Iron ore is used in the production of iron and steel and is used in the making of all machinery. There are three main types of iron ore-Haematites, Magnetites and Limonites.
Iron Ore Fields
The iron-ore in India has a high iron content. The area of iron-one is located close to coalfields and has a low sulphur content. It’s by-product, Benzene, is used in making synthetic rubber.
The chief deposits of iron-ore occur in-
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(а) Orissa: Good quality haematite (iron-55- 68%) Keonjhar,
Mayurbhanj, Sundergarh, Noamundi
(b) Jharkhand: rich haematites (iron: 60-69%) Singhbhum, Palamau, Noamundi.
(c) Chhattisgarh: Bastar and Durg districts. Iron is exported through Vishakhapatnam.
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(d) Karnataka: (Magnetite and haematite) found in Kemmangundi and Baba Budan hills. Kudremukh has very large and valuable iron ore deposits and supplies this raw material to Bhadravati Iron Works.
(e) Goa: Small reserves but being a port export is easy. Chief areas are Bicholin, Kudriem, Ponda and Sahqualin.
(f) Andhra Pradesh: (Magnetite) Iron Ore is found in:
- Disticts of Cuddapah and Chabali,
- Guntur and Nellore districts.
(g) Tamil Nadu: Salem and Tiruchirapalli
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(h) Maharashtra: 1. Lohara Hills in Chanda district 2. Ratnagiri, Raigarh and Satara districts.
India exports iron-ore through the ports of Marmagoa, Vishakhapatnam and Mangalore to Japan, Korea, European and the Gulf countries.