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Home , Kodaikanal, Melur block, Melur taluk, Palani, Pandya Nadu, Peraiyur

DISTRICT SURVEY REPORT OF

PREFACE

In Compliance to the Notification Issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change Dated 15.01.2016, the preparation of District survey report of minor minerals is in accordance appendix 10 of the notification. It is also mentioned here that the procedure of preparation of District Survey Report is as per notification guidelines. Every effort have been made to cover mining locations, areas & overview of Mining activity in the district with all its relevant features pertaining to geology & mineral wealth in replenishable and non-replenishable areas. This report will be a model and guiding document which is a compendium of available mineral resources, geographical set up, environmental and ecological set up of the District and is based on data of various departments, published reports and websites. The data may vary due to flood, heavy rains and other natural cliamities. Therefore, it is recommended that Sub Divisional Level Committee may take into consideration all its relevant aspects / data while scrutinizing and recommending the application for EC to the concerned Authority.

SURVEY REPORT OF

As per Gazette notification of 15th January 2016 of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change a Survey shall be carried out by the District Environment Impact Assessment Authority (DEIAA) with assistance of irrigation department, Drainage department, Forest department, Mining department and Revenue department in the district for preparation of District Survey Report as per the sustainable Miner mineral mining guidelines to ensure identification of areas of aggradations or deposition where mining can be allowed; and identification of areas of erosion and proximity to infrastructural structures and installations where mining should be prohibited and calculation of annual rate of replenishment and allowing time for replenishment after mining in that area.

Every effort have been made to cover mining locations, areas & overview of Mining activity in the district with all its relevant features pertaining to geology & mineral wealth in replenish-able and non-replenish-able of particular areas. The mineral potential is calculated based on field investigation & geology of the catchment area. Also as per the site conditions and locations, depth of minable mineral is defined. The area for removal of the mineral in a particular area is decided depending on geo-morphology & other factors, it can be 10% to 40% of the area. Other constituents like clay soil and silt are excluded as waste while calculating the mineral potential of particular mining area. This District Survey Report shall form the basis for application for environment clearance, preparation of reports and appraisal of projects. The report shall be updated once every five years.

1.0 INDRODUCTION: Madurai is the oldest inhabited city in the Indian peninsula. It is referred to with names like Koodal Maanagar, Thoongaa Nagar (Sleepless City), Malligai Maanagar (City of Jasmine) and Athens of the East. It is the cultural capital of . It is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and is a municipal corporation situated on the banks of the River Vaigai in Madurai district. The city is referred as the Temple city. Madurai city has an area of 52 km², within an urban area now extending over as much as 130 km² and it is located at on interactive map 9°56′N 78°07′E / 9.93°N 78.12°E / 9.93; 78.12. It has an average elevation of 101 meters above mean sea level. The land use and land cover map clearly shows that area of crop land is higher than others. Land with or without scrub has 605 sq km area it occupies second place in this district, Plantation has 309 Sq Km and Fallow land has 227 Sq Km, Dense forest occupies 160 Sq Km while rest of other have low than 100 Sq Km area.

Fig.No.1: MADURAI DISTRICT AND TALUK MAP

2.0 PHYSICAL FEATURES & GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: a) BRIEF DETAIL OF MADURAI DISTRICT DENSITY NAME OF AREA (PER POPULATION (PER SQ. DISTRICT SQ. KM) KM) Total - 2578201 Madurai 3742 Male - 1303363 928 Female - 1274838

S.NO ITEMS STATISTICS GENERAL INFERMATION a) Geographical area(S.q.km) 3742 b) Administrative divisions as 31.03.2007 i) on c) Number of Taluk 7 d) Number of Block 13 e) Number of villages 670 Population ii) (as on 2011Censes) Total- 2578201 Total population Male- 1303363 Female-1274838 iii) Average annual rainfall (mm) 857.63 i) Major Physiographic units hilly and Plains of Madurai & Geomorphology ii) Major drainages are Vaigai, Gundar, Vaippur and Pambar Landuse (Sq.km) a) Forest area 484.73 Sq.km iv) b) Net area sown 1530.82 Sq.km c) Cultivable waste 71.27 Sq.km v) Major soil types Red soil, Black soil and Sandy siol

