1.3.1 Iron Ore

Iron is a metal of universal use. India has the largest reserve of iron ore in Asia. It is used for manufacturing articles from safety pins to ships. It is a durable and cheap metal which can be moulded in different forms and can be mixed with other metals to form alloys. Iron is not found in pure form. It is often mixed with lime, magnesium, phosphorous, silicon, etc. In India, we get four main types of iron ore, which are as under:

Haematite: It is also known as red-ochre, as it is reddish in colour. The iron contents in this type ranges from about 60 to 70 per cent. Most of the iron ore reserves in India belong to this type.

Magnetite: It is the best quality of iron ore and contains more than 70 per cent of the iron contents. The colour of the ore is dark brown to blackish and is known as black ore. It has magnetic properties.

Limonite: It is yellow or light brown in colour and the iron contents ranges from about 40 to 60 per cent. It is called hydrated iron oxide, when the iron ore in mixed with oxygen and water. Its mining is easier and cheaper.

Siderite: It is an inferior variety of iron ore and has many impurities. The iron contents ranges from about 20 to 40 per cent. It is also called iron carbonate.

About 95 per cent of total reserves of iron ore are located in the States of Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Goa, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. In Odisha, iron ore occurs in a series of hill ranges in Sundergarh, Mayurbhanj and Jhar. The important mines are Gurumahisani, Sulaipet, Badampahar (Mayurbhaj), Kiruburu (Kendujhar) and Bonai (Sundergarh). In Jharkhand has some of the oldest iron ore mines and most of the iron and steel plants are located around them. Important mines such as Noamundi and Gua are located in Poorbi and Pashchimi Singhbhum districts. Dalli, and Rajhara in Durg are other important mines of iron ore. In Karnataka, iron ore deposits occur in Sandur-Hospet area of Bellary district, Baba Budan hills and Kudremukh in Chikmagalur district and parts of Shimoga, Chitradurg and Tumkur districts. The districts of Chandrapur, Bhandara and Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, Karimnagar, Warangal, Kurnool, Cuddapah and Anantapur districts of Andhra Pradesh, Salem and Nilgiris districts of Tamil Nadu are other iron mining regions. Goa has also emerged as an important producer of iron ore.

India is the fifth largest exporter of iron in the world. Increasing demand of iron ore in domestic market has adversely affected the export performance of the sector. About half of the total production of iron ore is exported to Japan, South Korea, East European Countries and the Gulf region. Some iron ore is also exported to USA and China. The main ports handling the export are Marmagao, Vishakhapatnam, Paradip, Mangalore, Haldia and Chennai. Japan is the most important buyer of Indian iron ore.