MAJOR MINERALS OF INDIA

Minerals are an important asset for a country. It determines the economic independence of a country and hereby gives it an edge over other mineral deprived country.

Major Minerals in India

The major minerals produced in India are Iron-ore, Bauxite, Mica, Coal and Petroleum.

1. Iron-ore: India possesses over 20% of world’s total reserves of iron ­ore—next only to CIS. Iron ore of very good quality (Haematite and Magnetite) is obtained from principal areas in Orissa and Singhbhum in Bihar. Besides these, iron ore is obtained from Durg in Madhya Pradesh and Salem in Tamil Nadu. Deposits of iron ore are also found in Karnataka, Iron-ore accounts for nearly 2/3 rds of the total value of metallic minerals produced in India. It is also a good foreign exchange earner next only to tea, sugar, jute and cotton.
2. Bauxite: Bauxite is the ore of aluminium. Important bauxite deposits occur in Bihar, Goa, Gujrat, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu. Bauxite deposits are exploited at Lohardaga in Ranchi district. Amarkantaka in Madhya Pradesh contains the largest deposit of bauxite.
3. Mica: India is the largest producer of mica in the world and the largest supply comes from Bihar. In Bihar the most important areas are Gaya and Hazaribagh in the ‘mica belt’ 150 km. long and 32 km. wide. Another important area is Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. The Nellore mica belt 100 km. long and 25 km wide. It is also obtained from Rajasthan. It is used in electrical industry. Due to poor development of electrical industries at home, India exports most of the output contributing 75% of the world’s requirements.
   Al-Bauxite, H—Hmenite, Pb-Zn-Lead-Zinc ore, Au-Gold, M—Mica, U—Uranium ore, Cr—Chromite, P—Rock Phosphate, Na—Salt, Cu—Copper Ore,  Mg—Magnesite, R—Refractory mineral, Fe—Iron-Ore and Mn—Manganese Ore.
4. Coal: India is one of the principal producers of coal in the world. Bihar and West Bengal produce the largest quantity of coal in India and the quality is good. Jharia, Giridih, Bokaro, Karanpura, etc. in Bihar and Raniganj in West Bengal are the most important mining centers. Besides these areas, coal is found at Talcher in Orissa, Tendur and Singareni in Andhra Pradesh, Pench Valley and Umaria in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar along supplies 44% of India’s total output.
5. Petroleum: India is poor in petroleum resources. Assam has the oldest oilfields at Digboi, Naharkatia, Moran, etc. These oil-fields are situated in the north-eastern part of Assam. The important new oil-fields are at Lunej, Ankleshwer, Kalol—all near the Gulf of Cambay in Gujrat and the Bombay high offshore oil field.