MONAZITE SANDS OF BIHAR AND WEST BENGAL

Technical Report · Sat Oct 31 04:00:00 EST 1959

OSTI ID:4288476

Shirke, V G; Chatterji, B D

Large monazite pilacers with other associated minerals, e.g., ilmenite, rutile, sililimanite, zircon, etc., are known to occur in the western and eastern seaboards of India. Lately similar sands have been discovered in inland areas in the older alluvium capping the Ranchi Plateau in Binar and in simiilar formations in the extensive low lying plains of Koleibera to the south, and in parts of Hazaribagh district to the north, in the plains of Purulia to the east, in the state of Binar and to a minor extent also in the adjacent areas in Burdwan and Bankura districts in West Bengal. Columbite-tuntalite is often an additional constituent of the inland heavy mineral sand in which rutile is also more abundant than ilmenite. A program of sampling has been introduced on the basis of isorad maps which roughly demarcate the in situ active from non-active areas, and also according to different orders of activity in the active patches. Much barren area has thus been eliminated, and sampling is being confined to areas of higher activity only. The survey is not yet complete, but the work done so far indicates that the concentrates are economically workable over twenty square miles in the portion of the belt already surveyed. (auth)

• Research Organization: Dept. of Atomic Energy, India
• NSA Number: NSA-13-006641
• OSTI ID: 4288476
• Report Number(s): A/CONF.15/P/1662
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

BLACK SANDS
COLUMBITE
DEPOSITS
ECONOMICS
GEOGRAPHY
GEOLOGY
GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY
ILMENITE
INDIA
MONAZITES
RADIOACTIVITY
RUTILE
SAMPLING
SEA
SEDIMENTS
SILLIMANITE
TANTALITE
ZIRCON