Resources - Study Notes

Lesson summary

A resource is a naturally occurring exploitable material that a society perceives to be useful to its economic and material wellbeing. Resources are the basis of economic development. The US and west European countries are prosperous because they have vast natural and human resources and technology, while many resource-rich parts of Africa and Asia leave them unutilised.

Classification of resources

Mineral resources

• A mineral is a homogeneous, naturally occurring substance with a definite chemical composition. Ages of human progress are named after them: stone, copper, bronze and iron age.
• Minerals are exhaustible, distributed very unevenly and found in ores containing impurities.
• Metallic: ferrous (iron ore, manganese, nickel, cobalt), non-ferrous (copper, lead, tin, bauxite), precious (gold, silver, platinum).
• Non-metallic: mica, salt, potash, sulphur, granite, limestone, marble, sandstone.
• Energy minerals: coal, petroleum, natural gas.

Mode of occurrence

• Veins and lodes: in cracks, crevices, faults and joints of igneous and metamorphic rocks; smaller occurrence = vein, larger = lode (copper, gold).
• Beds or layers: formed by deposition, accumulation and concentration in horizontal layers (coal, potash).
• Residual mass: soluble particles washed away, leaving a mass with ores (bauxite).
• Alluvial deposits: sands of valley floor and foot hills (gold, silver, platinum).

World distribution of metallic minerals

• Iron ore: backbone of industrial development; 4.6% of the earth's crust. Magnetite 72%, hematite 70%, limonite 50%, siderite 30% pure iron; below 30% is uneconomical. Russia has the largest reserves; Australia is the largest producer (33.72%), then China, Brazil, India and Russia; 5 countries produce 84%.
• Manganese: ferro-alloy acting as a 'cleanser'; about 6 kg per ton of steel. South Africa is the largest producer, then Australia. India has the largest reserves but is 8th in production.
• Copper: non-ferrous soft brown metal and good conductor. Chief ore copper pyrite gives 76% of output. With tin it makes bronze, with zinc brass. Chile leads (27.20%), then Peru; India is 35th (0.15%).
• Bauxite: main source of aluminium, mined by the open cast method. Australia is the largest producer; India is 5th.
• Gold: purity measured in carat; China leads, followed by Australia, Russia, USA and Canada. Pyrite is called fool's gold.
• Platinum: rare, costlier than gold, very high melting point. South Africa produces 71.75%.

Non-metallic minerals

• Mica: from Latin micare, to shine; layered, splits into thin sheets, resists heat and high voltages. Used in paints, cosmetics, plastics and printing ink, electronics, automotive, construction and oil industries.
• Phosphate: in sedimentary rocks, nodules and guano (bird dropping); main source of phosphorus for fertilizer. China is the largest producer; India is 20th.

Energy resources

Coal

• Coal formed during the carboniferous period by carbonization. Major reserves: USA, Russia, China, South Africa.
• China is the largest producer of steam coal, followed by India; China also leads coking coal, followed by Australia.
• Coal meets about 25% of global energy demand.

Petroleum and natural gas

• Petroleum forms from the decomposition of organic matter in sedimentary rocks. It is lighter than water; when drilling, natural gas comes out first.
• The Middle East holds about 60% of oil reserves. Saudi Arabia is the largest producer (13.62%), Russia second; India is 24th.
• OPEC was formed in 1960.
• Natural gas is the cheapest source of energy and is called green energy because of its low carbon dioxide emissions. The USA has the largest reserves and production; India is 28th.

Nuclear energy

• Uranium is the most important source; nuclear power began in the USA in 1950 and gives about 11% of world electricity from more than 450 fission reactors.
• First commercial station: Calder Hall, Windscale, England (1956). Kazakhstan leads uranium production.
• Accidents: Three Mile Island (1979), Chernobyl (1986), Fukushima Daiichi (2011).

Renewable energy

• Hydel: about 7% of world electricity; China has the largest potential and is the largest producer, followed by Canada.
• Solar: USA is the major producer of solar cells. Kamuthi (648 MW) in Ramanathapuram is the world's largest single solar plant; Noor Complex in the Sahara is the largest CSP plant.
• Wind: second fastest growing source, about 5% of world demand. Largest farm: Altamont pass, California. India: Muppandal (Kanyakumari) and Jaisalmer (Rajasthan). London Array is the largest offshore farm.
• Tidal: first at La Rance, France; largest at Sihwa Lake, South Korea. India's first attempt is a 3 MW plant at Durgaduani creek in the Sunderbans.
• Geothermal: USA is the largest producer (The Geysers, California). In India exploration began in 1970; Puga valley of Ladakh is the most promising; potential about 10000 MW.

Conservation of resources

• Control population growth to reduce demand.
• Create social awareness on conservation.
• Reuse and recycle resources.
• Use renewable energy as an alternative to non-renewable resources.
• Develop usage methods that minimise wastage and choose products with less packaging.