Question 19 from UPSC CSE 2023 - Geography

Question

Ilmenite and rutile, abundantly available in certain coastal tracts of India, are rich sources of which one of the following?

IASCODEX · Accepted Answer

Correct Option: D. Titanium

Strategy: Focus on identifying the correct mineral association. Ilmenite and rutile are heavy minerals found in beach sand and are specifically known as titanium ores. Other options like aluminium, copper, and iron are not characteristically associated with these minerals. Recognizing the coastal placer context confirms their link with titanium, allowing for direct selection.

Key Info: Ilmenite (FeTiO3) and rutile (TiO2) are titanium-bearing minerals found extensively in India's coastal placer deposits, particularly along the coasts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha.

Titanium is a lightweight, corrosion-resistant metal utilized across various industries including aerospace, chemical, pigment production, and medical applications. Ilmenite is the most abundant titanium mineral globally, while rutile, though less common, boasts a higher concentration of titanium dioxide (TiO2). The extraction of titanium metal and titanium dioxide pigment, a crucial white pigment for paints and plastics, depends heavily on these minerals.

India's heavy mineral sands also contain other minerals such as zircon, garnet, sillimanite, and monazite, alongside ilmenite and rutile. It is important to note that aluminium (primarily from bauxite), copper (mainly from chalcopyrite), and iron (from hematite or magnetite) do not originate from these specific minerals, confirming the unique association of ilmenite and rutile with titanium ores.

IASCODEX · Answer

Option A: Aluminium

IASCODEX · Answer

Option B: Copper

IASCODEX · Answer

Option C: Iron