Slate stone is found in many places
in India including the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal
Pradesh, Bihar etc. Rajasthan leads the country's overall deposits of
the stone. Slates, schist and phyllites of dimensional use are found
associated with Delhi and Aravalli Supergroup of rocks in parts of
Ajmer, Alwar, Jaipur, Sawai Madhopur, Bharatpur, Bundi, Pali, Tonk,
Udaipur and Chittaurgarh districts. Slate deposits of Alwar are
conspicuous both with regard to quality and quantity.
Rajasthan
Besides, Bar conglomerate in Pali district and calc-schists in Ajmer
district, mica schist in Bhilwara district etc. are quarried for use as
roofing and flooring slabs. District-wise distribution of Slates, schist
and phyllites is shown below:
- Ajmer: Sheopura, Lulawa, Nai Khurd (Beawar).
- Alwar: Basai, Kayasa, Kund (Behrod).
- Tonk: Devli, Dhuni, Anwa, Uncha.
- Pali: Bar.
- Bhilwara: Badnor, Tikar.
- Dungarpur: Balwara.
- Chittaurgarh: Gosunda.
- Udaipur: Godan, Gogunda.
Himachal Pradesh
The true cleavage-slate, which is the roofing and paving variety of
slate, is not of common occurrence in India except in some mountain
areas, e.g. at Chamba and Mandi in Shimla and Kangra hills in outer
Himalayas and Pir Panjal in the middle Himalayas, where they make good
roofing material obtainable locally for hill towns and villages. When
the cleavage in slate is finely developed and regular, enabling the rock
to be split into thin, even plates, roofing slates are available; when
the cleavage is not fine, slate is used for paving.
Extensive slate beds occur in Cumbum-Markapur area in Kurnool district
where slate-making is a cottage industry. Slate occurs in Cuddapah area
inter-bedded with iron and manganese ores. Large deposits occur in
Dhauladhar range at Kanyara, near Dharamsala in Kangra district and the
vicinity of Rewari in Gurgaon district, in the Aravallis and in
Kharagpur hills in Monghyr district in Bihar.
Other States
Madhya Pradesh contributes majorly to the production of slate stone in
India. Andhra Pradesh-38 per cent in the year 1986. Haryana and
Rajasthan together accounted for the remaining 7 per cent. The
contribution of Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh declined compared to
the preceding year 1985. During the year 1986 slate production was at
6,565 tonnes.
