FERROUS MINERALS – IRON ORE, MANGANESE
Ferrous minerals account for about three-fourths of the total value of the production of metallic minerals. They provide a strong base for the development of metallurgical industries. India exports substantial quantities of ferrous minerals after meeting her internal demands.
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 percent. 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 percent).
Figure 5.2: Production of iron ore showing state-wise share in percent, 2016–17
Kudre in Kannada means horse. The highest peak in the western ghats of Karnataka resembles the face of a horse. The Bailadila hills look like the hump of an ox, and hence its name.
Figure 5.3: Iron ore mine
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 comprises 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 percent export unit. Kudremukh deposits are known to be one of the largest in the world. The ore is transported as slurry through a pipeline to a port near Mangaluru.
* 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.
Manganese
Manganese is mainly used in the manufacturing of steel and ferromanganese alloy. Nearly 10 kg of manganese is required to manufacture one tonne of steel. It is also used in manufacturing bleaching powder, insecticides and paints.
Figure 5.4: Production of Manganese showing state-wise share in percent, 2016–17
Activity:
Dig a little deeper: Superimpose the maps showing distribution of iron ore, manganese, coal, and iron and steel industry. Do you see any correlation? Why?
Figure: India: Distribution of Iron Ore, Manganese, Bauxite and Mica
Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK
NON-FERROUS MINERALS – COPPER, BAUXITE
Indias’ reserves and production of non- ferrous minerals are not very satisfactory. However, these minerals, which include copper, bauxite, lead, zinc and gold play a vital role in a number of metallurgical, engineering and electrical industries. Let us study the distribution of copper and bauxite.
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 and Singhbhum district of Jharkhand are leading producers of copper.
Figure 5.5: Copper mines at Malanjkhand
Bauxite
Though several ores contain aluminium, it is from bauxite, a clay-like substance that alumina and later aluminium is obtained. Bauxite deposits are formed by the decomposition of a wide variety of rocks rich in aluminium silicates. Aluminium is an important metal because it combines the strength of metals such as iron, with extreme lightness and also with good conductivity and great malleability.
India’s bauxite deposits are mainly found in the Amarkantak plateau, Maikal hills, and the plateau region of Bilaspur-Katni.
Odisha was the largest bauxite producing state in India in 2016-17. Panchpatmali deposits in Koraput district are the most important bauxite deposits in the state.
Figure 5.6: Production of Bauxite showing state-wise share in percent, 2016–17
Figure 5.7: Bauxite Mine
After the discovery of aluminium Emperor Napoleon III wore buttons and hooks on his clothes made of aluminium and served food to his more illustrious guests in aluminium utensils and the less honourable ones were served in gold and silver utensils. Thirty years after this incident aluminium bowls were most common with the beggars in Paris.
Activity:
Dig a little deeper: Locate the mines of Bauxite on the physical map of India.
Figure: India: Distribution of Iron Ore, Manganese, Bauxite and Mica
Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK
NONMETALLIC MINERALS – MICA
Mica
Mica is a mineral made up of a series of plates or leaves. It splits easily into thin sheets. These sheets can be so thin that a thousand can be layered into a mica sheet of a few centimeters high. Mica can be clear, black, green, red yellow or brown. Due to its excellent dielectric 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.
Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK
ROCK MINERALS – LIMESTONE
Limestone
Limestone is found in association with rocks composed of calcium carbonates or calcium and magnesium carbonates. It is found in sedimentary rocks of most geological formations. Limestone is the basic raw material for the cement industry and essential for smelting iron ore in the blast furnace.
Figure 5.8: Production of Limestone showing state-wise share in percent, 2016–17
Activity :
Dig a little deeper: Study the maps to explain why Chota Nagpur is a storehouse of minerals.
Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK