Resource Distribution In India

Natural resources are Earth materials used to support life and meet the needs of people. Any organic material used
by humans can be considered as a natural resource. Natural resources include oil, coal, natural gas, metals, stone,
and sand. Air, sunlight, soil, and water are other natural resources.

Name of Properties Location

mineral
Iron Ore • Haematite-Reddish; best quality; 70 % • Odisha
metallic content • Chhattisgarh (Bailadila
• Magnetite-Black ore; 60 to 70 per cent mine)
metallic content, magnetic quality • Jharkhand (Singhbhum,
• Limonite -Inferior ores; yellowish in colour; 40 Daltenganj)
to 60 per cent iron metal • Karnataka (Kudremukh,
• Siderite-‘Iron carbonate’; inferior quality; less Shivmogga)
than 40 per cent iron
Manganese • often found in combination with iron • Odisha (Sundargarh)
• most important manganese ore is pyrolusite. • Karnataka (Chitradurg)
• primarily used in iron and steel industry. • MP(Balaghat)
• basic raw material for manufacturing steel alloys
• used in the manufacturing of bleaching powder,
insecticides, paints, and batteries

Bauxite • Ore is used to make aluminium • Odisha(Kalahandi)

• Found mainly as hydrated aluminium oxides • Chhattisgarh
• Odisha alone accounts for 52% • Maharashtra

Copper • good conductor of electricity and is ductile • Rajasthan

• important metal used by automobile and • MP
defence industries. • Jharkhand
• Alloyed with iron and nickel to make stainless
steel.
• alloyed with zinc it is known as ‘brass’ and
with tin as ‘bronze’
Nickel • Nickel does not occur free in nature. • Odisha
• Iron + Nickel == stainless steel • Jharkhand
• Nickel + Copper or Silver == Coins • (Polymetallic sea
• used for manufacturing armoured plates, bullet nodules are another
jackets source of nickel)
Gold • Gold usually occurs in auriferous [(of rocks or • Karnataka (Largest
minerals) containing gold] rocks. producer)(Kolar and Hutti
mines)
• It is also found in sands of several rivers. • Andhra Pradesh
• Jharkhand

Silver • Used in electroplating, photography and • Zawar mines of

for colouring glass, etc. Rajasthan
• It is found mixed with several other metals such • Jharkhand
as copper, lead, gold, zinc, etc.

• India is not a major producer of silver in the

world.
Mica • very good insulator that has a wide range of • Andhra Pradesh
applications in electrical and electronics • Rajasthan
industry. • Odisha
• used in toothpaste and cosmetics because of
its glittery appearance. It also acts as a mild
abrasive in toothpaste.
• India is one of the foremost suppliers of mica
to the world.

Limestone • composed of either calcium carbonate, the • MP(largest producer)

double carbonate of calcium and magnesium, or • Rajasthan
mixture of both. • Andhra Pradesh
• Limestone deposits are of sedimentary origin. • Gujarat
• 75 per cent Limestone is used in cement
industry, 16 per cent in iron and steel industry
• Limestone with more than 10 per cent of
magnesium is called dolomite

Gypsum • hydrated sulphate of calcium. • Rajasthan

• white opaque or transparent mineral. • Tamil Nadu
• occurs in sedimentary formations • Jammu and Kashmir
• mainly used in making ammonia sulphate • Gujarat
fertilizer and in cement industry.
• used in making plaster of Paris, moulds in
ceramic industry, tiles, plastics
Lithium • light metal which is found in lepidolite and • in the mica belts of
spodumene Jharkhand, Madhya
• Used in Li batteries in electric vehicles Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Coal • Also called black gold. Gondwana coal fields-
• Found in sedimentary strata
• Contains carbon, volatile matter, • Chattisgarh (Korba)
moisture and ash [in some • Jharkhand (Jharia, Bokaro)
cases Sulphur and phosphorous] • Odisha (Talcher)
• Peat- Contains less than 40 % carbon ; more • MP(Singrauli)
impurities; lot of moisture • Andhra Pradesh
• Lignite- Brown Coal; Low grade; 40-50%
carbon; moisture- over 35% Tertiary Coal fields-
• Bituminous- soft coal, most widely available; • Assam
40-80-% carbon; used in production of coke • Meghalaya
and gas • Tamil Nadu(Neyveli)
 • Anthracite-Best quality, hard coal; 80-95%
carbon; ignites slowly with blue flame

Petroleum or • Petroleum or Mineral oil is obtained Onshore oilfields-

Mineral Oil from sedimentary rocks of the earth. • Assam
• Petroleum fuels on burning gives little smoke and • Gujarat
leaves no ash 90 to 95 per cent Hydrocarbons. • Rajasthan
• 5 – 10% organic compounds containing oxygen, Offshore oilfields-
nitrogen, sulphur • Mumbai High
• Most of the oil gets collected in the anticlines or • Gulf of Khambat
fault traps. • Krishna-Godavari, Cauvery
Basin
Natural Gas • Consists primarily of methane ( Propane,
butane, pentane, and hexane )are also • Krishna- Godavari Basin
present. • Gulf of Khambat
• Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) == Mixture • Assam
of butane and propane. • Barmer in Rajasthan
• Commonly occurs in association with crude • Tamil Nadu
oil.
• Natural gas is often found dissolved in oil or as
a gas cap above the oil.
• Coalbed methane is called ‘sweet gas’
• Electric power generation, industrial,
domestic, and commercial usage.

Shale Gas • Shales are fine-grained

sedimentary rocks formed of organic-rich • Cambay Basin in Gujarat
mud at the bottom of ancient seas. • Assam Basin
• Subsequent sedimentation and the resultant • Krishna- Godavari Basin
heat and pressure transformed the mud into
shale and also produced natural gas from the
organic matter contained in it.

Uranium • Uranium is a silvery-gray metallic radioactive • Jharkhand

chemical element. • Bihar
• Uranium isotopes in natural uranium • UP
are 238U (99.27%) and 235U (0.72%). • Monazite sand- in Kerala
• All uranium isotopes are radioactive and coast
fissionable. But only 235U is fissile Some quality reserves were
• India produces about 2 per cent of world’s recently discovered in parts of
uranium Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
between Seshachalam
forest and Sresailam
Thorium • Thorium metal is silvery and tarnishes black
when exposed to air. • Kerala (Monazite sands)
• Thorium is weakly radioactive • Bihar
• Thorium-232 is the most stable isotope of • Tamil Nadu
thorium • Jharkhand
• Thorium reactors produce far less waste than
present-day reactors