Resources Online Test 12th Geography Lesson 3 Questions in English

A resource is a naturally occurring exploitable material that a society perceives to be useful to its economic and material wellbeing. Willing, healthy and skilled workers also constitute a valuable resource, but without access to materials such as fertile soil or petroleum, human resources are limited in them effectiveness.

Voyager 1 launched in 1977 still is travelling at the speed of 62140 km/ hour or 17 km/sec.

The fuel used in Voyager I is hydrazine. The future fuel is certainly going to be hydrogen.

Based on the continual availability, resources are classified in to renewable and non-renewable resources.

Non-renewable resources are available in finite quantities and cannot be obtained once if they are utilized. If these resources are used in large scale, they will get exhausted soon and as such these resources are called as exhaustible resources. Coal, oil and minerals are examples of this type.
The resources which can always be used again and again are known as renewable resources. It means these resources have natural regeneration and are inexhaustible. Air, water, solar energy etc are examples of renewable resources.

On the basis of origin, the resources are classified in to biotic and abiotic resources. When a resource is originated from living organism, the resource is known as biotic resource. Coal, mineral oil and forests are examples of biotic resources. Abiotic resources are composed of non-living inorganic matter. Air, land, water and minerals are examples of this type.

On the basis of status of development, the resources are classified in to potential resources and developed resources.

Potential resources are those which are known to exist and may be used in the future. Until the resource is extracted and put in to use, it remains a potential resource.

Developed resources are those which have been surveyed and their quality and quantity have been determined for utilisation. The development of resources depends on technology and level of their feasibility. Petroleum resource from Mumbai High is an example of Developed resources.

Apart from the above classifications, the resources which are available in nature are known as natural resources and the one created by man is known as man-made resource. Similarly, the air like resources which exist everywhere is called as ubiquitous resources and the resources which are concentrated only at specific places are known as localised resources.

A homogeneous, naturally occurring substance which has a definite chemical composition is called a mineral. They can be identified by their physical properties and chemical components. Minerals exist in different types based on their formation. Minerals are one of the most valuable resources of the earth. All the stages of human development or progress have been named after them.

Minerals are generally found in the form of ores. The ore contains several impurities. Minerals are separated from the ores involving a number of distinct processes. It is actually an accumulation of any mineral mixed with other elements. Minerals generally occur in many forms.

Some examples of Non-metallic minerals are mica, salt, potash sulphate, granite, limestone, marble, sandstone etc.,

Minerals generally occur in the cracks, crevices, faults and joints of the igneous and metamorphic rocks. Minerals in smaller occurrence are called a ‘Vein’ and a larger occurrence is called a ‘lode, for example, Copper and Gold are found in lodes and veins.

When the decomposed rocks are washed away by water, the soluble particles are removed, leaving a mass containing ores. Such occurrences are called residual mass. E.g. Bauxite.

Minerals that are formed as a result of deposition, accumulation and concentration generally occur in horizontal layers. E.g. Coal, Potash, etc.

Alluvial deposits are the deposits found in the sands of valley floor and at the foot hills. Th ese deposits consist of the minerals such as Gold, Silver and Platinum.

Iron ore is the basic mineral and the backbone of industrial development of the world. Iron Ore is the most widely distributed element of the earth’s crust and it rarely occurs in a free state. It is found as the composition of many rocks and minerals.

Iron-ore makes up 4.6% of the earth crusts. Iron is found in the form of Iron – ore. They are classified into 4 categories. 1. Limonite 2. Hematite 3. Magnetite and 4. Siderite

Magnetite is red in colour.

Limonite: Its colour varies from dark brown to yellow and has 50% of pure iron.

The iron content of these ores is highly variable. If the iron content is less than 30% in an ore, it is considered to be uneconomical. Iron is mixed with fixed proportions of Manganese, Nickel, Chromium or Vanadium to make different varieties of steel.

Iron – ore is unevenly distributed in the world. Good quality Iron ore is found in Australia, Brazil, Russia, China, USA, Ukraine, Canada, etc. Russia has the largest reserves of iron ore in the world. Australia.

