Types of Mineral Resources

On the basis of chemical and physical properties, minerals may be grouped under two
main categories of metallics and non-metallics which may further be classified as
follows :

Metallic minerals are the sources of metals.

Iron ore, copper, gold produce metal and are included in this category.
Metallic minerals are further divided into ferrous and non-ferrous metallic minerals.
Ferrous refers to iron. All those minerals which have iron content are ferrous such as
iron ore itself and those which do not have iron content are non-ferrous such as
copper, bauxite, Gold, Lead, Zinc etc.
 Types of Mineral Resources

Non-metallic minerals are either organic in origin such as fossil fuels also
known as mineral fuels which are derived from the buried animal and plant
life such as coal and petroleum.

Other type of non-metallic minerals are inorganic in origin such as mica,

limestone and graphite, etc.
 Agencies involved in the exploration of minerals In India

Systematic surveying, prospecting and exploration for minerals is undertaken by the

Geological Survey of India (GSI)
Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC)
Mineral Exploration Corporation Ltd. (MECL)
National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC)
Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM)
Bharat Gold Mines Ltd. (BGML)
Hindustan Copper Ltd. (HCL)
National Aluminium Company Ltd. (NALCO)
and
the Departments of Mining and Geology in various states.
 Distribution of Minerals in India

Minerals are generally concentrated in three broad belts in India.

The North-Eastern Plateau Region This belt covers Chhotanagpur (Jharkhand), Odisha Plateau, West
Bengal and parts of Chhattisgarh. It has variety of minerals viz. iron ore coal, manganese, bauxite,
mica.

The South-Western Plateau Region This belt extends over Karnataka, Goa and contiguous Tamil
Nadu uplands and Kerala. This belt is rich in ferrous metals and bauxite. It also contains high grade
iron ore, manganese and limestone. This belt packs in coal deposits except Neyveli lignite. Kerala has
deposits of monazite and thorium, bauxite clay. Goa has iron ore deposits.

The North-Western Region This belt extends along Aravali in Rajasthan and part of Gujarat and
minerals are associated with Dharwar system of rocks. Copper, zinc have been major minerals.
Rajasthan is rich in building stones i.e. sandstone, granite, marble. Gypsum and Fuller’s earth
deposits are also extensive. Dolomite and limestone provide raw materials for cement industry.
Gujarat is known for its petroleum deposits
 Coal
India has two types of Coalfields

In India coal occurs in rock series of two main geological ages, namely Gondwana, a little over 200 million years in age
and in tertiary deposits which are only about 55 million years old.

Gondwana Coalfields – These are more than 200 million years old, 99% of the coal reserves in India are from these
fields. This coal is free from moisture and contains phosphorus and sulphur.
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.

Tertiary Coal Fields - These are 15 to 60 million years old.

Carbon content is very low but is rich in moisture and sulphur. Tertiary coalfields are mainly confined to extra-peninsular
regions Important areas include Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himalayan
foothills of Darjeeling in West Bengal, Rajasthan etc
It is extracted from Darangiri, Cherrapunji, Mewlong and Langrin (Meghalaya); Makum, Jaipur and Nazira in upper
Assam, Namchik – Namphuk (Arunachal Pradesh) and Kalakote (Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir).
 Lignite found in Tamil
Nadu (Neyveli),
Rajasthan (Bikaner,
Barmer & Nagaur),
Jammu Kashmir
(Kupwara) and Gujarat
(Kutch)
 First coal mine of India was opened in 1774 at Raniganj in West Bengal.
Raniganj is located in Asansol subdivision of Paschim Bardhaman district.

Coal is formed due the compression of plant material over millions of years.
Coal, therefore, is found in a variety of forms depending on the degrees of
compression
Decaying plants in swamps produce peat. Which has a low carbon and high moisture
contents and low heating capacity.

Lignite is a low grade brown coal, which is soft with high moisture content. The
principal lignite reserves are in Neyveli in Tamil Nadu and are used for generation of
electricity.

Coal that has been buried deep and subjected to increased temperatures is
bituminous coal. It is the most popular coal in commercial use.

Metallurgical coal is high grade bituminous coal which has a special value for smelting
iron in blast furnaces.
Anthracite is the highest quality hard coal.
1. Singrauli - MP
2. Bokaro - Jharkhand
3.Jharia - Jharkhand
4.Raniganj – West Bengal
5.Korba - Chhattisgarh
6.Talcher - Odisha
7.Singreni - Telangana
8. Neyveli – Tamil Nadu
 Iron Ore

Iron ore is the basic mineral and the backbone of industrial development. India is
endowed with fairly abundant resources of iron ore. India is rich in good quality iron
ores.

