Jaduguda Mine

Uranium ore is found in the mineralized zone of Singhbhum Shear zone which is about 160 km in length and 1 to 10 km in width in the East & West Singhbhum Districts of Jharkhand. Rocks in the zone are highly folded and sheared. Uranium bearing minerals occur in very finely disseminated form. Ore lenses are hosted in metamorphic rocks of Proterozoic age.
Mining operations at Jaduguda began in the year 1967. Jaduguda Mine has the distinction of being the first Uranium Mine of the country. The mine is accessed through a 5 metre diameter vertical shaft of depth of 640 metre. The shaft is lined with concrete. The commissioning of this shaft with tower mounted Friction Winders marked a technical milestone for India’s mining industry. One of the winders is fitted with a cage and other with a skip. The cage accommodates 50 persons. The skip has a capacity of hoisting 5 tons of ore per trip. This shaft is also the main ventilation intake. The bottommost production level catering to this shaft is 555 metre level. Subsequently, a similar auxiliary vertical shaft with latest friction winders was sunk from 555 metre level to 905 meters to cater to ore hoisting requirement up to 880 metre level. The mining method followed for extraction of ore is Horizontal Cut and Fill with deslimed mill tailings as back fill. Demarcation of contact line for uranium ore and waste is carried out by using Geiger Muller counters and grade control of transported ore is performed by Scintillating Probes. Ore hoisted to surface is transferred to the adjacent process plant by conveyor. Jaduguda Mine has created a large skill base for the mining industry in general and uranium mining in particular.