‘Baba Budan hills’ are famous for the production of which of the following…

Concept

Mineral-geography questions connect a place with the mineral deposit or mining belt for which it is best known.

First identify the location and its geological belt; then distinguish the associated ore from minerals known mainly for other ores, uses, or regions.

Application

The Baba Budan Hills (Baba Budangiri) are in Karnataka, within the iron-ore-bearing belt of the Western Ghats. Therefore, the mineral associated with these hills is iron ore.

Contrast

• Manganese is chiefly an alloying mineral used in steelmaking, but it is not the mineral association tested for the Baba Budan Hills.

• Copper is a non-ferrous metal commonly obtained from ores such as chalcopyrite; it represents a different mineral association.

• Iron ore includes minerals such as hematite and magnetite and is the deposit associated with the Baba Budan Hills.

• Bauxite is the principal ore of aluminium and belongs to a different mineral association.

Cross-check

The Karnataka location and the iron-ore belt point to the same mineral, while copper and bauxite are non-ferrous ore associations and manganese is mainly identified by its alloying role.

Result: Iron ore.