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Leading industrialist <keyword id="46425" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="anand-mahindra" source="Orion">Anand Mahindra</keyword> on Tuesday hailed the discovery of <keyword id="632767" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="lithium" source="Orion">lithium</keyword> reserves in Rajasthan and called for quickly stepping up to install refining capacity of the crucial mineral in the country. In a tweet, he noted that China already has a lead when it comes to refining capacity. "Finally. We have sizeable reserves of a natural resource critical for growth in the 21st century. A signal that India has an 'electrifying future.' But the key element in the supply chain is refining, not reserves, where China has a huge lead. We need to step up quickly to install that capacity," <keyword id="45224" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="mahindra" source="Orion">Mahindra</keyword> tweeted. According to various reports, the <keyword id="6395354" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="geological-survey-of-india" source="Orion">Geological Survey of India</keyword> (GSI) has found another reserve of lithium in <keyword id="5620088" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="degana" source="Orion">Degana</keyword> in Rajasthan's Nagaur district. Lithium is primarily used to produce rechargeable batteries, especially those used in electric vehicles and portable electronic devices, among others. Earlier, lithium reserves were also found in Jammu and Kashmir. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/banks/news/rise-in-premium-amount-for-life-insurance-biggest-concern-for-consumers-hansa-research/articleshow/100098587.cms">Rise in premium amount for life insurance biggest concern for consumers: Hansa Research</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/rafale-joins-the-list-of-fighter-planes-in-the-iaf-alongside-sukhoi-mirage-mig-and-others/slidelist/100098542.cms">Rafale joins the list of fighter planes in the IAF, alongside Mirage, MiG and others</a>

Need to step up quickly to install refining capacity: Anand Mahindra on lithium reserves discovery in Rajasthan

New Delhi, Jan 22 () The government on Wednesday gave its approval for signing of a pact between India and Brazil for cooperation in the field of geology and mineral resources.
 The Cabinet under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi "has given its approval for the Memorandum of Understanding to be signed between Geological Survey of India (GSI), Ministry of Mines of the Republic of India and Geological Survey of Brazil - CPRM, Ministry of Mines and Energy of the Federative Republic of Brazil on 'cooperation in field of geology and mineral resources'," the Mines Ministry said in a statement.
 The pact will provide an institutional mechanism between both the nations for cooperation in field of geology and mineral resources, the statement said. SID RVK

Govt approves signing of pact between India, Brazil for cooperation in geology, mineral resources

