Types of Iron Ore – Haematite, Magnetite, Limonite & Siderite. Distribution of Iron Ore in India – Iron ore in Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka & other states.

Types of Iron Ore

• Haematite, Magnetite, Limonite & Siderite.

Haematite

• Reddish; best quality; 70 per cent metallic content.
• Found in Dharwad and Cuddapah rock systems of the peninsular India.
• 80 per cent of haematite reserves are in Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh.
• In the western section, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa has this kind of ore.

Magnetite

• Black ore; 60 to 70 per cent metallic content.
• Dharward and Cuddapah systems.
• Magnetic quality.
• Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Limonite

• Inferior ores; yellowish in colour; 40 to 60 per cent iron metal.
• Damuda series in Raniganj coal field, Garhwal in Uttarakhand, Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh and Kangra valley of Himachal Pradesh.
• Advantage == open cast mines == easy and cheap mining.

Siderite

• ‘Iron carbonate’; inferior quality; less than 40 per cent iron.
• Contains many impurities {previous post}; mining is not economically variable.
• However, it is self-fluxing due to presence of lime.

Iron Ore Distribution in India

• Hematite and magnetite are the two most important iron ores in India

Q1. Statements

• Karnataka has more than half of the reserves of magnetite ore in India.
• Jharkhand has the highest reserves of haematite ore in India.

Which of the above are true?

1. Both
2. 1 only
3. 2 only
4. None

Iron Ore in Orissa

• The ores are rich in haematites.
• India’s richest haematite deposits are located in Barabil-Koira valley.
• Others: Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Keonjhar and Koraput districts.

Iron Ore in Chhattisgarh

• Bailadila mine is the largest mechanised mine in Asia [Ore benefication only done here]
• A 270 km long slurry (a semi-liquid mixture) pipeline from the Bailadila to Vizag plant transports the ore slurry.
• Smelting is done in Vizag [Vishakhapatnam] iron and steel factory.
• Bailadila’s high grade ore is exported through Vishakhapatnam to Japan [No iron ore in Japan. But market is huge due to automobile industry] and other countries.
• The Dalli-Rajhara range is 32 km long [ferrous content 68-69 per cent] range with significant reserves.

Iron Ore in Jharkhand

• 25 per cent of reserves.
• First mine in Singhbhum district in 1904.
• Iron ore of here is of highest quality and will last for hundreds of years.
• Noamandi mines in Singhbhum are the richest.
• Magnetite ores occur near Daltenganj in Palamu district.

Iron Ore in Karnataka

• Iron ores are widely distributed.
• High grade ore deposits are those of Kemmangundi in Bababudan hills of Chikmagalur district and Sandur and Hospet in Bellary [Lot of Mining Mafia].
• Most of the ores are high grade haematite and magnetite.

Iron Ore in other states

• Andhra Pradesh (1.02%): Kurnool, Guntur, Cuddapah, Ananthapur, Nellore.
• Maharashtra (0.88%): Chandrapur, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg.
• Madhya Pradesh (0.66%).
• Tamilnadu: Salem, Tiruchirapalli, Coimbatore, Madurai etc.
• Rajasthan: Jaipur, Alwar, Sikar, Bundi, Bhilwara.
• Uttar Pradesh: Mirzapur.
• Uttaranchal: Garhwal, Almora, Nainital.
• Himachal Pradesh: Kangra and Mandi.
• Haryana: Mahendragarh.
• West Bengal: Burdwan, Birbhum, Darjeeling.
• Jammu and Kashmir: Udhampur and Jammu.
• Gujarat: Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Vadodara.
• Kerala: Kozhikode.

Primary References: NCERT Geography, Indian Geography by Kullar [Amazon and Flipkart]