Iron Mining Industry in Singhbhum-Mayurbhanj Region of India

Abstract

I NDIA has one of the largest and richest known iron ore deposits in the world.' Most of these iron ore resources are concentrated in northeast India (Fig. 1) extending from Singhbhum in Bihar to Mayurbhanj in Orissa (Fig. 2). Both in quantity and quality these ores are thought to exceed any other ores of the same kind, includinig the great American occurrences of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.' With great dumps of waste rock, stock piles of iron ore, and the dull rusty red look of the mine buildings and railroad ties, the iron mining has made a deep impression in this part of India. The western section of the iron ore region consists of forest-clad. hills rising to over 3000 feet which merge eastward into the undulating granitic plain of Mayurbhanj. Apart from a limited agriculture and forestry the chief economic activity in Singhbhum-Mayurbhanj is iron mining. Geologically, the area is built up of metamorphic and relatively unmetamorphosed sedimentary rocks including san~lstonie, shale, quartzite, alnd banded lhemiatite quartzite with which the iron ore is associatedd3 This banded hematite quartzite is identical in character to the jaspilite of the Lake Superior region and is pre-Cambrian in age.4 From north of Gua in Singhbhum to Rontha in Bonai (Orissa) the banded hematite quartzite crops out as a ridge arranged in the form of a horseshoe with closed end to the south and sides open to the north in Singhbhum (Fig. 3). The western side of this horseshoe forms the Ore which is persistent for nearly 30 miles.5 To the east in Mayurbhaiij the banded hematite quartzite forms a series of hills from Badampahar to Gorumahisani (Fig. 4). An enormous amount of iron ore is present in the Iron Ore Range anid adjacent parallel ridges and in M1ayurbhanj Iron Hills. The ore consists of hematite varying in consistency from a massive steel-gray type, with 69 per cent iron; through a porous, laminated, shaly type produced by the leaching out of the siliceous layers from 1)anded hematite quartzite and carrying over 60 per cent iron; to a fine soft powder with up to 69 per cent metal. 1X ih i ho Alltiro Cr I l reserVes of iron