Mineral and Energy Resources ICSE Class 10: Minerals, Fuels and Power

What Mineral and Energy Resources is about

Weightage: CISCE publishes no chapter weightage. Each Part II chapter is one of nine 10-mark questions (2 + 2 + 3 + 3), of which you answer any five; the chapter can also appear in the Part I MCQs and the map of India question.Source: CISCE ICSE 2027 Specimen Question Paper 502, Geography (H.C.G. Paper 2)

Key concepts

Iron ore

Types: magnetite (the best, with the highest iron content), haematite (the most widely mined in India), limonite and siderite.
Uses: the basic raw material of the iron and steel industry. It is called a versatile mineral because iron can be alloyed with other metals (manganese, chromium, nickel) to make steel of many kinds, used for everything from pins and utensils to machinery, railways, ships, bridges and buildings.
Distribution (two leading states and mining areas):

• Odisha (the largest producer): Keonjhar (Joda, Barbil), Sundargarh (Barsua) and Mayurbhanj (Gorumahisani, Badampahar).
• Chhattisgarh: Bailadila (Dantewada) and Dalli-Rajhara.

Other important areas: Singhbhum in Jharkhand (Noamundi, Gua) and Bellary-Hospet in Karnataka.

Worked example

(2 marks) Name the largest iron-ore-producing state of India and one mining area in it. Why is iron called a versatile mineral?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Odisha; a mining area: Keonjhar (or Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj) - 1 mark.
2. Iron can be mixed with other metals to make many kinds of steel used for a very wide range of products - 1 mark.

Answer: Odisha is the largest producer; Keonjhar is a major mining area. Iron is versatile because, alloyed with other metals, it makes steel of many grades used for almost everything from tools to ships and buildings.

Manganese, copper and bauxite

Manganese
Uses: in making steel (it hardens steel and removes impurities) and ferro-manganese alloys; in dry-cell batteries, bleaching powder, paints, insecticides and glass.
Distribution: Madhya Pradesh (Balaghat, Chhindwara) and Maharashtra (Nagpur, Bhandara); Odisha (Keonjhar, Sundargarh) is also important.

Copper
Uses: an excellent conductor, so used for electric wires, cables and electrical and electronic goods; in utensils; and in alloys such as brass (with zinc) and bronze (with tin).
Distribution: Madhya Pradesh (Malanjkhand in Balaghat district) and Rajasthan (Khetri in Jhunjhunu district); also Singhbhum in Jharkhand.

Bauxite
It is the ore of aluminium.
Uses: aluminium is light, strong, rust-free and a good conductor, so it is used in aircraft, vehicles, electric cables, utensils, cans and foil.
Distribution: Odisha (Koraput, especially the Panchpatmali deposits, and Kalahandi) is the leading producer; Jharkhand (Lohardaga) and Gujarat (Jamnagar, Kutch) are also important.

Worked example

(2 marks) Bauxite is the ore of which metal? Give two uses of that metal.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Bauxite is the ore of aluminium - 1 mark.
2. Aluminium is used in aircraft and vehicles (light and strong) and in electric cables and utensils - 1 mark.

Answer: Bauxite is the ore of aluminium, which, being light, strong and a good conductor, is used for aircraft bodies and electric cables (also utensils, cans and foil).

Coal

Varieties (by carbon content):

• Anthracite: the best quality, with the highest carbon content; very limited in India (Jammu and Kashmir).
• Bituminous: the most widely mined and used; good-quality bituminous coal is coking coal, used in the iron and steel industry.
• Lignite (brown coal): low carbon, high moisture; Neyveli in Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat and Rajasthan.
• Peat: the first stage of coal formation, with low carbon.

Distribution: most of India's coal is Gondwana coal in river valleys of the peninsula: the Damodar valley (Jharia, Bokaro, Raniganj, Karanpura), the Mahanadi valley (Talcher), the Son valley, Korba in Chhattisgarh and the Godavari valley (Singareni). Leading producing states include Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. Younger tertiary coal is found in Assam and Meghalaya.

