Amongst various mineral resources, the most important mineral resources in India are coal, manganese ore, ilmenite, monazite, mica, iron ore and salt. There are also others, which are not found in sufficient amount, like petroleum, chromite, gypsum, tin, mercury, copper, nickel, lead and zinc.
India is predominantly rich in iron resources. Iron, along with coal, forms the foundation of the machine age. According to an estimate, India possesses virtually world`s 1/4th of iron ore resources. Its capital is rich not only quantitatively but also qualitatively. A further important mineral required for ferrous industries is manganese, and India is pretty lucky even in this field. It is used to manufacture steel alloys. The country`s coal reserves are substantial. But regrettably the quality coal required for raising coke as an indispensable input in steel industry is somewhat insufficient. However, the proximity of coal and iron deposits has recompensed this shortcoming to some extent. Limestone, another input in steel industry, is also abundant and prevalent.
India is affluent in bauxite- the ore for aluminium, and mica- used for electrical industries. India, on the other hand, is poor in non-ferric minerals such as zinc, lead, copper and gold. It is also deficient in sulphur, which forms the foundation of modern chemical industry.
At one point of time, India was meagre in the production of mineral oil and natural gas. However, persistent efforts, supported by modern technology, have helped everybody to trace considerable reserves that may last for at least another thirty to forty years. The water power resources and atomic minerals, however, can be depended upon. Solar energy, bounteous in nature, conferred generously upon humankind, will be everybody`s eventual rescuer, when appropriate technology can be developed to harness the same. Iron, Manganese, Bauxite, Mica, Copper and Gold are some of the important mineral resources in India.
Mineral resources in India can be categorised into two groups, namely Metallic minerals and non-metallic minerals. Metallic mineral resources are those, which have the properties of lustre, hardness and heaviness. These metals can be melted, drawn into wires and rolled into sheets. Usually metals exist as compounds in chemical combination with other minerals. Only few of these minerals occur in a pure state. Gold, silver and copper are examples of such minerals. Metallic minerals are extracted from the earth in raw state, called as mineral ore. The major metallic minerals are iron, copper, lead, zinc, tin, silver and gold. There are some minerals that do not have any metal in them and are used for the extraction of non-metals like sulphur, phosperous, carbonate and so on. Limestone, gypsum salts, antimony, mica are some important non metallic minerals found in the Indian subcontinent.
The total recoverable reserves of iron ore in India are about 9,602 million tones of hematite and 3,408 million tones of magnetite. Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, Orissa, Goa, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu are the principal Indian producers of iron ore. Limestone is calcareous sedimentary rock composed of the mineral calcite, which upon calcinations yields lime (CaO) for commercial use. In its broadest interpretation the term includes any calcareous material such as marble, chalk, travertine, tufa, limeshell, coral and marl each possessing different and distinct physical properties. The crystalline equivalents of limestone having the same chemical composition are calcite and aragonite.
Chromium is an important metal and has a wide range of industrial uses. Chromite forms in deep ultra-mafic magmas and is one of the first minerals to crystallize. It is because of this fact that chromite is found in some concentrated ore bodies. While the magma is slowly cooling inside the Earth`s crust, chromite crystals are forming and because of their density, fall to the bottom and are concentrated there. Although its primary origin is ultra-mafic rocks such as peridotites, chromite is also found in metamorphic rocks such as serpentites.
The coal deposits in India, to the tune of 98 per cent belong to the Gondwana age. Nearly three-fourths of the coal deposits are located in the Damodar River Vallev. The places well associated with these deposits are Raniganj, Jharia, Giridih, Bokaro and Karanpura. Minerals are exhaustible sources and hence need to be conserved. The efficient utilisation, recycling and application of improved technology for extraction and purification will help in conserving minerals. The other river valleys associated with coal deposits are the Godavari, Mahanadi, Son and Wardha. Other coal mining areas are in the Satpura range and in Chattisgarh plains of Madhya Pradesh. The coalfields of Singreni in Andhra Pradesh, Talcher in Orissa and Chanda in Maharashtra are also very large.
In India, petroleum is transported from the field areas to other parts by various methods. There are many pipe lines through which oil flows from the oil fields to the refineries. In recent years, a number of pipelines have been lately constructed to connect the vital oil fields with refineries. Road tankers are also used for transporting oil to the local places. Coastal tanks and large freight are used to transport oil across the seawater. Mineral resources in India are some of the indispensable elements of success and development in the nation.
