Major Coal Fields in India

Coal is being used by humans as their primary source of energy for industrial needs and the generation of electricity is a non-renewable resource. It is a non-renewable source of energy. With the growth of modern technology, coal is rarely used in industries, but it still forms a major part of producing electricity. Coal is a sedimentary deposit composed of carbon that is easy to combustible. The colour of Coal can be black, brown and brownish-black. The inherent moisture of the coal contributes to almost 50% of the weight of the coal and more than 70% by volume of carbonaceous material. 

The formation of coal was mainly done from plants but some of the coal is also formed by means of compacting, hardening, chemically altering the organic substances, and metamorphosing them by heat and pressure over geologic time. India is rich in mineral resources. The coal fields of India of Gondwana rocks are found in West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha. The first effort when India tried to extract coal was at the Raniganj coal region in West Bengal with modern technology.

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Types of Coal

The classification of the coal is performed on the basis of the percentage of carbon present in coal. Good quality coal possesses higher carbon content and low moisture content. There are mainly four types of coal found in India. They are as follows:

• Anthracite: Anthracite is the best quality of coal found in India. It is differentiated from rest types of coals because of its physical and chemical properties such as hardness, brittle, and black lustrous coal etc. It is often referred to as hard coal because it contains a high percentage of carbon and a comparatively low percentage of volatile matter. It is found only in Jammu & Kashmir. 

• Bituminous: This is the second-best quality of coal of India after anthracite. Bituminous coal generally possesses a high heating value. It is useful in electricity generation and steel making in the United States. The first appearance of the Bituminous coal is blocky and appears shiny and smooth, but by observing closely, you might see it has thin, alternating, shiny and dull layers. It is the most available coal.

• Subbituminous: Subbituminous coal is also black in colour. It is not shiny like bituminous. It is mainly dull. The heating value of the sub-bituminous coal ranges from low to moderate and is mainly used in electricity generation.

• Lignite: Lignite coal is also known as brown coal. This is the lowest grade of coal. It poses the least concentration of carbon. The heating value of the lignite coal is low, and moisture content is high. It is mainly used for electricity generation. Lignite is found in Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Jammu & Kashmir. 

List of Major Coalfields in India

There are many coal fields of India found in different states. The following is the list of major coal fields in India.

Uses of Coal

Today we can easily have minerals, but they are formed over a period of millions of years under the crust of the earth. They are derived from rocks that form the crust of the earth. The primary use of coal is as fuel in the generation of electric power in all parts of the world. There are coal-fired power plants where all types of coal, such as bituminous coal, sub-bituminous coal, or lignite, are burned. The heat produced after the combustion of the coal is useful in converting water into steam at high pressure. 

The high-pressure steam drives a turbine that produces electricity. Some types of bituminous coal are used in making steel. The coal used for steel making should be high in carbon content and other things such as moisture content, ash, sulfur, and phosphorous content should be low. Coal that is specifically used for these purposes of making steel is known as metallurgical coal. There are also some important uses of coal, such as heating for commercial purposes, cement production, medicines, tars, synthetic petroleum-based fuels, and homes.

Minerals Belts in India

India is a rich country in mineral resources. The distribution of minerals in the mineral belts in India is not even. Some of the mineral belts are excessively rich in minerals. They are playing an important role in the economical development of the nation by providing a huge amount of minerals. The following are the mineral belts of India.

1. Himalayan Belt: It is located in the Himalayan region. Coal is found in the Eastern region of the sub-Himalaya. Hydrocarbons are easily available in Assam and Meghalaya. The foothills of Himachal Pradesh are a rich source of natural gases. Nickel, gold, silver, cobalt, lead etc. are also found in this belt.

2. North Eastern Peninsular Belt: The North Eastern Peninsular Belt comprises different regions such as the Chhota Nagpur plateau and the plateau of Odisha that covers the states of Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha. The minerals found in this belt are manganese, bauxite, copper, coal, iron ore, mica, kyanite, chromite, beryl, apatite etc. This region is very important as it accounts for 93% of the country’s iron ore production and 84% of coal production.

3. North Western Belt: Rajasthan and Gujarat along the Aravalli Range come under the northwestern belt. Uranium, non-ferrous minerals, aquamarine, petroleum, mica, beryllium, gypsum and emerald are found here.

4. South Western Belt: The geographical location of the South Western Belt lies in Karnataka, Kerala and Goa. It provides garments, Iron Ore, clay, monazite sand to the country.

5. Central Belt: The central belt is found in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The minerals found in this belt are graphite, bauxite, marble, uranium, manganese, mica, limestone, coal and gems stone.

6. Southern Belt: The Karnataka plateau and Tamil Nadu fall under the Southern Belt. Bauxite and ferrous minerals are present in this belt.

Do You Know?

• Coal is referred to as Black Gold as it is found in sedimentary rocks under rock surfaces.

• Coal India Limited is an Indian government coal mining and refining corporation. It is performing its operations under the ownership of the Ministry of Coal, Government of India The headquarter of Coal India Limited is in Kolkata, West Bengal.

Conclusion

India is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of mineral resources. The internal structure of the earth in India is the product of the hard rock of ancient times; therefore, all types of minerals are present in the soil. Gondwana rocks located in Chhota Nagpur Plateau are the richest mineral deposits in India. Coal is responsible for around 67 % of the total commercial energy production of the country, and 98% of India’s total accounts are found in the Gondwana rocks of the Moran region.