Occurrence and origin of
the iron ores of India
M.S. Krishnan
Hyderabad (India)
Introduction
India's iron deposits fall into three major types: (a) Banded
hematite-quartzitesor jaspilites of the Lake Superior type
and banded magnetite quartz deposits which may be con-
sidered a variant of this type. This is the most extensively
developed and,at present,the only exploited type. (b) Sedi-
mentary beds of siderite intercalated with beds of shales.
(c) Magmatic segregations,generally lensoid in shape,con-
sisting of titaniferous (and vanadiferous or chromiferous)
magnetite associated with intrusive masses of gabbro or
olivene bearing rocks. Figure 1 shows the distribution of
the important iron deposits in India.
Banded hematite ores
These constitute the major deposits in India and are being
actively exploited at several places, both for internal con-
sumption and for export. They are derived from and are
closely associated with banded hematite-quartzite(BHQ)
also known as banded hematitejasperorjaspilite.Themajor
deposits are those of Singhbhum district of Bihar and ad-
jacent parts of Orissa, Drug, Raipur and Bastar districts
of Madhya Pradesh, G o a territory and Mysore.
The BHQ in Orissa forms part of the sedimentary suc-
cession of the Iron Ore Series described by Jones (1934),
consisting of the following formations: upper shales with
volcanics;BHQs;lower shales;pink and purple sandstones
with some limestones; sandy and conglomerate beds fol-
lowed by phyllitic shales and tuffs and basic lavas.
The most important group of this type occurs in South
Singhbhum,Bonai,Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts of
Bihar and Orissa (Fig. 2), the last being separated from
others by the large exposure of Singhbhum granite. The
Iron Ore Series is intruded by Singhbhum granite,which
occupies a large area and contains numerous inclusions of
the country rocks which have been metamorphosed and
partly assimilated.The Iron Ore Series which is intruded by
the granite is believed to have an age exceeding 2,100 m.y.
Unesco, 1973. Genesis of Precantbrian iron und manganese deposirs. Proc. Kiev Symp., 1970. (Earth sciences, 9.)
The total thickness of the succession is of the order of
2,000-2,500m . The rocks have been isoclinally folded with
the axes in an NNE.-SSW.direction with steepWNW.dip.
The BHQ is exposed as ridges along the anticlinal axes,
while the shales occupy the less elevated synclinal portions.
The most prominent fold, which is also marked along its
crest by massive hematite deposits, extends from Gua
(22"13'N.,85'23'E.) to Chendongra (21"43'N., 85'06'E.)
over a distance of some 56k m .T w o other parallel anticlines
also expose numerous deposits. At the northern end,these
turn sharply eastward and follow the southern margin of
the Singhbhuin thrust zone, but only incomplete sections
are seen in this part. The thickness of the BHQ is rather
variable,being of the order of 1,000m in the Korhadi river
section in Bonai district,but only about 350 m in the main
range on the border of Keonjhar and Singhbhum districts.
The B H Q s consist of thin, parallel alternating layers
of hematite and jasper or chert. The individual layers vary
in thickness from 1 to 20 mm or more, but the average
in typical exposures is from about 3 to 5 m m . In addition to
the major folds and fractures seen in the whole formation,
there are small-scalestructures shown by individual layers
over smalldistances.The layers often show intricatefolding,
contortion and.faulting on a minute scale. These may be
attributed to plastic deformation and readjustments during
consolidation of the strata and also during the process of
enrichment which involved solution and transport of ma-
terial.Although the layers are generally uniform in thick-
ness, occasional bulging and thinning may be seen. The
ore layers consist mainly of hematite which is massive or
lamellar.In some bands small octahedralcrystalsand grains
of magnetite are found.Some of this ore is of the character
of martite. The silica bands consist of very fine-grained
cherty or chalcedonic material whose colour varies from
white through lavender and light red to dark red to brown
and black. The colour depends upon the amount and the
density of distribution of the iron mineral in each band.