<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:480px"><div class="image"><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diamonds.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a></div></div><keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> may contain a natural trove of <keyword id="6368047" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="diamonds">diamonds</keyword> previously overlooked by prospectors, new research shows.
Canada, Russia and southern Africa currently dominate the world diamond market. But, in recent years, geologists have debated whether southeast India could produce large quantities of diamonds as well. Now, research from a group of geologists at the National Geophysical Research Institute in Hyderabad, India, suggests that southeastern regions of the country do, in fact, contain the right ingredients for these gems to form in abundance. A report of their findings appeared earlier this month in the journal Lithosphere.
<a href="http://www.livescience.com/32266-how-are-diamonds-made.html">Diamonds form deep</a> within the Earth's mantle and erupt to the surface within volcanic rocks called <a href="http://www.livescience.com/18001-diamond-rich-magmas-rise-earth-depths.html">kimberlites and lamproites</a>. The team discovered such diamond-bearing rocks by chance while conducting an unrelated geologic survey and decided to investigate the sites further as a side project.
"We thought that it may be a good idea to conduct further research on this crucial aspect to propose a suitable and cost-effective reconnaissance technique that can be deployed as a quick search tool over large areas for diamond prospecting," said geologist Subrata Das Sharma, an author on the paper. [<a href="http://www.livescience.com/31960-photos-dazzling-minerals.html">Shine On: Photos of Dazzling Mineral Specimens</a>]
Diamond-forming conditions
Instead of tediously searching an entire landscape for diamond-bearing rocks — which tend to crumble easily and are often difficult to identify — geologists have devised <a href="http://www.livescience.com/10727-discovering-earth-hidden-diamonds-easier.html">a variety of techniques</a> to search for key diamond-forming conditions within the mantle, and then later explore promising areas on land.
These diamond-forming conditions include extremely high temperatures and pressures, found only in the deepest depths of the <a href="http://www.livescience.com/topics/earth-s-interior/">Earth's lithosphere</a> — a region including the entire Earth's crust and the solid upper mantle that rests above the more molten lower mantle where crystals melt into magma.
Without the heat and pressure of the deep lithosphere, <a href="http://www.livescience.com/28698-facts-about-carbon.html">carbon</a> — the only ingredient in diamonds — takes on the less valuable form of graphite.
The lithosphere varies in thickness across the planet, and does not always reach depths deep enough to facilitate diamond growth. Das Sharma and his team sought to find out how thick the lithosphere is under India, and did so by looking at seismic data collected during several relatively recent earthquakes. Since seismic waves travel at different speeds and amplitudes depending on the material they pass through, seismic data can reveal the transition from the hard upper mantle to the molten lower mantle, which is the lower boundary of the lithosphere.
Previous studies based on seismic data have suggested that southeastern India rests atop a thin portion of the lithosphere. But Das Sharma and his team reanalyzed related data using different techniques, and discovered a signal much deeper indicating the lithosphere reaches down far enough to facilitate diamond growth.
The team also examined existing analyses of the chemical composition of nearby rocks on the surface to further confirm that the temperature and pressure conditions would have been extreme enough to support diamond growth.
Indian diamond mining?
Ultimately, the researchers identified a region wider than 120,000 square miles (200,000 square kilometers) across southeastern India that could potentially contain diamond-bearing rocks. 
These findings could lead to increased diamond mining in the country, but this will depend on the interests of mining companies, Das Sharma said.
"Diamond mining could become viable once an appropriate mining strategy is worked out," Das Sharma said. "This needs concerted efforts in field detection of generally obscured kimberlites and lamproites in a region." [<a href="http://www.ouramazingplanet.com/infographic-tallest-mountain-to-deepest-ocean-trench-0249/">Infographic: Tallest Mountain to Deepest Ocean Trench</a>]
While the team's techniques are relatively quick and cheap, geologists elsewhere have developed other efficient methods for diamond prospecting as well. For example, some use electromagnetic tools that measure the conductivity of the mantle in search of carbon-rich areas (because carbon is highly conductive, or allows for the easy flow of electrons), while others use seismic imaging techniques that illustrate physical boundaries within the mantle.
Still, this new study demonstrates how to use effective and relatively cheap techniques that could help smooth the way for future diamond exploration programs around the world, according to Alan Jones, a geologist at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies in Ireland who was not involved in the study.
"This has really cleared up this Indian lithosphere issue," Jones told <keyword id="335753" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="LiveScience">LiveScience</keyword>. "In terms of global impact, I would say the paper is on part of the cutting edge along with other people's work."
The team members plan to share their results with the Indian government, and to continue honing their research methods to develop even more efficient diamond-hunting techniques.
Follow Laura Poppick on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/laurapoppick">Twitter</a>. Follow LiveScience on <a href="http://twitter.com/spacedotcom">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/spacecom">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/+SPACEcom/posts">Google+</a>. Original article on <a href="http://news.techmedianetwork.com/articles/50929/livescience.com/38864-diamonds-beneath-india.html">LiveScience</a>.
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.livescience.com/18407-mysterious-cursed-gems-diamonds.html">Sinister Sparkle Gallery: 13 Mysterious &amp; Cursed Gemstones</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.livescience.com/19102-amazing-facts-earth.html">50 Interesting Facts About The Earth</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.livescience.com/31471-weirdest-geological-formations.html">World's Weirdest Geological Formations</a></li>
</ul>Copyright <a href="http://www.livescience.com/" target="_blank">LiveScience</a>, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

