🔹 1. Introduction

India has rich reserves of base metals such as Copper (Cu), Lead (Pb), Zinc (Zn), and precious metals like Gold (Au).
These minerals are vital for the electrical, metallurgical, and manufacturing industries, and their deposits provide essential data for DGMS and geology competitive exams.

🔹 2. Copper Deposits in India🧱 Ore Minerals

Mineral	Formula	Copper %
Chalcopyrite	CuFeS₂	34.5%
Bornite	Cu₅FeS₄	63%
Chalcocite	Cu₂S	80%
Covellite	CuS	66%
Malachite	CuCO₃·Cu(OH)₂	57%

🪨 Mode of Occurrence

• Hydrothermal veins and disseminated deposits
  
• Associated with acidic and intermediate igneous rocks
  
• Commonly in metasedimentary and metavolcanic sequences
  

📍 Major Copper Deposits

State	Important Deposits	Geological Note
Rajasthan	Khetri, Kolihan, Chandmari	Hosted in Delhi Supergroup rocks
Madhya Pradesh	Malanjkhand (Balaghat dist.)	Largest open-cast Cu mine
Jharkhand	Mosabani, Rakha, Surda (Singhbhum)	Singhbhum Shear Zone
Andhra Pradesh	Agnigundala (Guntur dist.)	Minor deposits

🔹 3. Lead & Zinc Deposits in India⚗️ Ore Minerals

Metal	Mineral	Formula
Lead (Pb)	Galena	PbS
Zinc (Zn)	Sphalerite	ZnS

🪨 Mode of Occurrence

• Hosted in dolomitic limestones and phyllites
  
• Formed by hydrothermal replacement and vein-type mineralization
  
• Associated with pyrite, chalcopyrite, and silver minerals
  

📍 Major Pb-Zn Deposits

State	Deposit	Notes
Rajasthan	Rampura-Agucha (Bhilwara), Rajpura-Dariba, Zawar	World-class Pb-Zn mines
Odisha	Sargipalli	Old working, minor production
Andhra Pradesh	Agnigundala	Mixed sulfide ores

🔹 4. Gold Deposits in India✨ Ore Minerals & Form

Mineral	Formula	Gold Content
Native Gold	Au	80–99%
Electrum	Au-Ag alloy	Variable
Pyrite (Auriferous)	FeS₂ (with Au)	Trace

🪨 Mode of Occurrence

• Lode gold deposits – in quartz veins in schists and greenstones
  
• Alluvial (placer) deposits – in river sands
  

📍 Major Gold Fields

State	Deposit	Remarks
Karnataka	Kolar, Hutti, Gadag	Oldest and deepest gold mines in India
Jharkhand	Singhbhum district	Minor lode gold
Andhra Pradesh	Ramagiri, Anantapur	Small auriferous veins

🔹 5. Economic Importance

Metal	Main Use
Copper	Electrical wires, alloys, electronics
Lead	Batteries, shielding, pigments
Zinc	Galvanizing, alloys, fertilizers
Gold	Currency, jewelry, electronics

🔹 6. DGMS Quick Revision Table

Metal	Key Deposits	State	Geological Setting
Copper	Khetri, Malanjkhand, Mosabani	Rajasthan, MP, Jharkhand	Hydrothermal veins
Lead-Zinc	Rampura-Agucha, Zawar	Rajasthan	Carbonate host rocks
Gold	Kolar, Hutti, Gadag	Karnataka	Lode & placer deposits

🧠 25 Objective MCQs – Copper, Lead, Zinc & Gold Deposits in India

1️⃣ The most important ore mineral of copper is —a) Bornite
b) Chalcopyrite
c) Chalcocite
d) Covellite
e) Malachite
✅ Answer: b) Chalcopyrite

2️⃣ Malanjkhand copper deposit is located in —a) Odisha
b) Madhya Pradesh
c) Jharkhand
d) Rajasthan
e) Maharashtra
✅ Answer: b) Madhya Pradesh

3️⃣ Khetri Copper Belt lies in which geological group?a) Dharwar Supergroup
b) Delhi Supergroup
c) Cuddapah Supergroup
d) Vindhyan Group
e) Aravalli Group
✅ Answer: b) Delhi Supergroup

4️⃣ Singhbhum Shear Zone is famous for —a) Iron
b) Copper
c) Gold
d) Lead
e) Bauxite
✅ Answer: b) Copper

5️⃣ The largest lead-zinc mine in India is —a) Rajpura-Dariba
b) Rampura-Agucha
c) Zawar
d) Agnigundala
e) Sargipalli
✅ Answer: b) Rampura-Agucha

