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A Historical Overview of Conceptual Approaches in Mineral Exploration with Special Reference to Uranium Exploration in India

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Journal of the Geological Society of India

Abstract

Minerals and metals find mentioned in India’s ‘Shruthies’ (Vedic) and ‘Smruthies’ (Ithihasas and Puranas) but the exploration concepts had remained latent. After a huge hiatus, the Industrial Revolution of the mid-18th century can be said to have heralded the need to seek mineral resources world-wide. Ancient mining activities were the obvious precursors used by the prospectors to seek new mineral resources. The ‘Spatial and Temporal’ association of the ‘metallogenic provinces’ thus also became clearer. The ‘mineral system concept’ came up since 1990s and are being used for seeking new Mississipi Valley Type, Pb−Zn−Cu and SEDAX type deposits along passive, continental margins. The ‘Common Earth Model’ came up in the new millenia for petroleum exploration with inferences on the depth aspects petroleum basins. Such a fusion of concepts and advanced exploration techniques have helped in the preparation of ‘prospectivity maps’ for seeking ‘green field terrains’ to discover new mineral resource bases. The second world-war which demonstrated the fission-power of uranium ushered in the race for atomic minerals, especially uranium, throughout the world including India. Crustal evolution and the time-bound character of specific uranium deposit-types marked a major shift in uranium exploration concepts world-wide including India. Metamorphic, vein type deposits of Singhbhum, Jharkhand (Jaduguda, Narwapaharh, Turamdih and others explored since the early 1950s), the sandstone types at Domiasiat and Wakhyn in Meghalaya, the albitite-hosted uranium at Rohil, Rajasthan and the unique, low-grade, large tonnage, carbonate-hosted Tummallapalle group of deposits in Andhra Pradesh discovered and proved since the late 1970s, form the main resource base of uranium in India.

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Acknowledgements

This work is dedicated to the ‘Google Scholar’, which provided either full or partial access to the innumerable contributions of Earth Scientists pertaining to the references cited here sitting at home during the Pandemic. The three reviewers provided excellent inputs to improve the manuscript by positive suggestions and the author is thankful to them. Dr. D.K. Sinha, Director, AMD invited to contribute to Azadi Ke Amruth Mahotsav and also for arranging re-drafting of some diagrams given in this paper.

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  1. Formerly Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), Begumpet, Hyderabad, 500 016, India

    P. Krishnamurthy

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Krishnamurthy, P. A Historical Overview of Conceptual Approaches in Mineral Exploration with Special Reference to Uranium Exploration in India. J Geol Soc India 98, 1166–1172 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-022-2139-2

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