Magnetite is the finest iron ore with a very high content of iron up to 70 per cent. It has
excellent magnetic qualities, especially valuable in the electrical industry.

Hematite ore is the most important industrial iron ore in terms of the quantity used,
but has a slightly lower iron content than magnetite. (50-60 per cent).
 The major iron ore belts in India are:

• Odisha-Jharkhand belt: In Odisha high grade hematite ore is found in Badampahar

mines in the Mayurbhanj and Kendujhar districts. In the adjoining Singbhum district of
Jharkhand haematite iron ore is mined in Gua and Noamundi.

• Durg-Bastar-Chandrapur belt lies in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.

Very high grade hematites are found in the famous Bailadila range of hills in the Bastar
district of Chhattisgarh. The range of hills comprise of 14 deposits of super high grade
hematite iron ore. It has the best physical properties needed for steel making. Iron ore
from these mines is exported to Japan and South Korea via Vishakhapatnam port.
• Ballari-Chitradurga-Chikkamagaluru-Tumakuru belt in Karnataka has large
reserves of iron ore. The Kudremukh mines located in the Western Ghats of
Karnataka are a 100 per cent export unit. Kudremukh deposits are known to be
one of the largest in the world.

• Maharashtra-Goa belt includes the state of Goa and Ratnagiri district of

Maharashtra. Though, the ores are not of very high quality, yet they are
efficiently exploited. Iron ore is exported through Marmagao port.
 Copper

India is critically deficient in the reserve and production of copper.

Being malleable, ductile and a good conductor, copper is mainly used in

electrical cables, electronics and chemical industries.

The Balaghat mines in Madhya Pradesh

Khetri mines in Rajasthan
Singhbhum district of Jharkhand
 Gold

There are three important gold fields in the country, namely, Kolar Gold Field, Kolar
district and Hutti Gold Field in Raichur district (both in Karnataka) and Ramgiri Gold
Field in Anantpur district (Andhra Pradesh).
 Manganese

Manganese is an important raw material for smelting of iron ore and also used for manufacturing ferro alloys.
Manganese is not found as a free element in nature. It is often found in combination with iron.

The manganese belt of Madhya Pradesh extends in a belt in Balaghat-Chhindwara-Nimar-Mandla and Jhabua
districts.

Karnataka is another major producer and here the mines are located in Ballari, Chitradurg, Tumkur, Belagavi,
Shivamogga

Maharashtra is also an important producer of manganese which is mined in Nagpur, Bhandara and Ratnagiri
districts.

Major mines in Odisha are located in the central part of the iron ore belt of India, particularly in Kendujhar,
Sundergarh

Gujarat (Panchmahal district)

Andhra Pradesh (Srikakulam & Visakhapatnam districts)
 Silver

Used in chemicals, electroplating, photography

and for colouring glass, etc.
Silver is recovered as a by-product from lead and zinc concentrates, copper slime and
as a coproduct of gold refining.

India is not a major producer of silver in the world.

Zawar mines in Udaipur district of Rajasthan is the major producer of silver
The Tundoo Lead Smelter in Dhanbad district of Jharkhand is another major silver
producer.
Some silver is produced by Kolar Gold Fields and Hutti gold mines.
The Hindustan Copper Ltd. at Maubhandar smelter in Singhbhum district of Jhakhand
obtains silver from copper slimes. .
 Petroleum

• Petroleum or mineral oil provides fuel for heat and lighting, lubricants for
machinery and raw materials for a number of manufacturing industries.
Petroleum refineries act as a “nodal industry” for synthetic textile, fertiliser
and numerous chemical industries.

• About 63 per cent of India’s petroleum production is from Mumbai High, 18

per cent from Gujarat and 16 per cent from Assam.
• Ankeleshwar is the most important field of Gujarat. Others are Kalol,
Mehsana, Nawagam, Kosamba and Lunej
• Assam is the oldest oil producing state of India. Digboi, Naharkatiya and
Moran-Hugrijan are the important oil fields in the state.
 Petroleum

• Natural gas is found with petroleum deposits and is released when crude oil is
brought to the surface. It can be used as a domestic and industrial fuel.

• In India Assam (Upper Assam & Assam-Arakan Basin), Jaisalmer & Barmer in
Rajasthan, Krishna Godavari basin, Tripura, Gulf of Khambhat in Gujarat,
Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu and some areas off shore in Mumbai have
natural gas resources.
•India’s first oil refinery started
working way back in 1901
at Digboi in Assam.