6️⃣ Galena is an ore mineral of —a) Zinc
b) Lead
c) Copper
d) Silver
e) Gold
✅ Answer: b) Lead

7️⃣ Sphalerite is also known as —a) Zinc blende
b) Pyrolusite
c) Chalcopyrite
d) Cassiterite
e) Malachite
✅ Answer: a) Zinc blende

8️⃣ The formula of galena is —a) PbS
b) ZnS
c) CuFeS₂
d) FeS₂
e) PbCO₃
✅ Answer: a) PbS

9️⃣ Lead-zinc deposits in Rajasthan occur mainly in —a) Shale formations
b) Dolomitic limestones and phyllites
c) Sandstones
d) Quartzites
e) Basalts
✅ Answer: b) Dolomitic limestones and phyllites

🔟 The main associated mineral with Pb-Zn deposits is —a) Chalcopyrite
b) Pyrite
c) Barite
d) Both (a) and (b)
e) None of these

✅ Answer: d) Both (a) and (b)

11️⃣ The largest copper producer in India is —a) Rajasthan
b) Jharkhand
c) Madhya Pradesh
d) Odisha
e) Gujarat
✅ Answer: c) Madhya Pradesh

12️⃣ Hutti Gold Mines are located in —a) Tamil Nadu
b) Andhra Pradesh
c) Karnataka
d) Jharkhand
e) Rajasthan
✅ Answer: c) Karnataka

13️⃣ The Kolar Gold Field is associated with —a) Dharwar schists
b) Cuddapah sediments
c) Vindhyan limestones
d) Aravalli phyllites
e) Gondwana sandstones

✅ Answer: a) Dharwar schists

14️⃣ The ore mineral of gold is —a) Auriferous pyrite
b) Electrum
c) Native gold
d) All of these
e) None of these
✅ Answer: d) All of these

15️⃣ The Rampura-Agucha deposit is mainly of —a) Magmatic origin
b) Hydrothermal origin
c) Sedimentary origin
d) Placer origin
e) Metamorphic origin
✅ Answer: b) Hydrothermal origin

16️⃣ Zawar mines are located in —a) Bhilwara district
b) Rajsamand district
c) Udaipur district
d) Jaipur district
e) Chittorgarh district
✅ Answer: c) Udaipur district

17️⃣ The chief ore mineral of zinc is —a) Sphalerite
b) Smithsonite
c) Franklinite
d) Willemite
e) Zincite
✅ Answer: a) Sphalerite

18️⃣ Copper deposits in Singhbhum district occur along —a) Fault zones
b) Shear zones
c) Folds
d) Anticlines
e) Dyke contacts
✅ Answer: b) Shear zones

19️⃣ The main ore mineral of lead is —a) Cerussite
b) Anglesite
c) Galena
d) Pyromorphite
e) Wulfenite
✅ Answer: c) Galena

20️⃣ The metal most commonly associated with gold is —a) Silver
b) Copper
c) Lead
d) Zinc
e) Iron
✅ Answer: a) Silver

21️⃣ Khetri copper ores occur in —a) Quartz veins
b) Dolomite lenses
c) Schistose rocks
d) Gneissic zones
e) Granite intrusions
✅ Answer: c) Schistose rocks

22️⃣ Which of the following is a secondary ore of copper?a) Chalcocite
b) Chalcopyrite
c) Pyrite
d) Galena
e) Hematite
✅ Answer: a) Chalcocite

23️⃣ Which gold mine in India is one of the deepest in the world?a) Hutti
b) Kolar
c) Gadag
d) Ramagiri
e) Anantapur
✅ Answer: b) Kolar

24️⃣ Rajpura-Dariba mine produces —a) Iron and manganese

b) Lead and zinc
c) Gold and silver
d) Copper and bauxite
e) Uranium and thorium
✅ Answer: b) Lead and zinc

25️⃣ DGMS classifies Cu, Pb, Zn & Au deposits under —a) Precious minerals
b) Energy minerals
c) Metallic minerals
d) Non-metallic minerals
e) Industrial minerals
✅ Answer: c) Metallic minerals

🧾 Quick Summary of Key Answers

Q. No.	Correct Answer	Topic
1	Chalcopyrite	Copper Ore
5	Rampura-Agucha	Pb-Zn Deposit
6	Galena	Lead Ore
7	Zinc Blende	Zinc Ore
12	Karnataka	Gold Mine
15	Hydrothermal	Origin
23	Kolar	Deep Gold Mine

🚀 10.  Preparing for DGMS Geology, Overman, or Manager’s exam?
👉 Continue your DGMS learning series with the next topic — “Non-Metallic Minerals of India: Mica, Diamond & Industrial Minerals.”
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