Part of: GS Prelims and GS – I – Geography & GS- III – Resources
In news
Atomic Minerals Directorate issues clarification on media reports about Lithium Reserves in Karnataka.
Key takeaways
Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), a constituent unit of the Department of Atomic Energy and Geological Survey of India are two agencies that are involved in mineral exploration.
Lithium is a key element for new technologies.
It finds its use in ceramics, glass, telecommunication, and aerospace industries.
The thermonuclear application makes Lithium a “Prescribed substance” under the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 which permits AMD for exploration of Lithium in various geological domains of the country.
Recently, news items on Lithium exploration and resource of Allapatna – Marlagalla sector, Mandya district, Karnataka have been published in various media.
In some media, the estimates of lithium metal have been quoted to be as high as 14,100 tonnes in a small patch of the surveyed area in Mandya district.
The Directorate has clarified that exploration efforts have so far established ~1600 tonnes of lithium in the inferred category (low level of confidence).
