Question

describe about the distribution of the minerals in India

Answer 1

India is rich in good quality iron-ore.Most of the Iron Ore in India is found in the ancient rocks of peninsula India.There are various iron ore producing mines in different states of India-Orissa ranks first in iron ore production.In Orissa high grade hematite ore in found in Badampahar mines in the Mayurbhanj and kendujhar districts.Important mines are located at Gurumahisini,Sulaipat And Badampahar in Mayurbhanj District.Karnataka ranks second in iron ore production.Important mines in Karnataka are located at Donai Mallai in Bellary-Hospet,Kudremukh in Chittradurg DistrictAnd Arasul in Shimoga district and Bababudan in Chikmagalur district.Chhattisgarh ranks third in iron-ore production.Important mines are located at Bailadila in Bastar dstrict and Dhalli Rajhara in Durg district.Goa ranks fourth in India.In Goa important mines are located at Pirna,Kudnem,Sirigao,Baragan etc.In Jharkhand important mines are located at Gua,Naomandi,Budaburu.

Answer 2

Ferrous Metal—Iron Ore:

India occupies a pride position in her iron ore reserve among all other iron ore producing countries in the world. The value of annual iron ore production exceeds the combined output of all other ferrous and ferroalloy minerals. Bulk of this production is used in manufacturing industry.

Origin:

Major iron-ore reserves in India occur in the peninsular plateau within crystalline schist rocks of Dharwar and Cuddapa systems. Most frequently visible formations are lami­nated hematite and magnetite-quartz schist’s associated with metamorphosed sand and clay.

Mainly oxide form of iron-ores are widespread in India, of which by far hematite (Fe2O3) is most important, followed by Magnetite (Fe3O4) and Limonite (Fe3O4.2H2O). Carbonate iron ore, i.e., Siderite, is almost absent in India.

Most of the ores originated during pre-Cambrian period, even before 600 million years ago. Iron—Ore Reserve. Recent estimates revealed that total amount of Indian iron-ore reserve is about 20,710 million tonnes, out of which 12,317 million tonnes may be classed as hematite and 540 million tonnes are of magnetite in grade.

Hematite varieties are generally abundant in peninsular plateau; comprising Bihar, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka. Indian hematite’s are of very high grade, containing more than 70% ferrous content.

Magnetite ores are abundant in the southern iron-ore producing states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Indian magnetite’s are to some extent inferior in grade, compared to hematite’s, containing on an average 62% iron. Unlike hematite which is red in colour, magnetite’s in India are blackish to brown. Magnetite ores are sometimes associated with quartz schist’s and other metamorphosed rocks.

Apart from these two main types of iron-ore, iron stone of limonitic origin is also found in some isolated pockets of Ranigunj-Jharia Damuda series. These iron-ores have little or no com­mercial importance at present.

Ferro-Alloys—Manganese:

Manganese reserve in India is quite satisfactory. Like iron-ore, manganese ores are also abundant in Dharwar and Kuddapa series of pre-Cambrian era. Total reserve of Indian manga­nese exceeds 406 million tonnes. Indian ores contain more than 50% manganese associated with lesser impurities. India ranks sixth in the world in manganese production.

Distribution:

Bulk of the manganese is extracted from the mines of Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Bihar. Like iron-ore, manganese is also extracted in Orissa from Kalahandi, Bolangir, Koraput, Dhenkanal and Keonjhar districts.

In Madhya Pradesh, the major manganese mining region is located in the districts of Balaghat, Chindwara and Shadol district. Manganese ores are wide­spread in Singbhum district of Bihar. Maharashtra is also rich in manganese reserve.

The major portion of manganese is generally extracted from the districts of Bhandara and Nagpur. Among the other notable manganese mines in India Udaipur in Rajasthan, Banaskanta and Sabarkanta districts of Gujarat, Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam districts of Andhra Pradesh, Chitradurga and Bellary districts of Karnataka are important.

Production of manganese in recent years and corresponding production in past years revealed that a kind of status quo remains in the production of manganese. Due to imposition of several restriction in its export, production of manganese is not increasing in recent years. So, export of manganese has been reduced recently.

Chromite:

Chromite is an important Ferro-alloy used in refractory and chemical industry. Total esti­mated chromite (FeCr2O3) reserve in India is 86 million tonnes. Important chromite deposits are found in Cuttack and Keonjhar districts of Orissa, Chitradurga, Hassan, Shimoga districts of Karnataka, Bhandara and Ratnagiri districts of Maharashtra, Singbhum district of Bihar and several other small deposits in other states.

Indian production in 1951 was a mere .019 million tonnes worth only Rs. 9 lakhs. Production of chromite in 2004-05 was 3.61 million tonnes worth Rs. 674 crores. India exports a sizeable amount of chromite every year to several overseas countries.