Area under principal crops

a) Paddy 70996Ha-94% b) Groundnut 4537Ha-3% vi) c) Pulses 9589Ha-6% d) Oil seeds 20073Ha-12% e) Non-food crops 37047Ha-23% f) Vegetables 13174Ha-8% Irrigation by different Area irrigated

sources (Ha) Number of area irrigated (Ha) Number

i) dug wells 53705 36953 ii) Tube wells 536 634 vii) iii) Tanks 2287 18306 iv) Canals 80 36986 v) Other sources --- vi) Net irrigated area 92879Ha vii)Gross irrigated area 99408 Ha Granite gneiss, Charnockites Predominant Geological viii) and alluvium as patches along formations the river. Hydrogeology i) Major water bearing Alluvium weathered and fractured crystallines. formations ix) ii)Pre-monsoon depth to water 4.16-10.66m bgl. level iii) Post-monsoon depth to 7-68-13.11m bgl. water level Annual Rise Long term water level trend in Fall (m/year) x) (m/year) 10 years(2006-16)in m/yr Min:0.05 Min:0.74 Max:0.74 Max:0.93 Ground water exploration by

CGWB (As on 31-03-2016) a) Number of exploratory wells 21 b) Number of observation wells 10 c) Number of Piezometers xi) 13 under Hydrology project

d) Depth of range(m) 80-202 e) Discharge(lps) <1.00-21.72 f) Storativity (S) 5.7X10-4 to 8.7X10-3 g) Transmissivity (m2/day) 5-330 Ground water quality

i) Presence of chemical

constituents more than xii) No3, TH as CaCO3 and F permissible limit CaCl2, Nacl, NaHCO3 & ii) Type of water mixed type Dynamic ground water

resources a) Annual replenishable 760.83 ground water resources b) Total Annual ground water 425.83 xiii) draft for all purposes. c) Projected demand for domestic and industrial 32.13 uses up to 2025 d) Stage of ground water 62% development

b) District Profile – Madurai

MADURAI DISTRICT – FACT FILE Year of Formation - 1823 District Head Quarters - Madurai Business Head Quarters - Madurai No. Of Village Panchayats - 431 No. Of Revenue Villages - 670 No. Of Revenue Divisions - 2 No. Of Revenue Taluks - 7 No. Of Blocks - 13

c) REVENUE DIVISION Revenue No. of Name of Taluk Name of Divisions Divisions Office Panchayat union Name Madurai South Thirupparankundram Madurai South Madurai North Madurai West Madurai Melur Melur Kottampatti Vadipatti 2 Thirumangalam Thirumangalam Kallukudi T.Kallupatti Periyur Usilampatti Usilampatti Chellampatti

ADMINISTRATION & LOCAL BODIES Total No. of Panchayat unions - 13 Total No. of Village Panchayat - 431 Total No. of Small hamlets - 1692 Total No. of Municipalities - 3 Total No. of Revenue Village - 670 Total No. of Revenue Firkas - 51 Total No. of Taluk offices - 7 EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS No. of Arts & Science Colleges - 7 No. of Engineering Colleges - 7 No. of Industrial Training Institutions - 5 No. of Teacher Training Institutes - 4 No. of Polytechnics - 10 No. of Primary Schools - 1034 No. of Middle Schools - 218 No. of High Schools - 94 No. of Higher Secondary Schools - 109 No. of Matriculation High Schools - 89 No. of Matriculation Higher Secondary Schools - 71 a) ROAD TRANSPORT

Madurai District is having 145km route of National High ways 45A, B and 114 km route of State Highways and Rural High Ways roads. The National Highway Authority has undertaken the work of widening all the National Highways in this District. It will provide better infrastructure for transportation of goods and movement of containers to the nearest Tuticorin Fort. b) RAILWAY TRANSPORT

Madurai District is having Train routes to the distance of 82.95 km Broad gauge, running between Madurai to Vadipatti, and Kallikudi. Further Meter gauge route of 40km is available between Madurai to Usilampatti. Madurai is well connected with nearby Districts through railway lines. Recently Railways have taken efforts to convert meter gauge to Broad gauge line between Madurai to Vadipatti, which connects nearby District. Train Routes and Stations: Broad gauge lines = 82Kms Meter gauge lines = 40kms Railway Junction = 1 Railway Station = 9 c) AIRPORT

Madurai District is well connected in Air route with important destinations. One Airport is available in this District, which is located at Perungudi 15kms away from Madurai. The Government of has taken efforts to modernize the and have plans to make it to the International Standards in order to promote tourism.

d) ELECTRICITY

Madurai District is getting Electricity from “Tamilnadu Electricity Board” as well as from a Private Electricity Company, namely “Madurai Power Corporation, Samayanallur, Madurai. The production capacity of Electricity generation is 105 MW. Maximum requirement of Electricity 241MVA and Average requirement of Electricity 226MVA

