Minerals in India

Minerals in India
Iron ore in India

Iron ore plays a vital role in the development of metallurgical industries. Geologically, the major
deposits of iron ore are found in association with Volcano-Sedimentary Banded Iron formation
(BIF) of Pre-Cambrian age. The major iron ores are Magnetite, Hematite, Siderite, Limonite
and Laterite. Out of these, Magnetite (the best quality iron ore) and Hematite are the most
prominent iron ores found in India.
However, the entire production of iron and its products in India come from Hematite reserves
as Magnetite reserves are not being exploited fully. The Magnetite reserves of India are mainly
found in eco-friendly areas of Western Ghats. According to geologists, around 96% of Hematite
reserves are confined in the states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Karnataka and
Goa. The remaining reserves of Hematite are constrained in the states of Maharashtra, Madhya
Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Assam. Over 85% of the Hematite reserves are of medium
grade to high grade having more than 62% of iron content.
Minerals in India
Distribution of Pre-Cambrian Banded iron ore in India
•Zone A: Singhbhum and Cuttack in Jharkhand and Odisha respectively.
•Zone B: Dantewara & Durg in Chhattisgarh and Chandrapur and Gadcheroli in
Maharashtra.
•Zone C: Bellary-Hospet belt in Karnataka.
•Zone D: Goa, Ratnagiri in Maharashtra and North Karnataka.
•Zone E: Metamorphosed BIF along the West coast in Karnataka and Kerala.
Distribution of Iron ore in India

Based on the mode of occurrence and origin, the iron ore reserves of India can be divided into the
following six groups.
•Banded Iron Formation (BIF) of Pre-Cambrian age.

•Sedimentary iron ore deposits of Siderite and Limonite composition.
•Lateritic ores derived from the Sub-Aerial alterations.
•Apatite-Magnetite rocks of Sighbhum Copper belt.
•Titaniferous and Vanadiferous Magnetite.
•Fault and Fissures filling deposits.
Manganese ore in India

Manganese is a Ferro metal, occurring as silvery grey. It is very hard and brittle. It is always
present in combination with other minerals like iron, laterite, etc. Being a ferrous metal, manganese
is used in steel manufacturing and ferromanganese alloys. It has been estimated that for
manufacturing of one tonne of steel, about 10 kg of manganese is required. In terms of other
manufacturing industries, it is used in the manufacturing of pesticides, bleaching powder and
paint industries. Geologically, manganese deposits are found in association with the Dharwar
system.
Major ores of Manganese

•Pyrolusite (MnO2) about 63.2% of Manganese.
•Psilomelane (Manganese oxide, water and varying amounts of Ba, K and Na) about 45 to
60% of Manganese.
•Manganite (Mn2O3.H2O) about 62.4% of Manganese.
•Braunite (3Mn2O3, MnSiO8) about 62% and 10% of Manganese and SiO2 respectively.
Having some deposits of manganese in India but it is one of the largest importers of manganese ore
in the world. The following are the major deposits of manganese in India.
•Archaean series of Madhya Pradesh (districts of Balaghat, Chhindwara and Jhabua.

•Maharashtra (Bhandara and Nagpur district).
•Gujarat (districts of Panchmahal district).
Minerals in India
•Odisha (Sudergarh, Ganjam and Koraput).
•Andhra Pradesh (districts of Srikakulam, Vishakhapatnam)
States production Production in %

Madhya Pradesh 27%
Maharashtra 25%
Odisha 25%
Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand,
23%
Karnataka, Rajasthan and Telangana.
Table No. 1: Manganese Producing States
Copper in India
Copper is a non-ferrous metal found in the veins of all the major rocks namely, Igneous,
Sedimentary and Metamorphic. Mechanically, it is a soft, malleable and ductile metal, having
very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Due to its magnificent properties, it is widely used in
electrical activities. Being very ductile and conductive, it is used for making electrical wires. To
provide strength to jewellery, copper is also mixed with gold. Being an alloyable metal, it can be
alloyed with Zinc and Tin to form Brass and Bronze respectively.
Major ores of Copper

•Sulphide ores: Chalcopyrite, Chalcocite, Bomite
•Oxide ores: Cuprite
•Carbonate: Machelite and Edurite
Important Copper producing regions in India

•Singhbhum in Jharkhand.
•Jhunjhunu, Bhilwara, Alwar and Udaipur in Rajasthan.
•Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh.
•Guntur and Nellore in Andhra Pradesh.
Major Producer of Copper in India

•Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL): a public sector
•Hindalco Industries Limited: private sector
•Vedanta Limited: private sector
Despite copper reserves in India, India is an importer of copper. The domestic demand for copper
in India is met through recycling of copper, domestic production of copper and by imports.
Minerals in India
The largest reserves of copper ore are found in the states of Rajasthan (53.81%) followed by
Jharkhand (19.54%) and Madhya Pradesh (18.75%). On the other hand, the states of Andhra
Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Odisha,
Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand and West Bengal accounted for 7.9% of the
total copper reserves of India.
Bauxite in India
Bauxite predominantly contains hydrated aluminium oxide as a major constituent. However, it also
contains iron oxide, silica and titania in varying proportion. Geologically, it is found in the rocks of
the Tertiary period and the hilly and plateau regions of Peninsular India. It is the major ore for the
production of aluminium. India stands at fifth and sixth position in terms of the total bauxite
production and total bauxite reserves of the world respectively.
Minerals in India
Bauxite reserves and production in India

Bauxite Reserves in India
Odisha- maximum reserves of bauxite in India (51%)
Andhra Pradesh (16%)
Gujarat (9%)
Jharkhand (6%)
Maharashtra (5%)
Chhattisgarh (4%)
Lead in India
The extraction of lead is mainly done from an ore called Galena. Galena is found primarily with
Silver and Zinc. Lead is not only a toxic metal but also soft, heavy and malleable metal. A freshly
cut lead is bluish-white in appearance. In terms of industrial use, it is widely used in alloys, cable
Minerals in India
covers, paints, glass-making, paint-making, automobile, aeroplanes, type-writers, printing
and rubber industries. However, globally, the largest single use of lead is in the manufacturing
of lead-acid-batteries (about 74%). For the production of brass and bronze, lead is also alloyed
with other metals. Rajasthan has the largest lead-reserves in India. The following are the major
lead mines in India.
•Zawar (in Rajasthan)

•Rajpura-Dariba region at Udaipur district (in Rajasthan)
Zinc in India
In terms of the mineral resources of India, zinc plays a vital role for the working of industries. It
is found in association with lead and silver. Mainly, it can be extracted from zinc sulphide,
zincite, calamine, willemite and hemimorphite. For the galvanization of metals, zinc is used to
protect iron and steel. It is also used in paints, batteries, spare-parts of motors and medicines.
The largest reserves of zinc are found in Rajasthan followed by Andhra Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra. The main zinc producing regions are Bhilwara, Rajasamand
and Udaipur.

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Minerals in India

Iron ore in India

Distribution of Iron ore in India

•Banded Iron Formation (BIF) of Pre-Cambrian age.

Manganese ore in India

Major ores of Manganese

•Archaean series of Madhya Pradesh (districts of Balaghat, Chhindwara and Jhabua.

States production Production in %

Major ores of Copper

Important Copper producing regions in India

Major Producer of Copper in India

Bauxite reserves and production in India

•Zawar (in Rajasthan)

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