A mineral is a naturally occurring inorganic solid with a specific chemical composition and crystalline structure,

extracted from the earth’s crust.

Discovery and exploitation of rich resources can prove an asset for a developing country like india.
There are four Types of minerals are…
One type is metallic and three are non-metallic.
1) Metals like…Iron, copper, aluminium, etc.
2) Industrial minerals like lime, potash, etc.
3) Construction Minerals like sandstone, gravel, etc.
4) Energy minerals like uranium, etc.
USES OF MINERALS…
1) For development of industrial plants and machinery.
2) Coal, lignite and uranium are used for generation of energy.
3) Used in defence systems like weapons and armaments.
4) In communication system like cables, telephone wires, etc.
5) Used in many medicines.
6) Gold, silver, platinum, diamonds are used as jewellery.

The minerals are extracted from the earth’s crust with the help of a technique called mining.
Extracting minerals from the earth and processing them produces enormous environmental damage. It
pollutes the soil, air and water. Destroyed land due to mining is called mine spoil. Mining produces 3/4 th of
all waste
TYPES OF MINIG ARE:-
1) Surface strip mining:- In this the topsoil is scraped off. The overburden, the rock lying above the mineral is
stripped off. This leads to unsightly slag heaps and large holes in the ground.
2) Underground mining:- In this type of mining caves and tunnels are made for the extraction of the ore.
ILL EFFECTS OF MINING:-
1) Mining produces as much as soil erosion as all earths rivers combined.
2) Air pollution from the mineral industry has made hectares of cultivable land unfit for the use.
3) People residing near uranium mine in Jharkhand are exposed to nuclear hazards.
4) Underground fire in jharia coal mines has forced displacement of local people.
5) River pollution is cause of concern due to iron ore mine in Karnataka.
6) High sulphur contamination of ground water is taking place in north eastern coal fields of assam.
As minerals are finite in number so there is a need of conserving them and using them in a best possible way to
minimize their wastage and maximize their use. Here reuse and recycling of minerals plays a very vital role by not
only helping in conserving them but by permitting us to reduce environmental damage from their extraction and
processing.
The main motive of today’s production industries should be “The use of previously used materials for new
purposes”
Like glass, aluminium cans, etc. This will consume less energy and the cost of production would be minimize.
Conservation:-

1) Conservation of minerals should be encouraged by producing and using products that last for a long time
and so do not need to be replaced often.
2) Substituting something else for a mineral like synthetic polymers like pvc, fiberglass, polyester, etc.

So mineral resources are very important for the survival of the human-race and we should contribute our bit
towards their conservation and efficient usage. THAN KYOU.