South-Western Plateau mineral belt
Topic: Mineral Resources of India: Distribution and Conservation · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 5 "Mineral and Energy Resources"
Meaning
The South-Western Plateau mineral belt covers Karnataka, Goa, the Tamil Nadu uplands and Kerala. It is rich in high-grade iron ore, manganese, bauxite and limestone. It has no coal except the lignite of Neyveli in Tamil Nadu. Lignite is a soft brown coal with low carbon. Kerala has monazite, a source of thorium, and Goa has iron ore.
Example
Kudremukh in Chikkamagaluru district, Karnataka, had high-grade iron ore. The Neyveli lignite field in Tamil Nadu is the belt's only coal.
Don't confuse with
- North-Eastern Plateau mineral belt: Chhotanagpur and Odisha have both iron ore and good coal side by side. The south-western belt lacks coal.
Related concepts
- Distribution of minerals in India
- Mangaluru-Kanpur line
- Mineral belts of India
- North-Eastern Plateau mineral belt
- North-Western mineral belt