Monazite [UPSC CS(P) 2022 Exam : GS Paper ]

 

UPSC CS(P) 2022  Exam : GS Paper 

Question: With reference to India, consider the following statements:

1. Monazite is a source of rare earths.
2. Monazite contains thorium.
3. Monazite occurs naturally in the entire Indian coastal sands in India.
4. In India, government bodies only can process or export monazite.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1, 2 and 3 only

(b) 1, 2 and 4 only

(c) 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Ans: b

The mineral monazite is a reddish-brown phosphate containing rare earth metals and an important source of thorium, lanthanum, and cerium. Because of the presence of thorium within monazite, it can be radioactive. Due to the alpha decay of thorium and uranium, monazite contains significant amount of helium, which can be extracted by heating

The sands of Sankaramangalam in Kerala were found to contain several rare earths like Ilmenite, Zircon and Rutile.

The beach sands along the coasts of India contain large reserves of strategic minerals like ilmenite, monazite, zircon, etc. Monazite mineral is primarily used as an ore for extracting rare earths particularly cerium and lanthanum

Monazite sands comprise of phosphate minerals of elements such as cerium which occur as small brown crystals in the Kerala sands (these monazite sands are mined for both cerium and radioactive thorium oxide). The sands originate in the granites and gneisses of the Western Ghats and are transported to the coast by more than 47 streams that indent the Kerala coastline

The Heavy Mineral Sand deposits in Kerala contain an assemblage of Ilmenite, Rutile, Leucoxene, Monazite, Zircon and Sillimanite. The State possesses one of the world class deposits of mineral sands in the coastal tracts between Neendakara and Kayamkulam. This, commonly known as the Chavara deposit, after the main locality, covers a total length of 22 km and a width of about 8 km in the northern side and 6 km in the southern side. The Chavara barrier beach portion contains concentration of heavy minerals above 60%. The Chavara deposit is estimated to contain 127 million tonnes of heavy minerals with ilmenite content of 80 million tonnes from the total reserve of raw sand of the order of 1400 million tonnes. In the northern portion beyond Kayamkulam Pozhi extending up to Thottappally in Alappuzha district, the total reserve of heavy minerals estimated to the order of 17 million tonnes with ilmenite content of 9 million tonnes from the raw sand of 242 million tonnes

Chavara barrier beach with a width of 225 m

The beach sand minerals found in the Kollam district of Kerala contain, at different locations, monazite content ranging from   0.058 % to 0.734 %. 

 The mineral monazite, typically contains about 55 – 60% total Rare Earth Oxides and about 9 – 10% Thorium Oxide.

 Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL), a Public Sector Undertaking under DAE, has set up a Monazite Processing Plant at Orissa Sands Complex (OSCOM), Odisha to process 10,000 tons per annum of monazite to produce mixed rare earth chloride. 

Area	In situ Resources of Monazite (Million Tonnes)
Chavara	0.819
Kannimelsery-Neendakara	0.023
Edava-Kollam	0.050
Total	0.892