Minerals and Ores

Koderma is the leading producer of Mica. It is located in Hazaribagh belt of Jharkhand. Jharkhand, as a whole, is quite rich in minerals.

India is critically deficient in the reserve and production of copper. The Balaghat mines in Madhya Pradesh, Khetri mines in Rajasthan and Singhbhum district of Jharkhand are leading producers of copper. 

Mica is a mineral made up of a series of plates or leaves. It splits easily into thin sheets. These sheets can be so thin that a thousand can be layered into a mica sheet of a few centimeters high. 

Minerals can be extracted by mining, drilling or quarrying. For minerals near the surface quarrying is done to extract them.

The ocean waters contain vast quantities of minerals, but most of these are too widely diffused to be of economic significance. However, common salt, magnesium and bromine are largely derived from ocean waters. The ocean beds, too, are rich in manganese nodules.

Ferrous minerals contain iron, non-ferrous minerals do not contain iron. Ferrous minerals constitute about 75% of the total production of minerals in India. Iron ore and manganese are two important ferrous minerals mined in India.

• Galena, also called lead glance, is the natural mineral form of lead(II) sulfide.
  
•  It is the most important ore of lead and an important source of silver. 
  
• Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals.
  
•  Most of the lead minerals, such as Cerussite and Anglesite are secondary minerals formed from Galena.
  

Resources that are drawn from nature and used without much modification are called natural resources. The air we breathe, the water in our rivers and lakes, the soils, minerals are all natural resources. 

Non-ferrous minerals are those which do not have iron content in them. For example, copper, bauxite, lead, zinc and gold .

Minerals can be metallic, non- metallic or energy minerals. Metallic minerals are sub-divided into ferrous, non-ferrous and precious minerals. Eg of ferrous minerals: iron ore, manganese. they contain iron in them. examples of non-ferrous: bauxite copper. They do not contain iron. Examples of precious minerals: diamond, platinum. examples of energy minerals: coal, petrol. Examples of non-metallic minerals: mica, limestone.

The most striking feature of the Indian minerals is their uneven distribution. Some areas are very rich in minerals while some others are completely devoid of this valuable asset.Minerals are rarely found in Northern plains of India.

Jadugoda, located in Jharkhand, is the site of India's first uranium mine. It is a critical location for the country's nuclear fuel supply.

Manganese is often called the 'Jack of all trades' in the industrial sector because it is essential for the production of iron and steel, as well as in chemical and battery industries.

• Minerals are naturally occurring inorganic solids that have a crystalline structure and definite chemical composition.
  
• Minerals are referred to as naturally occurring because they are formed through natural geological processes.

Barium is used for both industrial and medical purpose. It is obtained from the mineral Barite. Barium is used for making paper, rubber, clutches of cars. It is also used in radiology for x-rays of the digestive system.