Malanjkhand also referred to as MCP (acronym for Malanjkhand Copper Project) is an

open-pit Open-pit mining, also known as open-cast or open-cut mining and in larger contexts mega-mining, is a surface mining technique that extracts rock (geology), rock or minerals from the earth. Open-pit mines are used when deposits of commercially ...

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

mine in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, located near the town of Balaghat to Malajkhand , Madhya Pradesh State. It is located nearby to the

Kanha National Park Kanha Tiger Reserve, also known as Kanha–Kisli National Park, is one of the tiger reserves of India and the largest National park of India, national park of the state of Madhya Pradesh. It covers an area of in the two districts Mandla and Ba ...

. It is the largest

base metal A base metal is a common and inexpensive metal, as opposed to a precious metal such as gold or silver. In numismatics, coins often derived their value from the precious metal content; however, base metals have also been used in coins in the past ...

mine in

. The Closepet series of the Dharwarian formation is prominent there. It is the main source of copper to Malanjkhand Copper plant functioning there. Besides copper,

quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock that was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tecton ...

, copper

pyrite The mineral pyrite ( ), or iron pyrite, also known as fool's gold, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula Fe S2 (iron (II) disulfide). Pyrite is the most abundant sulfide mineral. Pyrite's metallic luster and pale brass-yellow hue ...

and manganiferous rocks are other important mineral sources found in Malanjkhand. The place is home of about 10,000 people. MCP although a small place has social communities from all parts of India: Maharashtra, Bengal, Kerala, Andhra, Bihar, and others. They have groups which are more popularly referred to as ''Samaj''.

Malanjkhand Copper Project

Malanjkhand Copper Project was inaugurated by Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi in 1982 and

Hindustan Copper Limited Hindustan Copper Ltd. (HCL) is a central public sector undertaking under the ownership of the Ministry of Mines, Government of India. HCL is the only vertically integrated government-owned-copper producer in India engaged in a wide spectru ...

started to exploit the copper ore through open pit mining. Geological Survey of India took systematic geological exploration at this deposit during 1969. Mining lease of the ore was granted to Hindustan Copper Limited in 1973. With advancement of time this project was enhanced with viable operational developments. It is the largest open cast mining in Asia. This area is the result of many cycles of erosion on the

gneiss Gneiss (pronounced ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. This rock is formed under p ...

base during the Amgaon Orogeny. At present besides the open-pit mine and concentrator plant the project has also been provided with auxiliary facilities such as Tailings Disposal and Water Reclamation System, repair shops, Maintenance Garage, Water Treatment Plant, Warehouses, Fuelling Stations, 132 kV power sub-station, Waste Treatment Facilities and township with modern amenities.

References

Copper mines in India Surface mines in India Mining in Madhya Pradesh Balaghat district {{MadhyaPradesh-geo-stub