Australia is the largest producer of Iron ore in the world. Other leading producers are China, Brazil, India and Russia. The Majority of Iron ore is (84%) produced by 5 countries alone.

Manganese ore is a kind of Ferro-alloy used to manufacture the special quality steel. Nearly 6 Kg of manganese is used for making one ton of steel.

A little manganese added to iron, removes gases and acts as a ‘Cleanser’ in the manufacturing process.

Manganese is used for special quality steel making; it makes steel anti – corrosive, hard and clean. It helps to increase toughness, strength and durability to resist oxidation in blast furnaces. It is used to produce alloys with Copper, Bronze, and Nickel. It is used for producing heavy machinery, tools, bleaching powder, insecticides and paints.

South Africa, Australia, China, Gabon, Kazakhstan, Brazil, India, Ghana, Ukraine and Mexico are the major countries possessing manganese ore. South Africa is the largest producer of manganese ore in the world, followed by Australia.

The other leading manganese producers are China, Gabon and Brazil. India is the 8th largest producer of manganese in the world though it possesses the largest reserves of manganese in the world.

Copper is a non – ferrous, soft brown metal. It is a good conductor, with high luster, density and melting point. Copper occurs in three forms as native metal in its pure state, as oxides and as sulphide.

The chief ore of copper is copper pyrite. It yields nearly 76% of the world production of copper. Copper is extracted by the process of crushing, concentration, roasting, smelting and refining. It was discovered in the earliest stage of civilization.

Copper is very soft, but by mixing with tin, bronze can be obtained and mixing with zinc, brass can be obtained which is harder and tougher than pure copper.

Copper is used in (i) Electrical Engineering (ii) Metallurgical Industries (iii) Making of alloys and making tubes, pipes, pumps, radiators and boilers. They are also used in the production of a wide range of ornamental materials.

Copper deposits are found in almost every country. The main producers are Chile, Peru, China, USA and Congo. Chile is the largest producer of Copper in the world. It produces 27.20% of the world Copper, followed by Peru, which produces 11.53%.

India holds 35th rank and it produces only 0.15% of the world’s copper production.

Bauxite is an important ore which is the main source of Aluminum. It is an impure raw material. It generally occurs as an ingredient of chemical compounds in highly complex minerals such as Cryolite, Corundum and Kaolin. Bauxite occurs quite near the surface and is generally mined by open cast method.

The main Bauxite producers are Australia, China, Brazil, Guinea and India. Australia is the largest producer of bauxite in the world.

The World’s greatest Bauxite producers and exporters are the countries located in the tropical and sub-tropical region. India is the 5th largest producer of bauxite in the world.

Copper was discovered in the earliest stage of civilization. Copper is one of the first metals known and used by man.

China, Australia, Russia, USA and Canada are the leading producers of gold in the world. China is the leading producer of Gold in the world.

Fool’s Gold refers to pyrite of Iron Sulphide because of its similarity in shape and colour to actual gold.

Platinum is found with other rare metals such as osmium, Palladium, Iridium and rhodium. Platinum is also used in industrial applications.

South Africa is the largest producer of platinum in the world. The other leading producers are Russia, Zimbabwe, Canada and USA.

Mica is a Latin word micare means to shine, to flash or to glitter. Mica has a crystalline and layered structure and can be split into very thin sheets. It does not react to water, acids, oil or solvents.

Phosphate occurs in the sedimentary rocks or as phosphate nodules. Another source is bird dropping of Guano. It is the most important source of phosphorus. It is mainly used in fertilizer.

China is the largest producer of Phosphate in the world. The other leading producers are Morocco, USA, Russia and Peru. The Guano deposits are found in Peruvian and Chilean deserts in South America.

India is the 20thlargest producer of Phosphate in the world. Agencies involved in the exploration of minerals in India. GSI, ONGC, MECL, NMDC, IMB, BGML, HCL, NALCO are the departments involved in mining in different states of India.

Resources may be classified into renewable and non-renewable resources. Mineral resources like coal, Petroleum and natural gas are the exhaustible or non-renewable resources. They cannot be reused once they are consumed. Coal, Natural gas and petroleum are the fossil fuels, on which the modern culture relies so much.