3.0 PHYSIOGRAPHY: a) Topography:

The geological formations met within the basin in Madurai district comprise of pre-cambrian charnockites. The basin area is chiefly occupied by crystalline rocks in the western, upper gondwanas and sandstone capped by laterites in the central part and alluvium in the eastern part. Recent and tertiary sediments occur along the coast and a narrow belt of alluvium along the river course. The terrain is mostly plain. The soils available in the command area are predominantly red sandy clay loam soils, brown clay loam soils, alluvial soils and black clay soils. b) Drainage: Vaigai, a major ephemeral river originates in of district flow in NW-SE direction, in the central part of the district. In addition, tributaries of Vaipar and Gundar drain in south-western part of the district, while the tributaries of Pambar drained in north eastern part. The general flow direction of the drainage is NW-SE.

4.0 RIVER SYSTEM Madurai district can be further subdivided into Vaigai, gundar, Vaipar and Pambar sub-basins.

It originates in Varusanadu hills, the Plateau of the Western Ghats range, and flows northeast through the Kambam Valley, which lies between the Palni Hills to the north and the Varushanad Hills to the south. The Vattaparai Falls are located on this river. As it rounds the eastern corner of the Varushanad Hills, the river turns southeast, running through the region of Pandya Nadu. Madurai, the largest city in the Pandya Nadu region and its ancient capital, lies on the Vaigai. The river empties into the Palk Strait in District. The Vaigai is 258 kilometres (160 mi) long, with a drainage basin 7,031 square kilometres (2,715 sq mi) large.

TRIBUTARIES The main tributaries of the river Vaigai are, the river Suruliyaru, the river Mullaiyaaru, the river Varaganadi, the river Manjalaru and river Kridhumaal. All these rivers, except Kridhumaal join with the great nearer to the places around the which is situated in , whereas Kridhumaal joins Vaigai in Madurai. Vaigai gets major feed from the Periyar Dam in Kumuli, . Water from the Periyar River in Kerala is diverted into the Vaigai River in Tamil Nadu via a tunnel through the Western Ghats. In summers, the Vaigai river ends up dry very often. The water never reaches Madurai, let alone flowing into places past Madurai. The Vaigai Dam is built across the river in Taluk, in the Theni district of Tamil Nadu. It provides water for irrigation for the Madurai district and the as well as drinking water to Madurai and . Near the dam, the has constructed an Agricultural Research Station for researching the growing of a variety of crops, including rice, sorghum, blackgram, cowpea and cotton. The Periyar Dam was built in 1895 by John Pennycuick, who implemented a plan proposed over a century earlier by Pradani Muthirulappa Pillai of Ramnad. The dam was built by the British Army Engineering corps for the kingdom. The first dam was washed away by floods, and a second masonry dam was constructed in 1895.

4.0 CLIMATE AND RAINFALL DATA a) Climate Conditions of Madurai district:

The climate of Madurai district is comparatively more pleasant than that of the Surrounding districts due to general dryness of atmosphere and appreciable drop in Temperature in the monsoon season. The year may be divided into four season namely dry season from January to March, summer season April and May, southwest monsoon Season from June to Sept. and northeast monsoon season from October to December. During summer season (April to May) the maximum temperature is about 41°C, and the mean daily minimum temperature of about 27°C in the plains. There is a gradual decrease of both day and night temperatures from June onwards till December, when the mean daily maximum temperature is about 32°C and the mean daily min. is about 21°C in plains. The day temperature increases gradually from January onwards. The lowest temperature is reached in January when the mean daily minimum is about 19°C.

Fig.No.2: CLIMATE DATA FOR MADURAI DISTRICT b) RAIN FALL: Analysis of long term rainfall data (1901-2004) shows that the district receives rainfall during NE monsoon (47%), SW monsoon (32%), summer (17%) and winter (4%). The normal annual rainfall varies from 806 mm ( Rain Gauge Station) in the northern part to 964.1 mm (Melur Rainguage Station) in the eastern part of the district. The entire district experiences a declining trend in annual rainfall except at Melur, where a rising trend is noticed. The climate is subtropical and the temperature varies from 15 to 41°C in the district. The relative humidity varies from 45 to 85% and is high during NE monsoon.

