November 14, 2019 | Unique Crystal Minerals

Quartz Silica is one of the most widely distributed materials in the earth’s crust. Quartz ( a crystalline variety of silica) is mostly silica(Si02), However with the presence of certain impurities. Quartz is the most abundant mineral found on earth’s surface. Quartz, Quartz crystals, Silica sand, Quartzite are also collectively described as Silica minerals. This is usually because all these commodities are crystalline silicon dioxide with noticeable differences in their crystalline structure as well as the presence of traces of impurities. Quartz has a wide variety of applications. Quartz crystals are used in making gemstones and jewelry, whereas quartz sand is used in making glasses and bricks. Quartz is also used in the manufacture of quartz resonators. These resonators are utilized as high-performance resonators and can be found in filters and oscillators. Most of the data present in this article has been taken from reports released by the Indian Bureau of Mines. Quartz Varieties Quartz exists in several varieties including: 1) Crystalline or Macro Crystalline Varieties These varieties consist of crystals that are visible to the human eye. Crystal Quartz is mostly used as a gemstone or for making jewelry. Quartz crystals, although naturally colorless, can also be of different colors according to the presence of impurities. The essential members of the crystalline quartz include the Aventurine Quartz, Amethyst, Eisenkiesel, vein quartz, milky quartz, ferruginous quartz, Cat’s eye, Rock crystal. Other members of the crystalline varieties of quartz include the transparent quartz, Rose quartz. According to IBM, massive crystalline quartz in the form of veins is present in almost all the states of the country. 2) Cryptocrystalline Varieties or Micro Crystalline Varieties Although some of the experts differentiate in both the cryptocrystalline and microcrystalline varieties of quartz, the Indian Bureau of Mines has grouped them in the same category. These varieties consist of tiny crystal grains that are not visible to the human eye but can be seen with an optical microscope. The Cryptocrystalline varieties include Chalcedony, agate, jasper, onyx, flint, and chert. According to IBM, The Cryptocrystalline varieties are reported to be prevalent in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Punjab. Agate is, however, predominant in Ratnapura, Rajpipla, and further west between Tapi and Narmada rivers in Bharuch district, Gujarat, where it exists as pebbles in different sizes related to clay and are washed down by the flow of the river. Other occurrences of economic importance are reported in Amravati, Aurangabad, Buldhana, Chandrapur, Nashik, and Pune district of Maharashtra; beds of Krishna and Godavari rivers in Andhra Pradesh; Dumka district in Jharkhand; Dhar, Mandsaur, Sihore, and Shahdol districts in Madhya Pradesh; and Kachchh district of Gujarat. 3) Clastic or Granular Varieties These varieties mainly include quartz sand, silica sand, sandstone as well as quartzite. Silica sand usually consists of at least 95% silica, mostly in the form of quartz. The sand is processed industrially to remove impurities and increase the amount of silica according to the applications in different industries. Example: Glass is one of the industry which requires a very high amount of silica in silica sand, almost 100%. The grain size for silica sand usually varies from 0.5-1 mm. These grains are finer than those found in Quartz sand. The rocks formed from silica sand are generally referred to as Quartzite. Quartz sand has applications in lots of different industries such as the glass industry, chemical industry, brick manufacturing, ceramic industry, paint industry, etc. According to IBM, these varieties are present in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, etc. The silica sand gotten from the Naini area in the Allahabad district and Uttar Pradesh is of very high quality. Reserve And Resources Of Quartz, Silica Sand & Quartzite According to the NMI database, the total reserve/resources of quartz and silica sand in the country is projected to be around 3,907.95 million tonnes. Out of this, 647.53 million tonnes (17%) are placed under the reserved category. Another 3,260.42 million tonnes (83%) are placed under the remaining resources category. Resources by grades show foundry and molding grade at 735.59 million tonnes (19%), glass at 649.77 million tonnes (17%), ceramics, and pottery grade at 438.44 million tonnes (11%), and ferrosilicon grade at 183.96 million tonnes (5%). The abrasive, sodium silicate, others, unclassified, and unknown at 1,900.18 million tonnes (48%) of the total resources. Based on the state, Haryana alone accounts for about 1,653.65 million tonnes. Table 1 - Reserves/Resources Of Quartz & Silica Sand as on 1.04.2015 Image Credit - Indian Bureau Of Mines Table 2 - Reserves/Resources Of Quartzite as on 1.04.2015 Image Credit - Indian Bureau Of Mines Exploration And Development The exploration of quartz and silica minerals was carried out by the Geological Survey of India in conjunction with