At a glance
- Rajasthan is the richest state in the availability and variety of minerals; it produced 22 major minerals in 2023-24, not counting minor minerals such as marble.
- Sole producer: lead and zinc ores, selenite and wollastonite (2023-24). Almost all of India's silver comes from Rajasthan.
- A big share of resources is not a big share of output: potash and asbestos have large resource shares but are not mined, while rock phosphate has under a third of India's resources and gives most of its output.
- Copper: Rajasthan has the largest copper ore resources, but Madhya Pradesh produced more copper concentrate in 2023-24.
- Hindustan Zinc is India's only integrated lead and zinc metal producer; all its mines are in Rajasthan and all are underground.
- Limestone: Rajasthan was India's leading producing state in 2023-24.
Rajasthan's minerals in brief
| Major minerals produced, 2023-24 | 22 |
|---|---|
| Value of production, 2023-24 (provisional) | Rs 21,670 crore, not counting atomic, fuel and minor minerals |
| Reporting mines, 2023-24 | 94 (minerals reported to the Indian Bureau of Mines; fuel and minor minerals not counted) |
Shares below are of India's total resources as on 1 April 2020, the national inventory the Indian Minerals Yearbook 2024 uses; output is for 2023-24 (provisional) from the same yearbook.
District lists are the yearbook's, which names only the districts of before 2023. Several of those have since lost areas to districts created on 7 August 2023 and kept in December 2024: Barmer to Balotra; Ajmer, Pali and Bhilwara to Beawar; Bharatpur to Deeg; Nagaur to Didwana-Kuchaman; Jaipur and Alwar to Kotputli-Behror; Alwar to Khairthal-Tijara; Jodhpur to Phalodi; Udaipur to Salumbar. Each mine named below is given with its district today.
Lignite, petroleum and natural gas are fuel minerals and belong with energy resources. The copper culture of Ganeshwar is in the ancient civilisations notes; the salt lakes are in the lakes notes.
Metallic minerals
| Mineral | Where (district) | Share of India's resources | Output, 2023-24 (provisional) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead and zinc | Rampura Agucha (Bhilwara); Rajpura Dariba and Sindesar Khurd (Rajsamand); Zawar group (Udaipur); Kayad (Ajmer) | 89.32% of the ore (684.66 of 766.49 million tonnes), the largest | Lead concentrate 380,800 t and zinc concentrate 1,710,144 t |
| Silver | A by-product of lead-zinc, recovered at the Chanderiya smelter (Chittorgarh) | 86.29% of the ore; 97.93% of the metal | 745,830 kg, of India's 745,980 kg (silver from imported copper concentrates not counted) |
| Copper | Khetri belt, Jhunjhunu: the Khetri and Kolihan mines of Hindustan Copper's Khetri Copper Complex, Khetrinagar | 52.25% of the ore, the largest, ahead of Madhya Pradesh (23.28%); 38.01% of the metal | Ore 1,231,500 t; concentrate 55,357 t, 44% of India's (Madhya Pradesh 56%) |
| Iron ore | Haematite: Alwar, Dausa, Jaipur, Jhunjhunu, Sikar and Udaipur. Magnetite: Bhilwara, Jhunjhunu and Sikar | Magnetite: 7.10% (794 of 11,227 million tonnes), third after Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh | 1,527 thousand t from 10 mines |
| Manganese | Banswara has the state's one reporting mine; Kala Khunta, in Kushalgarh tehsil, is an opencast manganese mine | 4,968 t, of India's 3,380,889 t | |
| Gold | Resources in Banswara, Bhilwara, Dausa, Sirohi and Udaipur; the Bhukia gold block (24 sq km) is in Banswara | 24.92% of the primary gold ore, second to Bihar (43%) | None from Rajasthan; Karnataka gave 97% of India's gold, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand the rest |
| Tungsten | Degana (Nagaur district) and Sirohi district | 27%, second to Karnataka (41%) | None: no tungsten mining lease in India as on 31 March 2024; Degana produced it in the past |
Lead-zinc mines and smelters
| Site | District | Facts |
|---|---|---|
| Rampura Agucha mine | Bhilwara | Commissioned 1991, 230 km north of Udaipur; India's richest zinc-lead deposit; mined from the surface until 2017-18, now fully underground. Its ore had the highest metal content in India in 2023-24 (12.41%) |