Table No.1 Climate and Rain fall data in Madurai district

C) HUMIDITY:

Relative humidity is generally high in the mornings, exceeding 70 per cent except during the summer season when it is less than 50 per cent. The humidity is comparatively less in the afternoons. The driest part of the year is the summer season when the relative humidity in the afternoons is about 25 per cent or less.

D) WINDS: Winds are generally light with some strengthening in the summer and early part of the monsoon season. In the post-monsoon and cold season, winds are light and variable in direction in the morning and mostly from the west or north-west in the afternoons. In April and May, winds are mainly from direction between north-west and north-east in the mornings and between west and north-east in the afternoons. By June, easterlies and south – easterlies also blow and in the south-west monsoon season. Winds are more commonly from directions between north-east and south-east.

E) SPECIAL WEATHER PHENOMENA:

Western disturbances affect the weather over the district during the cold season, causing widespread rain and gusty winds. Dust-storms and thunderstorms occur in the summer season. Occasional fog occurs in the cold season.

5.0 GEOMORPHYLOGY AND SOIL TYPES a) Geomorphology:

The prominent geomorphic units in the district are structural and denudated land forms such as structural and denudational hills, residual wells, linear ridges, uplands and barried pediments. b) Soils:

The district is characterised by Red soil, Black clayey soil and alluvial soil. Red soil is found in all the blocks of the district while black clayey soil is found in Tirumangalam, Usilampatti and blocks of the district and alluvial soil is found along the courses of the river. The area is built up with Archean rocks, which composed of complex gneiss, mica, chalk gneiss with calcareous quartzites, granite gneiss, granites and quartz veins. In general, the soils are of sandy loam with reddish colour. Strips of alluvial soil are found in the banks of Suruliaru and Vaigaiaru. Black cotton soil is also found in some pockets. c) IRRIGATION:

Madurai is getting water for Agricultural usage from Vaigai River and Periyar River.  The Agriculture water is being released from 1 Reservoirs, namely viz., 1. Sathaiyar Dam

Net Area irrigated by Total net S.No Block Tube Ordinar Other area Canals Tanks wells y wells sources irrigated Madurai 1 7860 0 0 1388 0 9248 East Madurai 2 5189 0 0 1298 0 6487 West Thiruparank 3 1950 940 0 3847 0 6737 undram 4 Melur 9992 2620 8 1690 0 14310 5 Kottampatti 2562 4449 0 259 0 7270 6 Vadipatti 3658 1119 0 3330 0 8107 7 Alanganallur 2910 965 0 2752 0 6627 Tirumangala 8 3 1860 25 3049 0 4937 m 9 Kallikudi 0 1977 6 1393 0 3376 10 Usilampatti 0 405 36 4683 0 5124 11 Chelampatti 2862 2033 482 3748 0 9125 12 Sedapatti 0 920 65 6917 0 7902 13 T.Kallupatti 0 1018 12 1965 0 2995 Total 36986 18306 634 36319 0 92245

Table No.2:The block wise and source wise net area irrigated in Ha

 There are 22 Nos. of system tanks, 6433 no. of PWD large tanks, 7183 Nos of small tanks available in this District.  The net area irrigated is 68365 hectres.  There is another Reservoir at Viraganoor of Madurai District in the Vaigai River to store excess water released from Vaigai Dam.

6.0 GROUND WATER SCENARIO a) Hydrogeology: The district is underlain predominantly by crystalline formations and alluvium is found along the courses of the river. Ground water occurs under phreatic conditions in weathered residuum and interconnected shallow fractures and under semi-confined to confined conditions in deeper fractures. The depth of weathering varies from 20-25 m bgl in Usilampatti, Sedapatti and Kottampatti area, while it varies from 30 to 40 m bgl in remaining parts of the district.

Fig.No.3: GEOMORPHOLOGY OF THE MADURAI DISTRICT The depth of dug wells varies from 10 – 20 m with a yield of 45 – 135 lpm. In the exploration programme of Central Ground Water Board, 29% of the wells yielded less than 1 lps while 30% of the wells yielded between 1 – 3lps. In general there are about 2 – 3 fracture zones less than 50 m and about 2 – 3 fracture form beyond 100 m also. The variations in the yield of bore wells are very high in the district. Potential fractures with high discharge have been established along Valandur-usilampatti- Timmarasanayakanur, Thirali-Peraiyur tract and Palkalainagar-Nilayur tract in the district. The depth to water level in the district varies from 3.13 to 7.66 m bgl during premonsoon (May 2006) and 1.86 to 5.74 m bgl during post monsoon b) Long Term Fluctuation: The long term water level fluctuation for the period 1998-2007 indicates rise in the water level in the order of 0.05 to 0.74 m/year while the fall in the water level is in the range of 0.07 to 0.93 m/year. i) Aquifer Parameters 1) Shallow Aquifer; Permeability : < 1 to 70 m/day Specific yield : 1 – 2% 2) Deeper fractured Aquifer; Transmissivity : 5 – 33 m2/day Storataivity : 5.7x10-4 to 8.7 x 10-3

