Minerals and Energy Resources Class 10 Explained Simply with Clear Examples

Haben arrives in Guwahati with his father from a remote village. Since he has never seen buses or trains before, he mistakes them for moving houses. His father explains that these are not homes—they are buses and trains made from metals like iron and aluminium, not from bricks and stones. They run with the help of engines that need energy.

This example introduces the idea that metals come from minerals found in the Earth’s crust. Minerals are embedded within rocks, and different metals are extracted from these minerals after refining. Minerals are essential to human life. Everything—from a small pin to large buildings, ships, railway lines, road construction, machines, vehicles, and aircraft—requires minerals. Even the food we eat contains minerals.

Over time, minerals have been used for livelihood, decoration, festivals, religious practices, and rituals. They are present everywhere, including in everyday products like toothpaste. Abrasive minerals such as silica, limestone, aluminium oxide, and phosphate minerals help clean teeth. Fluoride, used to prevent cavities, comes from the mineral fluorite. The white colour in toothpaste comes from titanium oxide. Some toothpastes even contain mica for sparkle. Toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes are made from plastic derived from petroleum. Minerals are deeply connected to daily life and human development.

Although minerals make up only 0.3% of the nutrients in food, without them, the remaining 99.7% cannot be properly used by the body. This shows how vital minerals are.

What is a Mineral?

Geologists define minerals as homogeneous, naturally occurring substances with a definable internal structure. Minerals occur naturally, have a consistent composition, and their internal structure can be examined. In nature, minerals exist in different forms—from the softest (like talc) to the hardest (like diamond). More than 2,000 minerals have been identified.

Geographers treat minerals as part of the Earth's crust while studying landforms. Geologists, however, study minerals in depth—formation, age, composition, and characteristics.

Modes of Occurrence of Minerals

Minerals occur in several ways:

1. In Veins and Lodes (Igneous and Metamorphic Rocks)

Cracks, joints, and faults within igneous and metamorphic rocks get filled with mineral-rich materials.

• Thin deposits are called veins
  
  Thick deposits are called lodes

Tin, copper, zinc, and lead are commonly found this way.

Any rock containing minerals is called an ore.

2. In Beds and Layers (Sedimentary Rocks)

In sedimentary rocks, minerals accumulate in horizontal layers due to deposition and concentration over time. These layers are called beds or strata. Such minerals are often extracted through rat-hole mining, where narrow tunnels are dug vertically and horizontally to reach the deposits.

Common salt and gypsum can also form through evaporation in arid regions.

3. By Decomposition of Surface Rocks

Some minerals form when rocks on the surface break down due to weathering. As rocks disintegrate, the mineral-rich material remains on the surface. Bauxite is an example of such a mineral.

4. Placer Deposits

Some minerals accumulate at the base of hills or valley floors. These deposits are called placer deposits and include minerals not easily corroded by water.
Examples: gold, silver, tin, and platinum.

5. Ocean Water and Ocean Beds

Minerals like salt, magnesium, and bromide are found in ocean water. The ocean floor also contains manganese nodules.

Minerals are unevenly distributed across the Earth. Some occur deep within rocks, some at the surface, some near seas, and some in desert regions.

Classification of Minerals

Minerals are mainly classified into:

1. Metallic Minerals

• Ferrous (contain iron) – iron ore, manganese, nickel, cobalt

• Non-ferrous (no iron) – copper, lead, tin, bauxite

• Precious – gold, silver, platinum

2. Non-Metallic Minerals

Examples: mica, salt, potash, limestone, marble, sandstone.

3. Energy Minerals

Coal, petroleum, and natural gas.

Ferrous Minerals

Ferrous minerals contain iron and make up three-fourths of India’s total metallic mineral production. They form the foundation of metallurgical industries because iron and steel are required to make machines for all other industries. India first meets its domestic demand for iron ore and then exports the surplus.

Iron Ore

Iron ore is the most important ferrous mineral and the backbone of industrial development. Machines, tools, and structures depend on iron and steel.

Two main types of iron ore:

1. Magnetite

• Finest quality

• Up to 70% iron content

• Strong magnetic properties

• Important for electrical industries
  
  

2. Hematite

• Most widely used in India

• Contains 50–60% iron

• Found in larger quantities than magnetite
  
  

In 2018–19, nearly 97% of India’s iron ore production came from:
Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, and Jharkhand

Major Iron Ore Belts in India

1. Odisha–Jharkhand Belt

• High-grade hematite found in Badampahar mines (Mayurbhanj and Kendujhar)
  
  

• In Jharkhand, hematite occurs in Singhbhum district, especially in Gua and Noamundi
  
  

2. Durg–Bastar–Chandrapur Belt

• Located in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra

• High-grade hematite found in the Bailadila range (Bastar district)

• Bailadila hills contain 14 deposits of super-high-grade ore

• Iron from this region is exported to Japan and South Korea through Visakhapatnam port
  
  

3. Bellary–Chitradurga–Chikmagalur–Tumakuru Belt

• Located in Karnataka

• Large reserves of iron ore

• Kudremukh mines (named because the hill resembles a horse’s face) lie in the Western Ghats

• Known for high-quality iron ore