These provide a solid base to metallurgical industries in the country
Iron Ore
It is a metal of universal use, and backbone of modern civilization
Iron is taken out in form of ore, and different types of ore contains varying proportion of iron
Haematite: this has around 70% of metallic content
Found in Dharwad and Cuddapah rock systems of peninsular India
Most of it is found in states of Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh
In western section, major concentration is in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa
Magnetite
Second best ore, with metallic content varying from 60-70%
These have magnetic quality, and occur in Dharwad and Cuddapah systems
Most reserves are found in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamilnadu and Kerala
Limonite
These are inferior ores, which contain 40-60% iron metal
These are found in Raniganj coal field, Garhal in Uttarakhand, Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh and Kangra valley of Himachal Pradesh
Siderite
These contain concentration less than 40%
It contains many impurities and hence mining not economically viable
Reserves
Haematite and Magnetite are two most important iron ores in India
About 97% of magnetite ore resources are located in four states of Karnataka(73%), Andhra Pradesh(14%), Rajasthan(5%) and Tamilnadu(4.9%)
Major source of Haematite are located in Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhatisgarh
Production and distribution
India is the 4th largest world producer ofiron ore
The major iron ore belts in India are listed below:
Odisha-Jharkhand belt
Durg-Bastar-Chandrapur belt in Chattisgarh
Ballari-Chitradurga-Chikkamagaluru-Tumakuru belt in Karnataka
Maharashtra-Goa belt
Orissa is the largest producer of Iron ore in India. Orissa accounts for over half of India’s iron ore production, produced 120 million tonnes during the 2019/2020 year.
Manganese
It is an important mineral for making iron and steel; and it acts as a basic raw material for manufacturing alloys
India has second largest manganese ore reserves in the world after Zimbabwe
The total Manganese ores are distributed in Odisha(44%), Karnataka(22%), Madhya Pradesh(13%), Maharashtra(8%), Andhra Pradesh(4%) and Jharkhand & goa(3% each),
India is fifth largest producer of manganese ore after Brazil, Gabon, South Africa and Australia
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are the major Manganese producing states
Over 4/5th of total production is consumed within the country, and less than 1/5th is exported
Copper
Copper ore is found in ancient as well as in younger rock formations and occurs as veins, as dissemination and as bedded deposits
Mining for copper is a costly affair, as most ores contain a small percentage of the metal
Against the international average of metal content(in the ore) of 2.5%, Indian Ore grade averages less than 1%
Rajasthan has around 50% of total copper ore in the country; followed by Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand
The rest are accounted for by Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Odisha, Sikkim, Tamilnadu, Uttarakhand and West Bengal
When it comes to production, Madhya Pradesh is the largest producer of copper in India, followed by Rajasthan
The production of copper ore in the country always falls short of our requirements and India has to import copper from other countries; of which the major supply comes from USA, Canada, Zimbabwe, Japan and Mexico
Nickel
It doesn’t occur free in nature and is found in association with copper
The important occurrences of Nickiliferous limonite are found in Jajapur district of Odisha
Nickel is found in Sulphide form in Jharkhand
Other important occurrences of Nickel are in Karnataka, Kerala and Rajasthan
About 92% of resources of Nickel are present in Odisha
Rest are distributed in Jharkhand, Nagaland and Karnataka
Lead and Zinc
Lead is a widely used metal due to its malleability, softness, heaviness and bad heat conductivity
It doesn’t occur freely in nature, rather it occurs as a cubic sulphide known as galena
Galena is found in veins in limestones, calcareous slates and sandstones
Zinc is a mixed ore containing lead and zinc and is found in veins in association with galena and other sulphide ores
Rajasthan is endowed with the largest resources of lead-zinc ore, followed by Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra
Resources are also established in Gujarat, Meghalaya, Odisha, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and West Bengal
Almost entire production comes from Rajasthan
Bauxite
This is an important ore for making Aluminium
Among states, Odisha accounts for 52% of country’s resources of bauxite followed by Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Chattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya pradesh and Jharkhand
When it comes to production, Odisha is the largest producer followed by Chattisgarh
Gold
It is a valuable metal, used for making ornaments and is an international currency due to universal use
In term of metal content, Karnataka has the highest reserves followed by Rajasthan, reserves followed by Rajasthan, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand
In terms of production, Karnataka is the largest producer followed by Andhra Pradesh
Apart from the gold mines in the above mentioned areas, some gold is collected from the sands and gravels of several rivers
Such deposits are called placerdeposits
Alluvial gold is obtained from sands of Subarnarekha, and other rivers in Kerala
Silver
The chief ore mineral of silver are agentine, stephanite, pyargyrite
It is also found mixed with several other metals such as copper, lead, gold, zinc, etc
The main production comes from Zawar mines in Udaipur district of Rajasthan
Some silver is produced in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh as well
Its insulating properties, have made it a valuable mineral in electrical and electronics industry
Major mica bearing ores occur in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Rajasthan
Andhra Pradesh leads with 41% share in country’s mica resources followed by Rajasthan, Odisha, Maharashtra, Bihar and Jharkhand
India has monopoly in the production of mica, producing about 60% of world’s total production
Andhra Pradesh is the largest Mica producing state of India, followed by Rajasthan and Jharkhand
India is not only the largest producer but also the largest exporter of mica in the world
Limestone
This is associated with rocks composed of either calcium carbonate
They are of sedimentary origin, and exist in almost all geological sequences from pre-cambrian to recent except in Gondwana
Karnataka is the leading state having 28% of total resources, followed by Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Meghalaya and Chhattisgarh
Over three-fourths of the total limestone of India is produced by six states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamilnadu and Karnataka
Dolomite
Limestone with more than 10% of magnesium is called dolomite
This resource is distributed in states of Madhya Pradesh(29%), Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Odisha, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra
Chhattisgarh is the largest dolomite producing state of India, and it contributes more than 30% of total production of the country
The economic uses of Dolomite are chiefly Metallurgical; as refractories, as flux in blast furnaces
Asbestos
This has great commercial value due to its fibrous structure, capacity to be fragmented to filaments and great tensile strength
Two sates of Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh produce almost the whole of asbestos in India; along with minor production from Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Nagaland
Kyanite
This occurs in metamorphic aluminous rocks and is used in metallurgical, ceramic, refractory, electrical, glass and cement industries
India has the largest deposit of Kyanite in the world
Statewise, the share of Andhra Pradesh alone is more than 78% of the resources, followed by Karnataka(13%) and Jharkhand(6%)
Remaining 3% resources are in Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamilnadu and West Bengal
Jharkhand is the largest producer of kyanite, followed by Maharashtra
Gypsum
It is a hydrated sulphate of calcium, which occurs as white opaque or transparent mineral in beds, in sedimentary formations such as limestones, sandstones and shales
It is mainly used in making ammonia sulphate fertiliser and in cement industry
It is used to make plaster of Paris and moulds in ceramic industry
Of the states, Rajasthan accounts for 81% resources and Jammu & Kashmir 14% of resources
The remaining 5% resources are in Tamilnadu, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh
Rajasthan is the largest producer of gypsum in India, followed by Tamilnadu and Jammu & Kashmir
Diamonds
These are widely used for ornaments and for polishing the surface metals, minerals and gem cutting
The most important industrial use of diamonds is in cutting edges of drills used for exploration and mining of minerals
The main diamond bearing areas are Panna belt in Madhya Pradesh, Anantpur district in Andhra Pradesh
New fields discovered recently include the Raichur-gulbarga belt in Karnataka
Atomic Minerals
Uranium and Thorium are main atomic minerals
In India, the Atomic Mineral Directorate(AMD) set-up under the Department of Atomic Energy, is responsible for geological exploration of deposits of Uranium, Thorium
These minerals provide necessary base for nuclear Industry
Uranium deposits in India are found in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Meghalaya
Study of samples of magnetic rocks from Nubra-Shyok valley in Ladakh has found Uranium and Thorium
The study says that the Uranium found in these rocks is exceptionally high, when compared with 0.1% or even less in ores present elsewhere in the country
The Monazite sands also contain Uranium deposits, and these occur on east & west coasts and in some places in Bihar
The largest concentration of Monazite sand is on the Kerala coast
Kerala, Jharkhand, Bihar, Tamil nadu and Rajasthan are the main producers of Thorium in India
Salt
Salt is obtained from sea water, brine springs, wells and salt pans in lakes and from rocks
Rock salt is taken out in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh and in Gujarat
Sea brine is source of salt in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu
