Classification of minerals

Also called: Ferrous and non-ferrous minerals · Topic: Mineral Resources of India: Distribution and Conservation · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 5 "Secondary Activities"; Class 12, Ch 5 "Mineral and Energy Resources"

Meaning

Classifying minerals means sorting them into groups by what they give us. Metallic minerals give a metal when processed. They are split into ferrous (containing iron, or used to make iron and steel), non-ferrous (containing no iron) and precious (rare, high-value metals). Non-metallic minerals give no metal. They are either organic (mineral fuels formed from buried plants and animals) or inorganic.

This grouping explains India's mineral position. India is rich in ferrous minerals, bauxite and mica, but poor in most non-ferrous and critical minerals. That gap shapes its industry, trade and import needs.

Explanation

First, what is being classified

• Mineral: a natural substance, of organic or inorganic origin, with definite chemical and physical properties (Class 12 definition).
• Organic means it came from living things, like coal from buried plants.

• Inorganic means it did not come from living things, like iron ore or mica.

• Geologists use the Class 10 definition: "a homogenous, naturally occurring substance with a definable internal structure".

• Homogenous means the same all the way through.

• Definable internal structure means its atoms sit in a fixed, regular pattern.

• More than 2,000 minerals are known, but only a few are common.

• Rocks are combinations of minerals. Some rocks, like limestone, are made of a single mineral.
• India produces about 100 minerals: 4 fuel, 11 metallic and 52 non-metallic minerals. Minor minerals make up the rest [3].

The NCERT classification (Class 12, Fig. 5.1)

Class	Type	Meaning	Examples
Metallic	Ferrous	Contains iron, or is used to make iron and steel	iron ore, manganese, chromite, nickel, cobalt
Metallic	Non-ferrous	Contains no iron	copper, bauxite, lead, zinc, tin
Metallic	Precious	Rare, high-value metals	gold, silver, platinum
Non-metallic	Organic (mineral fuels)	Formed from buried plants and animals	coal, petroleum
Non-metallic	Inorganic	No metal and no organic origin	mica, limestone, graphite, gypsum, dolomite, phosphate

• The first test is whether processing the mineral gives a metal.

• If yes, it is metallic. If no, it is non-metallic.

• Coal and petroleum are non-metallic. They are "mineral fuels" because they formed from living matter.

What each group means for India

• Ferrous minerals
• They make up about three-fourths of the value of India's metallic mineral production.
• They give India a strong base for metallurgical industries (industries that turn ore into metal).
• India exports large amounts after meeting its own needs.

• Iron ore's share of total mineral production value rose from 3.6% (2000-01) to 15% (2009-10) [3].

• Non-ferrous minerals

• India is poorly endowed with non-ferrous minerals, except bauxite, the ore of aluminium.

• So India has to import copper, lead, zinc and tin.

• Non-metallic minerals

• Mica is India's most important non-metallic mineral. India was the world's largest producer of mica blocks and mica splittings (2009-10 data) [3].
• Limestone, dolomite and phosphate are mostly used inside India, for cement, steel and fertiliser.

• Fuel minerals led in value in 2009-10 [3]:

  • crude petroleum: 31% of mineral production value
  • coal: 27%, down from 35% in 2000-01
  • natural gas: about 8%

• Mines by group (2009-10): India had 2,999 mines. Of these, 574 were fuel mines, 700 metal mines and 1,725 non-metallic mines [3].

Other ways minerals are grouped (beyond NCERT)

• Legal classification under the MMDR Act 1957 (MMDR = Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation)):
• Major minerals are controlled by the Centre.
• Minor minerals (sand, building stone and similar) are controlled by the States. Each State notifies its own minor minerals and makes its own Minor Mineral Concession Rules [3].

• Atomic minerals (such as uranium and monazite, which contains thorium) are controlled under the Atomic Energy Act.

• Critical minerals: minerals vital for a country's economy and national security. Their supply is at risk because they are scarce or found in only a few places in the world [2].

• Nickel and cobalt are ferrous in NCERT's classification, but today they are also critical battery minerals.