The iron in the siliceous bands occurs in the form of thin
flakes and dust of red hematite or tiny grains and needles of
magnetite. Sometimes these may be distributed in lenticular
'69
M.S. Krishnan
68" 72O 76O 80' 84'
36; I I I I
FIG.1. Map of India showing the more important iron ore
deposits.Bihar and Orissa: 1. Singhbhum;2.Bonai &. Keonjhar;
3. Palamau.Bombuy: 4.Goa; 5.Ratnagiri. Central Provinces:
or irregularclots.Inthe depositsat Noamundi,Jones (1934)
has recorded the presence of occasional rhombic shapes in
silica which he regards as pseudomorphs of silica after sid-
erite. Some of these crystals were actually found to be
colourless or light grey siderite. Such pseudomorphs are,
however, not common in the oxide deposit.
In a few deposits in Orissa iron carbonate is promi-
nently developed in the banded iron-formation.Forinstance
Acharya et al. (1968) have described the deposit of Kan-
dadhar H ill (21°45'N., 85'5'E.) in which the alternating
bands are from 1 to 2 mm thick,being composed of tiny
euhedral crystals of colourless to pale grey siderite which
are from 0.2to 0.35 mm across and show light brown
colouring along their margin. Quantitative measurements
under the microscope indicate that the three constituents
of the different bands, namely siderite, chalcedony and
hematite,are present in roughly equal amounts.Occasion-
ally crystals of magnetite are found amidst the siderite or
hematite bands. Similar observations have also been made
in a few other deposits in Orissa.
70
8$ 92O 9$ 100"
I
3Z0
2E
24
20
I 6"
12"
9O
6.Chanda-Drug;7.Bastar. Hyderabad: 8 , Adilabad. Madras:
9. Salem; 10. Kurnool. Mysore: 11. Bababudan. Putialu:
12. Narnaul. Himachal: 13. Mandi.
Under the microscope the siliceous bands are seen to
consistof very fine-grainedquartz showingunduloseextinc-
tion. The silica bands contain ñakes of red hematite and
grains of dark magnetite and sometimes martite. When
hematite ñakes are abundant the silica band assumes a red
or brown colour.Occasionally small crystals of siderite are
also present.
Spencer and Percival (1952) have recorded the occur-
rence of micro-spheruliticstructure in the hematite bands,
which they attribute to the shrinkage of original colloidal
hydroxide during consolidation of the BHQ. They have
also noted that the B H Q is free from clastic sediments, a
fact confirmed by other observers. This characteristic indi-
cates that the BHQ was deposited in quiet and fairly deep
waters some distance from the shore.
There is lateralvariation within the BHQ. It may pass
into the solid thick band of hematite without any silica
or into shaly-lookinghematite or into lenses of fine-grained
dusty nearly blue-black crystalline hematite mixed with a
certain amount of martite. Partially enriched masses of
 Occurrence and origin of the iron ores of India

-
15'

I
22
-
oc

-42

FIG.2. Iron ore deposits of the Singhbhum-Keonjhar-Bonairegion,Bihar and Orissa.

BHQ may also be found amidst rich hematitic ore. The B A S T A R DISTRICT (MADHYA PRADESH)
analyses given in Table 1 by Percival (1931) indicate such
partial enrichment. According to Crookshank (1938) the deposits of the Baila-
dila Range occur along two parallel ridges,separated by a
1. Analyses of hematite jasper (percentages)
TABLE valley. This area is located between 18"35' and 18'45'N.
I II III and roughly along 81"13'E. (Fig. 1). The two ridges are
synclinal,while the valley is along an eroded anticline.The
Fe 20.60 30.50 52.30 deposits occur in the BHQ and the immediately underlying
SiO, 69.00 54.24 22.30 ferruginous schists of the Bailadila Series which are of
A1203 2.01 1.47 3.56 Precambrian age. The BHQ has a thickness of 400-500m.

71
M.S. Krishnan , I

..
.

"'I i
FIG.3. Deposits of banded magnetite-quartzites of Salem and neighbouring areas, Madras.