c) Ground Water Resources The ground water resources have been computed jointly by Central Ground Water Board and State Ground & Surface Water Resources and Development Centre (PWD, WRO, Government of Tamil Nadu). The computation of ground water resources available in the district has been done using GEC 1997 methodology. The salient features of the computations are furnished below.

d) Ground Water Quality

Ground water in phreatic aquifer in general is colorless, odourless and alkaline in nature. The specific electrical conductance of ground water in phreatic zone during May 2006 varied between 632 -6520 μs/cm at 25°C and in major part of the state it is less than 2200 μs/cm. It is observed that ground water is suitable for drinking and domestic uses in respect of all constituents except TH and NO3. It is found to be excess of permissible limit in 34% of sample analysed in respect of TH and in about 66% in respect of NO3. The high incidence of TH can be attributed to geogenic causes while NO3 excess may be due to either excess use of fertilisers or due to improper waste disposal.

Table No.3 Ground water development of area in Madurai district

In reference to irrigation suitability based on EC and Sodium Absorption Ratio (SAR), the ground water in phreatic zone may cause medium to very high salinity hazard and medium to high alkali hazard. Hence proper soil management practices are to be adopted when the ground water from phreatic aquifer is to be used for irrigation purposes. In case of deeper fractures, the ground water is suitable for domestic and irrigation purposes. However, the data of State Ground & Surface Water Resources Data Centres shows that ground water in Pulipatti, Chinnalatalai, Usilampati and Vikramapuram have fluoride concentration more than the permissible limit. The Ground Water levels from the 31 number of observation wells of TWAD have been analysed for PostMonsoon and PreMonsoon. 5 Since 1991, average Ground water level in m Below Ground Level for pre and post monsoon is as follows:

Fig.No.4: GROUND WATER LEVEL OF THE MADURAI DISTRICT e) Water Conservation and Artificial Recharge:

The topography of Madirai district, in general, is suited for construction of various artificial recharge structures such as percolation ponds, check dams and sub-surface dykes. However, detailed studies are necessary to formulate a comprehensive scheme for artificial recharge of phreatic ground water in the district in view of the variations in the geomorphic setup and the complex hydrological and hydrogeological conditions. The number and type of artificial recharge structures recommended for all the blocks in Madurai district are furnished in Table 2. The exact locations of these structures, however, are to be decided on the basis of detailed field investigations. The implementation of the schemes may be taken up in phases, giving priority to blocks where the development of ground water resources is comparatively high.

Table No.4 Artificial recharges structures recommended in Madurai

7.0 LAND USE/LAND COVER MAPPING USING SATELLITE DATA

Multi-date satellite imageries of IRS-P6 LISS III acquired in February- March, 2004; June, 2004 and September, 2004 were used for land use mapping. The IRS P6, FCC on 1:50,000 scales, generated from Green, Red and NIR bands were visually interpreted to delineate various land use/ land cover categories. A field survey was carried out to check the validity of various land use classes and sub classes. Necessary corrections were incorporated after ground truth verification. Final land use/land cover map for the district was prepared. Land use/ land cover classes were digitized using Arc-Info GIS package and area under various land use classes computed. The detailed discussion of each category is as follows:

A) BUILT-UP LAND The built-up land includes residential, industrial, commercial, public, road network etc. but with the 23.5 meter resolution data of IRS-P6 LISS III sensor it is not possible to segregate them. Therefore the present study was limited to the identification of urban and rural built-up areas. The total area under built-up land in the district was 22598.19 ha which is 8.44 per cent of TGA of the district There is 10848.46 ha area under built-up and 433.15 ha area under industrial built-up in the district which is 4.05 and 0.16 per cent of the TGA of the district respectively. The rural built-up area in the district in 11316.58 ha (4.23 % of TGA of district). The Urban (/Cities) and Industrial built-up area is mainly concentrated in of the district comprising the city of Madurai and industrial establishments in and around the city. Block wise analysis of the data shows that has maximum built-up area (11203.6 ha, 26.28 % of the TGA of Block) including urban, industrial and rural built-up whereas has minimum built-up area (3.35 % of TGA of blocks) closely followed by vadipatti block 3.38 % of TGA. block, located Madurai south in the district has nearly 21.8 per cent area of the block (9298.48 ha) is under urban settlements /district administrative establishments as Madurai city and Usilampatti cantonment fall in this block and 0.74 per cent of the TGA is under industrial establishments. The Melur block has largest area under rural settlements compared to other blocks which is 2170.36 hectare (6.73% of TGA).

