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Mineral Resources of India Notes With PDF

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A Comprehensive Overview of India’s Mineral Resources

Major Rock Systems and Their Associated Minerals

Rock System Key Characteristics & Associated Minerals
Dharwar System – Considered the most mineralised rock system in India.
– Contains the largest reserves of ferrous and non-ferrous minerals.
– Contains the richest deposits of iron ore in India.
Gondwana System – Provides over 90% (about 95%) of India’s coal.
Vindhyan System – Contains a huge amount of limestone sources.

Geographical Distribution of Minerals

  • Major Mineral-Rich Regions:
    • The Chotanagpur plateau is known as the storehouse of Indian minerals.
    • The South-Eastern part of the country has the largest reserves of mineral resources.
  • Major Mineral-Rich States (in descending order of abundance):
    1. Karnataka has the maximum prosperity/abundance of minerals.
    2. Odisha
    3. Madhya Pradesh
    4. Jharkhand
    5. Chhattisgarh
    6. Rajasthan

Metallic Minerals

Iron Ore

  • General Facts:
    • Largest reserve is of Haematite.
    • India is the second-largest producer in the world.
    • Odisha is the largest producer in India.
  • Key Locations & Mines:
    • States: Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka.
    • Key Mines/Areas: Bailadila (Chhattisgarh – largest mechanized mine), Singhbhum & Noamundi (Jharkhand), Kudremukh (Karnataka), Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Badam Pahar (Odisha), Dalli-Rajhara (Chhattisgarh), Bellary (Karnataka), Guru Mahisani (Odisha), Nathra-ki-Pal (Rajasthan).
    • Absence: Not available in Punjab.

Copper

  • Major Producing States: Madhya Pradesh (largest reserve), Rajasthan, Jharkhand.
  • Key Locations:
    • Malanjkhand (Balaghat, MP)
    • Khetri Belt (Rajasthan)
    • Other Fields: Mosabani, Singhbhum (Jharkhand); Chandrapur (Maharashtra); Hassan (Karnataka); Khammam (Telangana/AP).
  • Reserves: Jharkhand holds a significant portion (up to 90%) of India’s copper reserves.

Bauxite (Ore of Aluminium)

  • Usage: Principal raw material for the Aluminium industry.
  • Major Producing States: Odisha (largest reserves), Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh.
  • Key Locations: Koraput, Kalahandi, Lanjigarh (Odisha); Lohardaga, Palamu (Jharkhand); Kondagaon, Surguja, Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh); Amar Kantak, Katni, Satna, Balaghat, Mandla (MP).

Manganese

  • Leading Producer: Odisha, followed by Madhya Pradesh.
  • Key Locations: Koraput, Keonjhar (Odisha); Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh); Bhandara (Maharashtra).

Zinc & Lead

  • Major Reserves: Rajasthan has Asia’s best reserves and a near monopoly on zinc production.
  • Key Locations: Zawar, Rampura-Agucha (Bhilwara), Rajpur-Dariba (Rajsamand), Delwara (Udaipur).

Gold

  • Top-Producing State: Karnataka.
  • Key Mines: Kolar, Hutti.

Silver

  • Occurrence: Found in Rajasthan (Zawar), Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Jharkhand.
  • Absence: Not found in Gujarat.

Chromite

  • Largest Producer: Odisha (has a virtual monopoly).

Tin

  • Exclusive Producer: Chhattisgarh is the only state with tin resources.

Non-Metallic Minerals

Mineral Key Facts & Locations
Marble – A metamorphic rock (re-crystallised limestone).
– Best quality found in Makrana (Rajasthan).
– Other locations: Jabalpur, Jaisalmer, Singhbhum.
Mica – A non-metallic mineral.
– Top producer: Andhra Pradesh.
– Key area: Kodarma (Jharkhand).
Gypsum – Main producing state: Rajasthan.
– Key belt: Churu-Bikaner-Sri Ganganagar.
Limestone – Primary raw material for the Cement industry.
Asbestos – Largest producer: Rajasthan.
Diamond – Key locations: Panna/Majhgawan (Madhya Pradesh). Kimberlite deposits in Hoshangabad district.