72

There are fourteen large hematite deposits located on the
two ridges which run practically N.-S. The ore at the sur-
face is generally massive and compact,but in some cases
a few feet at the top is composed of porous hematitelooking
like laterite,but really of high grade. The high grade ore
at the outcrop yielded on analysis 66-68 per cent Fe,0.06-
0.12 per cent P and less than 0.05 per cent S.
Similar deposits also occur at and near Rowghat along
two ridges which run N.-S. on the east and west of Kolur
(19"55'N., 81'8'E.; Fig. 1).
D R U G DISTRICT ( M A D H Y A PRADESH)
Hematite deposits derived from BHQ occur at four or five
places in the Rajhara H
ill (2Oo34'N.,81"5'E.,Fig. 1) and
its neighbourhood along a zig-zagridge several kilometres
long. The average ore at and near the surface contains
65-69per cent Fe,0.5-2.0per cent SO,,0.10-0.20per cent
M n , 0.05-0.07per cent P and 0.05per cent S.
G O A A N D MYSORE
Similar ores associated with BHQ are found in the Dhar-
warian formations of the Dharwar district (now in Mysore
State) and in the G o a territory (Fig. 1). In the Dharwar
district the BHQ forms part of a succession consisting of
chlorite and hornblende schists, phyllites, conglomerates
and quartzites. The deposits in this area are small and
unimportant.
Dharwarian formations similar to those of the Dhar-
war district occur also along the border between Ratnagiri
and Goa and at three or four places within the Goa territory
(Bicholim, Sirigao, Kosti, etc.). In all these deposits the
original BHQ has been converted into hematite. The de-
posits are, however, not as rich as those of Orissa and
Madhya Pradesh,but contain 58-62 per cent Fe. Some of
the material may be rather flaky and schistosehematite and
lateritic in appearance.
Several deposits of hematite associated with BHQ are
known in central and northern Mysore, where they form
part of the Dharwarian rocks. In some places the banded
rocks also contain magnetite. In southern Mysore parti-
cularlythe BHQ is found to have been converted to magne-
tite quartzite because of the metamorphism to which it
has been subjected.
A synclinorium of Dharwar formations including
BHQ phyllites and amphibolites occurs in the Sandur area
of Bellary district. The structure is tightly folded along
NNE.-SSE. axes,with a steep dip towards the ENE.T w o
large groups of hematite deposits have been developed
along two parallel ridges. The associated phyllites contain
numerous secondary manganese ore deposits.
A few depositsalso occur in the Chityal Hills (19"5'N.,
78"45'E., Fig. 1) and their neighbourhood in Andhra
Pradesh.This group contains both hematite and magnetite
in varying proportions and the grade of ore is poor as the
Occurrence and origin of the iron ores of India
iron enrichment has been only partial. These ores contain
only 40-45 per cent Fe and are therefore not worked at
present.
Banded magnetite quartzites
Deposits of these rocks are found mainly in southern India,
particularly in southern Mysore, in the district of Salam
and Tiruchirapalliof Madras and inthe Guntur and Nellore
district of Andhra.
MADRAS
Banded magnetite quartzites occur as part of the sedimen-
tary successionwhich has suffered regionalmetamorphism.
The various associated rock types are chlorite-and mi-
caceous quartz-schists, quartzites, phyllites etc. There
are generally some metamorphosed basic igneous rocks
in the older part of the succession,these being now seen
as amphibole schists or amphibolites with or without
garnet. The rocks in this region are folded along NNE.-
S S W . direction and two or three parallel bands are found
on the flanks of the folds. The structures are cut across by
well-marked faults at the southern end along the Attur
valley, where a few ore bodies occur in a sheared and
disturbed condition. Several hillocks expose magnetite-
quartzites very prominently and in some cases they form
perpendicular cliffs sometimes 150 m high,as in Godumalai
about 16 m east of Salem town (11"38'N., 78"22'E.;
Fig. 3). In the deposits of Perumamalai some 10 km east
of Godumalai the ore bands are found to be sheared and
disturbed.The individuallayers are up to 2 c m in thickness.
