Five sites in the State identified for commercial mining
Posted on: 12/Jun/2016 11:37:20 AM
The Centre will soon submit maps and photographs of five sites in Tamil Nadu with the help of the Geological Survey of India. These sites will help the State tap potential to mine platinum, iron ore and rare earth elements.
A senior official of the Geological Survey of India said, The state department of mining can explore the commercial value of these sites, once the central notification now under process is finished. After six years of platinum and other investigations in Tamil Nadu, 25 sites threw surprises for our geologists and of this, 10 spots were explored in detail and the same was shared to the centre recently.
10 areas were explored and five have been declared to be viable for commercial mining. These include Thuraipadi in Thiruvannamalai, Thirumangaradhu in Tiruppur, Sambalpatti in Rasipuram, Sanganagiri in Tiruchengode and Namakkal. Thiruvannamalai and Sithampundi in Nammakal show positive trends in the platinum group of elements, nickel and chromium deposits. Rare earth elements have been found in Rasipuram.
The details of digital mapping of the site and the nature of minerals found in the said sites will be shared by the Union Ministry of Mines. These sites measure several hectares in size.
Says the official, There are also small private areas during our exploration showing signs of minerals, but such sites will not be commercially viable due to their small geographic size. Now it is for the state to float global tenders to identify the right firms with expertise to tap the minerals.
Sources from Tamil Nadu Minerals Ltd. and the Geographical Survey of India say, The iron ore usually found in the state is not of superior quality and the new findings by the GSI has to be examined in detail. Tamil Nadu has rich sources of minerals and there are rocks found with rich magnesium oxide content of above 30 per cent and 30 colours of granites are found in Madurai region of TN.