| Sindesar Khurd mine | Rajsamand | Underground, commissioned 2006, 6 km north-north-east of Rajpura Dariba; a silver-rich lead-zinc deposit; capacity 6.5 million t of ore a year |
| Rajpura Dariba mine | Rajsamand | Underground; mining began in 1983; 75 km north-east of Udaipur |
| Zawar group of mines | Udaipur | Four underground mines and one beneficiation plant, commissioned 1966; about 40 km south of Udaipur |
| Kayad mine | Ajmer | Underground; operations began in 2011 and ore output in 2012-13; its ore is treated at Rampura Agucha's plant |
| Chanderiya smelter | Chittorgarh | Lead-zinc smelting complex commissioned 1991, 110 km north of Udaipur; Rajasthan's silver is recovered here |
| Debari zinc smelter | Udaipur | Commissioned 1968, about 13 km north of Udaipur |
| Dariba smelting complex | Rajsamand | Zinc smelter commissioned March 2010 and lead smelter July 2011, near the Rajpura Dariba mine |
Non-metallic minerals
| Mineral | Where (district) | Share of India's resources | Output, 2023-24 (provisional) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock phosphate | Jhamar Kotra mine (Udaipur) of Rajasthan State Mines and Minerals Ltd (RSMML); also found in Alwar, Banswara, Jaipur and Jaisalmer | 30%, second to Jharkhand (34%) | 1,320,819 t, 84.79% of India's; Madhya Pradesh gave the rest |
| Wollastonite | Deposits in Ajmer, Dungarpur, Pali, Sirohi and Udaipur; the producing mines are in Ajmer and Udaipur | 92% (23.11 of 25.11 million tonnes); the rest almost all in Gujarat | 110,596 t from 3 mines |
| Limestone | Cement grade in 20 of the yearbook's districts, among them Chittorgarh, Bundi, Nagaur, Pali, Sirohi and Jaisalmer; flux grade in Jodhpur and Nagaur | 12%, after Karnataka (24%) and Andhra Pradesh (13%) | 103,644 thousand t from 44 mines; 22.9% of India's |
| Potash | The Nagaur–Ganganagar evaporite basin | 89% (20,572 of 23,091 million tonnes) | Not mined; India imports over 95% of its muriate of potash. Potash blocks in the basin have been auctioned |
| Asbestos | Ajmer, Bhilwara, Dungarpur, Pali, Rajsamand and Udaipur; amphibole varieties such as tremolite | 59% (13.61 of 22.90 million tonnes); Karnataka 36% | None anywhere in India in 2022-23 or 2023-24; India imports its asbestos |
| Garnet | Gem garnet: Ajmer, Bhilwara, Jhunjhunu, Sikar and Tonk. Abrasive-garnet mines: Ajmer, Bhilwara, Rajsamand and Tonk | Abrasive garnet 23,838 t from 8 mines, all of India's abrasive garnet outside the beach-sand minerals; no gem garnet since 2018-19 (Rajasthan was its sole producer till 2004-05) | |
| Selenite | Thar desert areas; RSMML is the leading producer | 14,136 t from 3 mines | |
| Emerald | The 221 km Ajmer–Rajsamand belt, in pegmatites; Kalaguman (Rajsamand) is one locality. Jaipur is India's major emerald-processing centre | None in 2022-23 or 2023-24 | |
| Diatomite and siliceous earth | Diatomite: Barmer and Jaisalmer. Siliceous-earth mines: Barmer | Diatomite 72%; the rest is in Gujarat | No diatomite in India since 1991-92; siliceous earth 58,047 t from 10 mines |
| Common salt | Salt lakes and brine (the lakes notes give each lake) | 2021-22, the latest year in the yearbook's table: 16.9 lakh t of India's 270.24 lakh t, third after Gujarat and Tamil Nadu |
Minor minerals: marble, granite, gypsum
| Mineral | Where (district) | Facts |
|---|---|---|
| Marble | Five regions: Udaipur–Rajsamand–Chittorgarh, Makrana (then Nagaur district, now Didwana-Kuchaman)–Kishangarh, Banswara–Dungarpur, Andhi (Jaipur)–Jhiri (Alwar) and Jaisalmer | Output 10,638,060 t in 2021-22, as reported by the state. Kishangarh (Ajmer) has a dumping yard for marble slurry, the waste of marble processing |
| Granite | 18 of the yearbook's districts, among them Jalore, Jodhpur, Pali, Sirohi, Barmer and Rajsamand | Output 8,805,139 cubic metres of black and coloured granite in 2021-22, as reported by the state |
| Gypsum | Barmer, Bikaner, Churu, Sri Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Jaisalmer, Jalore, Nagaur and Pali | Output 3,547,220 t in 2021-22, as reported by the state; used in cement and, powdered, to treat alkaline soils |
- Minor minerals are regulated by the states: their output is reported to the state governments, not to the Indian Bureau of Mines, and the 2020 national inventory leaves them out.
