH publishing Co.Pvt.Ltd , New Delhi
Website
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/mineral deposits
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/peculiarities in mineral
deposits