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The Earth’s crust is made up of several minerals. Minerals can be found in igneous and metamorphic rocks in cracks, fissures, faults, and joints. The smaller occurrences are veins, while the larger ones are lodes. There is a wide range of mineral deposits in India. Metals are recovered from these deposits after sufficient processing. Mineral resources offer the required foundation for the country’s industrial development.
Minerals
A mineral is a natural substance of inorganic or organic origin with certain chemical and physical properties.
Distribution of minerals
- Minerals are spread unevenly across the Earth’s surface.
- All minerals are exhaustible or nonrenewable, meaning they will run out after a given period of time. Minerals take a long time to form and cannot be replaced in the moment of need.
- In India, the valleys of the Damodar, Sone, Mahanadi, and Godavari rivers contain more than 97 percent of coal deposits.
- In India, petroleum deposits are found in the sedimentary basins of Assam, Gujarat, and Mumbai High (located offshore in the Arabian Sea).
Classification of mineral deposits
Minerals are divided into two categories based on chemical and physical properties: metallic and non-metallic. Metallic minerals are divided further into ferrous and non-ferrous metallic minerals. Non-metallic minerals are further classified into fuels and other non-metals.
Metallic minerals
Metallic minerals are sources of metal. Iron ore, copper, and gold are all included in this group. Ferrous and non-ferrous metallic minerals are the two types of metallic minerals. Minerals that contain iron are called ferrous minerals. All iron ores are examples of ferrous minerals. Minerals that do not contain iron are called non-ferrous minerals. Examples include bauxite, copper etc.
Non-metallic minerals
Examples of non-metallic minerals with organic origins are fossil fuels like coal and petroleum. They are also called mineral fuels, and they are obtained from buried animal and plant life.
Mica, limestone, and graphite are examples of non-metallic minerals that are inorganic in origin.
Mineral deposits in India
In India, a large portion of metallic minerals is present in ancient crystalline rocks on the peninsular plateau. Over 97 percent of coal reserves are found in the Damodar, Sone, Mahanadi, and Godavari basins. Petroleum reserves are found in the Assam, Gujarat, and Mumbai High sedimentary basins, which are located offshore in the Arabian Sea. In the Krishna-Godavari and Kaveri basins, new reserves have been discovered. The majority of the important mineral deposits are located east of a line that connects Mangaluru and Kanpur.
In India, minerals are largely concentrated in three belts: the North-Eastern Plateau Region, the South-Western Plateau Region and the North-Western Region.
The North-Eastern Plateau Region
Chhota Nagpur (Jharkhand), the Odisha Plateau, West Bengal, and sections of Chhattisgarh are also included in this region. Some minerals found here include iron ore, coal, mica, and manganese.
The South-Western Plateau Region
This belt runs through Karnataka, Goa, and the uplands of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The most-obtained metals in this belt are bauxite and ferrous metals. Other metals are iron ore, manganese, limestone etc. Except for Neyveli lignite, this area is devoid of coal reserves. In Kerala, thorium resources, bauxite and clay are present. Iron ore reserves can be found in Goa.
The North-Western Region
Minerals related to the Dharwar system of rocks are found along the Aravali in Rajasthan and parts of Gujarat. Rajasthan is abundant in building materials such as sandstone, granite, and marble.
There are also large reserves of gypsum and fuller’s earth. The cement industry uses dolomite and limestone as raw materials. Gujarat has a large number of oil and gas reserves. Gujarat and Rajasthan both have vast salt reserves.
Some other mineral deposits in India
Another mineral belt known to contain copper, lead, zinc, cobalt, and tungsten is the Himalayan belt. They can be found in both the eastern and western areas of the country. Mineral oil resources can be found in the Assam valley. Offshore locations near the Mumbai coast are also rich in oil resources (Mumbai High).
Conclusion
Minerals are unevenly distributed in Earth’s crust. Metallic and non-metallic minerals are the two categories of minerals. Minerals are concentrated in three major locations of India. Major minerals in India include iron, manganese, bauxite, coal etc.