Energy Minerals

Coal

  • Geological Source: Primarily from the Gondwana rock system (over 90% of reserves).
  • Characteristics: High ash content, low sulphur content.
  • Reserves: Substantial (e.g., 293.50 billion tonnes). More than half of the proved reserves are in Jharkhand and Odisha.
  • Leading Producing States (descending order): Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh.
  • Major Coalfields:
    • Jharkhand: Jharia (max. reserves), Raniganj, Karanpura, Lalmatia, Palamu.
    • Odisha: Talcher, Rampur Himgir.
    • Chhattisgarh: Korba, Bisrampur, Jhilmili.
    • Others: Singareni (Telangana/AP), Sohagpur (MP), Neyveli (Tamil Nadu – lignite), Singrauli Region (UP).
  • Uses & Challenges:
    • Primary Use: Maximum amount used for Energy Production (power generation).
    • Challenges: Dependence on coking coal imports for steel; low utilisation of coal washeries; administered prices; poor quality; and transport bottlenecks.
  • Transportation: A major component of interstate traffic for Indian Railways.

Petroleum and Natural Gas

  • Oldest Oil Field & Refinery: Digboi (Assam) – first oil well and oldest refinery.
  • Leading Producing State: Maharashtra (primarily from offshore Bombay High, discovered in 1965).
  • Other Key States/Fields:
    • Gujarat: Ankleshwar, Navgam, Lunej. Koyali refinery.
    • Assam: Digboi, Makum, Naharkatiya, Lakwa.
    • Rajasthan: Mangla, Bhagyam, Aishwarya fields in Barmer-Sanchore basin.
    • Andhra Pradesh (KG Basin): KG-D6 block has large natural gas reserves.
  • Oil Imports (2017-18): Major suppliers are Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait.
  • Strategic Petroleum Reserves Locations: Visakhapatnam (AP), Mangalore, Padur (Karnataka).

Non-Conventional Gas Sources

  • Coalbed Methane: Pure methane gas extracted from coal seams; India has abundant sources.
  • Shale Gas: Natural gas from shale rocks. Resources exist in the Cambay, Cauvery, and KG Basins.

Atomic Minerals

  • Uranium:
    • Key Mining Centres: Jaduguda, Turamdih (Jharkhand); Domiasiat (Meghalaya); Lambapur (AP); Rohil (Rajasthan); Gogi (Karnataka).
  • Thorium:
    • Found in Monazite sands.
    • Abundantly found on the coastal beaches of Kerala (along with Ilmenite, Zircon, and Sillimanite). India has significant deposits.

Infrastructure and Policy

Oil Refineries & Ownership

  • Largest Refinery: Jamnagar (Gujarat) – world’s largest refinery complex.
  • State-wise Locations: Digboi, Noonmati, Numaligarh (Assam); Koyali (IOCL), Jamnagar (Gujarat); Panagudi, Nagapattinam (Tamil Nadu); Haldia (West Bengal); Tatipaka (ONGC, AP); Mangalore (Karnataka); Kochi (Kerala); Barauni (Bihar); Panipat (Haryana); Bina (MP).
  • Incorrect Match: Hatia is not a refinery location.

Major Pipelines

  • HBJ Gas Pipeline (Hajira-Bijapur-Jagdishpur): One of the longest natural gas pipelines, built by GAIL.
  • Other Pipelines: Salaya-Koyali-Mathura (crude), Jamnagar-Loni (LPG), Kandla-Bhatinda.

Exploration & Policy

  • Exploring Agencies: ONGC, OIL, IOCL, HPCL.
  • Exploration Blocks: N.E.L.P. Blocks, J.V. Blocks, Nomination Blocks, C.B.M. Blocks.
  • Historical Context: First oil crisis in the 1970s-80s. ‘Hydrogen Vision-2025’ was related to cleaner fuels and the Euro emission norms.

India’s Global Mineral Status

  • Global leader in the production of Sheet Mica.
  • Self-sufficiency in the production of Graphite.

Know More About Mineral Resources of India:

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