India May Have A Huge Natural Trove Of Diamonds

<ul><li>The first earthquake to hit was in the Indian state of <keyword id="46408" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Arunachal-Pradesh">Arunachal Pradesh</keyword> at 1:00am.</li><li>Following which three more earthquakes were felt in Nepal.</li><li>The US Geological Survey predicts ‘low likelihood’ of damages and fatalities. </li></ul>The first earthquake was felt in Aalo, Arunachal Pradesh — in north west India at 1:00am. This was followed by three earthquakes in Nepal in the morning measuring up to 5.2 on the Richter Scale. The first 4.8 tremor was felt at 6:14am in Kathmandu, followed by two tremors in Naubise in Dhading at 6:29am and 6:40am. The intensity of the earthquake in India, however, is disputed. The <keyword id="55209" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Meteorological-Department">Indian Meteorological Department</keyword> measured it as 5.8 on the Richter Scale but the US Geological Survey (USGS) <a href="https://twitter.com/USGSBigQuakes/status/1120787800641527808">asserts</a> that the magnitude of the earthquake was actually around 6.1. Regardless of the numbers, USGS <a href="https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us70003axc/executive?utm_medium=social">predicts</a> that there is ‘low likelihood’ of resultant casualties and damages from the quake. Xinhua — China's official state news agency — <a href="http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-04/24/c_138004455.htm">reported</a> that the earthquake in India was also felt in Tibet, one of India’s neighbours. Myanmar and Bhutan, two other countries that share a border with Arunachal Pradesh, have reported any such activity. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/miscellaneous/the-15-most-earthquake-prone-countries-in-the-world-according-to-science/slidelist/67219052.cms">The 15 most earthquake-prone countries in the world, according to science</a> <a href="http://businessinsider">6.0 magnitude earthquake hits India’s Nicobar Islands, no tsunami risk reported</a>

Four earthquakes hit India and Nepal, no casualties

<ul><li>India has 250 agreements covering space exploration, human spaceflight, and joint experiments with 59 countries around the world. </li><li>Among them, Russia, the US, Russia, and Israel are front runners, according to <keyword id="116095" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Space-Research-Organisation">Indian Space Research Organisation</keyword> (ISRO) chief <keyword id="2003919" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="K-Sivan">K Sivan</keyword>. </li><li>Russia is currently helping the Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots train for ISRO’s <keyword id="2621282" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Human-Space-Flight">human space flight</keyword> mission Gagayaan, facilitated using critical medical technology from France. </li></ul>Russia, the US, Japan, and Israel are India’s leading partners when it comes to space cooperation. However, the country has signed over 250 documents in the field with over 59 countries around the world, according to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K. Sivan at the <keyword id="471736" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="International-Astronautical-Congress">International Astronautical Congress</keyword> (IAC) 2020. <div type="javascript" title="Custom" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[]]></cdata></div> Partnerships with foreign agencies range from cooperation in human spaceflight to planetary exploration and joint experiments. ISRO’s main space exploration partners ISRO is working on its own missions — but everyone can do with a little help for their friends. For instance, Russia is currently training the Indian Air Force (IAF) officers for India’s first human space flight mission <keyword id="6797456" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gaganyaan">Gaganyaan</keyword>. France is providing critical medical technology for the mission. “After realising two joint satellites, Megha-Tropiques and Saral, ISRO AND CNES (National Centre for Space Studies) are working towards realising third mission named Krishna,” said Sivan. The US-based National Aeronautics and Space Administration (<keyword id="6360409" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nasa">NASA</keyword>) and ISRO are also collaborating on multiple fronts, like developing the NISAR satellite and the sharing data collected by the US Geological Survey (USGS). Aiming for the Moon, ISRO's current partnership with the Japanese space agency JAXA is preparing for a lunar polar exploration mission. According to Sivan, international cooperation is a ‘hallmark’ of the Indian space programme. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-gets-one-step-closer-to-sending-tourists-into-space/articleshow/78656520.cms">Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin gets one step closer to sending tourists into space</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/wipro-share-price-dips-after-earnings-report-analysts-believe-it-will-take-a-while-to-catch-up-to-tcs-and-hcl-technologies/articleshow/78654023.cms">Wipro’s share price dips by over 6% after earnings — analysts believe it will take a while to catch up to TCS and HCL Technologies</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/myntra-ceo-explains-how-fashion-buying-has-changed-in-india-and-the-e-retailers-focus-on-bharat-users-this-festive-season/articleshow/78654904.cms">Myntra CEO explains how fashion buying has changed in India and the e-retailer’s focus on Bharat users this festive season</a>

India has signed 250 documents on space cooperation with 59 countries, says ISRO chief K Sivan

As if Nepal hadn’t suffer enough damage in the <keyword id="6362774" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="earthquake">earthquake</keyword> that rattled the country on April 25, another earthquake has hit the country today. 
 
This time magnitude was 7.4 as per the US Geological Survey. The epicentre was 83 km east of Kathmandu, and the depth measured on the Richter scale is 19km. 
 
Even as the death toll in the earthquake two weeks ago had crossed the 7,000 mark, this is going to be a huge worry for Nepal which is still reeling from the after effects of the devastation caused. 
 
