Ferrous Minerals

Ferrous minerals are iron-rich minerals that tend to be dark and heavy and generally crystallize at the highest temperatures and pressures (farther from the Earth's crust), causing them to contain less stable crystal structures and be more prone to rapid decomposition than non-ferrous minerals.

IRON ORE:

Importance:

• Backbone of modern civilization.
• Metal of universal use.
• Used for manufacturing of machines, agricultural implements and items of general use.

Varieties:

• Magnetite: The finest iron ore with a very high content of iron up to 70 percent. It has excellent magnetic qualities, especially valuable in the electrical industry.
• Hematite: The most important industrial iron ore in terms of the quantity used, but has a slightly lower iron content than magnetite. (50-60 percent).

Major Iron Ore Belts in India:

• Orissa- Jharkhand belt: In Orissa high grade hematite ore is found in Badampahar mines in the Mayurbhanj and Kendujhar districts. In the adjoining Singbhum district of Jharkhand haematite iron ore is mined in Gua and Noamundi.
• Durg-Bastar- Chandrapur belt lies in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. Very high grade hematites are found in the famous Bailadila range of hills in the Bastar district of Chattisgarh. The range of hills comprise of 14 deposits of super high grade hematite iron ore. It has the best physical properties needed for steel making. Iron ore from these mines is exported to Japan and South Korea via Vishakapatnam port.
• Bellary-Chitradurga-Chikmaglur- Tumkur belt in Karnataka has large reserves of iron ore. The Kudermukh mines located in the Western Ghats of Karnataka are a 100 per cent 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 Mangalore.
• 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 exploited. Iron ore is exported through Marmagao port.

iron or mine

Iron ore

MANGANESE ORE:

Importance:

• Used for making Iron and Steel and preparing ferromanganese alloys.
• Used for manufacturing Bleaching powder, Insecticides, Paints and Batteries.Orissa is the largest producer of manganese ore in India. It accounted for one-third of the country's total production in 2000-01.

Production of Manganese showing state-wise share in percent 2003-04