Mineral and Power Resources Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering mineral extraction, types of minerals, power resources, fossil fuels, and energy infrastructure based on Fatima Hussain's Geography notes.

Mining

The process of digging minerals from the earth to extract valuable resources such as Coal, Natural gas, and Mineral oil.

Quarrying

The extraction of natural stones to produce aggregates such as mini rocks, sand, and gravel, associated with processing plants like cement and burning kilns.

Open Pit Mining

A mining method used for minerals close to the surface where mineral-bearing rocks are stripped off by giant excavators and power shovels.

Adit Mining

An underground mining method used in hilly districts where horizontal or sloping passages are dug into a hill side where a mineral seam is exposed.

Shaft Mining

An underground mining method where vertical shafts are dug down to the mineral layer, followed by horizontal tunnels to extract the mineral.

Metallic Minerals

Economically valuable minerals that are hard, shiny, good conductors of heat and electricity, and can change shape without breaking, such as Copper and Iron.

Non-Metallic Minerals

Minerals that are soft, rough, dull, poor conductors, and break when their shape is changed, including Limestone, Gypsum, and Clay.

Brine

A mixture of water and salt used in chemical and fertilizer industries.

Chromite

A metallic mineral that gives hardness and electric resistance to steel, used in steel making, bridges, and railway carriages.

Thar Coal Fields

Coal fields in Pakistan with huge lignite reserves that could produce 100000 megawatts of power for 200 years.

Sustainable Development of Mining

Meeting the mineral raw material needs of society without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs or damaging the natural environment.

Geological Survey of Pakistan

An institution set up for the investigation and mapping of mineral resources in Pakistan.

Gemstone Corporation of Pakistan

An institution established to develop gemstone resources in Pakistan.

Pakistan Mineral Corporation

An organization established for the exploration and marketing of minerals in Pakistan.

Hydroelectric Power (HEP)

Electricity generated using the force of flowing water to spin hydro turbines, also known as 'White Coal'.

Load Shedding

Planned power cuts that occur when electricity production is insufficient to meet demand.

Anthracite

The highest quality coal, containing the highest hydrocarbon content and burning with great heat.

Coke

A hard, grey, porous material produced by heating coking coal, used in blast furnaces for the extraction of iron from iron ore.

Lignite

A lower quality coal characterized by low carbon content, high moisture and ash content, and low heating value.

Sharig Coal

The local name in Pakistan for coking coal, which is used in steel mills.

Gasification of Coal

The process of heating coal in the presence of steam and oxygen to produce coal gas, a mixture of carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and methane.

Anticline Oil Trap

A dome-shaped geological structure where oil is trapped in porous sedimentary rocks between two non-porous layers, with gas above and water below.

Derrick

A large steel structure or drilling rig that holds drilling pipes and equipment required for drilling oil wells.

Crude Oil

Raw, unrefined petroleum as extracted directly from the ground.

PARCO

Pak-Arab Oil Refinery Company, which assists in transporting crude and refined oil across Pakistan, including via pipeline from Karachi to Mehmudkot.

White Pipeline Project

A pipeline project developed to transport refined oil from Karachi to the northern region of Pakistan, which accounts for 60% of total national petroleum consumption.

Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG)

Natural gas that has been cooled to very low temperatures to form a liquid, allowing easier transport in cylinders to areas without gas pipelines.

Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDC)

An organization that plans, promotes, organizes, and implements programs for the exploration and development of oil and gas resources.

Wind Power

The process of utilizing wind energy to spin turbines and convert kinetic energy into mechanical power or electricity.

Geothermal Power

Energy derived from the heat of the Earth's core, produced by using underground hot water or steam to move turbines for electricity generation.

Biomass

Organic material, including living and decaying plants and vegetative matter such as trees, grass, and agricultural residues, used as fuel.

Biogas

Gas produced from the fermentation of animal and plant waste, such as methane given off by cow dung, used for cooking and heating.

KANUPP

Karachi Nuclear Power Plant, established in 1971 as the first nuclear power station in Pakistan.

Chashma Nuclear Power Plant

A nuclear power plant built jointly by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and China National Nuclear Corporation.

National Grid System

A system managed by WAPDA and KESC that connects northern Hydel generation with mid-country and southern Thermal generation to distribute electricity based on regional requirements.

WAPDA

Water and Power Development Authority, an organization involved in power generation, transmission, and managing the national grid in Pakistan.

Rural Electrification

The provision of electricity to villages, enabling the use of tube wells for irrigation, boosting literacy, and supporting small-scale industries.