Advantages: large reserves; the main fuel for thermal power stations; relatively cheap; used directly as fuel and as coking coal in industries.
Disadvantages: non-renewable; causes air pollution and greenhouse gases; much Indian coal has a high ash content; bulky and costly to transport; mining is dangerous and damages land.

Why coal is preferred in Indian industries: it is abundant and widely available within the country, comparatively cheap, a dependable source of heat and power, and essential as coking coal for smelting iron.

Worked example

(2 marks) Name three varieties of coal found in India. Which is used in the iron and steel industry?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Anthracite, bituminous and lignite (also peat) - 1 mark.
2. Bituminous (coking) coal is used in the iron and steel industry - 1 mark.

Answer: Anthracite, bituminous and lignite. Good-quality bituminous coal, called coking coal, is used in the iron and steel industry.

Petroleum and natural gas

Petroleum (mineral oil)
Distribution: Mumbai High (an offshore field in the Arabian Sea and India's largest producer); Gujarat (Ankleshwar, Kalol, Cambay region); Assam (Digboi, the oldest field, Naharkatiya, Moran); Rajasthan (Barmer).
Advantages: high energy content; easily transported by pipelines and tankers; the main fuel for transport; refining gives many by-products (petrochemicals, lubricants, LPG).
Disadvantages: limited reserves in India, so much is imported at high cost; non-renewable; burning it causes pollution; prices fluctuate.

Natural gas
Distribution: found with petroleum at Mumbai High and Bassein, in Gujarat and Assam, the Krishna-Godavari basin and Tripura.
Advantages: a cleaner fuel than coal and oil; easily transported by pipelines; used for power generation, as CNG for vehicles, piped gas for homes, and as a raw material for fertilisers and petrochemicals.
Disadvantages: non-renewable; needs costly pipelines; leaks can cause fires or explosions; still emits carbon dioxide.

Worked example

(2 marks) Give one advantage and one disadvantage of natural gas as a source of energy.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Advantage: it is a cleaner fuel that is easily transported by pipelines and is also a raw material for fertilisers - 1 mark.
2. Disadvantage: it is non-renewable and needs expensive pipelines; leaks are dangerous - 1 mark.

Answer: Advantage: natural gas burns more cleanly than coal or oil and is easily carried by pipelines. Disadvantage: it is non-renewable and requires costly pipelines, and leaks can cause fires.

Hydel power: Bhakra Nangal and Hirakud

Hydel (hydroelectric) power is produced by the force of falling water turning turbines. It is renewable, clean and cheap to run, though dams are costly and can displace people.

Bhakra Nangal Project: on the Satluj river. The Bhakra dam is in Himachal Pradesh (its reservoir is the Gobind Sagar); the Nangal dam lies downstream in Punjab. It is a joint project of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
Benefits: irrigation for large areas of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan; hydroelectricity for these states and neighbouring areas (Himachal Pradesh, Delhi); flood control; drinking water; fisheries and tourism.

Hirakud Project: on the Mahanadi river near Sambalpur in Odisha; one of the longest earthen dams in the world.
Benefits: flood control in the Mahanadi delta, which used to suffer frequent floods; irrigation for parts of Odisha; hydroelectricity for the industries and towns of Odisha; fisheries and navigation in the reservoir.

Worked example

(3 marks) Name the river on which the Hirakud dam is built and state two ways in which it has helped the people of Odisha.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. The Hirakud dam is built on the Mahanadi - 1 mark.
2. It controls floods in the Mahanadi delta - 1 mark.
3. It provides irrigation and hydroelectricity for Odisha's farms and industries - 1 mark.

Answer: Hirakud is built on the Mahanadi. It has controlled the floods that used to devastate the Mahanadi delta, and it provides irrigation water and hydroelectric power for Odisha's agriculture and industries.

Non-conventional sources: solar, wind and tidal

Solar energy: harnessed by photovoltaic cells and solar heaters.
Areas: Rajasthan (Bhadla solar park in the Thar) and Gujarat (Charanka) are leading; sunny regions across India.
Advantages: inexhaustible and clean; abundant sunshine for most of the year; useful in remote villages.
Disadvantages: high initial cost; no generation at night or in cloudy weather; storage needed; large areas of land required.

Wind energy: wind turbines convert the energy of moving air into electricity.
Areas: Tamil Nadu (Muppandal near Kanyakumari), Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Rajasthan.
Advantages: clean and renewable; low running cost; windmills on farmland are beneficial because farmers earn rent while still cultivating the land around the towers, and get power for pumps.
Disadvantages: wind is not constant; suitable only in windy places; high initial cost; noise and danger to birds.

Tidal energy: generated from the rise and fall of tides.
Areas: India's long coastline offers potential, especially the Gulf of Khambhat and Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat and the Sundarbans in West Bengal.
Advantages: renewable and predictable, since tides are regular.
Disadvantages: very expensive; few suitable sites; may harm marine life.

Worked example

(2 marks) (a) Name a non-conventional energy source that can use India's vast coastline. (b) Why are windmills on farmland beneficial to farmers?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. (a) Tidal energy - 1 mark.
2. (b) Farmers earn income by leasing land for windmills while still cultivating the land around them, and may get electricity for irrigation pumps - 1 mark.

Answer: (a) Tidal energy. (b) Windmills take up little ground, so farmers earn rent from them while continuing to farm the land, and the power can run their irrigation pumps.

Non-conventional sources: geothermal, nuclear and biogas

Geothermal energy: heat from the interior of the earth, tapped from hot springs and hot rocks.
Areas: Puga valley (Ladakh), Manikaran (Himachal Pradesh) and Tattapani (Chhattisgarh).
Advantages: clean and renewable; available continuously, day and night, unlike solar and wind.
Disadvantages (why not popular): found only in a few areas; expensive to develop; produces relatively little energy; may release harmful gases.

Nuclear energy: heat from the fission of uranium (and in future thorium) is used to produce electricity.
Plants: Tarapur (Maharashtra), Rawatbhata (Rajasthan), Kalpakkam and Kudankulam (Tamil Nadu), Narora (Uttar Pradesh), Kakrapar (Gujarat) and Kaiga (Karnataka). Uranium comes from Jaduguda (Jharkhand); thorium from monazite sands of Kerala.
Advantages: a very small amount of fuel produces enormous energy; no smoke or greenhouse gases; continuous supply.
Disadvantages: radioactive waste is hard to dispose of; risk of accidents and radiation; high cost of plants.

Biogas: formed when organic matter (cow dung, crop waste, kitchen and human waste) is decomposed by bacteria in the absence of oxygen in a closed digester; the gas is mainly methane.
Advantages: cheap, using waste available in villages; a smokeless, clean cooking fuel; the leftover slurry is excellent manure; reduces cutting of trees for fuel wood. Its advantage over other non-conventional sources is that it gives two products (fuel and manure) from waste and can be produced at home in any village.
Disadvantages: needs a regular supply of dung or waste; production falls in cold weather; initial cost of the plant.

Worked example

(2 marks) How is biogas formed? Give one advantage of biogas over other non-conventional sources.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Organic waste such as cow dung is decomposed by bacteria in the absence of oxygen in a closed digester, producing gas that is mainly methane - 1 mark.
2. Advantage: it uses village waste to give both a clean fuel and rich manure, and can be made at home anywhere - 1 mark.

Answer: Biogas is formed when bacteria decompose cow dung and other organic waste without oxygen inside a digester, producing mainly methane. Unlike other sources, it turns waste into both a clean cooking fuel and good manure, and any village household can make it.

Mineral and Energy Resources in real life

Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Topics in this chapter

• Iron Ore, Manganese, Copper and Bauxite: Uses and Distribution
• Coal, Petroleum and Natural Gas in India
• Hydel Power: Bhakra Nangal and Hirakud Projects

Mineral and Energy Resources: key facts

Iron ore

$Odisha(Keonjhar,Sundargarh,Mayurbhanj);Chhattisgarh(Bailadila,Dalli-Rajhara)$

Also Singhbhum (Jharkhand), Bellary (Karnataka).

