|
Andhra Pradesh’s varied geology has a rich and wide variety of minerals suitable
for various mineral specific industries. The State is a treasure house for 48 minerals
and more specifically for Gold, Diamond, Bauxite, Beach Sand, Limestone, Coal, Oil
& Natural Gas, Manganese, Dolomite, Quartz, Feldspar, precious & Semi-precious
stones, Clays, Calcite, Steatite, Iron Ore, Base Metals, Barytes, Uranium, Granite,
Limestone Slabs, Marbles, Dimensional Stones and other Building Minerals.
It is evident from Table 1 given below that Andhra Pradesh is very rich in certain
mineral reserves such as Bauxite, Barytes, Heavy minerals from beach sand, Limestone
and Mica when compared to other States of India.
Table 1: Mineral profile of Andhra
Pradesh
|
Mineral
|
District
|
A. P. Resources (million tonnes)
|
India Total Resources
(million tonnes)
|
% of India’s Resources in AP
|
Production in 2014-15 (in million tonnes)
|
|
A. Major minerals:
|
|
Heavy Mineral Beach Sands
|
Srikakukam, Vizianagaram Vishakapatnam,
East & West Godavari , Krishna,
|
327.25
|
1078
|
30.4%
|
0.34
|
|
Bauxite
|
Vishakapatnam,
East Godavari
|
615.27
|
3479.62
|
17.7%
|
0
|
|
Limestone
|
Kurnool, Kadapa, Guntur, Krishna, Ananthapur
|
17432.5
|
184935.1
|
9.4%
|
34.8
|
|
Diamond
|
Ananthapur, Kurnool, Krishna
|
18.23 lakh carats
|
319.22 lakh carats
|
5.7%
|
0
|
|
Manganese
|
Srikakulam, Vizianagaram,
|
15.75
|
429.98
|
3.7%
|
0.26
|
|
Graphite
|
Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Vishakapatnam,
East Godavari,
|
6.03
|
174.9
|
3.4%
|
0
|
|
Gold
|
Chittoor, Kurnool, Kadapa, Ananthapur
|
12.46
|
493.69
|
2.5%
|
0
|
|
Low-grade Iron ore
|
Prakasam, Guntur Ananthapur, Kurnool,
|
285.82
|
17882
|
1.6%
|
0.72
|
|
Coal
|
West Godavari
|
2000
|
298914
|
0.7%
|
0
|
|
Lead-zinc
|
Guntur, Kadapa
|
4.31
|
685.6
|
0.6%
|
0
|
|
Copper
|
Guntur, Kadapa, Kurnool
|
8.74
|
1558.46
|
0.6%
|
0
|
|
B. Minor Minerals:
|
|
Barytes
|
Kadapa, Ananthapur, Nellore
|
67.98
|
72.73
|
93.5%
|
0.99
|
|
Calcite
|
Visakhapatnam
|
8.80
|
20.90
|
42.1%
|
0.02
|
|
Mica
|
Nellore
|
0.22
|
0.53
|
41.5%
|
0.06
|
|
Ochre
|
Kadapa, Kurnool
|
10.88
|
144.26
|
7.5%
|
0.22
|
|
Talc/Steatite/Soapstone
|
Chittoor, Ananthapur, Kadapa, Kurnool
|
11.24
|
269
|
4.2%
|
0.09
|
|
Laterite
|
East Godavari, Kadapa, Nellore, Kurnool
|
10.0
|
470.8
|
1.9%
|
2.44
|
|
Black / Galaxy / Color Granite (in mn cum)
|
All districts except Nellore & West Godavari
|
132.5
|
46230
|
0.2%
|
1.27
|
|