Mode of occurrence,

distribution and
important economic uses
of Chromium with special
reference to India
Introduction

• Chromite is the only source of Chromium metal, required for the

alloy steel industry.
• India is one of the most important producers and exporters of the
mineral.
• In 1987,India ranked third in the world for production of
Chromium.
 Mineralogy

• Chromite is iron black or brownish black in colour. It has brown

streak, faint submetallic lustre and uneven brittle fracture.
• Hardness 5.5 and specific gravity of 4.5 to 4.8
Composition of FeO.Cr2O3.It contains 68% Cr2O3 and 32% FeO. But
Al2O3, Fe2O3, MgO, CaO and SiO2 replace Cr2O3, reducing it’s
content to less than 40%.
• Based on chemical composition chromites are classified as:
1. High grade ore with very low iron oxide and other impurities.Eg:
Sukinda- Nausahi( Orissa) with high Cr2O3 and very low Al2O3
and SiO2.
2. Ferriferrous chromite with Fe2O3 more than 30%.Eg:Jojohatu
(Bihar)ore, Pauni(Maharashtra).
3.Aluminous Chromite with Fe2O3 more than 20% and less than 30%.
Eg: Kondapalli( Andhra Pradesh) and Sittampundi ( Tamil Nadu)
4.Siliceous chromite with high SiO2 content. Eg: Some chromite
ores of Sukinda and Pauni.
MODE OF OCCURRENCE

• The Indian chromites occur in:

• Banded, massive
• Banded, crystalline
• Massive
• Crystalline
• Disseminated forms
Kondappalli and Chaibasa- Banded
Sukinda and Nausahi- banded crystalline
Kondappalli and Nausahi-Disseminated ores
Structurally, they are mainly of two types:
• Banded or stratiform type:
Sukinda and Nausahi region
• Lensoid type:
Kondapalli, Chaibasa, Pauni region
Thayere (1969) classified chromite deposits based on mode of occurrence into
following types:

1. Stratiform type deposits:

• The bands and layers indicate gravitative settling.
• Graded bedding and variation in grain size are more frequent.
• Pyroxenite and peridotite are most common rock types. Though dunite may
be found sometimes.
• They tend to be ferriferrous and less alumninous
• The Cr: Fe ratio is about 2: 1 or less
• They occur in Precambrian and Archaen geosynclines. Eg: Deposit of South Africa,
Southern Rhodesia and USA
• In India, these type of deposits occur in Sukinda- Nausahi, Chaibasa, Pauni,
Byrapur etc.
2.Podiform type deposits:
• They occur mostly in nodular forms associated with dunite and
serpentinite.
• They are aluminous with Cr: Fe ratio exceeding 2: 1 and occur
along the Tertiary geosynclines.
• The deposits of Greece, Cuba, Urals and Pakistan are of this type.
• In India, Ladakh and Manipur have similar deposits.
• They are emplaced into the Mesozoic- Tertiary geosynclines along
cores of the folds.
Distribution
• A) Geologic
• The Indian Chromite deposits are distibuted in following formations:
1. The Eastern Ghats group of rocks.
2. The Iron-ore Group- Dharwar group of rocks.
3. The Tertiary formation.
• The Eastern Ghats group of rocks.
• Associated with hypersthenite, bronzinite, and diopsidite as
lensoidal bodies in charnockite.
• The lenses have their long axes parallel to the regional trend of country
rocks, indicating a fold with N- S axis.
• Emplaced during Eastern Ghats orogeny
• Deposits of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
• The Iron ore group – Dharwar group
• Associated with peridotite and pyroxenite
• Occurs as lenses and bands within iron ore group of rocks in
Singhbhum in Bihar, Cuttack in Orissa etc.
• Emplaced and folded along with Iron ore group rocks during Iron
ore orogeny.
• In Karnataka and Maharashtra, associated with pyroxenite,
peridotite and dunite, enclosed by Dharwar deposits, schists.
• Emplaced along axial planes of antiformal folds during Dharwar
orogeny.
• The Tertiary Formation:
• In Ladakh associated with serpentinite and dunite within Dras
volcanics of Cretaceous age
• In Manipur, associated with ultrabasic rocks intrusive into Tertiary
formation.
B) Geographic:
• Andhra Pradesh-Kondapally-Deposits are N- S trending enechelon
lenses.
• Tamil Nadu-Sittampundi complex- Lensoid bodies in anorthosite in
country rock, Charnockite.
• Bihar- Jojohatu-Small NE-SW trending lenses and bands
• Orissa- Sukinda- Ni ore in bands and lenses within folded
limonitised ultramafic rocks along deep marginal fractures.
Nausahi- bands and lenses within serpentinite, peridotite,
vanadiferous magnetite resembling well known stratiform
deposits.
• Karnataka-Sindhuvalli, Byrapur-NS trending bands and lenses
associated with ultrasbasic in Dharwar schists.
• Manipur- Sirohi peak-Sporadic occurrences in peridotite and
serpentinite.
Economic Uses

• Metallurgical, refractory and chemical purposes.

• Metallurgical:
• Variety of alloys, mainly with iron, nickel etc.
• Ferrochrome of different types like Carbon ferrochrome, charge –
chrome etc, contains 80% Chromite.
• Stainless steel—18% Cr and 8% Ni
• Cr plating is popular.
• Cr makes alloys strong, tough, hard and resistant to oxidation,
abrasion, chemicals, high T and electricity breakdown.
• Great strength of chrome steels reduce weight in automobiles,
aeroplanes etc
• Chromite with Cr: Fe ratio 2.5: 1 required.
• Refractory:
• As raw materials for refractories withstand temperatures about
2000°C
• Refractory bricks made by using Chromite and magnesite.
• Used as lining in basic open hearth furnace.
• Chemical:
• Manufacturing chemicals which are used in pigment
manufacturing, leather and textile treatment, dyeing, bleaching
and oxidising agents.