The magnetite shows alteration to niartite along octahedral
planes. According to Gokhale et al. (1961) the associated
rocks show sedimentarycharacterssuch as current bedding.
The hill called Kanjamalai (Fig. 3), 7 k m long and 4 km
wide,is situated 10 kni W S W .of Salem town. It is a basin-
shaped structure in which all the exposures are concentric
and show dips towards the centre.The rocks exposed in the
hill are amphibolites(which are usually garnetiferous) at the
base,overlain by magnetite-quartzites,sericite and chlorite-
schists, phyllites and talc-schists,amidst which are found
two other bands of magnetite-quartzitesin the higher part
of the succession.This structure is flanked on either side
by the Peninsular Gneisses,whose age is probably around
2,500m.y.The succession in the Kanjamalai appears to be
younger than the gneisses. The three parallel bands of
magnetite-quartzitesin the hill have thicknesses of 30 m,
1 O " m and 10 m respectively.
The magnetite-quartzite formation is conspicuously
banded like the BHQ,but the individual bands are more
irregularbecause of movements during metamorphism.The
magnetite and quartz grains are medium to coarsely crys-
talline and the bands show appreciable variation in thick-
ness, even within short distances.A few bands show the
presence of grunerite, which has apparently been formed
73
M.S. Krichnan
by the reactionofthe magnetite with silica.Such occurrences
are more common in southern Mysore and Bastar. The
magnetite quartzite constitutes the ore which contains 35-
50 per cent Fe (38 per cent average), 41-56 per cent SiO,,
0.2-2.7per cent Al,O,,0.1-1.5per cent lime, 0.1-2.6per
cent M g O , 0.017-0.193per cent P and negligible S. The
rock can be easily crushed and the magnetite concentrated
electromagnetically.The degree of fineness of crushing to
free all the magnetite is variable, but grinding to minus
sixty mesh size is adequate in most cases. The magnetite
concentrate is rich in iron, the content ranging usually
between 60 and 65 per cent.
MYSORE
A few deposits of magnetite quartzite occur, especially
in southern Mysore, of which the more important are the
Kudremukh deposits near the western coast and a few in
Tumkur and Mysore.
A N D H R A PRADESH
In the Nellore and Guntur districts of Andhra Pradesh
there are several hillocks showing bands of magnetite
quartzite. They are found between 15'15' and 15O48'N.;
79"27'and 8O003'E. along a narrow arcuate belt. They were
originally described by Foote (1879) and form part of the
Precambrian succession,consisting of quartzites and mi-
caceousschistssurroundedby granitic gneisses,charnockites
and amphibole schists.They occur in two groups of several
exposures (a) the Gundlakamma group in the north and
(b) the Ongole Group in the south near the town of Ongole
(15"30'N., 80O3'E.). The southern group appears to be
continuous,although covered by soil between the hillocks.
It shows two or three bands of magnetite quartzite of which
the middle or the upper one may be the thickest.The rocks
form an anticlinorium with its axis trending NNE.-SSW.
The folds also plunge to the NNE.and have a general steep
easterly dip. The northern group of deposits turns sharply
towards the west and apparently formspart of the plunging
folds. Sastry (1967)has given a general descriptionof indi-
vidual exposures and their possible structure.
According to Sastry et al. (1968), who described the
southern group,the fold axes trend N.-S.with cross folding
movement along NNW.-SSE. axes. The final folding was
imposed on the strata with NNE.-SSW. axes.
The magnetite quartzites are interbeddedwith garnetif-
erous quartzites, hypersthene quartzites and ferruginous
schists. The magnetite quartzite passes along the strike
into the garnetiferousquartzite or pyroxene-bearingmagne-
tite rocks.The pyroxene is variablein compositionand may
be ferro-hypersthene salite or jeffersonite. In the hyper-
sthene-bearingrocks the magnetite is occasionally bordered
by thin rims of garnet.Green spinelis also seen in a few thin
sections.
