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30th November 2024 (10 Topics)

Arittapatti Tungsten Mining

Context

Tamil Nadu State Government has requested the Centre to cancel the tungsten mining rights awarded to a private company in Madurai district, considering the biodiversity heritage site in the proposed area. 

About the region

  • The Nayakkarpatti tungsten block comprises six villages, including Arittapatti in Madurai, which is a notified biodiversity heritage site.
  • Hillocks in Arittapatti village have rich biological significance with the presence of around 250 bird species, including 3 flagship Raptor species – Laggar Falcon (Falco jugger), Shaheen Falcon (Falco peregrines), and Bonelli's Eagle (Aquila fasciata).
  • It is also famous for archaeological monuments, including cave temples, sculptures, Jain symbols, Tamil Brahmi scripts, and Pancha Pandavar stone beds.
  • Any mining activity will cause irreparable damage to these sites.

About Tungsten

  • Tungsten is a critical component in a wide range of industries, including aerospace, automotive, construction, and electronics.
  • It is a rare and highly valued metal that is found naturally in the Earth’s crust.
  • The major sources of tungsten are minerals scheelite (Calcium tungstate, CaWO4 ) and Wolframite [mixture of ferrous tungstate and manganous tungstate, (Fe,Mn)WO4 ] which are predominantly hydrothermal in origin.
  • Properties:
    • Tungsten has a melting point of 3,422 o C, the highest of all metals and is resistant to all acids at ordinary temperatures.
    • It has good corrosion resistance, good thermal & electrical conductivity and low co-efficient of expansion.
    • It is elastic, ductile and has high tensile strength and can be drawn into very thin wires
  • Tungsten is a critical component in a wide range of industries, including aerospace, automotive, construction, and electronics
  • Two primary mining methods: underground mining and open-pit mining.
  • It is one of the ‘30 critical minerals’ identified by the Centre.
    • Others are: Antimony, Beryllium, Bismuth, Cobalt, Copper, Gallium, Germanium, Graphite, Hafnium, Indium, Lithium, Molybdenum, Niobium, Nickel, PGE, Phosphorous, Potash, REE, Rhenium, Silicon, Strontium, Tantalum, Tellurium, Tin, Titanium, Vanadium, Zirconium, Selenium and Cadmium.
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