Kulpahar - Granite Mining in Kulpahar

Granite Mining in Kulpahar

Kulpahar region comprises areas which are essentially covered by grey, pink, red granitic rock and black dolerite. The rocks are generally medium to coarse to very coarse grained, having variegated colours with varying textural patterns. In geological nomenclature they can be classified on the basis of colour, grain size and texture. Over half of the areas identified so far appear suitable for extracting blocks of two cubic meters in size from the surface outcrops. The granite with red feldspar having presence of white and bluish quartz has caught the fancy of buyers and has become quite popular in national and international markets during the last 10 years, The remaining outcrops would be suited for blocks of smaller size. Ruby red granite is good in quality and is very popular in national and international markets, In granitic terrain the rocks may occur in the form of widespread sheets exposed above the ground level, in the form of hillocks, as high ground or below the ground under soil cover. They may also occur as boulders of different size and shapes spread over the sheet rock. They may be found as dykes, particularly of black and green types, as long narrow ridges often concealed beneath the surface. A major part of granite deposits in these regions are underground and have to be extracted by open cast mining. Underground granite block is more compact and require sophisticated and specialised machinery which adds to the cost of mining.