Vol 11, Issue 5,May/ 2020 ISSN NO: 0377-9254 CONDITIONS RESTRICT DEVELOPMENT OF MINERAL BASED INDUSTRIES IN PURULIA DISTRICT, AN EXTENDED PART OF CHOTANAGPUR PLATEAU, WEST BENGAL, INDIA. Uttam Kumar Patra 1, Somnath Mukherjee 2, Jibanbandhu Gayak 3, Khalid Raja Khan 4. Subhajit Sinha 5 1, Faculty Member, Department of Geography, J.K. College , Purulia , West Bengal 723101, India. 2, Assistant Professor of Geography, Bankura Christian college, Bankura, West Bengal 722101.India 3, Ex-Student, Department of Geography, S.K.B .University ,Purulia ,West Bengal 723101.India . 4,Guest Faculty, Kotshila College, Department of Geography, Purulia, West Bengal 723101,India. 5,Assistant Professor , Department of Geology ,Calcutta University ,WB ,INDIA ABSTRACT Granite are the two parent rocks by which SIMA or oceanic lithospheric plates and SIAL or continental Purulia is an extended part of Chotanagpur plateau plates were formed again composed of Silicate which naturally favours its richness in varieties of minerals.On the other hand iron ore,copper,silver,gold minerals. This part of the plateau is a well known store are Non-silicate minerals and are most expensive and house of mineral resources such as used in specific purposes. After Industrial revolution Feldspar,Pegmatitic vein quartz, China clay, Copper, discoveries and exploitation of various natural Fluorite, Graphite, Iron ore, Coal, Kaolinite, minerals were at its pick especially in the secondary Mouldingsand, Manganese, Limestone, Gold, Rock sectors. Globalization then brought all places of phosphate, Uranium etc. Here the paper at first sources of natural resources opened and rate of highlights the physiographical characteristics of the exploitation of resources picked its highest level and Purulia which naturally helped to understand the economic development too. Irrespective of the fact, occurrences of minerals found in the district of West some sources rich in minerals like Purulia which is Bengal. In fine the paper tries to unveil the possibilities even today identified as economically backward. In of optimization of the available minerals which could this stage the paper tried to understand the bring in real development in this so called physiographical characteristics of this extended part of economically backward Purulia district. Chotanagpur plateau, the Purulia district and its major Keywords: Distribution, Minerals, Physiography, mineral deposits. Beside this the paper highlighted the Purulia etc. possible reason(s) behind limited growth of mineral based industries in this region. INTRODUCATION STUDY AREA Minerals are the valuable natural resource constituted naturally by some molecules. Human in his or her This district is extended between 22º42'35" and initial stage of civilization discovered the application 23º42'0" North latitudes and 85º49'49' and 86º54'37" of minerals. The periods of such applications were East longitudes.Midnapur,Bankura and Burdwan divided into different ages like stone, districts of the West Bengal and Dhanbad, Bokaro, copper,Bronze,Iron etc.Since time immemorial to the Hazaribagh, Ranchi, West Singbhum districts of present Holocene age,human have been significantly Jharkhand state bound this district. The total exposed and exploitednatural resources like minerals geographical area of the district 6259 sq.kms, which forthe developmentof civilization.Minerals are the includes urban area of 79.37 sq.km (1.27 percent) and hidden natural resource collected from rocks as rock is rural area of 6179.63 sq. km(98.73 percent). The composed of one or several minerals.Basalt and district headquarter is situated at Purulia. www. jespublication.com Page No:221 Vol 11, Issue 5,May/ 2020 ISSN NO: 0377-9254 Fig. 1: Location of the study area OBJECTIVES mineral resources are made in GIS environment by using Q-GIS software. The main objective of the paperis aiming to identify the physiographical Characteristics of Purulia district. PHYSIOGRAPHICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF Secondly, the research is tried to highlight major PURULIA deposits of mineral resources in the district. Finally the paper wanted to find out the reason(s)of lack of Chotonagpur plateau is situated north-eastern part of mineral based industries in spite of such richness in Indian peninsular. Purulia district is located eastern mineral resources in this district. part of Chotonagpurplateau, it is the major part of Ranchi plateau. The geomorphic structure of Purrulia METHODOLOGY district is very ancient.The characteristics of relief in purulia is very uneven, erosative, undulating. It is one Database in relation to fulfill the objectives is made on types of paniplane. This regionhas suffered from the basis of secondary sources like data from different prolong