The Geological Survey of India (GSI) is expecting a major copper discovery, the first in several decades, in a block located in Rajasthan’s Alwar district.

India has limited copper deposits, amounting to 2 per cent of world reserves.

Confirming this to Business Line , S. K. Wadhawan, Additional Director General of GSI, said initial estimates suggest resources of 23.46 million tonnes of copper bearing ore in the Khera block at Mundiyawas-Khera area in Alwar.

According to a Union Mines Ministry note, the average copper content in the block’s ore is 28 kg a tonne (Cu 0.28 grade). The first borehole intersected a 107.6-metre thick (width) copper mineralised zone, a GSI document said. Along with copper, GSI also found significant gold and silver at the block.

GSI, which dug five boreholes last fiscal and plans to dig in five more this fiscal in its two-year investigation at the Khera block, has estimated probable gold resource at 1.32 mt and silver resource at 1.51 mt.

“The thickness of the mineralised zone and substantial presence of gold and silver make it potentially exploitable asset,” said K. Sashidharan, Director of the GSI monitoring cell.

He, however, added the inputs for the final report, which would give a clearer picture, are being complied. In 1969, GSI carried out systematic exploration at Malanjkhand in Madhya Pradesh, the last major copper find (estimated 712 mt) in the country. Since mid-1970s, Hindustan Copper Ltd has been exploiting the asset through open cast mining.

At present, it contributes around 45 per cent of the copper concentrate production of the country. Hindustan Copper has also undertaken underground mining project for the asset.

>jayanta.mallick@thehindu.co.in

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