The mineral assemblage as well as the textural charac-
14
ters show that the rocks have been subjected to medium to
high grade metamorphism resulting in the production of
hypersthene and garnet. The average rock contains about
35 per cent Fe,the rest being mainly silica.It is possible to
concentrate the magnetite by electromagneticmeans,bring-
ing the iron content to about 60 per cent.
B A S T A R D I S T R I C T( M A D H Y A PRADESH)
The Bailadila series, associated with large hematite de-
posits, lie to the west of, and apparently superimposed
upon, the Bengal series. These consist of amphibolite,
quartzite,crystallinelimestone and a variety of schists. The
youngest formations lying on top of the hills east of Baila-
dila are banded magnetite quartzites.
According to Chatterjee (1968) the bands consist of
alternating layers of quartz and magnetite. Cumingtonite
and an amphibole, identified as ferro-hastingsite,occur
amidst the magnetite. Grunerite is fairly common and it
may often contain lamellae of martite. The minerals in the
bands show marked parallelism to the banding. The am-
phiboles are elongated and are sometimes poikilitic with
inclusionsof magnetite.The amphiboles have resulted from
the interaction between magnetite and silica. Occasionally
almandite and hastingsite are found, indicating that the
original rock contained some alumina and calcareous
constituents.
Bands of magnetite quartzite are also found intruded
by granite in thisarea.Riebeckite and aegirineare developed
in the magnetite quartzite as a result of metasomatism
during the intrusion of the granite. It is of interest to note
that the magnetite-quartzitesdo not show any hypersthene
in this region,leading to the inference that the temperature
of metamorphism was not high enough for its formation.
Sedimentary siderite deposits
Clay ironstone derived from sedimentary siderite beds oc-
curs mainly in the Ranigunj coalfield of West Bengal and
the Auranga coalfield of Bihar,some distance to the west.
Early surveys showed that the siderite beds occurred in the
stratigraphic unit named the 'ironstone shales', which
form the middle part of the Lower Gondwana group. The
ironstone shales, which are of Middle Permian age, lie
above the Barakar series and below the Raniganj series,
both of which are coal-bearing.The estimated thickness of
the Ironstone shales was approximately 420-450 m. Data
from outcrops and from a shaft 15 m deep, showed the
ironstone(limoniteand goethite) to form thin layers5-25 c m
thick,the proportion of the material in the formation being
about 6 per cent. Later examination of this formation by
Hughes (1874) and by Walker (1914) established that: the
Ironstone shale formation has a total thickness in the
Ranigunjcoalfield of 300 m and can be traced over a length
of 53-55 km; the ironstone bands are intercalated with
shales;the layers of ironstone do not persist for long dis-

tances either along the strike or dip, but when one layer
disappears another begins to appear slightly above or below.
From numerous analyses of the material which was used as
iron ore in blast furnaces at Kulti in the same coalfield the
range and average composition is given in Table 2.
2. Analyses of ironstone,Ranigunj coalfield
TABLE
Constituent Range (per cent) Average (per cent)
Iron 39 .OO-47.70 45.20
Manganese 0.57- 3.62 1.85
Silica 16.00-21.81 18.O5
Phosphorus 0.23- 1.37 0.72
Moisture 1.00- 5.10 1.77
As these analyses are old they do not show the content
of alumina,sulphur and other constituents.These oreswere
replaced by hematite from the newly discovered banded
ferruginous formations in Orissa from about 1914.
At a depth of 15-20 m the limonitic ore changes into
siderite which is generally granular in texture. This shows
that the material as deposited was siderite and that the
carbonatewas converted into hydroxideby meteoricwaters.
The sideritebeds are generally fairly pure,but in some cases
are mixed with a small amount of detrital clay and sand.
The repeated occurrence oflayersof sideritein the Ironstone
shale formation indicates that deposition was in shallow
waters under reducing conditions,but subject to periodic
inundations of clastic material. Similar beds of Ironstone
shaleshavealsobeennoticedto occur intheAurangacoalfield
in southernBihar, along the same tectonic trough in which
the Ranigunj and a few other coalfields are now located.
