List of Natural Mineral Resources Found in Ekiti State

Ekiti state is blessed with lots of mineral resources, even though the majority of these natural resources found in the state are untapped. Most of these minerals include ceramic clays and kaolinitic clays that are located in the Ijero Local government area. In the course of this article, we would be looking at a detailed list of the mineral resources that can be found in Ekiti state.

NATURAL MINERAL RESOURCES FOUND IN EKITI STATE: FULL LIST

We have provided a comprehensive list of all natural resources found in Ekiti sate:

•  Feldspar
• Marble
• Kaolin
• Quartzite
• Granite
• Tin
• Columbite

Let us move on to review all these mineral resources that are found in Ekiti state.

FELDSPAR

Feldspar is a mineral resource that is found mostly in metamorphic, igneous and sedimentary rocks in different Local government areas of the state. One of the very important applications of feldspar is in its use as a fluxing agent. It is used mostly as a fluxing agent in Glassware, ceramics and also as a filter in the paint, plastic, adhesive and rubber industries. Like I stated earlier, it is an important ingredient that is used in Glass manufacture.  It is majorly used industrially to reduce the melting temperature of quartz and helps in controlling the viscosity of glass. The Alkali Content in Feldspar is what makes this mineral a good fluxing agent and also helps in reducing the production of glass.

MARBLE

Marble is a mineral resource that is located in almost all the LGA’s of Ekiti state. It is used extensively by construction companies. In Ekiti state, the marbles found in the state are used in floor tiles, cemetery stones, sculptures, paving stones etc.

KAOLIN

Kaolin is another mineral that is found in abundant quantity in Ekiti state. It occurs naturally as a type of clay. Kaolin Clay found in  Ekiti state has a lot of health benefits. Some of them include treatment of Diarrhea, relieving soreness, swelling inside the mouth, and in treating cholera.

Kaolin clay is a mixture that majorly consists of the mineral Kaolinite and various amounts of feldspar, quartz, anatase and muscovite. In agriculture, Kaolin is used extensively to do a lot of things. Some of which include; spraying across crops to reduce insect damage, and in the case of apples, to prevent scalding caused by the sun, it is also used in modifying the properties of rubber upon vulcanization.

QUARTZITE

This hard non-foliated metamorphic rock is found in significant quantity in Ekiti state. Quartzite is a beautiful stone that is used for a lot of aesthetic purposes. Quartzite that is found in Ekiti state is used for decorating roofing tiles, flooring, stairsteps, cover walls etc.

GRANITE

Granite is an intrusive igneous rock that is found in significant quantity in Ekiti state.

Engineering firms use granite in bridges, slabs, tiles, monuments, paving, and a lot of other projects. One of the major reasons why many people prefer to use granite is because it is very durable. It is perfect for outdoor and indoor flooring.

TIN

The tin mineral resources are not very abundant in Ekiti state. One of the most common ores of tin found in Ekiti state is Cassiterite. Majority of the tin found in the state are found in alluvial deposits, riverbeds, and erosion of ore bodies containing the tin metal. The Tin metal is also used to coat other metals in other to prevent corrosion.

COLUMBITE

Mining this mineral in Ekiti state became crucial after 2006, and a lot of licensed companies are carrying on the operations in the state. Let us see a brief overview of the columbite mineral found in Ekiti. Columbite has a black colour, it is crystalline and an ore of niobium, which is also referred to as columbate, niobite and niobite-tantalite. The columbite mineral can also be found in granite, pegmatites, and placer deposits all together with the tantalite.  Columbites in Ekiti state form in particular LGA’s that are associated with specific minerals. The mineral forms in association with a couple of minerals include the following:

• Apatite
• Tourmaline
• Albite
• Rutile
• Cassiterite
• Muscovite
• Amblygonite
• Lithiophilite
• Microlite
• Triphylite
• Magnetite
• Lepidolite
• Microcline
• Triplite
• Samarskite
• Beryl
• Spodumene
• Goethite

Columbite has a lot of industrial applications in Ekiti state. It is used to produce a form of weldable steel. Columbite is also a superconductive metal used in alloys so as to improve their strength. Tantalite which is a form of columbite is used in producing electrical capacitors. They are also used in producing a lot of different electronics like mobile phones.

In Ekiti state and Nigeria at large, the numerous use of this columbite has led to the increase and demand of the product and its mining. In Nigeria, there has been an exponential growth for over five years in the mining sector with the columbite mineral ore. So Nigerian federal government so far has created a lot of sub establishments and sub-sectors for the columbite mining management in a bid to accelerate socio-economic growth, improve national and state income and also gain employment to all state and national residents.