UPSC Prelims 2023 Q6: Ilmenite and Rutile in Beach Sands — Explained
Ilmenite and rutile, abundantly available in certain coastal tracts of India, are rich sources of which one of the following?
- Aluminium
- Copper
- Iron
- Titanium
Answer: (d) Titanium
Statement-wise explanation
- a: incorrect — Aluminium comes from bauxite, a weathered rock made mostly of hydrated aluminium oxides. It forms as laterite cappings on plateaus such as the Odisha and Andhra Eastern Ghats, Jharkhand and the Maikal hills. It does not form in beach sands. Neither ilmenite nor rutile contains any aluminium.
- b: incorrect — Copper ores are sulphides such as chalcopyrite. In India they are mined from hard-rock belts like Khetri in Rajasthan, Malanjkhand in Madhya Pradesh and the Singhbhum belt in Jharkhand. Copper has no link with coastal placer sands, and neither ilmenite nor rutile contains copper.
- c: incorrect — Ilmenite (FeTiO3) does contain iron, so this is the trap. But iron is not why it is mined: India gets its iron from hematite and magnetite in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Karnataka. Rutile is pure titanium dioxide (TiO2) and has no iron at all, so iron cannot be the metal the two minerals share.
- d: correct — Ilmenite (FeO·TiO2) and rutile (TiO2) are the two main titanium minerals, according to the Indian Bureau of Mines' Indian Minerals Yearbook. They occur among the heavy minerals in beach sands of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Chavara ilmenite in Kerala is the richest in India, at about 75.8% TiO2. Manavalakurichi ilmenite in Tamil Nadu has over 55% TiO2.
- a-c-d-summary: correct — The key point: rutile contains only titanium and oxygen. So titanium is the only metal common to both minerals, and that settles the answer.
How to eliminate
You can narrow this partly by reasoning. Beach sands collect heavy, hard minerals that resist weathering, called placers. Bauxite and copper sulphides are not placer minerals in India. Bauxite is a laterite of plateaus, and copper sulphides come from hard-rock mines. That removes aluminium and copper. Choosing between iron and titanium needs one fact: rutile is titanium dioxide (TiO2) and has no iron. Ilmenite is iron-titanium oxide, and it is mined for its titanium, not its iron. If you remember 'ilmenite is the main ore of titanium' and that the name 'rutile' goes with titanium dioxide, the question is done. Note the word 'and' in the question: the answer has to be a metal found in both minerals.
Know more
Beach sand minerals (BSM) are heavy minerals (specific gravity above about 2.9). Rivers and waves sort them out of eroded crystalline rocks and leave them along the coast as placer deposits. The Indian Bureau of Mines lists seven: ilmenite, leucoxene, rutile, zircon, sillimanite, garnet and monazite.
| Mineral | Composition | Main use / element |
|---|---|---|
| Ilmenite | FeO·TiO2 | Titanium (TiO2 pigment, titanium sponge) |
| Leucoxene | Altered ilmenite, higher TiO2 | Titanium |
| Rutile | TiO2 | Titanium (welding rods, pigment, metal) |
| Zircon | ZrSiO4 | Zirconium (ceramics, nuclear cladding) |
| Monazite | Rare earth + thorium phosphate | Rare earths, thorium |
| Sillimanite | Al2SiO5 | Refractories |
| Garnet | Silicate group | Abrasives |
Where they are found: the coastal tracts of Kerala (Chavara), Tamil Nadu (Manavalakurichi), Odisha (Chatrapur / Gopalpur) and Andhra Pradesh. There are smaller deposits in Maharashtra and Gujarat, plus inland placers in Jharkhand and West Bengal. Chavara ilmenite is the richest grade in India (about 75.8% TiO2).
Who controls them: BSM are listed as atomic minerals in Part B of the First Schedule of the MMDR Act, 1957, because monazite carries thorium. The Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD, under the Department of Atomic Energy) explores for them. IREL (India) Ltd, a DAE public sector company, processes them. Titanium is also on India's 2023 list of 30 critical minerals.
Why titanium matters: it is light, strong and corrosion-resistant. It is used in aircraft, spacecraft, defence, medical implants and desalination plants. TiO2 is the standard white pigment in paints, paper and plastics.
Exam tip: pair each mineral with its element: ilmenite/rutile → titanium; zircon → zirconium; monazite → thorium and rare earths; bauxite → aluminium; chalcopyrite → copper; hematite/magnetite → iron.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Beach sand minerals: The question is about two of the heavy minerals that waves collect along India's coast.
- Placer deposits: Explains why dense, resistant grains like ilmenite and rutile pile up in coastal sands.
- Monazite: Monazite is the other well-known beach sand mineral; knowing its element keeps you from mixing up the minerals and their metals.