In this article, we will discuss Natural Resources. So, let’s get started.
Natural Resources
Any matter or energy derived from the environment (nature) that is used by living things including humans is called a ‘natural resource’. Resources are the basis for the development of any country. India, one of the largest countries in the world, is blessed with diverse and abundant resources. Only a judicious use of resources will help the development of a country. Over exploitation and unscientific land-use practices leads to environmental problems and resource depletion. Natural resources include air, water, soil, minerals, fossil fuels, plants, and wild life. Many of these natural resources are essential for human survival, e.g., air, water, and plants. While others are used for satisfying other material needs and desires.
Natural resources have been classified in many ways.
Natural resources may also be classified as renewable and non-renewable resources. The main characteristics of these resources are given below:
Renewable Resources:
Resources which get renewed or replenished fast, are called renewable resources. Some of these resources are always available (continuous) and do not get affected by human activities, e.g., solar and wind energy. Many resources, on the other hand, get depleted after use. These may, however, be replenished without endangering future use. provided that the rate of consumption does not exceed the rate of renewal or replenishment. Hence, they maintain a flow. Some resources like crops take short time for renewal. Others like water can be renewed in a comparatively longer time. Some other resources like forests take even longer.
Non-renewable Resources:
Non-renewable resources are built over a long geological time span Minerals and fossil fuels are the examples of non-renewable resources. Since the rate of their formation is extremely slow, they cannot be replenished within a time frame meaningful to human beings. Though these resources are normally found in large quantities, they are distributed most unevenly. Their economic use is viable only when they are found in sufficiently large concentrations and are extractable. Some of these resources like gold, silver and iron are recyclable in nature. It
means that the metal content obtained from the ore may be used again and again after necessary
processing. Fossil fuels such as coal, mineral oil and natural gas get exhausted. Hence, they are
non-recyclable.
Mineral Resources
A mineral is an aggregate of two or more than two elements. A mineral has a definite chemical
composition, atomic structure and is formed by Inorganic processes. In economic geography
the term mineral is used for any naturally occurring material that is mined and is of economic
value.
Minerals generally occur in the earth’s crust in the form of ore. It is extracted, processed.
and utilised for the economic benefits of society. The availability and per capita consumption
of minerals is taken as an important indicator to assess the economic development of a country
India is fairly rich in mineral resources but their distribution is highly uneven. The distribution
of minerals in India has been described in the following section:
Distribution of Minerals
A mineral is an aggregate of two or more than two elements A mineral has a definite chemical
composition atomic structure and is formed by inorganic processes in economic geography
the term mineral is used for any naturally occurring material that is mined and is of economic
value.
Minerals generally occur in the earth crust in the form of ore. It is extracted processed
and utilised for the economic benefits of society. The availability and per capita consumption
of minerals is taken as an important indicator to assess the economic development of a country
India is fairly rich in mineral resources but their distribution is highly uneven. The distribution
of minerals in India has been described in the following section:
Distribution of Minerals
The mineral wealth of India is largely confined to the igneous and metamorphic rocks of Peninsular
India, while the Great Plains of India and the Himalayan region are almost devoid of the metall
minerals The states which are rich in the metallic and non-metallic minerals are Tharkhand
Chhattisgarh Odisha. Bihar West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh Kamataka Kerala Maharashtra
Tamil Nadu. Rajasthan Gujarat Uttarakhand Andhra Pradesh. Tripura and Assam. The state
of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab Himachal Pradesh Jammu and Kashmir, and Gangtie West
Bengal are however, poor in mineral resources
Classification of Mineral Resources
The minerals may be classified under the following three categories:
Mineral Fuels (Fossil fuels)
This group includes energy resources like coal, mineral oil (petroleum), natural gas, and atomic minerals.
Metallic Minerals
Metallic minerals constitute the second most important group of minerals after fossil fuels.These minerals provide a strong base for the development of metallurgical industry, and thereby help the process of industrialisation and urbanisation. India has a substantial reserve of these minerals. India is a producer of about 95 minerals of which 3 are fuel minerals, 3 atomic minerals, 10 metallic, 23 non-metallic. minerals and 55 minerals.
The total value of mineral production (excluding atomic and fuel minerals) during 2017-18 has been estimated at 113,541 crores, which shows an increase of about 13% over 2016-17. The value of metallic minerals in 2016-17 at Rs. 40,017 increased by 19.03% and that of non metallic minerals at Rs 7414.53 crores during 2016-17 decreased by 2.07%.