What would be the serious cause of concern this time around would be all the buildings that had been physically rattled by the first earthquake but were still standing. While a lot of Nepal was raised to the ground in the previous earthquake that struck two weeks ago, this would only throw a darker shadow on the relief work that is ongoing as well as the thousands of people stranded out in the open, in overcrowded relief camps. 
 
Today’s earthquake could easily add a few hundreds if not more to the already overflowing relief camp of Nepal, giving the questionable safety point of the building in the country. The 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the Himalayan country on April 25, killed over 8000 people and injuring 17,800. 
 
The other major cause of concern would be deteriorating health conditions in these relief camps which are already feeling the pressure of having to cater to the thousands already residing over the last two weeks. 
 
Earlier, it was pegged that it will take 2 billion dollars to rebuild Nepal after the first earthquake had struck. Now, this could very well shoot those estimates much higher. 
 
The tremors of the earthquake were also felt in North India including West Bengal and Bihar. 
 
(Image: Reuters)

Major magnitude 7.4 earthquake rattles Nepal again. Tremors felt across North India

Fear and panic gripped people when two high intensity earthquakes struck <keyword id="12266" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nepal">Nepal</keyword> again on Tuesday. The Northern and Eastern part of <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> has felt the tremors again at around 12:35 pm. According to reports, the intensity of the quake is believed to be around 7.1 on the <keyword id="2847492" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Richters-scale">Richter's scale</keyword>. As per a Reuters report, the <keyword id="6362774" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="earthquake">earthquake</keyword> has hit 68km away from west of Namche Bazar, a town close to <keyword id="14834" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mount-Everest">Mount Everest</keyword>. 
 
However, the US Geological Survey, the intensity of the earthquake is estimated to be 7.4 Richter scale and is only 19 km deep. 
 
This was the second earthquake that rattled Nepal and the Northern part of India. Earlier in the day, another earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 on Richter's scale had rocked the region. Tremors were also felt in Bihar West Bengal, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim and other parts of India. 
 The epicenter of this earthquake today is reportedly close to the last quake. Four aftershocks were felt following the earthquake- two in Nepal, 1 in Indonesia and 1 in <keyword id="6354541" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="afghanistan">Afghanistan</keyword>. Overall, there have six major earthquakes have occurred in 45 minutes. 
 
The earthquake has also triggered three landslides in Nepal and has claimed four lives. The landslides have severely injured 12 people. Several passengers at the Kathmandu airport were seen rushing out of the airport. Back home, people were seen evacuating the building and scurrying on the roads. 
 
Following the earthquake that shook the Himalyan country and claimed over 8000 lives, geologists had predicted aftershocks and more tremors in the region. 
 
Currently, three Indian army engineering teams are still there in Nepal while Army choppers are now working to reach the remote parts of the country. The recent tremors are expected to hamper the relief works going on in Nepal massively. 
 
According to sources, an alert notification has been issued by the Indian government for rescue and relief operations in Nepal once again 
 
Updating...

Breaking News: Massive earthquake felt across Delhi NCR, Nepal is epicentre with 7.1 on Richter scale

<ul class="summary-list"><li>US lithium production is set to spike with new projects advancing in Nevada and California.</li><li>The expansion aims to reduce reliance on China for critical minerals and electric-vehicle batteries.</li></ul>The US is on the cusp of a lithium boom after years of laying the groundwork for an electric-vehicle supply chain that doesn't rely on China.Within the past month, the Biden administration has approved the Rhyolite Ridge lithium-boron mine in Nevada and loaned $2.6 billion to the company developing Thacker Pass, another lithium mine in the state. A project in California's Salton Sea started construction earlier this year. The three sites, expected to come online between 2026 and 2028, would massively increase the US's lithium supply. Since the 1960s, only one site, Silver Peak, in Nevada, has operated in the country.The expansion is aimed at curbing China's control over the metals used in EV batteries and other renewable-energy technologies that countries need to decarbonize their economies. While most of the world's lithium is produced in Australia and South America, some two-thirds of it is processed in China, which also dominates EV-battery manufacturing. The US imports about 25% of its lithium supply from Chile and Argentina, but an analysis of federal data by the Atlantic Council found that it relied on China for about 70% of its lithium-ion batteries in 2023."If we're electrifying the transportation industry, you don't want to rely on any one country," Bernard Rowe, a managing director of Ioneer, which is developing Rhyolite Ridge, told Business Insider. "There was a recognition that there had to be domestic production."<div type="image" title="A customs officer holds powdery white lithium carbonate during an inspection at Shanghai İnternational Port on June 6, 2022." height="683" width="1024" msid="114817441" hostid="261" sizebytes="27062"></div>The Biden administration is encouraging US mining and manufacturing through a mix of loans, grants, tax breaks, and research and development programs — a lot of which was authorized under the Inflation Reduction Act. The incentives cover activities including extracting critical minerals like lithium; manufacturing solar, wind, and battery parts; buying EVs; and recycling components.Rowe argued that while the US alone can't meet the skyrocketing demand for lithium due to rising sales of EVs and battery storage, some of the supply has to be sourced domestically for national security reasons.Karl Friedhoff, a fellow for Asia studies at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, agreed. He said there's no world in which the US and its partners can quickly compete with China on critical minerals; China already has so much capacity that it sets global prices."The question then is, can the US and other partner countries create a supply chain that meets their basic requirements," Friedhoff, who's part of a project exploring how the US, Japan, Australia, and India can cooperate to shift supply chains away from China. "Can we supply our own batteries? Can we build our own battery technologies? Do we have enough rare-earth elements for defense?"Based on estimates from Ioneer and other lithium project developers, the US could produce more than enough supply for the 1.4 million EVs sold in the country last year, which accounted for 7% of the auto market.The Biden administration wants EVs to account for at least 50% of car sales by 2030, and states like California and Texas are quickly deploying more battery storage to help balance stressed power grids. In September, the White House said US lithium production was on track to meet one-fifth of global demand outside of China this decade.<h2 id="c11b28df-2899-481e-8b55-b52898315793">Some environmentalists, Native tribes are alarmed</h2>The lithium projects haven't been without controversy, however. The Center for Biological Diversity <a target="_blank" href="https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/blm-grants-final-approval-to-nevada-lithium-mine-threatening-biodiversity-cultural-landscapes-2024-10-24/?_gl=1*jmu4dt*_gcl_au*MTc3Mjg1OTA3Ni4xNzI5ODYzNzkz">has threatened to sue the Biden administration</a> over its permit for Rhyolite Ridge, arguing that the project could drive an endangered wildflower to extinction. The Western Shoshone Defense Project, which works to protect the Western Shoshone peoples' native homelands, says the mine threatens local water sources and culturally important sites.<div type="image" title="A Tiehm's buckwheat plant in Esmeralda County, Nevada, grows beside where the Rhyolite Ridge lithium-boron mine is planned." height="682" width="1024" msid="114817435" hostid="261" sizebytes="82450"></div>Thacker Pass faced similar opposition, but a federal judge last year dismissed a lawsuit from three Native tribes who argued that the mine's construction near a sacred site along Nevada's border with Oregon violated the law, <a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/lithium-mine-tribes-climate-energy-lawsuit-nevada-7a65eee7d78d93a1e44e3f8e10445143">the AP reported</a>.Rowe said Ioneer redesigned the Rhyolite Ridge mine to limit its footprint in the critical habitat of the endangered wildflower, Tiehm's buckwheat. He said Ioneer would also monitor the pollinator population and adopt dust-control strategies. The Biden administration, in issuing the permit for the mine, said it would not jeopardize the flower's survival.Some companies are working on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lithium-mining-electric-vehicles-climate-crisis-2023-5">direct lithium extraction techniques</a> that don't involve open-pit mining or large evaporation ponds and therefore could require less land and water and produce less toxic chemical waste. Controlled Thermal Resources is developing such a project in the Salton Sea, where lithium-rich brine is already being used to power geothermal plants.Tapping the US's newly discovered lithium resources likely hinges on the new extraction techniques, which currently cost more than traditional methods and still haven't been used commercially. The US Geological Survey this month estimated that there's enough lithium underneath southwestern Arkansas to meet the projected global demand for car batteries in 2030 nine times over.Actually extracting that lithium, including from brines left over from oil and gas production in the region, depends on whether the direct extraction techniques are viable, USGS researchers said.

