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Distribution of Coal in India: Gondwana

Coalfields & Tertiary Coalfields
Home > Geography > Economic Geography > Distribution of Coal in India: Gondwana
Coalfields & Tertiary Coalfields

January 26, 2016 by PMF IAS 3 Comments

Previous Post:Coal | Types of Coal: Peat, Lignite, Bituminous Coal & Anthracite Coal

Next Post:Distribution of Coal across the World

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Table of Contents
 Distribution of Coal in India
 Gondwana Coal
 Distribution of Gondwana Coal in India
o Gondwana Coalfields in Chhattisgarh
o Gondwana Coalfields in Jharkhand
o Gondwana Coalfields in Odisha
 o Gondwana Coalfields in Madhya Pradesh
o Gondwana Coalfields in Andhra Pradesh
o Gondwana Coalfields in Maharashtra
o Gondwana Coalfields in West Bengal
o Gondwana Coalfields in Uttar Pradesh
 Tertiary Coal
o Tertiary Coalfields in Assam
o Tertiary Coalfields in Arunachal Pradesh
o Tertiary Coalfields in Meghalaya
o Tertiary Coalfields in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh
 Tertiary Coal – Lignite
o Lignite in Tamil Nadu
o Lignite in Gujarat and Rajasthan
 Tertiary Coal – Peat
 Problems of Coal Mining in India
o Measures to be taken
 Coking Coal vs. Non-Coking Coal
 Coal Reserves in India by State
 Coal Production in India by State
o Coking Coal Production by State
o Non Coking Coal Production By State
o Total Coal Production By State
 India’s Coal Imports and Exports
  Major Coalfields in India
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Distribution of Coal in India – Gondwana Coal: Gondwana Coalfields. Tertiary
Coal: Tertiary Coalfields, Lignite, Peat. Coking Coal vs. Non-Coking Coal, Coal
Reserves, Coal Production, Imports.

Distribution of Coal in India

 Gondwana coal fields [250 million years old]
 Tertiary coal fields [15 – 60 million years old]
Gondwana Coal
 Gondwana coal makes up to 98 per cent of the total reserves and 99 per
cent of the production of coal in India. Satpuras, denudation [weathering +
erosion] has exposed coal bearing Gondwana strata.
 The carbon content in Gondwana coal [250 million years old] is less
compared to the  Carboniferous coal [350 million years old][Almost Absent
in India] because of its much younger age.
 Gondwana coal forms India’s metallurgical grade as well as superior quality
coal.
 The Damuda series (i.e. Lower Gondwana) possesses the best worked
coalfields accounting for 80 per cent of the total coal production in India. 80
out of 113 Indian coalfields are located in the rock systems of the Damuda
series [lower Gondwana Age].
 Coking as well as non-coking and bituminous as well as sub-bituminous
coal are obtained from Gondwana coal fields.
 Anthracite is generally not found in the Gondwana coal fields.
 The volatile compounds and ash (usually 13 – 30 per cent) and doesn’t
allow Carbon percentage to rise above 55 to 60 per cent. [It requires few
million years more if the quality has to get better. Remember Gondwana coal
is 100 million years younger than Carboniferous coal].
 Gondwana coal is free from moisture, but it
contains Sulphur and Phosphorous.
 These basins occur in the valleys of certain rivers viz., the Damodar
(Jharkhand-West Bengal); the Mahanadi (Chhattisgarh-Odisha); the Son
(Madhya Pradesh Jharkhand); the Godavari and the Wardha (Maharashtra-
Andhra Pradesh); the Indravati, the Narmada, the Koel, the Panch, the Kanhan
and many more.

Distribution of Gondwana Coal in India

 First coal mine was opened in 1774 at Raniganj in West Bengal.
 Coal industry was nationalized in 1973-74. [The present government made
some serious changes during the last year [2015] by allowing private sector to
play a bigger role in coal production].
 India is now the third largest coal producer in the world after China and
the USA.
 Coal industry provides employment to nearly seven lakh persons.
 Gondwana Coalfields == exclusively found in the Peninsular plateau of
India.
Gondwana Coalfields in Chhattisgarh

Coalfield Extent

Korba coalfield Korba district.

Birampur coalfield
Hasdo-Arand coalfield
Surguja district.
Chirmiri coalfield
Lakhanpur coalfield
Jhilmili coalfield Shandol district & Koriya district
Johilla coalfield Johilla valley
Sonhat coalfield Surguja district
Tatapani-Ramkota coalfields Surguja district

Gondwana Coalfields in Jharkhand

 1st in reserves [28%].
 2nd in production [20%].
 Most of the coal fields are located in a narrow belt running in east-west
direction.
 Major coalfields are present in Dumka (Santhal Parganas), Hazaribagh,
Dhanbad and Palamu.
 Jharia, Bokaro, Girdih and Karanpura are the major coal fields

One of the oldest and the richest coalfields of India; store hous

Jharia coalfield
Danbad district of the best metallurgical coal [coking coal]
Jayanti coalfields inferior quality and has high ash content
Bokaro coalfield Hazaribagh district

West Bokaro [900 m

deep] It is a long but narrow strip in the catchment area of the Bokaro
river.
East Bokaro [600 m
deep]

Girdih (Karharbari) Gives out of the finest coking coal in India for metallurgical
coalfield purposes.
Karanpura and
Ramgarh coalfields
Auranga coalfield
Hutar coalfield Palamu district inferior quality; used in cement furnaces and brick kilns
Deltenganj coalfield
Devgarh coalfields Dumka district inferior quality
Rajmahal coalfield Rajmahal hills inferior quality

Coalfield locations can be asked in Prelims.

