Geographical distribution of coal in India: A Brief Review

Written by Qualified Editor on 02 November 2007

Age of coal deposits in India:
There are two age groups of coal deposits in India

Paleozoic / Gondowana Coal ~ 98% of total coal deposits in India
Cainozoic / Tertiary Coal ~ 2% of total coal deposits in India

Gondowana Coals in India:

About 95 % coal mining and production come from the Gondowana coal deposits in India and mainly used for electricity generation and metallurgical industries. The are a total of 14 different Gondowana coal basins in India spread over North-Eastern and Central eastern zones.

Major states in India with Gondowana coal deposits

Bihar
West Bengal
Orrissa

Major Gondowana coalfields in India:

Jharia
Raniganj
Bokaro
Ramgarh
Karanpura
Singrauli
Bisrampur

In addition to the coalfields listed above, there are many other coal fields in the same region producing good amount coals.

Range of seam thickness of Gondowana coals in India:

1 to 30 m ( Note: There is one exceptionally thick coal seam – 134 m discovered at Singrauli coalfield)

General structural features of the Gondowana coal fields:
In general, there are several fauls in the Gondowana coalfields, though the coals are not very much techtonized.

General Nature of coals at Gondowana Coalfields at India:

High to low volatile bituminous coals with high ash content. Sulful content varies within various seams and coalfields.
Cocking coal – good quality coking coal is produced at Jharia and Raniganj.
The Pench – Kanhan – Tawa coalfields in central India also produce Gondowana coals. These coalfields are free from stuctural disturbances. The coal is high volatile non-coking bituminous coal.

Tertiary coals in India
North- Eastern and North -Western parts of India also have brown Tertiary coals. Also, at southern india, there is a very important lignite deposit at Neyveli.

Range of seam thickness of Tertiary coals in India: