Geography · Ch 13 — Mineral and Energy Resources
Non-Ferrous Minerals
Non-Ferrous Minerals
Non-Ferrous Minerals
India is poorly endowed with non-ferrous metallic minerals, with one major exception: bauxite. Non-ferrous minerals are those that do not contain iron, and they are critical for a wide range of industries, from electrical manufacturing to jewellery.
Bauxite
Bauxite is the ore from which aluminium is manufactured. It is found mainly in tertiary deposits and is closely associated with laterite rocks. These deposits occur extensively on the plateau and hill ranges of peninsular India, as well as in the coastal tracts of the country.
Production and Major Deposits
- Odisha is the largest producer of bauxite in India. The leading producing districts are Kalahandi and Sambalpur. Two other districts that have been increasing their production are Bolangir and Koraput.
- Jharkhand has rich deposits in the patlands (plateau-like flat-topped hills) of Lohardaga.
- Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra are other major producers.
- In Gujarat, the major deposits are in Bhavnagar and Jamnagar.
- Chhattisgarh has bauxite deposits on the Amarkantak plateau.
- In Madhya Pradesh, important deposits are found in the Katni-Jabalpur area and in Balaghat.
- Maharashtra has important producing districts: Kolaba, Thane, Ratnagiri, Satara, Pune, and Kolhapur.
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Goa are minor producers of bauxite.
Copper
Copper is an indispensable metal, especially in the electrical industry. It is used to make wires, electric motors, transformers, and generators. Its key properties are that it is alloyable (can be mixed with other metals), malleable (can be hammered into sheets), and ductile (can be drawn into wires). Copper is also mixed with gold to provide strength to jewellery.
Major and Minor Producers …
Map 5.3 is a thematic political map of India titled "India – Minerals (Non-Ferrous)". The landmass is shaded grey, and the map includes the graticule from 68°E to 96°E longitude and 8°N to 36°N latitude. The Tropic of Cancer is marked, and neighbouring countries and surrounding seas are labelled for geographic context.
The legend uses two symbols: a filled star for copper and a boxed symbol for bauxite. These symbols are plotted at specific locations across the country, showing the distribution of these two non-ferrous minerals.
For copper, the map shows deposits in Rajasthan at Khetri, Alwar, Bhilwara, and Udaipur. In the central region, copper is marked at Katni, Amarkantak, Balaghat, Bilaspur, and Maikala Hill — these sites span present-day Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. In eastern India, copper appears at Hazaribagh and Singhbhum in Jharkhand, and at Koraput in Odisha.
For bauxite, the map does not list specific place names in the description provided, but the textbook text tells us that bauxite is concentrated in Odisha (Kalahandi, Sambalpur, Bolangir, Koraput), Jharkhand (Lohardaga), Gujarat (Bhavnagar, Jamnagar), Chhattisgarh (Amarkantak plateau), Madhya Pradesh (Katni-Jabalpur area, Balaghat), and Maharashtra (Kolaba, Thane, Ratnagiri, Satara, Pune, Kolhapur). The map would show bauxite symbols at these general regions. …