Band Spectral Electro Ground Characteristics and uses range(Microns) magnetic resolution spectrum (m) "true color" composites, Visible sedimentation in 1 .45 to .515 bluegreen 30 water, scattered easily (reflected) by atmosphere, urban development Visible 2 .525 to .605 bluegreen 30 "true color" composites (reflected) Visible red 3 .63 to .690 30 (reflected) "true color" composites Near Vegetation/chlorophyll very 4 .75 to .90 Infrared 30 highly reflective (reflected) MidInfrared Moisture in vegetation/soils, 5 1.55 to 1.75 (reflected) 60 clouds vs. snow, mineral content of rocks/soils Thermal Temperature of Infrared 6 10.40 to 12.5 30 surfaces, distinguish (emitted) between 0.6 Celsius

MidInfrared 7 2.09 to 2.35 (reflected) 30 Moisture in vegetation/soils, mineral content of rocks/soils Visible light Pan 0.52 to .90 (reflected) 15 Very High resolution visible scan

Table No.5: Spectrum and Ground resolution characteristics

Fig.No.5: LAND USE AND LAND COVER DETAILS OF THE MADURAI DISTRICT

Fig.No.6: IMAGE SHOWING LANDUSE AND LAND COVER AREA AS A PERCENTAGE

S.No Land use land cover Area in sq km 1 Crop land 2137 2 Dense forest 160 3 Fallow land 227 4 Barren rocky land 68 5 Settlement 63 6 Land with or without scrub 605 7 Plantations 309 9 Water bodies 50

B) AGRICULTURAL LAND

The study revealed that total double cropped area in the district is 1,64,389 ha which is nearly 87.79 per cent of total geographical area (TGA) of the district. Paddy-Sugar cane is the major crop rotation followed in the district. Apart from these major crops, malligai (jasmine), groud nut, and maize crops are also grown. Among vegetable crops like snake gourd, brinjal, drum stick, ladies figures, tomato and chillies are also grown. The total land mass under agriculture comprising of crop land and land under plantations is found to be 374173Ha which is 88.55 per cent of the TGA of the district.

C) WASTELANDS

The total area under wastelands comes to be 94400Ha which is nearly 0.25 per cent of the TGA of the district. The wastelands include gullied/revenu land, land with or without scrub, land under mining. The area under these classes is 68, 227, 160 and 605 ha respectively which is 0.01, 0.60, 0.04 and 0.16 per cent of the TGA of the district, respectively. Across the blocks, has the maximum per cent area (1.80% of TGA of the block) whereas Vadipatti block has the minimum per cent area (0.16% of TGA of the block) under wastelands. Usilampatti block of the district with its proximity to the city of Madurai has 167.76 ha of area under their mining fields and is followed by Melur (156.14 ha of block). The revenous lands in the district are found along the river Vaigai bordering the district Madurai in Usilampatti and Madurai block only occupying an area of 356.1 ha (1.10% of TGA of block). The wastelands with and without scrub are spread over the entire district. Granite with their mining areas is well distributed in the district. D) LAND HOLDING PATTERN

(Cropping Pattern): Paddy-Cotton is the major crop rotation followed in the district. Other crops like maize; Malligai, etc. occupy negligible area as compared to rice. Besides agriculture, the area has a good potential for horticultural crops like grapes, pear, guava and coconut tree.

8.0 GEOLOGY AND QUATERNARY GEOLOGY

Systematic geomorphological and quaternary geological mapping carried out in this area, has brought out an interesting sequence of Quaternary Formations which was originally mapped as calcareous mud and clay, kankar and soil, with complex evolutionary history. The distinct surfaces with their own characteristic lithological attributes are being dealt with individually and presented in the table form.

