Mineral resources contain rocks – quartzite ,marble, and various types of schist and gnesiss.the southern division contains rocks such as gneiss , limestone,phyllites,quartzite,sericite-biotite schist and slate.
Some of the important minerals of uttarakhand :
Asbestos
Copper
Graphite
Lead
Building stone
Magnestic
Iron
Gold
Slate
Sulphur
Soapstone or steatite
Graphite
Gypsum
Limestone
Bitumen
Beside of these some other mineral resources play a major role in enhancing the economy of uttarakhand.
Antimony
Lignite or brown marble
Silver
Arsenic
Mica etc.
Mineral resources in uttarakhand is found in abundant. Through these mineral resources that uttarakhand is striding forward in this competitive world.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF MINERALS
MAGNESITE : the biggest magnesite store of india is present in kumaon region of uttarakhand .it is also found in abundance in chamoli district of garhwal region.magnesite mostly found in jhirauli,devaldhar,tapovan, pokhari , belakuchi , joshimath ,mandakini valley , pinder valley etc. The first furnace of magnesite project started functioning on 26th October,1977 at chandak.
Magnesite has a large utility ,it is used on a large scale in the big furnaces of iron ,steel and cement factories as heat-proof.various type of mix-metals are manufactured by mixing it with aluminium,copper,nickel,zink , and other metals.it is also used in purifying oil and manufacturing acid.
CHALK: magnesite and chalk are generally found together because these have genetic relation. Found in hilly areas of jakhera , aagar- girichhina , lohar valley , muwani , devasthal , kanda , rai-aagar ,tarosi and huyena regions of chamoli tehsil. Chalk is used in making statues , decorating things , pesticides , fertilizers ,craft-paper , electric appliances , and greasy powders.
LIME-STONE AND MARBLE : is found in kumaon and garhwal.it is present in abundance at ookhimath tehsil , alakhanda valley in the
middle of pinder and lohaba strip , adjoining areas of tehri and dehradun, near neelkanth and east of rishikesh.also largely found at Gangolihat of pithoragarh district and in nainital and almora districts . marble is found in alakhanda valley of chamoli tehsil and virahi ganga valley.
ROCK PHOSPHATE: the digging of rock phosphate in mussourie and tehri-garhwal is being done by ‗pyrites phosphates &chemical limited.it found at durmala , kimoi , masarana , mal devata and chamasari.recently found in nainital district.mineral used in fertilizer industries and for the treatment of acidic soil.
GOLD: it is achieved from the sands if sharda and ramganga rivers, and form of particles in the sands of pindar of alakhanda and sone rivers . it is a costly metal. Gold is used in making medicines , electro-plating , photography , to polish the glass-bangles and making ornaments.
IRON: it is found at ramgarh , kaladungi of nainital district , chandpur patti of garhwal , rajbaguna , kaliphat dudhatoli , chopra , lohagaon , dasoli etc
COAL: its digging work is being done in kumaon and garhwal regions of uttarakhand . the digging of coal is being done in kumaon and gaehwal regions under the direction of Indian geological survey department.
STONE AND SLAB : in ancient time ,the stone used in the roofs of houses of hilly region-represents that it is found everywhere in uttarakhand. Good quality of slabs are found in almora.used for construction of roof , courtyards , drains , roads etc.
LEAD: found at chandak , devalgarh , ralam and bhainskhal of pithoragarh , ranei of almora , Nagpur region of garhwal , kuma-burela and mughaul in tonse river valley of dehradun district.it used in transport appliances and fertilizers.its a heavy and elastic metal.
GYPSUM: found near khiyarkuli and bhata villages in dehradun .dhapila( nainital),kharari,laxmanjhula,gudhthani regions.
SULPHUR: it is found near sutaul village 50 km east of nandprayag.
URANIMUM: found in tehri-garhwal region.
SILVER: small quantity in almora .
TALC: it‘s a very soft mineral.found in pithoragarh and almora.used in making talcum powder ,paints ,soap ,pesticide powder , textile and paper etc.
ASBESTOS: found in garhwal ( ookhimath and kandhera)and almora.chiefly used in cement manufacturing and electric appliances.its capacity to bear high heat-stroke and doesnot react too much chemical reaction due to this it used in industrial area on a large scale.mixture of lime and magnesium is found in it.]