Coal is a fossil fuel. It is a flammable, black or brown sedimentary rock and is mainly composed of carbon. Coal is used for various purposes. It is used as a source of steam energy, electrical energy, domestic fuel, metallurgical coke, chemical industries and byproducts such as Ammonium sulphate, Naphthalene, Phenol, Benzene, etc.

The following types of coal have been identified on the basis of their physical properties. They are 1. Bituminous, 2. Lignite, 3. Peat and 4. Anthracite. Man has used coal for hundreds of years. But it has gained importance only after industrial revolution. It contributes about 25% of global energy demand.

Lignite or Brown coal is the inferior quality and contains 35%-45% carbon.

Peat is the first stage of transformation of wood into coal and it has only 30% to 35% of carbon.

Bituminous or coking coal is the second-best variety of coal and contains 70%-90% of carbon. It is the most widely spread and most widely used variety of coal. It is the most popular coal in commercial use.
Anthracite is the best quality coal, which contains more than 95% of carbon. It is very hard but emits very less smoke and leaves very less ash. However, its deposits are limited.

Coal reserves are found in more than 70 countries of the world but the major coal reserves occur in the USA, Russia, China and South Africa. China is the largest producer of steam coal in the world followed by India. The other leading producers of steam coal are USA, Indonesia, and South Africa etc.

China was the largest producer of coking coal in the world in 2016 followed by Australia. The other leading producers of coking coal are Russia, India and USA. The main exporters of coal in the world are Australia, Indonesia, Russia, Colombia and South Africa and the main importers are China, India, Japan, Korea and Germany.

Petroleum is formed by residual chemical and bio chemical decomposition of the remains of organic matter in sedimentary rocks. It is found in the pores of the sedimentary rocks.

The west Asia or Middle East is has the largest petroleum reserves, which is about 60% of the world’s oil reserve. The total estimated world’s oil reserves in 2008 were 1,243. Saudi Arabia, Canada, Iran, Iraq and Kuwait have large reserves of petroleum.

The petroleum producing countries of the world can be grouped in to five geographical regions: (i) West Asia (or) middle East region (ii) American region (iii) Russian region (iv) East & south Asian region and (v) African region.

Saudi Arabia is the largest oil producer of the world with 13.62% of the world output of oil. Russia is the second largest producer in the world.

India is placed at 24th position in petroleum production in the world. The distribution of oil is naturally uneven; Middle East contains 60% of global reserves and rest of the world only 40%.

The world leading exporters of petroleum are Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, UAE and Canada and the main importers are USA, China, India, Japan and Korea.

OPEC is the short form of the “Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries. It was formed in 1960 at Bagdad convention.

Initially OPEC comprised of Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Venezuela. Later on, added in eight countries Libya, Algeria, Qatar, UAE, Nigeria, Ecuador and Angola. Indonesia left from OPEC in recently.

It is the cheapest source of energy. It is found along with or without petroleum. It is considered as an environment friendly fuel because of its low carbon dioxide emissions.

Natural Gas is the only fuel for the present century and it is also called green energy. A powerful odorant, ethanethiol is added, so that leaks can be detected easily. It is prepared by refining petroleum or wet natural gas.

The known natural gas reserves in the world is about 6254 trillion cubic feet. Most of these reserves are found in Russia, Iran, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, USA etc. USA has the largest reserve and is the leading producer of natural gas in the world.

India is the 28th producer of natural gas in the world. It is widely used as a fuel in industries and domestic cooking purposes. Petrochemical industries use it as fuel and raw material. It is also used in chemical industries, artificial rubber, plastic, fertilizers, ink and carbon.

Nuclear Energy is commonly said, this energy holds the key of future. Energy contained within the nucleus of an atom is called nuclear energy. Heavy metals like Uranium, Thorium, Radium, Plutonium and Lithium are the main sources of nuclear energy. However, Uranium is the most important source of nuclear energy.