the Directorate of Mines and Geology, Rajasthan, between 2015-2016. Table 3 - Details Of Exploration Activities For Quartz & Silica Sand, 2015-16 Image Credit - Indian Bureau Of Mines Production And Stock Of Quartz, Silica Sand & Quartzite Quartz ‘Quartz’ has been declared as a minor mineral by the Government of India in January 2015. Hence, the production, stocks, and prices beyond January 2015 are not available on the IBM database. According to the earlier reports released by IBM, In 2013-2014, the production of quartz was reported at 1395 thousand tonnes. Also, the number of quartz mines at the same time was reported at 251. In 2013-14, More than half of the quartz in India was produced in Andhra Pradesh. The other states where Quartz is mainly produced include Gujarat, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Karnataka, Jharkhand, etc. At Unique Crystal Minerals, one of the largest quartz suppliers in India, we are known to produce and supply around 100,000 tons of quartz every year. Silica Sand Silica Sand has also been declared as a minor mineral. Therefore, the production, stock, and prices beyond January 2015 are not available on IBM. Although in 2013-14, The production of silica sand was reported at 3346 thousand tonnes. The silica sand at that time was produced from 136 mines. The states where Silica sand is majorly produced include Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu. Quartzite Similarly, ‘Quartzite’ has been declared as a minor mineral; thus, the production, stock, and prices beyond January 2015 are not available on IBM. Although in 2013-14, The production of quartzite was reported at 530,000 tonnes. Quartzite at that time was produced from 10 mines. The states where Quartzite is produced include the following: Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, etc. Table 4 - Principle Producers Of Quartz In India Image Credit - Indian Bureau Of Mines Table 5 - Principle Producers Of Silica Sand In India Image Credit - Indian Bureau Of Mines Table 6 - Principal Producers Of Quartzite In India Image Credit - Indian Bureau Of Mines Consumption The consumption rate of quartz and silica sand was estimated at 2.79 million tonnes between 2015-2016. Also, the major consumers of these minerals include: glass (41%), cement (28%), Ferro-alloys (10%), Iron and steel (6%), foundry (5%), and the fertilizer industry consumes about 4%. Also, the consumption of Quartzite was estimated to be around 526 thousand tonnes, out of which the Iron and Steel industry consumed about 67%. This is also followed closely by ferroalloys at 13%, refractory industry at 10%, and sponge iron at 9%. Table 7 - Consumption Of Quartz/Silica Sand In India, 2013-14 to 2015-16 Image Credit - Indian Bureau Of Mines Exports India is one of the leading exporters of quartz in the world. According to the reports generated by OEC – Observatory Of Economic Complexity, India was placed at the second number among top quartz exporting countries of 2017. India exported around $61.5 million worth of quartz, which accounted for 13% of the global quartz export. According to IBM, The export of quartz and natural quartzite reduced to about 388,192 tonnes in 2015-2016 from 410,497 tonnes in the previous year. Out of the total exports, quartz accounts for 301,366 tonnes, which are about 78% of the export. Quartzite, on the other hand, accounts for the remaining 86,966 tonnes, which is about 22%. Additionally, exports were mainly to Bhutan (12%), Vietnam (11%), Korea Republic (10%), Malaysia (9%), Japan (8%), China, and Bangladesh (5%). The export of silica sand decreased immensely to 709 tonnes in 2015-2016 from 1,216 tonnes in the previous year. Imports The import of quartz and natural quartzite stood at 1,652 tonnes in 2012-2013 as compared to 578 tonnes in 2011-2012. Also, out of the total import in 2012-2013, the import of quartz accounted for 922 tonnes and majorly from Bangladesh (48%), and China (30%). The imports were 730 tonnes, mainly from Sri Lanka (34%), Bangladesh (24%), and Belgium (14%). The imports of silica sands decreased substantially to 54,379 tonnes in 2012-2013 from 129,490 tonnes in the previous year. Also, Egypt (42%), Saudi Arabia (27%), and Italy (9%) were the suppliers. The imports of sand excluding meta bearing was 12,785 tonnes and mainly from Nepal (91%). Conclusion We have simplified the data related to quartz resources, production, and consumption, imports, and exports from India. Quartz is useful in different industries as far as manufacturing is concerned. Quartz is used in jewelry making, metal production, chemical production, construction products, and even recreational products. Even more, Quartz is also essentially used as foundry sand, as abrasive, and also in the petroleum industry. References: This article mostly talks about data of quartz mines in India, quartz production in India, consumption, imports, exports and other relevant data which has been taken from Quartz & Other Silica Minerals – Indian Bureau of Mines

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Quartz Mines In India: An Overview Of Quartz Resources And Reserves