Iron Ore

2020-04-29 01:04:00

India is the 4th highest Iron ore Producer in the world and has the 5th largest reserves.

Types of Iron Ores

Magnetite(Fe3O4)

Has very high Iron content upto 72% and is best quality of ore colour is black.
Ore needs to be beneficiated before feasible amounts of it can be recovered.
Magnetite with less iron content 25%-35% is called Taconite.
Naturally magnetised content is called lodestone.
In India it is found in Dharwad and Cuddapah systems.
Karnataka 73%, Andhra Pradesh 14%, Rajasthan 5% TN 4.9%

Haematite (Fe2O3)

It is red in colour and has content upto 60-70%, sought after industrial ore.
It is most abundantly available in India.
Odisha 33% , Jharkhand 26%, Chhattisgarh 18%

Limonite

Yellowish in colour with 40 to 60 per cent iron content
mines are open cast ; hence mining is easy and cheap
Found in Damuda series in Raniganj coal field, Garhwal in Uttarakhand, Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh and Kangra valley of Himachal Pradesh.

Siderite (FeCO3)

less than 40 per cent iron content.
Mining this is economically unviable.
does NOT contain sulphur or phosphorus.
it is self-fluxing due to the presence of lime.

Location

Odisha : BarabilKoira valley
Chhattisgarh: Bailadila mine largest mechanised mine in Asia, transports to Vizag - Japan, DalliRajhara range.
Jharkhand : First mine started in Singhbhum, Magnetite in Daltenganj, Palamu district, Noamandi mine in Singhbhum richest.
Karnataka : Kemmangundi in Bababudan hills of Chikmagalur district, Sandur and Hospet in Bellary.