Distribution of minerals in India
Topic: Mineral Resources of India: Distribution and Conservation · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 5 "Minerals and Energy Resources"
Meaning
Minerals in India are spread unevenly because geological structure, processes and time differ from place to place. The old rocks of the Peninsula hold most of the coal, the metallic minerals and mica. Over 97% of the coal lies in the Damodar, Sone, Mahanadi and Godavari valleys. The sedimentary rocks on the flanks of Gujarat and Assam hold petroleum. Rajasthan has non-ferrous minerals. The northern alluvial plains, made of river-laid soil, have almost no economic minerals.
Example
The Chhotanagpur plateau in Jharkhand is called the "storehouse of minerals". By contrast, the Ganga plains of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have almost no mineral wealth.
Don't confuse with
- Mangaluru-Kanpur line: this is just a rough line on the map. Most major minerals lie east of it. The line describes the pattern; it does not explain why.
Related concepts
- Mangaluru-Kanpur line
- Mineral belts of India
- North-Eastern Plateau mineral belt
- South-Western Plateau mineral belt
- North-Western mineral belt