The total area covered by this formation in the Rani-
gunj coalñelds has been estimated as a little over 100 km2.
Titaniferous magnetite
Numerous large lensoid and vein-likebodies of titaniferous
magnetite occur near the border of the Singhbhum and
Mayurbhanj district of Bihar and Orissa. Though their oc-
currence has been known since 1908, they were described
in some detail much later by Dunn (1937). Several occur-
rences are found between 22'16' and 22'29'N.; 86"15' and
86"20'E. They are found traversing gabbros and serpen-
tinized olivine bearing rocks which have in some cases been
Résumé
Manifestations et origine des minerais de fer de l'Inde
(M.S. Krishnan)
On ne rencontre pratiquement de gisements de minerai de
fer que dans la partie péninsulaire de l'Inde. Ils sont de
Occurrence and origin of the iron ores of India
converted into steatitic material by post-magmaticchanges.
The augite in the gabbro is usually uralitized. As the area
is thickly forested the exposures are not good, but the dis-
tribution of magnetite debris gives an idea of the extent
of the deposits.
The magnetite ore bodies are composed of magnetite
with subordinate hematite. Polished sections of material
viewed under the reflecting microscope show the presence
ofmuch magnetite enclosinglamellaeofilmenite,coulsonite
(Fe-V-oxide), hematite, rutile and goethite and a little
apatite. The occurrence of ilmenite along the octahedral
planes in the magnetite suggests that the two minerals orig-
inally formed solid solutions and that the ilmenite was
exsolved on cooling. Coulsonite occurs as minute grains
or needles closely associated with the ilmenite. Sometimes
magnetite and ilmenite show graphic intergrowths. Dunn
and Dey (1937) postulated that part of the hematite may
also have been originally present in solid solution in the
magnetite.
The magnetite ore contains both titanium and va-
nadium. The vanadium oxide content generally ranges be-
tween 0.6and 4.84 per cent.The titanium oxide content is
much more, ranging from 10 to 25 per cent.
Similar deposits are also present in the Simlipal Hills
of the Mayurbhanj district,but they have not been inves-
tigated in detail.The deposits near the Singhbhum-Mayur-
bhanj border are believed to be large enough to yield a few
million tons of magnetite ore. The close association of the
magnetite with gabbroid and olivine rocks,and its titanium
and vanadium content clearly indicate that it is a product
of segregationfrom ultramaficmagmas. These ores are now
receiving attention for the extraction of their vanadium
content for the manufacture of ferro-vanadium.
MYSORE
Several lensoid bodies of magnetite occur in or along the
borders of ultramafic rocks such as gabbros, peridotites,
saxonites,etc.,in parts of Mysore. They contain approxi-
mately 60 per cent Fe, 1 per cent SiO,, less than 2 per
cent Alzo,and very low S and P.The titanium oxide content
ranges up to a maximum of 12 per cent and there is always
a small quantity (less than 3 per cent) of chromic oxide.A
little vanadium may also be present. These ore bodies are
small in dimension and may have only a limited industrial
importance.
quatre types :(a) jaspe-hématiterubané ; (b) quartzite-ma-
gnétiterubanée ;c) magnétite titanifère ;d) carbonate de fer
sédimentaire décomposé en limonite. Les trois premiers
datent du Précambrien tandis que le dernier est de l'âge du
Gondwana inférieur (Permien).
75
M.S. Krishnan
Les strates de jaspe-hématiterubané ont été déposées
dans la succession sédimentaire du système de Dharwar
de Mysore, dans les séries de minerai de fer d'Orissa et
dans les séries de Bailadila de Madhya Pradesh,c'est-à-dire
à une époque comprise entre 2,3et 2,5 milliards d'années.