MINERALS 1. In Madurai District, and Madurai North Taluk are having enormous wealth of Granites. 2. All over Madurai District lot of Minerals such as Sand, lime, Blue Metal & Quarts are available. 3. More enterprises have come up in this District, using this mineral wealth and providing more employment. Granite, Charnockite, Pegmatite, Gneissic Rocks are found largly found in Madurai area. Sedimentary rocks namely calcareous gritty (sand stone mixed clay), and quartz vein.The younger alluvium formations are seen predominantly in the northern part of the area and are considered as highly permeable. The northwest and middleeast part of the area consist of fluvial– deltaic sediment deposits, which are laid on Granitoid gneiss and are considered as good zone for groundwater potential.

The following geological sequence for the area:

Kankar and soil Quaternary Calcareous mud and clay, laterite ------U.C------Granite and Pegmatite Acid charnockite Archaean Biotite gneiss Garnetiferous sillimanite gneiss │composite gneiss Quartzite Impure crystalline limestone Calc gneiss

However, the hard rock materials composed of crystalline charnockite, conglomerate, and quartzite vein present in the southern part of the area are not suitable for groundwater potential zones. Limestone: Limestone in Tamil Nadu occurs as crystalline and non-crystalline (amorphous) varieties besides corals. The crystalline limestones of Precambrian age are mainly distributed in parts of Madurai, , Ramanathapuram, and Tuticorin Districts. The total reserves of crystalline limestone are 200 million tonnes of „Proved‟ category and about 25-30 million tonnes of „Inferred‟ category. Non-crystalline limestones are located in parts of Tirunelveli and Tuticorin Districts. The total estimated reserve of non-crystalline limestone is about 670 million tonnes of both 'proved' and 'inferred' categories of which 650 million tonnes of Cretaceous age distributed in erstwhile Tiruchirapalli District while rest are of Tertiary age distributed in Tirunelveli District. Khondalite and Charnockite groups The Khondalite and Charnockite groups and their reworked equivalents occupy large tracts of the state. Although each of the above two groups cover predominantly certain sectors of the state, they are not mutually exclusive, but occur in very close association at many places.

Fig.No 7: MAP SHOWING 3D IMAGE OF THE MADURAI DISTRICT

Khondalite Group (Ak) In Tamil Nadu, Khondalite Group is well developed in the south, which is considered by some workers as terrane boundary between the Archaean Craton in the north and the Proterozoic Mobile Belt in the south. The Khondalite Group essentially consists of rocks of sedimentary parentage such as quartzite and garnet-sillimanite gneiss ± graphite ± cordierite (metapelites). These are interbanded at places with mafic granulite / amphibolite and charnockite. The charnockite interbands rich in diopside are considered to be metamorphosed cafemic sediments, while mafic granulites / amphibolites probably represent mafic volcanics. The metapellites of the Khondalite Group are characterised by Mg-Al silicates such as sapphirine, kornerupine / prismatine and cordierite in Kiranur, , Usilampatti and other areas. The Khondalite Group is intruded by ultrabasics – anorthosite complexes and younger granites. Rocks similar to Khondalite Group viz., garnetiferous sillimanite gneiss ± graphite ± cordierite, sillimanite quartzites and calc-granulites are also reported in negligible quantities in the northeastern part of the state occupying the synformal keels within predominantly Charnockite Group. The large volume of quartzite and crystalline limestone in the Khondalitic Group in the southern part are completely lacking in this sector.

Charnockite Group (Ac) The Charnockite Group, comprising of charnockite, two-pyroxene granulite, banded quartz-magnetite granulite / banded magnetite quartzite and thin pink quartzo-felspathic granulite are extensively developed in the north- western sector of the state and are well exposed in many prominent hill ranges such as vadipatti and usilampatt areas. The pyroxne granulite of Charnockite Group are considered to represent mafic volcanic, indicates a volcanic exhalative origin, while the pink granulite is interpreted to represent the associated acid volcanic. In contrast to the essentially sedimentary parentage of the Khondalite Group, the Charnockite Group appears to be of igneous / volcanic parentage derivatives. Charnockite Group also occurs in the northwest of Vadipatti, Usilampatti and other areas of forming the Hills to the west and northwest of Madurai areas. These charnockite is considered to have been derived from the prograde metamorphism of the peninsular gneiss and the associated Sargur type supracrustal rocks of Dharwar Craton. They occupy some of the hill ranges such as , , , Varushanad, Agasthiarmalai and Hills around Dindigul. Incipient charnockite formation is reported along certain major joint / fracture systems within garnetiferous quartzo-feldspathic granulite near Melur in Madurai District from garnetiferous granulite and gneiss near Papanasam in Tirunelveli District Thus the Charnockite Group shown on the map as a single entity of Archaean age contains in reality, rocks of different ages and origin. The limited geochrnological data available for charnockites of Tamil Nadu show varying ages ranging from Ca 3000Ma to 550Ma.

