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Here is an essay on the ‘Mineral Resources of India’ for class 9, 10, 11 and 12. Find paragraphs, long and short essays on the ‘Mineral Resources of India’ especially written for school and college students.
Essay on the Mineral Resources of India
Industrial development of a country depends chiefly on its mineral resources and their successful utilization. India, like all other countries of the world, is not self-sufficient in all of her mineral requirements. Every year the country spends billions of rupees in foreign exchange on import of very essential minerals and metals like lead, copper, zinc, steel and oil.
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At the same time, India occupies very prominent position in the world market for production and export of other minerals, chief among which are ores of iron, aluminum, magnesium and titanium besides high-grade refractories and insulating minerals and gemstones.
1. Essay on Aluminium Ore – Bauxite (Al2O3.nH2O):
It is the chief ore of aluminium. Deposits of this mineral are widespread in India, its major occurrences being in Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Tamil Nadu. Since 1971, many new reserves of bauxite have been discovered in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Goa and Uttar Pradesh.
The total reserves of bauxite in India are now estimated around 2500 million tonnes with following break up:
Measured- 163 million tonnes; Indicated- 574 million tonnes; Inferred- 1463 million tonnes;
The bauxite in India occurs primarily as gibbsite Al2O3, its percentage varying between 40-60 percent and containing silica, iron oxides and titania as important accessory constituents. Diasporic variety of bauxites is found in Jammu (Kashmir) associated with limestone.
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Origin:
Indian bauxite deposits are mostly related to a sedimentary residual type of rock laterite that occurs in the form of caps on the hills.
The laterites and bauxite deposits result due to complex chemical weathering of parent rocks of varied compositions such as:
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i. Deccan traps (basalts of igneous volcanic origin) in Bihar, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu;
ii. Gneissic rocks (metamorphic) in Orissa and Tamil Nadu;
iii. Clays and Limestones (sedimentary) in Jammu and Kashmir.
2. Essay on Chromite (FeCr2O4):
It is a strategic mineral finding application in metallurgy of alloy steels, as a source of metal chromium and as a refractory material. It is used in chemical industry for manufacture of chromates.
India occupies a prominent position in the production of chromites of high grade; the measured reserves being placed around 1200 million tonnes of which about 600 million tonnes are of metallurgical grade.
The best grade chromites in India occur in Orissa. Other states where chromite reserves have been found are – Karnataka (Hussan and Mysore), Bihar (Singhbhum district), Maharashtra (Ratnagiri district), and Andhra Pradesh (Khamman district). Small occurrences have also been recorded from Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland, Manipur, Tamil Nadu and Andaman.
Origin:
Chromite deposits are mostly of igneous origin being associated with highly basic and ultrabasic rocks like peridotites and dunites. It occurs in the form of patches, tabular sheets and disseminated grains among the parent rocks.
3. Essay on Copper Ores – Chalcopyrite (CuFeS2):
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Chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) is the single most important ore of copper although there are many other minerals that contain copper. In India copper ore is presently being mined commercially in Bihar (Singhbhum district), Madhya Pradesh (Balaghhat district) and Rajasthan (Jhunjhunu and Alwar districts). Copper ores are also extracted in small volume in Andhra Pradesh (Khamman district), Karnataka (Chitradrug and Hassan district) and Sikkim.
Occurrence of copper ores has been reported from many other states. Total reserves of chalcopyrite are estimated around 1250 million tonnes with a metal content of about 90 lakh tonnes.
India is presently deficient in copper. The metal is imported in large quantities to meet our needs of domestic consumption.
Origin:
Chalcopyrite occurs in igneous and metamorphic rocks as a sulphide ore of primary and secondary origin. The sulphide ores are unstable on the surface and are altered to more stable carbonate and silicates. The downward percolating solutions take the copper with them and re-deposit them in the form of zones of secondary enrichment covering the primary ore below.
The Singhbhum copper belt of Bihar is made up of epidiorite and quartz- chloride-schist as a country rock in which chalcopyrite is the main copper sulphide and quartz, chlorite, biotite and apatite are the gangue minerals. The belt extends for about 15 kms.
The Khetri-copper belt of Rajasthan is also about 80 kms long and comprises three highly mineralized sections – Madhan, Kalibhan and Akhwali. The host rocks are phyllites, schists and slates of metamorphic origin and contain chalcopyrite in the form of disseminations, fillings and vein deposits.
In Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh copper mineralization is in the form of malachite encrustations and also disseminations of chalcopyrite and other sulphides.
