List of minerals of Pakistan

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Himalayan salt (coarse, [?] up to 5 mm) from Pakistan Himalayan salt (coarse).jpg
Himalayan salt (coarse, ⌀ up to 5 mm) from Pakistan

This is a list of minerals, both metallic and non-metallic found in Pakistan province wise.

Contents

Mining areas

Minerals are found richly, in all of the Provinces of Pakistan. They may be mined in common locations or regions based on their popularity. Different minerals may also be mined in different regions such as the Hindu Kush, Himalaya, and Karakorum ranges.

Punjab

RegionImageMineralNotesRef
Khushab District Bauxite.jpg Bauxite The bauxite is best developed from Nilawahn to Khura in the south of the Salt Range . In general the content of alumina and silica has inverse relationship from east to west. [1]
Jhelum District Sulphur bentonite pastilles.jpg Bentonite It is presently being extracted from Siwalik rocks found near Villages of Jalalpur Sharif and Dina in Jhelum District. Workable deposits also occur in Attock. Sandy terrain of the Pabby Hills near village Tainpur. Dina, Jhelum District have been reported to be the best places where economic deposits of bentonite are found. [2]
Mansehra Calcite-20188.jpg Calcite In Punjab, deposits are found in the cracks of limestone in the form of veins. It is found in Attock, Rawalpindi, Chakwal, Jhelum, and D.G. Khan Districts. In Kala Chitta Range in Attock District, calcite is found in abundance in pure form. [3]
Daud Khel Celestite MCG 73014-P4171120-black.jpg Celestine

(celestite)

In Punjab, the Celestite occurs as irregular veins over a length of three to four miles to the east and northeast of Daud Khel the mineral occurs in irregular veins.
Rajanpur District, Chakwal District Chalk ("Upper Chalk" Formation, Upper Cretaceous; White Cliffs of Dover, England, southern Britain).jpg Chalk Chalk deposits are mainly formed in the limestone accumulation, which can be found in Rawalpindi, Chakwal, Khushab, Mianwali, D.G. Khan and Rajanpur District.
Mianwali District etc. Kaolinite.jpg Kaolinite

(China clay)

China clay is also found in the Districts of Chakwal, Khushab, Mianwali, Attock and D.G. Khan.
Salt Range Cannel coal (Cannel City-Amburgy Coal Zone, Middle Pennsylvanian; Jackson North Rt. 15 roadcut, Breathitt County, Kentucky, USA) 7 (29371452793).jpg Coal In Punjab Province huge coal deposits are found in the Salt Range. The coal found in Punjab is of sub-bituminous quality.
Regions near Kalabagh (Mianwali District) Dolomite hg.jpg Dolomite The main deposits include Barbara deposits of Kuch near Kalabagh in Mianwali District. The Dolomite deposits are also found near Datta Nala (about 11 km North East of Makerwal). Doya-Lunda, Normia and Punnu (Near coal mines of Mulla Khel) and near Buri Khel in Mianwali.
Chakwal District

Khewra

Musakhel

etc.

Fire clay In Punjab important location of fireclay deposits are Chappri, Dhok Pass, Mouza Bazaar, Musakhel in District Mianwali, Chambal, Padhrar in Khushab, Kruli, Dlawal, Minhala and Wahali in Chakwal District, Khewra, Rohtas ,Punan wal and Katha Saghral (District Khushab) and Kala Chitta Range (Bagh Nilab Area, Chhoi Area, Surg Area, Buta Area, Akhori Area) in District Attock.

Non-metallic minerals

Gemstones

Topaz on matrix from Dassu in Gilgit Baltistan Topaz-38487.jpg
Topaz on matrix from Dassu in Gilgit Baltistan
Brookite and Quartz mineral from Balochistan Brookite-Quartz-t5107bc.jpg
Brookite and Quartz mineral from Balochistan

Gemstones, also known as semi-precious stones or gems, are minerals widely used in jewelry and for ornamental purposes. Northern and western regions of Pakistan are rich in high quality gemstones. Some of the major gemstones are enlisted below; [4]

The main mining areas of these gems are in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Balochistan. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beryl</span> Gemstone: beryllium aluminium silicate

Beryl ( BERR-əl) is a mineral composed of beryllium aluminium silicate with the chemical formula Be3Al2Si6O18. Well-known varieties of beryl include emerald and aquamarine. Naturally occurring, hexagonal crystals of beryl can be up to several meters in size, but terminated crystals are relatively rare. Pure beryl is colorless, but it is frequently tinted by impurities; possible colors are green, blue, yellow, pink, and red (the rarest). It is an ore source of beryllium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Topaz</span> Silicate mineral

Topaz is a silicate mineral of aluminium and fluorine with the chemical formula Al2SiO4(F,OH)2. It is used as a gemstone in jewelry and other adornments. Common topaz in its natural state is colorless, though trace element impurities can make it pale blue or golden brown to yellow orange. Topaz is often treated with heat or radiation to make it a deep blue, reddish-orange, pale green, pink, or purple.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garnet</span> Mineral, semi-precious stone

Garnets are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pegmatite</span> Igneous rock with very large interlocked crystals