• To ensure energy security, the

Government of India decided to
set up 5 million metric tons
(MMT) of strategic crude oil
storages at three locations
namely, Visakhapatnam,
Mangalore and Padur (near
Udupi).
 Bauxite

Bauxite is the ore for Aluminium. Odisha is the largest producer of Bauxite. Kalahandi
and Sambalpur are the leading producers.
The other two areas which have been increasing their production are Bolangir and
Koraput. Lohardaga in Jharkhand has rich deposits.

Bhavanagar, Jamnagar in Gujarat have the major deposits. Chhattisgarh has bauxite
deposits in Amarkantak plateau and Maikal hills while Katni-Jabalpur area and
Balaghat in M.P. have important deposits of bauxite.

Kolaba, Thane, Ratnagiri, Satara, Pune and Kolhapur in Maharashtra are important
producers.
 Mica

Mica can be clear, black, green, red yellow or brown. Due to its excellent di-electric
strength, low power loss factor, insulating properties and resistance to high voltage,
mica is one of the most indispensable minerals used in electric and electronic
industries.

Mica deposits are found in the northern edge of the Chota Nagpur plateau. Koderma-
Gaya–Hazaribagh belt of Jharkhand is the leading producer.
In Rajasthan, the major mica producing area is around Ajmer.
Nellore mica belt of Andhra Pradesh is also an important producer in the country.
 Diamond

India is known for its diamond cutting & polishing business especially for small sized
diamonds. Most of the world's diamond cutting and polishing business comes to India,
particularly to Surat in Gujarat.
Indian Diamond Industry handles about 80% of the global polished diamond market.
India depends largely on imports of rough gem diamonds for its Cutting and Polishing
Industry as there is no notable production except for one producer in Madhya Pradesh
whose limited production is too sparse to meet the Cutting and Polishing Industry's
requirements.

Majhgawan in Panna, Madhya Pradesh is a fully mechanised mine operated by

National Mineral Development Corporation Ltd
 Uranium & Thorium

Uranium deposits occur in Jadugora (Singhbhum) and Hazaribagh districts of

Jharkhand, Gaya district of Bihar, and in the sedimentary rocks in Saharanpur district
of Uttar Pradesh.

Uranium is also found in the Aravali range of Udaipur, Alwar and Jhunjhunu districts
of Rajasthan, Durg district of Chhattisgarh, Bhandara district of Maharashtra and
Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh

The Monazite sands of Kerala is rich in Thorium. World’s richest monazite deposits
occur in Palakkad and Kollam districts of Kerala, near Vishakhapatnam in Andhra
Pradesh and Mahanadi river delta in Odisha.
 Lead & Zinc

Lead is a soft, heavy, toxic and highly malleable metal. It is bluish white when freshly
cut, but tarnishes to dull grey when exposed.
Both lead & zinc are found to occur together in ore along with other metals like silver
and cadmium.

Largest single use of lead today is in the manufacture of lead-acid storage batteries
about 74%, while the single largest use for zinc is in the Galvanising Industry about
50%

Rajasthan is endowed with the largest resources of lead-zinc ore (88.61 per cent),
Andhra Pradesh (3.31 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (2.16 per cent), Bihar (1.67 per cent)
Maharashtra 9 (1.35 per cent). Almost the entire production comes from Rajasthan.
 lead-zinc in Rajasthan obtained from

Rampura/Agucha in Bhilwara district

Zawar Mines in Udaipur district
Bamnia Kalan, Rajpura-Dariba in Rajsamand
Kayad mines in Ajmer District
 Marble

64% resources are in Rajasthan

21% in Jammu & Kashmir

Kishangarh - Ajmer
Makrana Marble in Nagaur district – GI TAG

Udaipur - Rajsamand - Chittorgarh region

Makrana - Kishangarh region
Banswara - Dungarpur region
Andhi (Jaipur) - Jhiri (Alwar) region
Jaisalmer region
 Chunar Balua Patthar (sandstone) – GI TAG
Mirzapur, Chandauli and Sonbhadra districts of Uttar Pradesh

Gujarat has vast resources of marble in Banaskantha, Bharuch, Vadodara, Kachchh

and Panchmahal districts. The Ambaji area in Banaskantha district and Chinchpura
area in Vadodara district are the main producing centres.

Haryana – Mahendragarh
Maharashtra – Nagpur
In Jharkhand, huge deposits of marble are available in Semra-Salatua (Palamu)
The world-famous marble rocks 'Bhedaghat' near Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh
 Graphite

In terms of reserves, Jharkhand has the leading share of about (52%)

followed by Tamil Nadu (42%) and Odisha (6%) (
Active mining centres of graphite are in

Palamu district in Jharkhand

Nuapada & Balangir districts in Odisha
Madurai & Sivaganga districts in Tamil Nadu