4. Essay on Gold:
The yellow metal, as it is called, has its own unrivalled place in the economy of a country. Its industrial utility may not be as broad based and significant as of many other metals, but its nobility (in terms of its non-reactivity to many chemicals) and beauty have retained for it the title of king of metals.
In India, gold occurrences are known from a large number of areas, almost from each state. However, presently gold is extracted only at three places, two in Karnataka and one in Andhra Pradesh. Gold occurs most commonly as a native metal containing silver as an impurity. It forms lodes or small pockets of deposits in igneous veins. It also occurs in quartz-reefs which traverse any type of rock. The reef-quartz is then referred as auriferous-quartz. Gold grains or auriferous gravels or sands have also been recovered from many placer deposits.
The Gold Mines presently worked out in India are exploiting vein gold type deposits.
The Kolar Goldfields are located in Karnataka in schistose rocks where auriferous quartz lodes occur in numerous closely placed mineralized zones. The total ore reserves in these fields are estimated at about 4.0 million tonnes with an ore value of 31.5 tonnes.
The Hutti Gold Mines are also located in Karnataka state in Raichur district where the gold lodes occur along fractures within chlorite schists and greenstones in a highly irregular manner.
The Ramagiri Gold Fields lie in the area of the same name falling in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. The mineralization has occurred along shear fractures in sericite phylites. The ore reserves are placed at one million tonnes containing about 5 tonnes of gold.
Total in-situ gold reserves of the country are placed at 50 million tonnes with a total gold content of more than 100 tonnes. However, recent investigations of Geological Survey of India have shown very promising trends from other parts of the country.
Silver is obtained in our country as a by-product in the extraction of lead and gold from their ores. In Bihar it is recovered during refining of lead, and in Karnataka during refining of gold ore at Hutti and Kolar. The country meets its need from domestic sources.
5. Essay on Iron:
If gold is the king of metals, then iron is certainly the chieftain or commander. It has retained this position in almost all civilizations throughout the recorded history.
The two main ores of iron are:
(i) Hematite (Fe2O3)
(ii) Magnetite (Fe3O4)
In India, we have extensive deposits of these ores estimated as at present around 12000 million tonnes of Hematite and 9000 million tonnes of magnetite. Of these, 5300 million tonnes of hematite and 600 million tonnes of magnetite are already proved.
Extensive deposits of iron ores of good quality occur in India in Bihar, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Goa besides Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Isolated deposits have also been recorded in Jammu-Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana.
In Bihar, hematitic iron ores occur in the iron ore series of Singhbhum which extends from Singhbhum (Bihar) to Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj in Orissa. This is the biggest known occurrence of the ore in India. The ore mineral is hematite which is associated with shales, quartzites and jasper. Different varieties of ore occur in this belt showing percentage of iron varying from 76.6 percent in the massive ore, 58-63 percent in the lump ore to about 65 percent in the blue dust.
As regards the origin of iron ore series, geologists differ in their opinion. Some suggest that the banded hematite quartzite is the mother rock for the ores whereas many others hold ferruginous shales as the source rock.
In Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, massive hematite ores occur associated with banded hematite-quartzites in the districts of Bastar and Durg. The Bailadilla range of hills is well known source of hematite used in Bhilai Steel Plant. This range has about 2000 million tonnes (rounded figure) of which 790 million tonnes are of measured category.
In Orissa, Keonjhar ore deposits are the most important, occurring as banded hematite quartzites and banded hematite jasper. The total reserves of Bihar and Orissa are estimated at 6755 million tonnes.
In Goa, iron ores occur in association with manganese deposits in a phyllite (metamorphic) belt extending about 100 km and 2 m in width. Their quantity is estimated at 884 million tonnes.
India is presently exporting iron ores to Japan and many other countries, after meeting its need of steel plants in India.
6. Essay on Manganese Ores:
India is one of the chief producers of manganese ores in the world occupying 5th to 7th position and competing with Commonwealth of Independent States (formerly USSR), South Africa and Brazil.
There are three main ore minerals of manganese, namely:
(i) Pyrolusite (MnO2)
(ii) Psilomelane (MnO2 – colloidal)
(iii) Braunite (MnO3 – MnSiO3)
In India, important deposits of manganese ores have been exploited in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Gujarat and Rajasthan.
On the basis of their mode of origin, Geological Survey of India has classified these deposits into four types as follows:
In Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the chief ore minerals are Braunite in bedded form and Pyrolusite as supergene enrichment type. In Orissa, Pyrolusite is the main ore mineral whereas in Karnataka psilomelane is the chief ore.
