How Many Coal Mines in India

In India, there are more than 83 coal mines.

Introduction

Coal mining is essential, especially in developing countries like India. Coal is primarily made up of carbon and other elements like hydrogen sulphur, oxygen and nitrogen in various quantities. It is majorly found in the United States, Russia, Australia, China and India. It becomes very important considering its applications which include generating electricity, producing natural gas, filtration of water, smelting Iron and many more. It is also called “Black Gold”. It is readily combustible and due to its applications it is preferably used but it is a non-renewable source of energy hence, should be used with utmost care.

Formation

Coal is formed when large deposits of plant remains are subjected to natural forces and deposited by soils over a long time. The swampy areas are suitable regions for finding coal. Hence, we always find a riverbed near coal deposits. Depending on the degree of compression, time of burial and depth, coal is divided into four broad categories i.e Anthracite, Bituminous, Lignite and Peat.

Divisions in The Indian Sub-Continent

India is considered to be one of the top five coal-producing countries in the world. Mining in India is classified into two main broad categories according to their regions. Gondwana Coal Fields give us Bituminous Coal which is used for generating electricity as it has a high heating capacity.

1. Gondwana Coal Fields

These are believed to have formed around 250 million years ago when all the continents formed a single plateau called “Gondwana”. These contribute to 99% of coal production in India. The coal found here has less carbon content and is free from moisture. The Indian Peninsular region spread around Chota-Nagpur Plateau is considered under Gondwana CoalFields.

2. Tertiary Coal Fields

These were formed around 15-60 million years ago. They are confined to extra-peninsular regions i.e north-eastern states and foothills of the Himalayas. Coal is rich in moisture and sulphur but has very low amounts of carbon. Namchik-Namphuk in Arunachal Pradesh, Siju, Darrangiri and Cherrapunji in Meghalaya and Nazira, Makum and Lakhimpur in Assam are the few CoalFields located in North-Eastern Zone. Neyveli in Tamil Nadu is the CoalFields located near the Godavari river basin. Anthracite in India is found in significantly less quantity in Jammu and Kashmir only. The coal mines are located in the districts of Poonch, Rajouri and Udhampur. Lignite is also found here in fewer quantities.

Popular Coal Mines in India

• Jharkhand - The capital of the state “Dhanbad” is also the coal capital of India. Around one-fourth of India’s production is from this state only. Jharia, the coalfield located in Jharkhand is the largest coalfield in India. Besides, Jharia's other coalfields are found in DaltenGanj, Karanpura, Bokaro and Chandrapura. Giridih, also located in Jharkhand, gives the finest coking coal used in metallurgy.
• WestBengal - Raniganj along the Damodar River in West Bengal is the oldest CoalField in India. Here, mining was started by the East India Company in the year 1774. Besides, Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri here also have coalfields.
• Chattisgarh - The Coal Fields located here are in Bisrampur, Sunhat and Korba.
• Odisha - Talcher ranks second in having large reserves after Raniganj. Besides, Himgiri and Rampur are also located in this region.
• Maharashtra - Wardha near the Maharashtra-Telangana border, Bander and Kamptee CoalFields are located here.

Singrauli, Sohagpur, Johila, Umaria and Satpura in Madhya Pradesh and Umarsar in Gujarat are also part of this region. Singareni, Kothagudem and Kondapalli in Telangana and Pandur in Andhra Pradesh also contribute to coal production.

Conclusion

In India, there are more than 83 coal mines spread over more than 8 states in the country Jharkhand, being the highest contributor. These are found around basins or river beds of rivers flowing across different parts of the country.