Mineral and energy resources
Metallic and non-metallic minerals; conventional and non-conventional energy.
The essentials
Minerals are natural substances of organic or inorganic origin with definite chemical and physical properties. Metallic minerals may be ferrous (iron ore, manganese, chromite) or non-ferrous (copper, bauxite, lead, zinc). Non-metallic minerals include mica, limestone and gypsum; mineral fuels include coal and petroleum. Most metallic minerals in India occur in old crystalline rocks of the peninsular plateau, while coal is mainly found in the Damodar, Mahanadi, Godavari and Son valleys.
India's mineral belts include the north-eastern plateau region (Chotanagpur, Odisha plateau, West Bengal and parts of Chhattisgarh), the south-western plateau region (Karnataka, Goa and adjoining Tamil Nadu and Kerala) and the north-western region (Rajasthan and parts of Gujarat).
Key points
- Iron ore: Odisha (Mayurbhanj, Kendujhar), Jharkhand (Noamundi, Gua), Chhattisgarh (Bailadila, Dalli-Rajhara), Karnataka (Sandur-Hospet, Kudremukh), Goa.
- Bauxite (aluminium ore): Odisha (Kalahandi, Koraput), Jharkhand (Lohardaga), Chhattisgarh, Gujarat. Copper: Singhbhum (Jharkhand), Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh), Jhunjhunu and Alwar (Rajasthan). Mica: Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan.
- Coal: Gondwana coal (about 200 million years old) in the Damodar valley (Jharia, Raniganj, Bokaro) and other basins; Tertiary coal in the north-east (Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland). Lignite is mined at Neyveli in Tamil Nadu.
- Petroleum: Digboi in Assam is the oldest oilfield; other fields include Naharkatia and Moran (Assam), Ankleshwar and Kalol (Gujarat), and the offshore Mumbai High.
- Nuclear: uranium from Dharwar rocks, mined at Jaduguda in Jharkhand; thorium from monazite sands on the Kerala coast. Nuclear power stations include Tarapur, Rawatbhata, Kalpakkam, Narora, Kakrapar and Kaiga.
- Non-conventional sources: solar (strong potential in Gujarat and Rajasthan), wind (Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu), tidal and wave, geothermal (Manikaran in Himachal Pradesh), and bio-energy from organic waste.
- Non-conventional energy is renewable, more evenly distributed and less polluting.
Exam tips
Use a map: mark iron ore mines, coalfields and oilfields. Distinguish Gondwana from Tertiary coal by age and region.
Common mistakes
Thorium comes from monazite sands in Kerala, not from Jharkhand's uranium mines.