Do you know which is the first coal mine in India? Raniganj was the very first coalfield in India where coal mining started during the East India Company i.e. in the year 1774.
The article will talk about major coalfields in India. Candidates will get the list of Important coal mines in India along with their prominent features and location.Â
Knowledge of coal mines in India or major coalfields in India is important for the general awareness section of various competitive or Government exams.
India being rich in the ancient hard rocks is a reserve of various types of mineral resources. Distribution of coal in Indian is in two categories:
- Gondwana Coalfields that are 250 million years old
- Tertiary Coalfields that are 15 to 60 million years old.Â
Coal Mines In India PDF:-Download PDF Here
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List of Coal Mines in India
Before heading towards the list of important coalfields in India, let us understand the categories in which these fields are divided.
The Gondwana Coalfields-
- Gondwana coal makes up to 98% of the total coal reserves in India and 99% of the coal production in India.Â
- Gondwana coal is free from moisture and contains phosphorus and sulphur
- The carbon content in Gondwana coal is less compared to the Carboniferous coal that is 350 million years old which is almost absent in India because of its much younger age.
Tertiary Coal Fields-
- Carbon content is very low but is rich in moisture and sulphur.
- Tertiary coalfields are mainly confined to extra-peninsular regions
- Important areas include Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himalayan foothills of Darjeeling in West Bengal, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Kerala.
Given below is the list of Coal Mines in India with the states and categories the coalfields belong to:
| Coal Mines in India | ||
| Coal Mine | States | Features/Prominence |
| Jharia, Dhanbad, Bokaro, Â Jayanti, Godda, Giridih (Karbhari Coal Field), Ramgarh, Karanpura, Daltonganj | Jharkhand | Dhanbad – One of the oldest in Jharkhand and the richest coalfields of India. It is the storehouse of the best metallurgical coal i.e coking coal.
Gondwana Coalfield. Giridih (Karbhari Coal Field) gives the finest coking coal in India for metallurgical purposes. |
| Raniganj Coalfield, Dalingkot (Darjeeling) Birbhum, Chinakuri | West Bengal | Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri are the chief producing districts.
Gondwana Coalfields |
| Korba, Bishrampur, Sonhat, Jhilmil, Hasdo-Arand | Chhattisgarh | Gondwana Coalfields |
| Jharsuguda, Himgiri, Rampur, Talcher | Odisha | Talcher – Ranks 2nd in reserves after Raniganj i.e. (24,374 million tonnes)
Most of the coal is suitable for steam and gas production and utilised in thermal power plants at Talcher. Gondwana Coalfields |
| Singareni, Kothagudem, Kantapalli | Telangana/ Andhra Pradesh | Most of the coal reserves are in Godavari valley. Non-coking variety is explored. The workable collieries are situated at Kothagudem and Singareni.
Gondwana Coalfields |
| Neyveli | Tamil Nadu | Tertiary coalfield |
| Kamptee(Nagpur), Wun field, Wardha, Walarpur, Ghughus and Warora | Maharashtra | Gondwana Coalfields |
| Ledo, Makum, Najira, Janji, Jaipur | Assam | Assam coals have low ash and high coking qualities. sulphur content is high, good for metallurgical purposes.Â
The coal is best for making liquid fuels and hydrogenation processes. Tertiary Coalfields |
| Darrangiri (Garo hills), Cherrapunji, Liotryngew, Maolong and Langrin coalfields (Khasi & Jaintia Hills) | Meghalaya | Tertiary Coal Field |
| Singrauli, Sohagpur, Johila, Umaria, Satpura coalfield | Madhya Pradesh | Singrauli is the largest coalfield of MP. Gondwana Coalfields. |
Candidates can download the Coal Mines in India PDF for convenience in preparation.
Coal Mines In India PDF:-Download PDF Here
Candidates can also check other important general awareness topics for various competitive exams.Â
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Sample Questions – Coal Mines in India General Awareness Question
For a better understanding of the prominence of coal mines in India topic for competitive exams, it is important to know the scope of questions that are asked in the examination based on it.
Hence, given below are a few sample questions asked in the general awareness section of various government examinations.
Q.1. Which is the largest coal mine in India?
- Makum
- Singrauli
- Jharia
- Bokaro
Answer (3)Â Jharia
Q.2. Which is the oldest coalfield in India?
- Jharia
- Raniganj
- Talcher
- Dhanbad
Answer (2) Raniganj
Q.3. Which state in India is the largest producer of Coal?
- Jharkhand
- West Bengal
- Maharashtra
- Madhya Pradesh
Answer (1) Jharkhand
Q.4. What is the rank of India among the biggest Coal producers and consumers of the world?
- 3rd
- 2nd
- 4th
- 1st
Answer (2) India is the 2nd biggest producer of Coal in the world.
Q.5. Which is the deepest coal mine in India?
- Talcher, Odisha
- Singareni, Telangana
- Janji, Assam
- Chinakuri, Westbengal
Answer (4) Chinakuri, West Bengal
Apart from the sample questions given above, candidates can check Previous Year Question Papers with solution PDF to understand the type of questions asked in the general awareness section of these examinations.
Also, check Free Online Mock tests for various government examination for practice and analysis.Â
Aspirants of various government exams such as SSC, RRB, Bank, Insurance etc. are sure to encounter 1-2 questions related to coal mines in India under the general awareness sections of these exams.Â
Candidates for more such interesting and important general awareness topics can check the links given below:
UPSC aspirants might also encounter questions related to coal mines or coal fields in India in the UPSC Prelims examinations.Â
Candidates preparing for various competitive or government exams can check the detailed syllabus of these exams.Â
| Bank Exam Syllabus | SSC Syllabus | RRB Syllabus |
| LIC Syllabus | UPSC Syllabus | UPSC CAPF Syllabus |
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