Manganese

Madhya Pradesh (Balaghat, Chhindwara); Maharashtra (Nagpur, Bhandara)

Odisha also important.

Copper

Madhya Pradesh (Malanjkhand); Rajasthan (Khetri)

Singhbhum also.

Bauxite

$Odisha(Koraput-Panchpatmali,Kalahandi);Jharkhand(Lohardaga);Gujarat$

Ore of aluminium.

Coal varieties

Anthracite > bituminous > lignite > peat (carbon content)

Coking coal = bituminous.

Oil

Mumbai High; Gujarat (Ankleshwar, Kalol); Assam (Digboi); Rajasthan (Barmer)

Dams

Bhakra Nangal on the Satluj; Hirakud on the Mahanadi

Non-conventional sites

$Solar:Rajasthan,Gujarat;wind:Muppandal(TN);geothermal:Puga,Manikaran;nuclear:Tarapur,Kalpakkam,Rawatbhata$

Mineral and Energy Resources: map work

The places on the official CISCE map list for this chapter. Find each one on an outline map of India and practise marking it.

How the board asks Mineral and Energy Resources

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Tricks to remember Mineral and Energy Resources

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

• A-B-L-P carbon ladder

  Anthracite, Bituminous, Lignite, Peat: 'All Boys Like Pizza', from most to least carbon.

  Use it when: Coal varieties.

• Ore pairs

  Bauxite = aluminium; haematite and magnetite = iron.

  Use it when: Ores.

• Two dams, two rivers

  Bhakra on the Satluj (north); Hirakud on the Mahanadi (Odisha).

  Use it when: Hydel.

• Clue words

  Coastline = tidal; hot springs = geothermal; cow dung = biogas; deserts = solar; capes and passes = wind.

  Use it when: Non-conventional sources.

Mineral and Energy Resources: board-level solved questions

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Case-study practice (Section B style)

Read the situation, then answer every part. In the board paper this is a 10-mark question split into 2 + 2 + 3 + 3 marks.

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is split into step marks. Show every step: a right final answer alone rarely earns full marks.

Where students lose marks in Mineral and Energy Resources

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

• ✗Mistake: Iron-ore types instead of coal varieties

  CISCE examiners' comments, 2024: candidates gave magnetite and haematite as coal varieties and then could not name the coal used in steel.

  ✓Do this: Coal: anthracite, bituminous, lignite, peat; coking = bituminous.

  Usually costs: 2 marks.

• ✗Mistake: Not knowing the largest iron-ore state

  CISCE examiners' comments, 2024: candidates could not identify the largest iron-ore-producing state, so the mining area was also wrong.

  ✓Do this: Tabulate minerals with states and mining areas.

  Usually costs: 2 marks.

• ✗Mistake: Missing the clue in the question

  CISCE examiners' comments, 2025: candidates overlooked 'vast coastline' and wrote solar energy (the key expected tidal energy and also accepted wind energy); in 2025 some also ignored 'northern part' and named a dam outside northern India.

  ✓Do this: Underline clue words before answering.

  Usually costs: 1 mark each.

• ✗Mistake: Uses instead of reasons

  CISCE examiners' comments, 2025: for 'coal is the most preferred source of energy in Indian industries', candidates described uses of coal instead of why it is preferred.

  ✓Do this: Reasons: abundant, cheap, reliable, coking coal.

  Usually costs: 1 mark.

• ✗Mistake: Unable to explain biogas or geothermal

  CISCE examiners' comments, 2024 and 2025: candidates could not explain biogas formation or why geothermal energy is unpopular.

  ✓Do this: Biogas: bacteria, no oxygen, methane. Geothermal: few sites, costly, small output.

  Usually costs: 1 mark each.

Practice questions on Mineral and Energy Resources

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

   Which of these is the oldest oil field of India?
   (a) Mumbai High
   (b) Ankleshwar
   (c) Digboi
   (d) Barmer

   Hint

   Upper Assam.

   Answer

   (c) Digboi.

2. Q2 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

   Khetri in Rajasthan is known for:
   (a) iron ore
   (b) copper
   (c) bauxite
   (d) manganese

   Hint

   Electrical wires.

   Answer

   (b) copper.

3. Q3 · 2 marks · Very short answerHarder board level

   Name two leading states for bauxite and one mining area in each.

   Hint

   Odisha first.

   Answer

   Odisha (Koraput, especially Panchpatmali) and Jharkhand (Lohardaga); Gujarat (Jamnagar) is also important.

4. Q4 · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

   Give two uses of manganese.

   Hint

   Steel and batteries.

   Answer

   It is used in making steel and ferro-manganese alloys, and in dry-cell batteries (also bleaching powder, paints).

5. Q5 · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

   Name two nuclear power stations and the state of each.

   Hint

   One in Maharashtra.

   Answer

   Tarapur (Maharashtra) and Kalpakkam (Tamil Nadu); also Rawatbhata (Rajasthan), Narora (Uttar Pradesh).

6. Q6 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

   State three benefits of the Bhakra Nangal Project.

   Hint

   Water, power, floods.

   Answer

   (1) Irrigation for large areas of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. (2) Hydroelectric power for these states and neighbouring areas. (3) Flood control on the Satluj (also drinking water, fisheries, tourism).

7. Q7 · 2 marks · Very short answerHOTS / competency

   Why is wind energy well developed in Tamil Nadu? Name one place.

   Hint

   Gaps in the Ghats.

   Answer

   Strong, steady winds funnel through gaps in the Western Ghats and blow along the southern coast, especially near Kanyakumari; Muppandal is a major wind farm.

8. Q8 · 2 marks · Very short answerHarder board level

   Which source of energy among tidal, wind, natural gas and geothermal causes the most pollution? Explain.

   Hint

   A fossil fuel.

   Answer

   Natural gas, because it is a fossil fuel whose burning releases carbon dioxide; tidal and wind energy are pollution-free. (CISCE's 2024 marking scheme also accepted geothermal energy, since geothermal wells can release gases such as hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide, so name natural gas but know why geothermal was accepted.)

9. Q9 · 4 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

   'Hydel power is clean but not free of problems.' Discuss with two points each way.

   Hint

   Renewable versus displacement.

   Answer

   Clean: it is renewable and produces no smoke; once built, power is cheap and the dams also give irrigation and flood control. Problems: large dams are very costly and submerge land and forests, displacing people; reservoirs silt up, and power depends on rainfall.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1. 1.Which state is the largest producer of iron ore?Show answer

   Odisha.

2. 2.Where is Malanjkhand and what is mined there?Show answer

   Madhya Pradesh; copper.

3. 3.Which coal is used in the iron and steel industry?Show answer

   Bituminous (coking) coal.

4. 4.On which river is the Hirakud dam?Show answer

   The Mahanadi.

5. 5.What is the main gas in biogas?Show answer

   Methane.

6. 6.Name a geothermal site in Ladakh.Show answer

   Puga valley.

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

• ☐Iron: Odisha (Keonjhar), Chhattisgarh (Bailadila); versatile via alloys.
• ☐Manganese: MP (Balaghat), Maharashtra (Nagpur); steel, batteries.
• ☐Copper: MP (Malanjkhand), Rajasthan (Khetri); wires, alloys.
• ☐Bauxite: Odisha (Koraput), Jharkhand (Lohardaga); aluminium.
• ☐Coal: anthracite, bituminous (coking), lignite (Neyveli), peat; Damodar valley.
• ☐Oil: Mumbai High, Gujarat, Digboi; gas: Mumbai High, KG basin.
• ☐Bhakra Nangal (Satluj): irrigation, power for Punjab-Haryana-Rajasthan. Hirakud (Mahanadi): flood control, Odisha.
• ☐Solar (Rajasthan), wind (Muppandal), tidal (Gulf of Khambhat), geothermal (Puga, Manikaran), nuclear (Tarapur, Kalpakkam), biogas (dung, methane, manure).

Mineral and Energy Resources: frequently asked questions