List of Natural Mineral Resources Found in Kano State

Kano state is endowed with a lot of solid mineral resources spread throughout all its local government areas. In the course of this article, we would be looking at a list of all natural solid minerals that can be found in Kano state. We would also be reviewing these minerals, their uses and their economic potential to the state.

LIST OF MINERAL RESOURCES FOUND IN KANO STATE

The following are the natural mineral deposits found in Kano state in commercial quantities:

TANTALUM

This solid mineral is the principal ore of tantalum and is either brown or black in colour. The tantalite solid mineral has two major forms. There is the tantalite that is rich in Iron, and also the tantalite that is rich in Manganese. Kano state has a rich reserve of this natural solid mineral. Let us move on and envisage some of the uses of tantalite.

USES OF TANTALITE

This wonderful solid mineral is used as a capacitor in video game consoles, android and IOS phones, computers and DVD players.

Tantalite can also be alloyed with other metals at very high melting point. Finally, tantalite is used in the production of alloys that are used in producing nuclear reactors, missile parts, jet engine components and chemical process equipment.

TUNGSTEN

Kano state is one of the Nigerian states that is blessed with abundant solid mineral resources and tungsten is one of them. The word tungsten is etymologically derived from the word “tungsten ” which means heavy stone. It is also sometimes referred to as wolfram because it is one of the major deposit of wolframite.

There are so many varied ways of mining and extracting tungsten which is very much dependent on the chemical and physical properties of the solid mineral.  Let us move  further and envisage some of the uses of tungsten

USES OF TUNGSTEN

• It is majorly used in arc-welding electrodes and heating elements in high-temperature furnaces.
• Tungsten is also used for jewelry because of its wear resistance and hardness.
• Tungsten alongside its alloys are also used in the manufacture of cemented carbides
• Tungsten carbide which is a very hard derivative of tungsten is used in mining, petroleum and metal-working industries.

LEAD/ZINC

The lead and zinc ores usually occur naturally together. It also occurs in very significant commercial quantities in kano state. They are majorly used in the production of ammunition, television, construction, ceramics, protective coating of steel etc.

GRANITE

Just like limestone, granite is a natural stone that is very much abundant in kano state. It is important to note that granite is one of the most important commonly mined mineral resources in Africa. This is because it is widely used in civil engineering, building and construction.

Did you know that granite is the strongest and toughest solid mineral that can be found in kano state?  Like stated above,, granite has a lot of useful benefits to but the industrial and economical scheme of the state.

COST OF GRANITE IN NIGERIA

According to finelib, the current cost of granite this year 2023 is given below.

• 20 tons cargo of ¼ inch granite costs around 70-75k naira
• 20 tons cargo of ¾ inch granite costs around 80-90k naira
• While 20 tons cargo of 1-inch granite costs around 85-90k naira

SILICA

Silica is a solid mineral resource that is found in significant quantity in Kano state. This mineral can also be referred to as silica dioxide or silica sand. The silica mineral occurs in the compound form alongside the two most abundant elements in the earth crust; silicon and oxygen.

Silica is mostly found in the crystalline state and is very much rarely in an amorphous state. You can get this mineral by quarrying deposit and subjecting to further processing.

Did you know that research has proven silica to be non-poisonous when taken orally?  Let us see some of the very important uses of silica.

USES OF SILICA

• The solid natural occurring mineral is extensively used in the pharmaceutical industry.
• For industries involved in the oil and natural recovery, silica is used as a proppant.
• When in its finest form, it is used as a filter for rubber, plastics and paint.
• Water filtration and industrial agriculture also greatly implore this mineral.
• Finally, silica is extensively used in glassmaking.

KAOLIN

Kaolin is yet another very important solid mineral resource that can be found in Kano state. It has a lot of use and application in the health care industry. Kaolin, as a matter of fact, is used in the manufacture of drugs of different heart diseases like cholera and Dialarhoea. Like stated earlier, kaolin solid mineral in kano is very used and can serve as a potential economic boost if duly exploited. it would be a huge turn out of profit if Nigeria should pay attention to the large kaolin clay deposits that are in kano state.