A pegmatite is an igneous rock showing a very coarse texture, with large interlocking crystals usually greater in size than 1 cm (0.4 in) and sometimes greater than 1 meter (3 ft). Most pegmatites are composed of quartz, feldspar, and mica, having a similar silicic composition to granite. However, rarer intermediate composition and mafic pegmatites are known.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruby</span> Variety of corundum, mineral, gemstone

A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum. Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapphires. Ruby is one of the traditional cardinal gems, alongside amethyst, sapphire, emerald, and diamond. The word ruby comes from ruber, Latin for red. The color of a ruby is due to the element chromium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peridot</span> Green gem-quality mineral

Peridot, sometimes called chrysolite, is a yellowish-green transparent variety of olivine. Peridot is one of the few gemstones that occur in only one color.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turquoise</span> Opaque, blue-to-green mineral

Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrous phosphate of copper and aluminium, with the chemical formula CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8·4H2O. It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gemstone for millennia due to its hue.

Lustre or luster is the way light interacts with the surface of a crystal, rock, or mineral. The word traces its origins back to the Latin lux, meaning "light", and generally implies radiance, gloss, or brilliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jasper</span> Chalcedony variety colored by iron oxide

Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases, is an opaque, impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow, brown or green in color; and rarely blue. The common red color is due to iron(III) inclusions. Jasper breaks with a smooth surface and is used for ornamentation or as a gemstone. It can be highly polished and is used for items such as vases, seals, and snuff boxes. The specific gravity of jasper is typically 2.5 to 2.9 g/cm³. Jaspillite is a banded-iron-formation rock that often has distinctive bands of jasper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inclusion (mineral)</span> Material trapped inside a mineral during formation

In mineralogy, an inclusion is any material that is trapped inside a mineral during its formation. In gemology, an inclusion is a characteristic enclosed within a gemstone, or reaching its surface from the interior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bahawalpur District</span> District of Punjab in Pakistan

Bahawalpur District is a district of Punjab, Pakistan, with capital the city of Bahawalpur. According to the 1998 Census it had a population of 2,433,091, of which 27.01% were urban. Bahawalpur district covers 24,830 km2. Approximately two-thirds of the district (16,000 km2) is covered by the Cholistan Desert, which extends into the Thar Desert of India. The district is a major producer of cotton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bahawalnagar District</span> District in Punjab, Pakistan

Bahawalnagar District, is a district of Punjab province in Pakistan. Before the independence of Pakistan, Bahawalnagar was part of Bahawalpur state governed by the Nawab of Bahawalpur. The city of Bahawalnagar is the capital of the district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dera Ghazi Khan District</span> District of Punjab in Pakistan

Dera Ghazi Khan is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Its capital is the Dera Ghazi Khan city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rahim Yar Khan District</span> District in Punjab, Pakistan

Rahim Yar Khan District is a district in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Its headquarters is the city of Rahim Yar Khan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhakkar District</span> District of Punjab in Pakistan

Bhakkar District, is a district in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. The district was created out of parts of Mianwali in 1982, and has the city of Bhakkar as its headquarters. Part of its area consists of a riverine tract along the Indus, called Kaccha, while most of the district area lies in the desolate plain of the Thal Desert. The main languages spoken in the district are Saraiki (79.97%), Punjabi (10.18%), Urdu (7.14%), and Pashto (2.33%).

According to the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA), Pakistan may have over 9 billion barrels (1.4×109 cubic metres) of petroleum oil and 105 trillion cubic feet (3.0 trillion cubic metres) in natural gas (including shale gas) reserves.

Mining is an important industry in Pakistan. Pakistan has deposits of several minerals including coal, copper, gold, chromite, mineral salt, bauxite and several other minerals. There are also a variety of precious and semi-precious minerals that are also mined. These include peridot, aquamarine, topaz, ruby, emerald, rare-earth minerals bastnaesite and xenotime, sphene, tourmaline, and many varieties and types of quartz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pothohar Plateau</span> Plateau in Punjab, Pakistan

The Pothohar Plateau, also known as Pothwar, is a plateau in Punjab, Pakistan, located between the Indus and Jhelum rivers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geology of Pakistan</span>

The geology of Pakistan encompasses the varied landscapes that make up the land constituting modern-day Pakistan, which are a blend of its geological history, and its climate over the past few million years.

The Politics of Muzaffargarh takes place at the municipal, provincial and federal levels of the government. ؐMuzaffargarh is a multiethnic, multilingual, multicultural and multireligious city. Tthere are one Municipal Corporation, six Municipal committees, thirteen Town committee and five Thesil councils according to he Punjab Local Government Act 2019. At a national level, Muzaffargarh is very important in provincial and national politics.

References

  1. "Description of Important Minerals occurring in Punjab | Punjab Portal". www.punjab.gov.pk. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  2. Khan, Kaffayatullah; Khan, Shaukat Ali; Saleem, Muhammad Umair; Ashraf, Muhammad (2017-08-25). "Improvement of Locally Available Raw Bentonite for Use as Drilling Mud". The Open Construction & Building Technology Journal. 11 (1). doi: 10.2174/1874836801711010274 .
  3. "Description of Important Minerals occurring in Punjab | Punjab Portal". www.punjab.gov.pk. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  4. 1 2 "Pakistan's Gemstones: An Overview". Pala Gems. Retrieved 20 September 2012.