Minerals are naturally occurring substances that have specific physical and chemical properties, and are the basis for the development of the economy of any country. India is endowed with a variety of minerals that form the backbone of its industries.
More than 90% of the minerals are concentrated around the Chhotanagpur plateau. Over 75% of the total coal deposits in India are in Gondwana troughs.
Distribution of Minerals in India:
Iron:
About four-fifths of the total iron ore reserve in India is haematite. Currently, India is the world’s fourth-largest iron ore-producing country.
The major iron-producing regions of the country are Gurumahishani, Sulepat, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, and Badam Pahar of the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha.
Apart from Odisha, the Singhbhum district of Jharkhand, the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh, the Sandur hills, and the Bababudan hills in Karnataka.
Manganese:
Manganese is mainly found in the Dharwar system of rocks. This is considered one of the most important raw materials in the iron and steel industry.
Major Manganese producing regions are Keonjhar and Koraput districts of Odisha, Balaghat and Chindwara districts of Madhya Pradesh.
Apart from Odisha and Madhya Pradesh, it is found in the Nagpur district of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Rajasthan.
Copper:
The major copper producing districts in India are: Singbhum district of Jharkhand, Jhunjhunu, Alwar, Bhilwara, and Udaipur of Rajasthan, Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh, Guntur and Nellore of Andhra Pradesh.
Khetri mine in Rajasthan is the largest copper extraction region since the Indus Valley period.
Bauxite:
Aluminium is extracted from bauxite ore. Major bauxite-producing regions in India are: Ranchi and Palamou district of Jharkhand, Bastar, Kabirdham, and Surguja district of Chhattisgarh, Shahdol and Balaghat of Madhya Pradesh, Ratnagiri, Thane, and Kolaba of Maharashtra.
In southern India, Bauxite is also found in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Presently, India is the 6th largest producer of Bauxite and has the fourth largest bauxite reserve (4%).
Chromite:
Chromite is a metal that is made up of iron and chromium and is used in refractory works and chemical industries.
The largest producer of chromite in the country is Odisha. Almost 90% of chromite is found in Keonjhar and Cuttack.
The other chromatite extracting regions are: Chitradurga and Hassan in Karnataka, Ratnagiri and Bhandara in Maharashtra, Singbhum in Jharkhand, and Kondapalli in Andhra Pradesh. India is the third-largest producer of chromite in the world.
Diamond:
Diamond is the purest form of carbon and is the hardest substance found on Earth. Madhya Pradesh is the largest producer of diamonds in India. Panna and Satna districts of Madhya Pradesh have the largest diamond mines.
Apart from Madhya Pradesh, Raichur and Gulbarg of Karnataka, and Anantapur and Krishna basin of Andhra Pradesh also have some diamond mines.
Mica:
Mica has insulating properties that make it a precious mineral in the electronics industry. Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Rajasthan are the largest producers of Mica in India.
However, it is worth mentioning that India is the largest producer of Mica in the world. 60% of the total mica production has been done in India. The main aim of the production is mainly export.
Uranium:
Uranium is found in the rocks of Dharwar and Archean series, pegmatite, monazite sands (the largest source of Uranium), and cheralite in India. India accounts for 2% of the world’s total Uranium.
The most important region for uranium mining is the Jaduguda mine of Jharkhand. The other important mines of Uranium are located in the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, and Jaipur in Rajasthan.
The newly found Tummalapalle uranium reserve in Andhra Pradesh is believed to be one of the largest uranium reserves in the world.
Gypsum:
Gypsum is an important mineral primarily used in the fertiliser and cement industry. It is formed from sedimentary rocks. Rajasthan (90%) is the largest producer of Gypsum in India.
Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan is the major gypsum-producing district of Rajasthan. It is also found in Bikaner, Jodhpur, and Jaisalmer. Apart from Rajasthan, gypsum is also found in small quantities in Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat.
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