At present, total reserves of Manganese in India are estimated at 160 million tonnes. The ore finds extensive use in the manufacture of Ferro-manganese alloys, chemicals and metallurgy. India is exporting the ore after meeting the domestic needs.
7. Essay on Lead-Zinc Ores:
Lead and zinc ores occur in nature in close association with each other as polymetallic sulphides.
The most common ore of lead is Galena – PbS. Similarly, the most common ore of zinc is also a sulphide, Sphalerite. Carbonate and sulphate minerals of lead are also grouped as the oxides of zinc.
In India, only limited occurrences of these ores have been recorded so far. In fact, till date, the principal state producing the lead-zinc ores and concentrates of any significant quantity is Rajasthan. In this state lead-zinc ores occur in well-known Zawar lead-zinc belt which extends for about 20 km covering areas like Mochia Mogra, Baroi Mogra, Balaria and Zawar Malla.
It has an adjoining belt known as Rajpura-Dariba belt. Another belt recently discovered lies in Bhilwara district. The country rock in this belt consists of formations of phyllites, dolomites and shales. Most of the mineralization has occurred in dolomites and dolomitic limestones.
In the Zawar belt, the origin of lead-zinc ore is due to replacement process (metasomatic), the ore occurring as veins and stringers along the bedding lines and fractures. According to estimates of Indian Bureau of Mines, the Zawar belt has ore potential of 246 million tonnes with about 0.7 to 1.4 percent of lead content and 1.4 percent of zinc content.
The total ore reserves of these metals in the country as per present estimates are of 380 million tonnes.
Besides Rajasthan, lead-zinc ore deposits of importance have been reported from:
(i) Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal (Kumaon and Almora)
(ii) Gujarat (Amba Mata area)
(iii) Himachal Pradesh (Kangra district)
(iv) Tamil Nadu (South Arcot).
(v) Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh (Durg district)
8. Essay on Ilmenite and Rutile:
These two minerals, which are principally oxides of titanium, form the chief source of the metal. India is known to have extensive deposits of these minerals mainly in the form of beach sands spread along coasts of Orissa, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. The beach sand deposits are estimated to contain more than 368 million tonnes of ilmenite and rutile.
In Kerala, the sea coast sands stretching from Cannanore to Quilon areas contain rich concentrations of titanium minerals, accumulated as placer deposits. Similarly, in coastal Orissa, sands spread over 26 sq. km area with 9.4 percent ilmenite content form rich reserves of the mineral.
Sporadic occurrences of ilmenite-bearing sands have been recorded in Maharashtra in Ratnagiri district.
Titanium (metal) has special high technology applications in jet engines, rockets and missiles, besides in the manufacture of heat exchangers. Titanium oxide is used in the paint industry.
9. Essay on Tungsten:
India produces only small quantities of tungsten in Rajasthan. The source mineral is Wolfram (a tungstate of iron and manganese) which occurs in Rewat in Degana area. The ore occurs in the form of disseminated crystals in the quartz veins traversing the country rock, forming about one percent of the vein material.
Other occurrences, not commercially exploited as yet, have been recorded from West Bengal, Maharashtra and Bihar. The metal is used in the manufacture of alloys, drilling and cutting tools (tungsten carbide is next to diamond only in hardness).
10. Essay on Asbestos:
The common asbestos is actually a fibrous variety of mineral chrysotile – hydrous silicate of magnesium. However, some amphibole group minerals of fibrous varieties such as anthophylite, tremolite, amosite and crocidolite are commercially exploited and used as asbestos material.
The mineral (asbestos) is used extensively in the manufacture of special types of cements, fire- proofing materials and in the automobile industry.
Although India has good reserves of different types of asbestos, commercial exploitation is limited to only few places.
The main deposits of commercial grade asbestos are known from:
(i) Rajasthan:
The amphibole varieties anthophyllite and tremolite, are produced in Udaipur and Dungarpur districts.
(ii) Bihar:
Chrysotile var. in Singhbhum district, and crocidolite in Chhapra.
(iii) Andhra Pradesh:
Chrysotile asbestos in Cuddapah.
(iv) Karnataka:
Chrysotile asbestos in Mysore district.
Minor occurrences have also been reported from Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa.
11. Essay on Barytes (BaSO4):
The mineral finds use in paints, rubber textiles and also in oil well drilling muds besides in chemical industry. India possesses considerable reserves of this mineral, presently estimated at 70 million tonnes.
