3 important non-renewable or exhaustible resources

Some important non-renewable resources are:

These resources neither have a life-cycle nor can be recycled, for example, mineral deposits, soil, fossil fuels like coal and petrol once used cannot be regenerated and are exhaustible, as their deposits are limited.

Image Source: thinkexponential.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/fotolia_2280083_s.jpg

Such resources are available only in finite quantities and their rate of generation is so slow that they may be available only in minute quantities.

Such type of resources can be exhausted quickly if used indiscriminately.

1. Mineral Resources:

Minerals are natural substances (organic and inorganic) that occur as ores in the earth’s crust. Minerals like iron (Fe), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn) and aluminium (Al) are used as building materials for manufacturing automobiles, ships, rail tracks, etc., as nutrients for plants and as components of glass and ceramics.

Minerals like coal and petroleum are used as energy resources and various industries depend on them on a large scale. Minerals like uranium and thorium are very important for generation of atomic energy.

The world’s oil deposits are located in south-west Asia.

2. Land Resources:

Land is undoubtedly the most precious resource due to its diverse use. It is mainly used for agriculture, housing, industry, roads and for grazing animals. For agriculture, its quality of the soil is the most important parameter.

Land and soil are non-renewable resources. Soil stores water, thereby helping plants to grow providing us with food, fibre, medicines, etc.

Population growth followed by rapid industrialization, utilization of land for agricultural and for housing, construction of offices, buildings and large-scale deforestation have put a great degree of pressure on land as well as the soil.

Thus, a serious thought must be given to protect this resource if we want to save our earth and survive for long.

3. Non-renewable Oceanic Resources:

Below the sea-level, there are lots of minerals such as, cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), etc., which exist in the form of sulfides and oxides of manganese (Mn₂0₃). These minerals as well as natural oil and gas deposits are now exploited to a great extent.