Rare Earth Elements (REE) Sites in India: Locations and Map

Context

In a major move toward mineral security, the Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC) and NMDC (a central CPSE) have signed an MoU to develop India’s first integrated rare earth value chain, specifically focusing on the Ambadungar (Chhota Udepur district) deposit in Gujarat.

Major REE Locations in India

Rare Earth Elements in India are primarily found in two types of geological settings:

1. Beach Sand Monazite (Placer Deposits)

India has the world’s largest reserves of Monazite, which contains light REEs (Lanthanum, Cerium, etc.) and Thorium.

• Kerala: Chavara (Kollam district).
• Tamil Nadu: Manavalakurichi (Kanyakumari district).
• Odisha: Chatrapur (Ganjam district).
• Andhra Pradesh: Visakhapatnam and Kakinada.

1. Carbonatite and Vein Deposits (Inland/Hard Rock)

• Gujarat: Ambadungar (Carbonatite complex).
  • At Ambadungar, light rare earth elements are found. These include elements like lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), and samarium (Sm), which are more abundant and generally have a lower atomic weight.
• Rajasthan: Kamthai (Barmer district).
• Maharashtra: Winjhai (Ratnagiri district).

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