List of Natural Mineral Resources Found in Jigawa State

Jigawa is a prominent northern state blessed with abundant natural resources. It is also richly endowed with an abundant reserve of solid minerals. Though the economy of Jigawa state is solely based on Agriculture, they also have a couple of mineral resources that can attract investments from both home and abroad.

In the course of this article, we would be looking at a list of the abundant mineral resources that can be found in Jigawa state.

LIST OF MINERAL RESOURCES FOUND IN JIGAWA STATE

Below are all mineral deposits found in Jigawa state presently.

• Kaolin
• Tourmaline
• Amethyst
• Silica
• Iron ore

KAOLIN

Kaolin clay is a very important solid mineral that is used in several markets both at home and abroad for paper coating, rubber, ink, fibreglass, cracking catalysts and a lot of other uses. In Nigeria, Kaolin clay is locally referred to as China clay or Efun in the Yoruba language.

Though it has not been fully exploited for economical purposes, kaolin has a lot of potentialities attached to it. There is an estimated 20 million metric tonnes of Kaolin deposit found in Jigawa state. Kaolin clay has a soft powdery feel and is whitish in colour. It is a solid mineral that is rich in kaolinite which is its principal mineral constituent.

Kaolin naturally occurs in varied quantities together with other minerals like quartz, feldspar, anatase and muscovite. Before kaolin is ever made use of, whether for commercial or industrial use, it is processed out of its crude form first. This is done by washing and bleaching in other to remove unwanted minerals that come with it in its crude state. Let’s go further and see some of the potential uses of kaolin in the Nigerian industries.

POTENTIAL USES OF KAOLIN IN NIGERIAN INDUSTRIES

• They are used in the manufacture of porcelain, china and ceramics.
• They are very much applied in the industrial production of paper, paint, rubber, and a lot of other products.
• Kaolin clay is also used in the modification of the properties of rubber upon vulcanization
• In the agricultural sector, kaolin clay is used in helping to prevent sun scald for apple.
• The medicinal properties of kaolin clay allow it to be useful, as it induces blood clothing when used to treat injuries.

TOURMALINE

Tourmaline is found in some states in Nigeria, but one state with vast deposits of it is Jigawa state.  Nigeria as a nation can gross billions of naira, should this solid mineral be considered and mined effectively. Some of the major sources of tourmaline are schist, marble, and granite pegmatite.

Considering its chemical nature, tourmaline is a boron silicate mineral that has a crystalline nature with compounded elements of iron, magnesium, lithium, potassium or sodium. Tourmaline found in Jigawa is exceptional has both primary and secondary colours, many varieties of colours can be mined in Jigawa and other Nigerian states. The tourmaline gemstone in Jigawa state is also regarded as a strong dichroic and can show off a lot of colours when viewed from different angles.

If this solid mineral is taken seriously in Nigeria, it can vastly improve the nation’s economy. The reason for this is that it has a very big international market where the demand for this gemstone is very high. Let us envisage some of the important uses of Tourmaline

USES OF TOURMALINE FOUND IN JIGAWA STATE

• It is used in the production of different styles of jewellery.
• It is used therapeutically in the relaxation of the body and the mind.
• Tourmaline is widely used in the manufacture of hair care products such as hair straightness and dryers.
• It is also used in the production of pressure gauges that are used in measuring transient blast pressure.

AMETHYST

This solid mineral is one of very high quality and usually has a purple colour. Amethyst owes its purple colour to irradiation, impurities of iron and in most cases other transition metals.

The deposits of Amethyst found in Jigawa state are as a result of different stages of geological evolution in the state in past years. This precious gemstone is used in jewellery and for ornamentation purposes. Its economical potential has not been fully exploited in the state, but can serve as an economic boost in subsequent years.

SILICA

Silica in Jigawa, Nigeria, West Africa is a very important solid mineral that has a lot of use both commercially and industrially. It also occurs naturally with two other elements that are very abundant in the earth crust (Silicon and oxygen). This solid Mineral is also referred to oftentimes as silica sand.

Research has proven that silica is non-poisonous when taken orally. It is also used by the oil and gas exploring industries as a proppant. When it is in its finest form, it is used as a filter for paint, rubber and plastics.

IRON ORE

There are up to 3 billion tonnes of Iron ore distributed in most Nigerian states.  It is a very essential solid mineral and is found in a quite significant amount in Jigawa state. Iron ore is used in the production of steel in Nigeria. They are also used in blast furnaces for the production of pig iron.