Dans-tous les cas,la succession contient des laves basiques
d'origine sous-marine en m ê m e temps que des grès, des
argiles schisteuses et des roches ferrugineuses.Les strati-
cules dans les roches ferrugineuses sont alternativement de
l'hématiteet du jaspe,dont l'épaisseur varie de 3 à 5 mètres,
mais avec certainesvariations. Ces strates et les minerais de
fer qui en dérivent sont du type 'Lac Supérieur', avec tou-
tefois cette exception que dans quelques cas les dépôts ori-
ginaux contenaient de la sidérite au lieu d'hématite et que
les silicates de fer sont virtuellement absents. Il semble
raisonnable d'assigner une origine volcanique sous-marine
à une partie du fer. La formationferrugineuse a été trans-
forméeen gisements de riches minerais d'hématite compacte
à la surface.Elle peut atteindre une profondeur dépassant
100mètres. Les lentilles de minerai brun foncé poussiéreux
(poussière bleue) qu'on trouve à une certaine profondeur
dans la plupart des gisements sont attribués à la cristalli-
sation de l'hydroxydeferriqueoriginalen hématitefinement
cristallisée pendant une période de lixiviation des dépôts
par les eaux météoriques. C e minerai poussiéreux est cons-
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vol. 25, p. 136-59.
76
titué presque uniquement d'hématite pure avec, dans cer-
tains cas, des traînées de kaolin blanc.
Le jaspe-hématiterubané a été transformé en quartzite-
magnétite rubanée dans quelques-unsdes dépôts de la partie
méridionale de Mysore et dans les régions de Madras et
d'Andhra où ils ont subi un métamorphisme modéré. Ce
sont des couches à cristaux grossiers,mais en tout cas très
semblables aux couches de jaspe-hématite.
Dans le Singhbhum oriental (Bihar), dans la partie sud
de Mysore,on rencontre des lentilles de magnétite titanifère
associées avec des roches ultramafiques telles que des py-
roxéniteset des gabbros.Ces lentillessont apparemment des
ségrégations magmatiques. L a magnétite contient jusqu'à
15 % d'oxyde de titane ; elle contient aussi jusqu'à 2 %
d'oxyde de vanadium dans le Singhbhum et une quantité
équivalente d'oxyde de chrome dans le Mysore. Ces mine-
rais n'ont pas encore été exploités.
On trouve des minerais de sidérite sédimentaire au
Bengale-Occidental,dans un horizon stratigraphique qui
se situe entre les formations de Barakar et de Ranigunj avec
présence de charbon. L'épaisseur de cette formation est
de l'ordre de 300 mètres. Elle consiste en de nombreux
rubans minces de minerais sidéritiquesentremêlés à l'argile
schisteuse,la straticule de sidérite totalisant le dixième de
l'épaisseur totale.
__ . 1893. The iron ore resources and iron industries of the
Southern districts of Madras Presidency.Imp. Jnst. Handbook
of Commercial Products (Calcutta), no. 8,24 p.
HUGHES, T.W.H.1874. Notes on the raw inaterials on iron
smelting in the Ranigunj coalfield. Rec. geol. Surv.India,
vol. 7,p. 20-3, 122-4.
JONES, H.C.1934.Iron ore deposits of Bihar and Orissa.Mem.
geol. Surv. India, vol. 63, no. 2.
KRISHNAN, M . S. 1954.Iron ores,iron and steel,Bull.geol. Surv.
India, vol. 9.
PERCIVAL, F.G. 1931.The iron-oresof Noamundi. Trans.Min.
geol. Inst. India,vol. 26,p. 169-271.
SASTRY,A. V. R.;VAIDWYANADHAN, R. 1968. Structure and
petrography of the quartz-magnetiteand associated rocks of
Vemparla area, Nellore district.J. geol. Soc. India. vol. 9,
no. 1, p. 49-51.
SASTRY,T.H.1967.Some structuralfeaturesof Ongole bandde
magnetite quartzites. J. Indian Geosci. Ass., vol. 7,p. 67-84.
SPENCER,E.;PERCIVAL, F. G.1952. The structure and origin
of the banded hematite-jaspersof Singhbhum, India. Econ.
Geol., vol. 41,no. 4,p. 365-83.
WALKER, H.1914.Note on the Geological Survey of Raniganj
coalfield. Trans. Min. Geol. Inst. India, vol. 7,p. 226-79.