The nuclear energy production was started first in USA in 1950. Nuclear energy now provides about 11% of the World’s electricity. At present there are more than 450 operable fission reactors in the world.

The world’s first commercial nuclear power station Calder Hall at Wind scale, England was opened in 1956.

Hydro electricity is produced by using the potential energy of water falling from a certain height. The falling water spins the turbine blades and energy is produced. It is a clean eco-friendly and renewable source of energy. It contributes nearly 7% of the world electricity production.

China has the largest potential followed by Brazil, Indonesia, Canada and Zaire. China is the largest producer of Hydroelectricity in the world, followed by Canada.

Solar energy is based on mechanical conversion of solar energy into electricity. It is available in abundance but only in the recent period it gets more importance due to technological development. USA is the major producer of solar cells at present.

Solar power in India is a fast-developing industry. The country’s solar installed capacity reached 26 GW as of 30 September 2018. India expanded its solar generation capacity 8 times from 2,650 MW on 26 May 2014 to over 20 GW as on 31 January 2018.The country added 3 GW of solar capacity in 2015-2016, 5 GW in 2016-2017 and over 10 GW in 2017-2018, with the average current price of solar electricity dropping to 18% below the average price of its coal-fired counterpart.

Noor Complex is the world’s largest concentrated solar power (CSP) plant, located in the Sahara Desert.

Kamuthi Solar Power Project is a photovoltaic power station spread over an area of 2,500 acres (10 km2) in Kamuthi, Ramanathapuram district. With a generating capacity of 648 MW at a single location, The Kamuthi Solar Power Project was completed on 21 September 2016. Around 8,500 workers installed an average of 11 MW of capacity per day to complete the project within 8 months.

Kamuthi Solar Power Project was commissioned by Adani Power. The entire solar park is connected to a 400 kV substation of the Tamil Nadu Transmission Corp. The solar panels are cleaned daily by a self-charged robotic system.

The largest wind farms in India are Muppandal in Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu and Jaisalmer wind park in Rajasthan. They are the first and second largest wind farms of India. Based on the location of its generation it is classified into 1. Onshore wind energy and 2. Offshore wind energy.

Offshore wind energy –It refers to the use of wind farms developed in seas and oceans. The largest offshore wind farms are currently in the U.K and Germany. These two countries installed 2/3 capacity. London Array is the largest offshore wind farm in the world. The first offshore wind farm is planned near Dhanuskodi in Tamil Nadu.

Tidal energy is a renewable energy powered by the natural raise and fall of ocean water. Its production is very small. The first tidal power station was located in La Rance in France.

The largest tidal power station is at Sihwa Lake in South Korea and it is the largest tidal power producer in the world. There are three different categories of sources from which the tidal energy is generated. The sources are tidal streams, barrages and tidal lagoons.

India’s first attempt to harness tidal power for generating electricity would be in the form of a 3MW plant at the Durgaduani creek in Sundarbans delta of West Bengal.

The Gulf of Kutch and Cambay in Gujarat and the Ganges delta in sunderbans, the world’s largest mangrove, are the 3 sites identified as potential areas for tidal power generation in India.

Geo thermal energy is derived from the natural heat of the earth. The United States is the world’s largest producer, and the largest geothermal development in the world is The Geysers north of San Francisco in California, the U.S.

In India, exploration and study of geothermal fields started in 1970. The GSI (Geological Survey of India) has identified 350 geothermal energy locations in the country.

The most promising geothermal energy locations in India is in Puga valley of Ladakh. The estimated potential for geothermal energy in India is about 10000 MW.

There are seven geothermal provinces in India: the Himalayas, Sohana, West coast, Cambay, SonNarmada-Tapti (SONATA), Godavari, and Mahanadi.

The dense forest plants were converted into coal due to intense pressure and heat inside the earth by the process of carbonization. Most of the coal resources of the world were formed during the carboniferous period (280 to 350 million years ago). The quality of the coal is determined by its carbon content.

Peat is the first stage of transformation of wood into coal and it has only 30% to 35% of carbon. Lignite or Brown coal. Bituminous or coking coal. Anthracite is the best quality coal, which contains more than 95% of carbon.