Where it occurs

• Peninsular plateau: most of India's valuable minerals are pre-Palaeozoic (more than about 540 million years old). They lie in its igneous rocks (formed when molten rock cools) and metamorphic rocks (rocks changed by heat and pressure).
• Ferrous: iron ore (2009-10, by value): Odisha 36%, then Goa 22%, Karnataka 18% and Chhattisgarh 16% [3].
• Non-metallic organic: coal: mostly in the Damodar, Mahanadi and Godavari valleys. In 2009-10, Jharkhand gave 22% of coal value, followed by Madhya Pradesh (16%) and Chhattisgarh (15%) [3].
• Beach-sand minerals (rutile, ilmenite, zircon, sillimanite, garnet): mined by IREL (India) Ltd at [2]:
• Chavara (Kerala)
• Manavalakurichi (Tamil Nadu)

• Orissa Sands Complex (OSCOM), Odisha, its flagship unit

• Rare earth elements (critical minerals), in Rajasthan [2]:

• About 1,11,845 tonnes of in-situ rare earth oxide found at Balotra by the Department of Atomic Energy.

• GSI surveyed for neodymium in Sirohi and Bhilwara in 2021-22 and 2022-23.

• Who maps and assesses minerals:

• The Geological Survey of India (GSI) was set up in 1851 [3].
• The Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) collects exploration data and makes mineral maps [3].

Don't confuse with

• Mineral vs ore: an ore is a mineral deposit concentrated enough that mining it pays. Every ore is a mineral, but not every mineral deposit is an ore.
• Mineral vs rock: a rock is a combination of minerals. Some rocks, like limestone, contain only one mineral.
• Ferrous vs "iron-bearing only": ferrous also covers minerals used to make iron and steel. So nickel, cobalt, manganese and chromite are ferrous. Bauxite and copper are non-ferrous.
• Major/minor minerals vs metallic/non-metallic: major and minor is a legal split based on who controls the mineral (Centre or State). It is not a split by what the mineral contains. Sand and building stone are minor minerals.

Prelims Hooks

• Nickel and cobalt are ferrous in NCERT. Copper, bauxite, lead, zinc and tin are non-ferrous. Gold, silver and platinum are precious.
• Coal and petroleum are non-metallic organic minerals (mineral fuels), not metallic. Mica, limestone, graphite and gypsum are non-metallic inorganic.
• Bauxite is the only non-ferrous mineral India has in plenty.
• Ferrous minerals make up about three-fourths of the value of India's metallic mineral production.
• Limestone is a rock made of a single mineral.
• Of 30 critical minerals, 24 are in Part D of the MMDR Act's First Schedule. Only the Central Government can auction them [2].

Mains Points

• Rich in some groups, poor in others:
• India has plenty of ferrous minerals, bauxite and mica, so its iron and steel industry has a strong base and it can export.
• It lacks most non-ferrous and critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt and REEs (rare earth elements). This creates import dependence and puts clean-energy goals at risk.

• Policy responses include:

  • the critical minerals list and Centre-run auctions under Part D [2]
  • the National Critical Mineral Mission (2025), with 1,200 GSI exploration projects planned from 2024-25 to 2030-31 [2]
  • the new Exploration Licence, meant to bring in private firms [2]
  • recovering minerals from fly ash, tailings and red mud [2]

• Uneven spread means uneven development (GS-III):

• Metallic minerals are concentrated in the peninsular plateau (Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka), so mining-led industry grows there.
• Many of these are tribal and forested districts, so mining also brings displacement and environmental damage.

• High-grade ore is used up first. Mines then go deeper and costs rise. Answers include beneficiation (upgrading low-grade ore), recycling and substitutes.

• The legal split shapes governance:

• The Centre controls major minerals and the States control minor minerals.
• Weak State control over sand and building stone helps explain illegal sand mining and damage to river beds.

Related concepts

• Mineral
• Ore
• Characteristics of minerals
• Ferrous minerals
• Non-ferrous minerals
• Non-metallic minerals

Read more

• Minerals, ores and their classification