Andhra Pradesh is presently the largest producer of Barytes in our country. The mineral occurs in limestones spread over districts of Kuddapah, Kurnool and Anantapur. Rajasthan (Alwar district) and Bihar (Singhbhum district) are the other producers. Occurrences are recorded in Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Maharashtra.
12. Essay on Corundum (Al2O3):
A high grade natural abrasive, the mineral finds use in grinding wheels. Its pure varieties form gems – the ruby and sapphire. In powdered form occurring in association with magnetite grains, the mineral forms emery which is an abrasive of many applications.
India has numerous deposits of corundum but those worked at present are located in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. Other places where the mineral is known to occur are in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Assam.
13. Essay on Diamond (C):
The mineral is a precious gem when in pure crystal form and is of industrial value when found in coloured varieties and grains. This is because of its greatest hardness (10-in the Mohs scale). It occurs in igneous rocks and also in placers as an accumulated deposit.
In India, diamonds have been produced only in Madhya Pradesh from the well-known Panna diamond mines. Here the mineral occurs in volcanic pipes mixed with primary magmatic rocks and also from the conglomerate deposits around the hill. Other diamond bearing areas are in Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh.
Total diamond reserves of country as estimated at present are placed around about one million carats.
14. Essay on Dolomite CaMg (CO3)2:
It is carbonate rock of wide occurrence in India and elsewhere and also with wide applications as a flux in metallurgy, as a refractory material and as a source material in special cements.
In India, workable dolomite deposits occur in Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Total good quality dolomite reserves are estimated at 4600 million tonnes.
15. Essay on Graphite (C):
The mineral, also called as black lead, and known to common man in the form of pencil lead, occurs in nature in flakes or shapeless masses.
It generally occurs in metamorphic rocks – gneisses and schists and finds use in:
(i) Industry as lead for pencils.
(ii) The making of lead crucibles;
(iii) Atomic reactors as a moderator;
(iv) Chemical industry as a pigment in plants;
(v) Lubricants – as a solid lubricant.
India is self-sufficient in its graphite needs. In fact it has even started exporting the mineral. Major occurrences and production is in Orissa. The mineral occurs in Bolangir, Sambalpur, Dhenkanal and Kalahandi districts in this state associated with granitic gneisses and Khondalites in the form of lenses, veins, stringers and pockets.
Other states where graphite reserves of economic value have been recorded are – Rajasthan (Ajmer, Alwar, Jaipur districts); Gujarat (Baroda and Panchmahal districts); Andhra Pradesh (Godawari, Kahmam and Krishna districts); Kerala (Changal and Kutichehal in Trivandrum); Karnataka (near Kolar Goldfields); Tamil Nadu (Madurai and Kanyakumari districts).
The Indian graphites show variable ‘fixed carbon’ content that may range from 40-80 percent.
16. Essay on Gypsum (CaSO42H2O):
This mineral is an important raw material in the manufacture of – (i) cement; (ii) fertilizer-ammonium sulphate, (iii) sulphuric acid, and also as a secondary material in many other applications.
Gypsum commonly occurs as a mineral of secondary (sedimentary, chemically precipitated) origin associated with other sedimentary formations in the form of intervening layers, stringers and extended beds. It may be compact and massive, sometimes crystalline but is often friable, soft and dirty white in appearance.
In India, gypsum is found almost in all states but mining is localized. It is extracted for different applications in the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.
Total reserves of gypsum are estimated at 1200 million tonnes, of which 18.8 lakh tonnes are considered recoverable.
17. Essay on Kyanite and Sillimanite:
These minerals which are alumino silicates (Al2SiO3) are very important source in the manufacture of high-temperature refractories. They are of metamorphic origin and occur as crystalline masses or as massive layers.
India is one of chief producers of both kyanite and sillimanite and also exports these commodities. Maharashtra and Bihar are the major producing states. In Maharashtra, the mineral kyanite occurs in a 5.4 km long belt in Pipalgaon-Dahengaonpardi area. In Bihar, the major deposits are located in the famous Lapsa Baru kyanite deposits forming a belt, 125 km in length in the Singhbhum – thrust-zone.
Total recoverable deposits of kyanite are estimated at 1.5 million tonnes. Sillimanite deposits occur in Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. Total reserves of Sillimanite in India are placed at 50.5. million tonnes.
18. Essay on Limestone (CaCO3):
A very important rock of great economic importance, limestone is the principal raw material of Portland cement. It is a sedimentary rock and occurs in the form of extensive layers spread over many hundred kilometers in various parts of country. It is also used as a building stone.