- Building stones such as marble, granite and sandstone, and fuller's earth and bentonite, were already minor minerals under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957. A notification of 10 February 2015 (S.O. 423(E)) added 31 more, among them gypsum, calcite, ochre, dolomite, ball clay, steatite or talc or soapstone, and quartzite.
- A notification of 20 February 2025 moved barytes, felspar, mica and quartz back to the major minerals.
- Older shares of India's resources, printed in the yearbook's Rajasthan chapter up to its 2023 edition: gypsum 82%, ochre 81%, bentonite 75%, fuller's earth 74%, felspar 66% (felspar has been a major mineral again since 2025), marble 63%, calcite 50%, talc/steatite/soapstone 49%, ball clay 38%.
Remember: often mixed up
- Kalagumanan emerald locality in Rajsamand district, not a garnet one.
- Dariba twiceRajpura Dariba (Rajsamand) has a lead-zinc mine and HZL's smelting complex · Dariba in Alwar district is a copper occurrence.
- Gypsum and seleniteselenite is the crystalline variety of gypsum; gypsum is a minor mineral and selenite a major one, so only selenite's output is in the yearbook's 2023-24 tables.
- Makrana and KishangarhMakrana is the famous marble-mining centre · Kishangarh (Ajmer) has the marble-slurry dumping yard.
- Old and new sharesthe yearbook's Rajasthan chapter, up to its 2023 edition, prints potash 94%, wollastonite 88%, silver ore 88%, asbestos 61%, copper ore 54% and rock phosphate 31%, the same figures as its 2017 edition, whose tables are as on 1 April 2015. The mineral reviews, on the 1 April 2020 inventory, give 89%, 92%, 86.29%, 59%, 52.25% and 30%.
Test yourself: asked in exams
CET Graduation Level 2022 · Q52
Which (Mineral – Mining Area) is not a correct match?
- (1)Rock Phosphate – Jhamar-Kotra
- (2)Manganese – Kala-Khunta
- (3)Garnet – Kalaguman
- (4)Iron Ore – Morija-Dabla
Show answer
✓ (3) Garnet – Kalaguman
See the full paperCET Graduation Level 2022 · Q83
In which district of Rajasthan, in the latest survey of Geological Survey of India 2021, huge deposits of cement grade limestone have been found?
- (1)Jhalawar
- (2)Jaisalmer
- (3)Chittorgarh
- (4)Pali
Show answer
✓ (2) Jaisalmer
See the full paperCET Senior Secondary Level 2024 · Q59
Where is marble dumping yard in Rajasthan?
- (1)Kishangarh
- (2)Bundi
- (3)Kumbhalgarh
- (4)Bikaner
Show answer
✓ (1) Kishangarh
See the full paperProtection Officer 2022 · Q41
Which of the following is a famous mine of rock phosphate ?
- (1)Jhamar-Kotra
- (2)Nat ki Neri
- (3)Salumber
- (4)Bidasar
Show answer
✓ (1) Jhamar-Kotra
See the full paperProtection Officer 2024 · Q57
Which one of the following (Mineral - Mining Area) is NOT correctly matched?
- (1)Mica - Shankarwada
- (2)Rock Phosphate - Nath ki Neri
- (3)Feldspar - Gujarwada
- (4)Gypsum – Kawas, Kurla
Show answer
✓ (2) Rock Phosphate - Nath ki Neri
See the full paperRAS Prelims 2023 · Q10
Kalakhuta, Leelwani, Nardiya, Timmamori are producing regions of which mineral in Rajasthan ?
- (1)Manganese
- (2)Tungsten
- (3)Copper
- (4)Iron ore
Show answer
✓ (1) Manganese
See the full paperRAS Prelims 2024 · Q10
At which of the following places, asbestos mines are located in Rajasthan ?
- (1)Arjunpura and Piparda
- (2)Kura and Mangol
- (3)Karpura and Fatehgarh
- (4)Depura and Dingri
Show answer
✓ (1) Arjunpura and Piparda
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