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Current set IAS · 2014 Q38

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Q38 (IAS/2014) Geography › Indian Economic Geography › Fossil fuel resources Official Key

With reference to two non-conventional energy sources called 'coalbed methane' and 'shale gas', consider the following statements : 1. Coalbed methane is the pure methane gas extracted from coal seams, while shale gas is a mixture of propane and butane only that can be extracted from fine-grained sedimentary rocks. 2. In India, abundant coalbed methane sources exist, but so far no shale gas sources have been found. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Result

Your answer: — · Correct: D

Explanation

The correct answer is option D (Neither 1 nor 2) because both statements contain factual errors.

**Statement 1 is incorrect** on two counts: First, while coalbed methane is indeed extracted from coal seams, it is not pure methane but typically contains varying amounts of other gases. Second, and more critically, shale gas is **not** a mixture of only propane and butane. Shale gas is primarily composed of methane (like coalbed methane), along with smaller amounts of other hydrocarbons and gases. Both coalbed methane and shale gas are extracted from sedimentary rocks[2], with shale gas coming specifically from fine-grained shale formations.

**Statement 2 is also incorrect** because by 2014, India had identified both coalbed methane and shale gas resources. While India does have coalbed methane reserves in its coal-bearing areas, shale gas resources had also been discovered and were being explored in various sedimentary basins across the country, including the Cambay, Krishna-Godavari, and Cauvery basins, among others.

Therefore, since both statements are factually incorrect, the answer is Neither 1 nor 2.

Sources

[1] Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 2: The Earth's Crust > SEDIMENTARY ROCKS > p. 18
[2] Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 27: Fuel and Power > PETROLEUM > p. 266

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PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN

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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.

Q. With reference to two non-conventional energy sources called 'coalbed methane' and 'shale gas', consider the following statements : 1. C…

At a glance

Origin: Mixed / unclear origin Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 1.7/10 · 0/10

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This question is a classic 'Definition Swap' trap combined with a 'Current Status' check. Statement 1 describes LPG (Propane/Butane) but labels it Shale Gas. Statement 2 uses an 'Extreme Negative' ('no sources found') which contradicted the 2013 Shale Gas Policy buzz. It tests basic chemistry of fuels and awareness of resource exploration news.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1: Does the term "coalbed methane" refer to methane gas produced from coal seams (coal beds)?
Statement 2: Is coalbed methane composed exclusively of methane (i.e., essentially pure methane)?
Statement 3: Is shale gas a mixture composed only of propane and butane?
Statement 4: Is shale gas extracted from fine-grained sedimentary rocks such as shale?
Statement 5: As of 2014, did India have abundant coalbed methane resources?
Statement 6: As of 2014, had shale gas resources been found in India?

Statement 1

Does the term "coalbed methane" refer to methane gas produced from coal seams (coal beds)?

Origin: Weak / unclear Fairness: Borderline / guessy

Indirect textbook clues

Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 8: Energy Resources > Classification > p. 1

Strength: 4/5

“The seam subjected to increased temperatures results into the formation of bituminous coal. It is dense, compact and black in colour. The traces of original vegetation from which it has been formed are found in this coal. Containing 60 to 80% carbon, it is the most popular coal in commercial use. The name is derived after a liquid called bitumen released after heating. Bituminous coal is also used in making coke (coking coal), gas coal, and steam coal. Coking coal results from the heating of coal in the absence of oxygen, which burns off volatile gases and is mainly used in iron and steel industry.”

Why relevant

Mentions 'gas coal' as a product/usage category of certain coals, implying a link between coal and gaseous products.

How to extend

A student could infer that some coals release or yield gas and check whether that gas can be methane specifically from coal seams.

Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 17: Climate Change > 17,3.3. Methane > p. 256

Strength: 4/5

“• Methane (CH4) is emitted by natural sources such as wetlands, as well as human activities such as leakage from natural gas systems and the raising of livestock. • Natural processes in soil and chemical reactions in the atmosphere help remove CH4 from the atmosphere.”

Why relevant

Defines methane as a gas emitted by natural sources and human-related systems, establishing that methane occurs in geologic and anthropogenic contexts.

How to extend

Combine this with knowledge that coal seams are geological features to investigate whether methane can be emitted from such seams.

Science , class X (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 4: Carbon and its Compounds > Formation of coal and petroleum > p. 70

Strength: 3/5

“Coal and petroleum have been formed from biomass which has been subjected to various biological and geological processes. Coal is the remains of trees, ferns, and other plants that lived millions of years ago. These were crushed into the earth, perhaps by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. They were pressed down by layers of earth and rock. They slowly decayed into coal. Oil and gas are the remains of millions of tiny plants and animals that lived in the sea. When they died, their bodies sank to the sea bed and were covered by silt. Bacteria attacked the dead remains, turning them into oil and gas under the high pressures they were being subjected to.”

Why relevant

Explains coal forms from buried plant biomass under geological processes, indicating coal seams are organic-rich and might generate gases during diagenesis.

How to extend

A student could extend this to consider that gases produced during decomposition/thermal alteration of organic matter in coal seams might include methane.

Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 1: Geological Structure and formation of India > The Damuda Series > p. 17

Strength: 3/5

“The Damuda series belongs to the Middle Gondwana Period which contains enormous deposits of coal seams.The coal seams are thicker and more elongated in the eastern coal fields than in the west. The important coal bearing areas of this period are Raniganj, Jharaia, Karanpura, and Bokaro of the Damodar basin, Singrauli, Korba, and Pench valley in Chhattigarh and Madhya Pradesh, Talcher in Mahanadi Basin in Odisha, and Singareni of Satpura Basin in Madhya Pradesh. The Jhingurda Coal Seam with a thickness of about 131 m is the thickest coal seam in India. The Gondwana rocks are also found in Himalayas from Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh and”

Why relevant

Describes the Damuda series containing 'enormous deposits of coal seams', highlighting the existence and extent of coal beds as distinct geological units.

How to extend

Knowing coal seams are discrete subsurface units, one could look for reports of gas (e.g., methane) associated with such beds in geological literature or maps.

Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 27: Fuel and Power > Fuel and Power > p. 264

Strength: 3/5

“That which outcrops on the surface (exposed) is easily and economically mined by open-cast or strip-mining methods. The coal-bearing rocks are simply stripped off by giant shovels, and the coal scooped up into the trucks to be carried away (Fig. 27.1). When the coal occurs underneath the earth's surface in concealed beds, underground mining is necessary (Plate 27.A). This involves the excavation of the coal by driving vertical shafts down to the seams and removing the coal through tunnels (Fig. 27.l). This method is more expensive and also more dangerous. When the coal seam lies beneath the sea, off-shore marine mining methods have to be employed (Fig.”

Why relevant

Distinguishes surface-exposed coal and concealed coal beds (seams) that require underground mining, implying coal occurs as subsurface seams which can contain entrapped substances.

How to extend

A student could reason that subsurface (concealed) coal seams might trap gases and thus investigate whether the trapped gas is methane (i.e., 'coalbed methane').

Statement analysis