The rock occurs in almost all the states. Major producing states are – Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Bihar, Orissa, Rajasthan and Karnataka.
19. Essay on Magnesite (MgCO3):
It is one of important refractory materials. Other uses of magnesite include in the manufacture of a special cement called Sorel Cement, in chemical industry and also as a source of metal magnesium. The rock is both of metamorphic and sedimentary origin.
India has fairly large reserves of good quality magnesite to meet its domestic needs and the material is also exported.
In India major deposits of magnesite occur in:
(i) Tamil Nadu – Salem district, the famous ‘Chalk Hills’. Reserves are estimated at 35 million tonnes.
(ii) Uttar Pradesh – Almora district, associated with dolomitic limestones. Total deposits are estimated at 181 million tonnes.
Other states, where magnesite deposits of value have been recorded are Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir.
Total reserves of magnesite in the country are estimated at 220 million tonnes.
20. Essay on Mica (A Hydrous Silicate of Potassium, Sodium, Magnesium, Iron etc.):
Mica is a mineral of strategic importance of which India is a prominent producer. The name indicates a group of minerals like muscovite (potash mica), biotite (ferro-magnesium mica), lepidolite (lithium mica) and zinwaldite (iron mica) and so on. Of this muscovite, the white mica ranks number one in use and lithium mica comes next.
The mineral is of an igneous (often hydrothermal) origin and commonly occurs in pegmatites in the form of thick sheets and masses. As a mineral, muscovite is soft, sheet like, elastic material with excellent insulating properties (both against electricity and heat). Its maximum use is in electrical industry as insulator.
India is one of the major producers of mica. The mineral occurs primarily in Bihar, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh.
The Mica Belt of Bihar is spread over several kilometers covering Kodarma, Chatkari, Dhab, Gawan, Tisri, Sankh and Bendro. The Nellore mica belt of Nellore district (Andhra Pradesh) is another mica producing area. In Rajasthan, mica deposits are found in Ajmer, Mewar, Jaipur and Bhilwara districts. In many other states of the country mica occurs in good abundance associated with pegmatites. The exact reserves of the mineral have not been estimated properly but are expected to be in many million tonnes.
21. Essay on Phosphate Deposits:
Phosphate occurs in nature commonly in the form of mineral Apatite (CaPO4) associated with pegmatites. It also occurs as rock phosphate or phosphorite. The minerals are of great economic importance since these are essential ingredients of fertilizers. Some quantity of phosphate materials is also derived from phosphatic nodules, phosphatic limestones and guano – an organic residue.
In India phosphates in the form of phosphate rock and phosphate nodules have been found in Rajasthan (Udaipur, Jaisalmer and Aravalli areas), Uttaranchal (Mussoriee) and Himachal Pradesh.
Apatite – mineral phosphate has been found in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh in exploitable reserves. The best known apatite deposits of Bihar are developed in Singhbhum district. In Andhra Pradesh the mineral occurs in Srikakulam district.
Total reserves of rock phosphate in India are estimated at about 115 million tonnes and of apatite at 2 million tonnes.
22. Essay on the Nuclear Minerals:
In the developed countries, atomic energy is the main source of their power, electric as well as political, because it is cheaper and consistent in the longer run. The power is derived from a group of radioactive minerals, that is which are undergoing radioactive decay yielding energy as a by-product. This energy when captured and used properly offers enormous applications – in peace and war time.
Very few minerals are really important as a source of atomic energy.
The chief are minerals belonging to Uranium and Thorium groups:
The minerals of above two groups, especially uranite, are used as atomic fuels.
Other minerals required in atomic projects are those that serve as retarders like beryl and moderators like graphite.
In India, occurrences of uranium in exploitable quantities have been recorded mainly in Bihar and Rajasthan. In Bihar, the mineral occurs in various forms in Singhbhum district. The uraninite mines at Jadugade have mineralization in metamorphic rocks. In Rajasthan, the uraninite mineralized zones are located at Udaipur, Bhilwara, Alwar, Jhunjhunun and Dungarpur districts. Dissemination of uraninite has also been reported from some other states.
The thorium group of minerals, especially allanite, has been reported from Tamil Nadu (Madurai district) and Andhra Pradesh (Balegudaba). Monazite has been observed in good proportion in beach sands both along western coasts and eastern coasts for many hundred kilometers along Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Orissa.
Beryl, the retarder mineral has been reported from Bihar, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. Graphite, the moderator occurs in Orissa, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra.