Ferrous minerals :
- They account for about 3/4th of total value of production of metallic minerals.
- They provide a strong base for development of metallurgical industries.
- India is also an exporter of ferrous minerals.
IRON ORE :
- Is the basic mineral and backbone of industrial development.
- India has abundant resources of iron ore.
- Magnetite is the finest iron ore with a very high content of iron upto 70%.
- It has excellent magnetic qualities, valuable in the electric industry.
- Hematite is the most important iron ore in terms of quantity used.
- It has a lower iron content than magnetite , 50-60%.
- In 2018–19 almost the entire production of iron ore (97%) accrued from Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, and Jharkhand. The remaining production (3%) was from other states.
MAJOR IRON ORE BELTS IN INDIA :
Odisha jharkhand belt :
- In Odisha, high grade hematite ore is found in Badampahar mines in Mayurbhanj and Kendujhar districts.
- In Singhbhum district of Jharkhand, hematite iron ore is mined in Gua and Naomandi.
Durg Bastar chandrapur belt :
- Lies in chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.
- Very high grade hematites are found in famous of Bailadila range of hills in the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh.
- Range of hills comprise of 14 deposits of super high grade hematite iron ore.
- It has best physical properties for making steel.
- Iron ore from these mines is exported to Japan and South Korea via vishakhapatnam port.
Ballari Chitradurga Chikkamagaluru Tumakuru belt :
- This belt is in karnataka and has large reserves of iron ore .
- Kudremukh mines located in western ghats of Karanataka are a 100% export unit.
- Kudremukh deposits are known to be one of the largest in the world.
- The ore is transported as slurry through a pipeline to a port near Mangaluru.
Maharashtra Goa belt :
- Includes the state of Goa and Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra.
- Though, the ores are not of very high quality, yet they are efficiently expoited.
- Iron ore is exported through Marmagao port.
Manganese :
- Mainly used in the manufacturing of steel and ferro manganese alloy.
- Nearly 10kg of manganese is required to manufacture 1 tonne of steel.
- It is also used in manufacturing bleaching powder, insecticides and paints.
