Wasting an inheritance
T.L. RAMAKRISHNA
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At the rate rocks are blasted, mined and quarried today, we are heading towards an ecological disaster.
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If you ask a child where the steel cupboard in his house comes from or where the gold jewellery comes from the obvious answer would be, from the showroom. While, no doubt factually correct, these articles are made of metals found in minerals in the rocks of the earth crust. Rocks are the sum and substance of the earth’s crust and minerals make up these rocks. Minerals are of many kinds — rock forming minerals, metallic ore minerals, non metallic industrial mine
rals, precious ornamental minerals, energy minerals and so on. Native noble elements like platinum, gold, silver and non-ferrous ore minerals, like those of copper, lead, zinc etc occur in such minute quantities in their respective host rocks, sometimes measurable in terms of parts per million, that, to recover one gram or few grams of the metal, tons and tons of their host rock have to be blasted, mined or quarried, which may change the very geography of a region or area. Consider the shape of our environment under such circumstances in a few decades from now.
Create awareness
In these days of growing concern for the worsening ecological, environmental factors and dwindling natural resources, it has become imperative to teach the importance of natural resources vis –a- vis, environment.
The only way society can resist over exploitation of natural resources and environmental destruction, is by reducing consumption. Students can play an important part in this conservation if they are aware of the problems.
Bharat Geo Guides, have recently published Earth Crust Utility Charts (size, 24” X 24”) which can supplement formal classroom teaching. These valuable teaching and educational aids teach geology, geography, social sciences, chemistry or economics, as the case may be.
For more information call
080-23563844/46 or
E-mail: infobgg@yahoo.co.in
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