Bauxite is an important ore which is used for making aluminium. It is an oxide of aluminium (name derived after Le Beaux in France).
It is not a specific mineral but a rock consisting mainly of hydrated aluminium oxides. It is a clay-like substance which is pinkish, whitish or reddish in colour depending on the amount of iron content.
Production and Distribution:
The total in situ reserves are 3,076 million tonnes as on 1 April, 2000. These deposits are mainly associated with laterites and occur as blankets or cappings on hills and plateaus except in coastal areas of Gujarat and Goa. The major occurrences have been reported from Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, M.P., Orissa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, U.P. and Rajasthan are also reported to have some bauxite deposits. The production of bauxite has increased rather out of proportion from a mere 68 thousand tonnes in 1950-51 to a staggering quantity of 9,777 thousand tonnes in 2002-03 recording an increase of over 140 times in a span of about half a century.
Orissa, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh are the main bauxite producing states in India.
1. Orissa:
Orissa is the largest bauxite producing state accounting for more than half of the total production of India. The total recoverable reserves in the state are estimated at 1,370.5 million tonnes. The main bauxite belt is in Kalahandi and Koraput districts and extends further into Andhra Pradesh.
This 300 km long, 40 to 100 km wide and 950 to 1300 metre thick belt is the largest bauxite bearing region of the country. The main deposits occur in Kalahandi, Koraput, Sundargarh, Bolangir and Sambalpur districts.
The important mining areas include Chandgiri, Baphalimoli Parbat, Kathakal, Manjimali, Pasenmali, Kunnumali, Kodingandi, Pottangi and Karalput in Kalahandi and Koraput districts. The new aluminium plant at Damanjoli provides