Non-Ferrous Minerals
| Mineral | Uses | Leading states and important mines |
|---|---|---|
| Bauxite | Aluminium; ore of aluminium | Odisha (first; Panchpatmali in Koraput), Gujarat, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh; Amarkantak plateau |
| Copper | Wires, electrical goods | Madhya Pradesh (Malanjkhand in Balaghat), Rajasthan (Khetri, Kho-Dariba), Jharkhand (Ghatsila, Singhbhum copper belt) |
| Lead and zinc | Alloys, batteries; zinc for galvanising | Rajasthan (Zawar in Udaipur, Rampura-Agucha in Bhilwara), also Gujarat, Andhra |
| Gold | Jewellery, reserves | Karnataka (Hutti, Kolar Gold Fields now closed), Andhra Pradesh (Ramagiri) |
| Silver | Silver as by-product with lead-zinc | Rajasthan |
| Mica | Insulator in electrical equipment | Jharkhand (Koderma, Giridih), Andhra (Nellore), Rajasthan (Ajmer, Bhilwara); India is among the largest producers of mica |
| Tin | Chhattisgarh (Dantewada) | |
| Magnesite | Uttarakhand (Almora), Tamil Nadu (Salem) | |
| Uranium | Nuclear fuel | Jharkhand (Jaduguda), Andhra (Tummalapalle), Meghalaya, Rajasthan |
| Thorium | Nuclear (monazite) | Kerala coast (Chavara), Tamil Nadu, Odisha |
| Rare earths | Electronics | Monazite sand coastal belts |
| Limestone | Cement, steel | Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh |
| Gypsum | Cement, fertiliser | Rajasthan (leader), J&K, Tamil Nadu |
| Dolomite | Steel flux | Chhattisgarh, Odisha, MP |
| Salt | Food and chemical | Gujarat (largest producer, Kutch and Gulf of Khambhat), Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan (Sambhar) |
| Diamond | Panna (MP), the only diamond mine; Majhgawan | |
| Asbestos | Rajasthan, Andhra |
Atomic minerals
- Atomic Minerals Directorate (AMD) and Atomic Energy Commission: uranium and thorium are strategic.
- India has among the world's largest thorium reserves (in monazite) and a three-stage nuclear programme by Homi Bhabha.
Keep practising
Notes are only half the work. Test yourself with questions and discuss doubts with other aspirants.
Prepared for exam revision from NCERT, standard geography textbooks, the Census of India 2011, the India State of Forest Report, IMD, Ministry of Agriculture and other official sources. Maps are schematic teaching maps, not Survey of India maps, and zone boundaries are approximate. Figures such as production, capacity, counts of parks and ports, and census status change, so check the latest official source before relying on them. Found a mistake? Tell us.