Gondwana Coalfields in Odisha

Talcher field Talcher town to Rairkhol in Ranks second in reserves (24,374 million tonnes)

Dhenkanal and Sambalpur after Raniganj;
districts
Coal from this field is most suitable for steam and gas
production.
 Most of the coal is utilised in thermal power and
fertilizer plants at Talcher.

Coal occurs here in middle and lower Barakar seams.

Rampur-Himgir
Sambalpur and Sundargarh
coalfields inferior quality

Sambalpur and Jharsuguda

Ib river coalfield Much of the coal is of inferior quality.
district

Gondwana Coalfields in Madhya Pradesh

Singrauli (Waidhian) Sidhi and Shandol largest coalfield of Madhya Pradesh

coalfield districts
Jhingurda, Panipahari, Khadia, Purewa and Turra are
important coal seams

Jhingurda with a total thickness of 131 m is the richest co

seam of the country.
 thermal power plants at Singrauli and Obra

Ghoravari seam in Kanhan field is 4.6 m thick and contain

Pench-Kanhan-Tawa Chhindwara district
coking coal
Sohagpur coalfield Shandol district
Umaria coalfield Umaria district inferior quality with high percentage of moisture and ash.

Gondwana Coalfields in Andhra Pradesh

 6th in reserves [7.07 %].

 5th in production [9.69 %].
 Most of the coal reserves are in the Godavari valley.
 Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal, Khammam, East Godavari, and West
Godavari.
 The actual workable collieries are situated at Singareni and Kothagudam.
 Almost the entire coal is of non-coking variety.
 These are the southern most coalfields of India and a source of coal
supply to most of south India.

Gondwana Coalfields in Maharashtra

 3 per cent reserves.

 7 per cent of the production.

Gondwana Coalfields in West Bengal

 4 % of India’s coal.
 11 % of the coal reserves.
 Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri are the chief producing districts.
 RANIGANJ is the largest coalfield of West Bengal.
 Raniganj == Barddhaman, Bankura and Purulia districts; Small part of this
field is in Jharkhand state.
 The coal here is non-coking steam coal.
 Dalingkot coalfield == Darjeeling district.

Gondwana Coalfields in Uttar Pradesh

 Do not possess coal reserves.

 A small portion of the Singrauli field of Madhya Pradesh falls within
Mirzapur district.
 A high grade coal seam, about 1 to 1.5 m thick occurs near Kotah.

Tertiary Coal
 Tertiary coal 15 to 60 million years old. Carbon content is very low.
 Mainly confined to the extra-Peninsula [Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal
Pradesh, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh etc.]
 Coal generally has low carbon and high percentage of
moisture and Sulphur.[It takes few hundred million years for the carbon
content to improve].
 Important areas of Tertiary coal include parts of Assam, Meghalaya,
Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Himalayan foothills of Darjeeling in West
Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Kerala,
 Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Pondicherry also bear tertiary coal
reserves [exceptions].

Tertiary Coalfields in Assam

 Makum, Nazira, Mikir Hills, Dilli-Jeypore and Lakhuni.

 Makum coalfield in Sibsagar district is the most developed field.
 Assam coals contain very low ash and high coking qualities but
the sulphur content is high, as a result of which this coal is not suitable for
metallurgical purposes.
 But these coals are best suited for hydrogenation process and are used
for making liquid fuels.

Tertiary Coalfields in Arunachal Pradesh

 Upper Assam Coal belt extends eastwards as Namchick-Namrup coalfield.

 High in volatiles and in sulphur.

Tertiary Coalfields in Meghalaya

 Garo, Khasi and Jaintia hills.

 Darrangiri field == Garo hills.
 Siju, Cherrapunji, Liotryngew, Maolong and Langrin coalfields == Khasi and
Jaintia hills.

Tertiary Coalfields in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh

 Kalakot and surrounding regions in Jammu, south of Pirpanjal.

 Himachal Pradesh == Chamba district.

Tertiary Coal – Lignite

 Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Rajasthan, West Bengal
and Puducherry.
 Tamil Nadu excels all other states regarding reserves and production of
lignite.

Lignite in Tamil Nadu

 90 per cent of the reserves.

 57 per cent of the production.
 Neyveli Lignite fields of Cuddalore district.
 These are the largest deposits of lignite in south – east Asia.
 Neyveli mines suffer from the artesian structure [mining goes deep and
deep].
 Mining in Lignite coalfields is risky due to SPONTANEOUS
COMBUSTION of lignite.

Lignite in Gujarat and Rajasthan

 Kachchh district and Dharuch district; poor quality.

 Rajasthan == Palana in Bikaner district; The 250 MW thermal plant
at Bikaner wholly depends upon lignite as the basic fuel.

Tertiary Coal – Peat

 Confined to a few areas only.
 Occurs in Nilgiri hills.
 Kashmir valley, peat occurs in the alluvium of the Jhelum.
 In West Bengal peat beds are noted in Kolkata and its suburbs.
 In the Ganga delta, there are layers of peat which are composed of forest
and rice plants.

Problems of Coal Mining in India

 The distribution of coal is uneven.
 High ash content and low caloric value.
 Large percentage of coal is taken out from underground mines. [Very few
open cast mines]
 Heavy losses due to fires in the mines.
 Pilferage at several stages also adds to losses – bad transportation
infrastructure.
 Serious problem of environmental pollution. High ash, moisture == more
smoke.
 Safety measures against environmental pollution are very costly. Clean coal
technology == Complex technology.
 Misuse of good quality coal for burning into transport and industries.
 Short life of metallurgical coal.
 Selective mining leading to large scale wastage of raw coal
 Unscientific method of extraction of coal.

Measures to be taken

 Coking coal should be used for metallurgical industry only.

 Low grade coal should be washed and blended with superior quality coal in
requisite proportion and used in industries. [Clean Coal Technology]
 Selective mining should be discouraged and all possible coal from the
mines should be taken out.
 New reserves should be discovered and new techniques should be
adopted.
 Alternative energy sources should be encouraged.

Coking Coal vs. Non-Coking Coal

Thermal Coal or Non-Coking Coal

Coking Coal or Metallurgical Coal
or Steaming coal

High carbon content, less moisture, less

sulphur, less ash.
Sulphur content is high and hence cannot be
Sulphur is very bad for iron and steel used in iron and steel industry.
industry.

Used to create coke.
Creating coke using this coal is not
Coke is produced by heating bituminous coal economical.
without air to extremely high temperatures.
Moreover traces of sulphur will remain even
Coking == flushing out impurities and after coking.
improving the concentration of carbon.

Coking coal is an essential ingredient in steel

Thermal coal  is used to generate power.
production.
Major producers: Australia, Canada, United Major producers: China, Australia, USA,
States. Russia.
 Major exporters: Australia, South Africa.
Major exporters: Australia, Canada, United
States.  

China imports huge amount of coking coal  

from Australia.
 
India also imports coking coal.
 

Coal Reserves in India by State

Name of the state Reserves in billion tonne % of total reserves

1.   JHARKHAND 80.71 26.76

2.   ODISHA 75.07 24.89
3.   CHATTISHGARH 52.53 17.42
4.   WEST BENGAL 31.31 10.38
5.   MADHYA PRADESH 25.67 8.51
6.   ANDHRA PRADESH 22.48 7.45
7.   MAHARASTRA 10.98 3.64
8.   OTHERS 2.81 0.95

Coal Production in India by State

 All data from 2013-2014. For latest data you must follow newspapers or
Reports published by Ministry of Coal.
 Remember top 3 positions in all data below.

Coking Coal Production by State

 Jharkhand [More than 90% of India’s Coking coal comes from Jharkhand]

 West Bengal
 Madhya Pradesh

Non Coking Coal Production By State

 Chhattisgarh
 Odisha
 Madhya Pradesh
 Jharkhand
 Andhra Pradesh

Total Coal Production By State

 Chhattisgarh
 Jharkhand
 Odisha
 Madhya Pradesh
 Andhra Pradesh

India’s Coal Imports and Exports

 Major Coalfields in India

Major Coalfields in India

1.   Singrauli
2.   Karanpura Bokaro
3.   Jharia
4.   Raniganj
5.   Ib & Talcher
6.   Pench & Kanhan
7.   Singareni – Godavari Velley
8.   Lignite: TN, Gujrat And Rajasthan

Primary References: NCERT Geography, Indian Geography by

Kullar [Amazon and Flipkart]
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Previous Post:Coal | Types of Coal: Peat, Lignite, Bituminous Coal & Anthracite Coal

Next Post:Distribution of Coal across the World

Filed Under: Economic Geography, Geography

Comments

1. Deepak Choudhary

March 5, 2018 at 10:14 AM

Hey, do we have to learn to all the coalfields or the district in which they are located?

Reply
o PMFIAS

March 10, 2018 at 1:47 AM

No, only important ones.

Reply

2. Shrey_smhi

November 1, 2018 at 10:32 AM

Can you please assist in telling what all do we need to remember from all this
information?

Thanks!

Reply

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