Which one of the following minerals is contained in the Monazite sand?

1. Mineral:

(i) A mineral is a "homogeneous, naturally occurring material having a definite internal structure," according to geologists.

(ii) Rocks are combinations of homogenous substances called minerals.

2. Mode of Occurrence of Minerals:

(i) Minerals are typically discovered in "ores." The term ore refers to a collection of minerals that have been combined with other components.

(ii) Minerals can be found in cracks, fissures, faults, and joints of the igneous and metamorphic rocks. Veins are the lesser occurrences, whereas lodes occur largely.

(iii) Major metallic minerals like tin, copper, zinc and lead etc., are obtained from veins and lodes.

(iv) In sedimentary rocks several minerals occur in beds or layers.

(v) They have been formed because of deposition, accumulation and concentration in horizontal strata.

(vi) Coal and some forms of iron ore have been concentrated because of long periods under great heat and pressure.

(vii) Gold, silver, tin and platinum are the most important minerals that may occur as alluvial deposits in the sands of valley floors and the base of hills.

(viii) Common salt, magnesium and bromine are largely derived from ocean waters.

3. Ferrous Minerals:

(i) Iron Ore

(a) Iron ore is a fundamental material that serves as the foundation for industrial growth. India has an abundance of iron ore deposits.

(b) Odisha-Jharkhand belt: Badampahar mines in the Mayurbhanj and Kendujhar districts of Odisha contain high-grade haematite ore.

(d) Durg-Bastar-Chandrapur belt runs across the states of Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. The Bailadila range of hills in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region has extremely high-grade hematites.

(e) Ballari-Chitradurga-ChikkamagaluruTumakuru: Iron ore deposits are abundant in Karnataka's Tumakuru belt. The Kudremukh mines in Karnataka's Western Ghats are used for cent percent export operations.

(f) The Maharashtra-Goa belt comprises Goa and Maharashtra's Ratnagiri region.

(ii) Manganese:

(a) Steel and ferromanganese alloys are the most common uses for manganese.

4. Non-Ferrous Minerals

(i) Copper

(a) Being malleable, ductile and a good conductor, copper is mainly used in electrical cables, electronics and chemical industries.

(b) Copper is produced in large quantities in Rajasthan's Khetri mines and Jharkhand's Singhbhum district.

(ii) Bauxite:

(a) Bauxite deposits arise when a variety of rocks rich in aluminium silicates deposits. 

(b) India’s bauxite deposits are mainly found in the Amarkantak plateau, Maikal hills and the plateau region of Bilaspur-Katni.

5. Non-Metallic Minerals:

(i) Mica:

(a) Mica deposits may be found on the Chota Nagpur plateau's northern edge. Jharkhand's Koderma Gaya – Hazaribagh belt is the main producer.

(b) The primary mica-producing region in Rajasthan is around Ajmer.

6. Rock Minerals:

(i) Limestone:

(a) It can be found in sedimentary rocks. Limestone is a key component of the cement industry and is required for blast-furnace smelting of iron ore.

7. Conservation of minerals:

(i) The geological processes of mineral formation are so slow that replenishment rates are infinitely tiny in relation to current consumption rates.

(ii) Improved technologies need to be continually developed to allow the low-cost usage of low-grade ores.

(iii) Recycling of metals, and using scrap metals and other substitutes are steps for conserving our mineral resources for the future.

8. Energy Resources:

(i) There are two types of energy resources: conventional and non-conventional.

(ii) Firewood, cattle dung cake, coal, petroleum, natural gas, and electricity are examples of traditional and conventional energy sources.

(iii) Solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, biogas, and atomic energy are examples of non-conventional energy sources.

9. Conventional Sources of Energy:

(i) Coal

(a) Coal is found in a variety of forms depending on the degrees of compression and the depth and time of burial.

(b) Lignite is a lump of low-grade brown coal, which is soft with high moisture content.

(c) Bituminous coal is dug deep and exposed to high temperatures.

(d) Metallurgical coal is high-grade bituminous coal with a specific use in blast furnaces for smelting iron. The best quality hard coal is anthracite.

(e) The primary metallurgical coal resources or Gondwana coal are found in the Damodar valley (West Bengal Jharkhand), with Jharia, Raniganj, and Bokaro being key coalfields.

(f) Tertiary coals may be found in Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland in the northeast.

(ii) Petroleum:

(a) Petroleum is also discovered in fault traps formed by porous and non-porous rocks. Because gas is lighter than oil, it is frequently found above it.

(b) Mumbai High, Gujarat and Assam are major petroleum production areas in India.

(iii) Natural Gas:

(a) Natural gas is a valuable clean energy resource that may be found alongside or in addition to petroleum.

(b) It is employed in the petrochemical sector as both an energy source and an industrial raw material.

(c) The natural gas deposits in the Krishna-Godavari basin have been identified in large quantities.

(d) Mumbai High and allied fields are supplemented by finds in the Gulf of Cambay.

(e) The undefined km long Hazira-VijaipurJagdishpur cross-country gas pipeline links Mumbai High and Bassien with the fertilizer, power and industrial complexes in western and northern India.

(f) The use of compressed natural gas (CNG) to replace liquid fuels in automobiles is becoming increasingly popular in the country.

(iv) Electricity:

(a) Electricity is created in primarily two ways namely hydroelectricity and thermal electricity.

(b) Rushing water, powers hydro turbines to generate hydroelectricity.

(c) India has a variety of multipurpose hydroelectric power projects, such as the Bhakra Nangal, Damodar Valley Corporation, and Kopili Hydel Project, among others.

(d) Electricity generated by burning other fuels such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas is known as thermal electricity.

10. Non-Conventional Sources of Energy: Sunlight, water, wind and biomass are renewable energy resources.

(i) Nuclear or Atomic Energy:

(a) It is made by changing the atom’s structure, which produces a large amount of energy during the process. This energy is used to create electricity.

(b) Uranium and Thorium, both of which are found in Jharkhand and the Rajasthan’s Aravalli mountains, are utilised to generate atomic or nuclear power.

(c) Kerala's Monazite Sands are likewise high in Thorium.

(ii) Solar Energy:

(a) India is a tropical country thus it has a lot of potential for harnessing solar energy.

(b) Photovoltaic technology transforms sunlight into electricity directly.

(iii) Wind power:

(a) India has great potential for wind power. From Nagarcoil to Madurai, Tamil Nadu has the largest wind farm cluster.

(b) Important wind farms may be found in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Lakshadweep.

(iv) Biogas:

(a) In rural regions, shrubs, farm trash, and animal and human waste are utilised to make biogas for household use.

(b) In rural India, plants that use cow manure are known as 'Gobar gas plants.'

(c) These give the farmer two benefits - more energy and enhanced manure quality.

(v) Tidal Energy:

(a) Electricity can also be generated using oceanic tides.

(b) The gate is closed during high tide and the water pours into the inlet and becomes trapped. This water trapped by the floodgate rushes back to the sea through a conduit as soon as the tide falls and passes through a power-generating turbine producing electricity.

(vi) Geothermal Energy:

(a) Geothermal energy is the heat and power generated by utilising heat from the Earth's interior.

(b) The groundwater absorbs heat from the rocks and heats up. It becomes steam when it reaches the earth's surface. This steam powers the turbine and creates energy.

(c) Two geothermal projects have been established, one in Himachal Pradesh's Parvati Valley near Manikarn and the other in Ladakh's Puga Valley.

11. Conservation of Energy Resources:

(i) The twin pillars of sustainable energy are energy conservation and the growing utilisation of renewable energy sources.

(ii) To adopt caution in order to make the best use of our limited energy resources.