(i) Our industries and agriculture immensely depend on mineral deposits and the substances manufactured from them. The total volume of workable mineral deposits is an insignificant fraction i.e. one per cent of the earth’s crust. Hence, minerals should be used cautiously.
(ii) The geological processes of mineral formation are so slow that the rates of replenishment are infinitely small in comparison to the present rates of consumption.
(iii) Mineral resources are finite and non-renewable. Rich mineral deposits are our country’s extremely valuable but short-lived possessions.