erosion, faulting, uplifting and deposition. As offices. Utilization of maps and diagrams are based on a result entire area converted hill, valleys, succession various secondary sources as well. Here the figure of plateau, ridges, scarps, etc. Basically Archaean and location, absolute relief, and distribution of rocks and Gondwana rocks are found in this area.The district www. jespublication.com Page No:222 Vol 11, Issue 5,May/ 2020 ISSN NO: 0377-9254 average height is 150 metre to 300 meters and thill(641.13m),Barberia(330.70m),Jaichandipahar(31 direction of slope is south to north. The 300 metre 8.51m)etc.The most important rivers of this region is contour line divided the whole district into two parts is Kumari, Kasai, Silabati, Dwarkesware etc. Gondwana higher peniplain and low-lying land undulating plain. series rocks are found north-eastern region of district Most of the south-west blocks are under the higher like Nituria, Panchet hill and granite and graphite peniplain like Jhalda-I,Jhalda- series (Archaean Rock) rocks are found rest of the II,Arsha,Bagmundi,Balarampur,Barabazar,Manbazar- district. The Ajodhya hill (average height-600 I,Manbazar-II,Bandwan. On the other hand eastern m)terrain has a prominent plateau character of having low-lying land is undulating plains of rest of the a residual hills and numbers of outliers. Kankar, district like Joypur,Purulia-I,Purilia- Laterite soils and sand covered on the upper layer of II,Hura,Puncha,Para,Kashipur,Raghunathpur- the district. The soil characteristics are low holding I,Raghunathpur-II,Neturia etc. A spur entire into capacity of water.As a result of continuous soil erosion Purulia district which from Ranchi Plateau.The eastern and undulating hard rock have appeared.The masses of part of spur is known as Ajodhya hill.It is the main hard rocks are locally called as ‘Dungri’. The high land of district. The important characteristic of dominant weathering of Purulia district is Mechanical the spur is water divide between Subarnarekha and Weathering is the characteristic feature of Purulia Kangsabati. The western plateau gradually slopes plateau resulting in badland topography. But the down to eastern vast stretch undulating terrain having western Archean blocks of Purulia district is very the residual hills like resourceful in respect to minerals resource (Fig.2). Tilaboni(406.90m),Ramchandrapur(357.83m),Panche Fig.2 Absolute Relief Map of Purulia (Prepared by S. Mukherjee) www. jespublication.com Page No:223 Vol 11, Issue 5,May/ 2020 ISSN NO: 0377-9254 DISCUSS ABOUT MINERALS DEPOSITE OF COAL:Coal is a one types of fossil fuel. Major coal PURULIA DISTRICT deposits are Gondwana series.Coal mining is the important extractive industry of Purulia district. Most Minerals are very rich in Purulia district.Good number of the coal deposit under Neturia block. In Purulia of important minerals like Coal, China district estimated 43 million tons of high grade and 11 Clay,Feldspar,FireClay,Fluorite,gold,Graphite,Ironor million tons of low grade coal. e,kyanite,Kaolinite,limestone,Mouldings and, Manganese, Pegmatitic vein quartz, Rock Phosphate, Uranium etc are available in this district. Fig.3 Distribution of Rocks and Minerals of Purulia COPPER: Recently 200 meters length and 5.5 meters FLUORITE: Flourite occurs at numerous places. It is width layer of copper found Tamakhun under a rare mineral and used in Chemical industry, enamel Manbazar Policestation. In the time of Second World and steel industry. Fluorite is huge demand at nearby War copper are obtained from Hatiramgora and situated steel industry of Jharakhand. In Purulia it Kantagora. Now a day government declared this found near Belamu hill, Jabar hill in Jhalda thana and region is a viable source of copper deposit.Here,the large quantity is found in Dhara, Malati, Mahatomara copper ore is Chalcopyrite. etc. FELDSPAR: Feldspar is used as glaze whiteners. CHINA CLAY:In Purulia two types of china clay are Feldspar are found Sanka, Rangamati under found one mixture of Granite and other mixture with Raghunathpur and other places is Palma, Tilai, Phyllites. The major deposits occurring granite with Debgram etc. china clay found Dhatara near Ramkanali rail station; www. jespublication.com Page No:224 Vol 11, Issue 5,May/ 2020 ISSN NO: 0377-9254 Kalabani and kalajhor about 19 km from Adra.Other This led to rise of unemployment in secondary sectors many area china clay reserve is Amtora near and economic backwardness among high percentage Raghunathpur thana,Purulia,Kalabani and of population. There are many factors play against Mahatomara,Srabondi under Bagmundithana. China such distress condition. The most important factor is clay of Dhatara reserve is used for Paper the physiographic condition of the region and that is industry,Rubber and