Graphite A major graphite occurrence of Tamil Nadu is located in Puvandhi in District over a strike length of 11 km. Reserves are estimated at 5 lakh tonnes of graphite concentrate upto a depth of 15m with 15% fixed carbon. Depth persistence upto 100m is established by drilling. In the western segment of this 11 km stretch, a resource of 75,000 tonnes of graphite with F.C. upto 10.9% has been inferred upto a depth of 15 m over a strike length of 5.25 km. Tirumangalam, Ponnamangalam in Madurai District having a reserve of about 17,000 tonnes.

FOLDS AND FAULTS In southcentral Tamil Nadu, covering parts of Theni, Madurai and Dindigul districts, three distinct zones of diverse structural trends, viz., NE-SW, NW- SE and N-S are noticed. These three zones are named respectively as Suruli Ar Lineament Zone (SALZ), Vaigai Lineament Zone (VLZ) and Vattlagundu – Idaiyakkottai Lineament Zone (VILZ). Based on their mutual relationship, the NE-SW structural element which is prominent in the west as seen in the Kambam – Periyakulam areas (SALZ) is the earliest and are being cut by the NWSE structural trend (VLZ) which is prominent in the Vattlagundu area and further southeast. The N-S shear / fault is prominent in the Dindigul area, and it transects both NE-SW (SALZ) and NW-SE (VLZ) structural trends and hence the youngest in the area. The earlier compressional tectonic regime, manifested by recumbent folding and thrusting, followed by tensional regime in the Kambam valley resulted in the development of a series of NNE-SSW trending horsts and grabens with the latter occupied by Quaternary sediments. Emplacement of alkali granites and carbonatites marks the extensional tectonic regime in this domain.

9.0 OVERVIEW OF MINING ACTIVITY Mainly three types of Minor Minerals constituents such as Granite, Rough Stone and Gravel are required for any type of construction apart from other material like Limestone and Dolomite mineral. In the earlier time the mud houses/buildings were constructed with the use of mud. However with the passage of time, new techniques of development activities were started. As such the demand of Minor Mineral started on an increasing trend. Accordingly, mining plan is prepared under Rule 41 of Tamil Nadu Minor Minerals Concession Rules, 1959 and Minor Mineral Conservation and Development Rules, 2010 for quarrying, with due consideration of environmental parameters so as to obtain Environ mental clearance (EC) form District EIA Authority (DEIAA), as per the EIA Notification, 2006 and its amendments.

10.0 TOTAL MINERAL POTENTIAL FOR THE DISTRICT:

a) MINERAL POTENTIAL FOR REPLENISHABLE AREA:

S.No Name of Portion of the area Recommended Mineable Mineral Recommended for for mineral mineral mineral (in Ha) concession potentional in (in Ha) % m3

b) MINERAL POTENTIAL FOR NON- REPLENISHABLE AREA: Quantity for non- replenishable area could not be ascertained due to non- willingness of land owners for excavation of minor minerals from their own lands. However, it is recommended that on reciept of request of land owner, a Sub Divisional Level Committee may visit the site quarry to ascertain the viability of mineral potential i.e. Area and mineral quantity for recommending the case to the concerned Authority for approval.

11.0 FLORA AND FAUNA: a) Flora: Plantation has 309 Sq Km and Fallow land has 227 Sq Km, Dense forest occupies 160 Sq Km while rest of other has low than 100 Sq Km area. b) Fauna: This Sanctuary was declared as grizzled squirrel Wild Life Sanctuary in 1989. This Sanctuary is contiguous with the Periyar Tiger Reserve on the South Western side and the Megamalai Reserve Forest on the North Western. This Grizzled squirrel wild Life Sanctuary lies mostly in and partly in Madurai District nestling in the High ranges of the Western Ghats.

11.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: The study area carried out has brought out that the quaternary sediments vary in thickness from 40 to 80 m in the western parts, from 30 to 40 m in the central parts and 55 to 61 m in the eastern parts. The depositions of these sediments were tectonically controlled by the basement structures which were reactivated during quaternary period. The morphogenetic evolution depicting a series of changes in the Periyar and Vagai river courses, their capture and entrenchment and the present day landform disposition are all corroborated by the isopach map and the basement configuration map. Detailed ground water studies for estimating the potentials of the number of paleochannels in both western and eastern parts.