The US is on the cusp of a lithium boom to loosen China's grip on EVs

New Delhi [India], March 1 (ANI): The <keyword id="19916620" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="union-cabinet" source="keywords">Union Cabinet</keyword>, chaired by Prime Minister <keyword id="19895781" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="narendra-modi" source="keywords">Narendra Modi</keyword>, has given its nod for the amendment of the Second Schedule to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, to specify the royalty rates for 12 critical and strategic minerals. This decision includes minerals such as beryllium, cadmium, cobalt, <keyword id="20784576" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gallium" source="keywords">gallium</keyword>, and several others that are pivotal for the nation's strategic sectors, including defence, electronics, and renewable energy. According to an official release from the <keyword id="19901283" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cabinet" source="keywords">Cabinet</keyword>, "The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the amendment of the Second Schedule to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 ('MMDR Act') for specifying the rate of royalty in respect of 12 critical and strategic minerals, viz., Beryllium, Cadmium, Cobalt, Gallium, Indium, Rhenium, Selenium, Tantalum, Tellurium, Titanium, Tungsten and Vanadium." This completes the exercise of the rationalisation of royalty rates for all 24 critical and strategic minerals. It may be noted that the government notified the royalty rate of 4 critical minerals, viz., glauconite, potash, molybdenum and platinum Group of Minerals, on March 15, 2022, and of 3 critical minerals, viz., lithium, Niobium and rare earth elements, on October 12, 2023, according to the release. Recently, the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2023, which came into force on August 17, 2023, listed 24 critical and strategic minerals in Part D of the First Schedule of the MMDR Act. The amendment provided that the mining lease and composite licence for these 24 minerals would be auctioned by the Central Government. The approval by the Union Cabinet for the specification of the rate of royalty will enable the Central Government to auction blocks for these 12 minerals for the first time in the country, it added. The royalty rate on minerals is an important financial consideration for the bidders in the auction of blocks. Further, the method for calculating the average sale price (<keyword id="20301760" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="asp" source="keywords">ASP</keyword>) of these minerals has also been prepared by the Ministry of Mines, which will enable the determination of bid parameters. As per the release, the Second Schedule of the MMDR Act provides royalty rates for various minerals. Item No. 55 of the Second Schedule provides that the royalty rate for minerals whose royalty rate is not specifically provided therein shall be 12 per cent of the average sale price (ASP). Thus, if the royalty rate for these is not specifically provided, then their default royalty rate would be 12 per cent of ASP, which is considerably high as compared to other critical and strategic minerals. Also, this royalty rate of 12 per cent is not comparable with other mineral-producing countries. Critical minerals have become essential for economic development and national security in the country. Critical minerals such as Cadmium, Cobalt, Gallium, Indium, selenium and Vanadium have been used in batteries, semiconductors, solar panels, etc. These minerals have gained significance given India's commitment to the energy transition and achieving net-zero emissions by 2070. Minerals like beryllium, titanium, tungsten, tantalum, etc. have been used in new technologies, electronics and defence equipment. Encouraging indigenous mining would lead to a reduction in imports and the setting up of related industries and infrastructure projects. The proposal is also expected to increase the generation of employment in the mining sector. The Geological Survey of India (GSI) and Mineral Exploration &amp; Consultancy Ltd. (MECL) have recently handed over the exploration report of 13 blocks containing one or more critical minerals like cobalt, titanium, gallium, vanadium and tungsten. Further, these agencies are conducting exploration for these critical and strategic minerals in the country. (ANI)

Cabinet approves royalty rates for mining of 12 critical minerals

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Scientists have uncovered traces of what they think could be the world's largest asteroid impact. </li><li>The structure, hidden in the ground in Australia, is thought to be about 300 miles across.</li></ul>The world's largest <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/worlds-oldest-meteor-crater-australia-2020-1">asteroid impact</a>, 300 miles across, could be hidden in the Australian ground. Scientists have been tracing "magnetic" and "gravity" patterns spreading out in circles from a point about 10 miles from Deniliquin in New South Wales, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/meteor-australia-stardust-older-than-sun-2020-1">Australia</a>. The structure, the scientists say, could be the remnants of an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/asteroid-sizes-that-can-damage-cities-states-planet-2018-6">enormous asteroid impact</a> that hit the Earth hundreds of millions of years ago. If confirmed, it would be the largest asteroid impact on record. <h2>The memory of the impact is hidden in the ground</h2>One would think finding the world's largest asteroid impact should be fairly easy. But the reality is very different. It is true that asteroid impacts <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-evidence-suggests-the-worlds-largest-known-asteroid-impact-structure-is-buried-deep-in-southeast-australia-209593">create massive geological structures</a>.The force of the impact is so strong it can bend the Earth's crust, creating ripples similar to those a rock makes when hitting a pond, Andrew Glickson, a paleo-geophysicist from the Australian Geological Survey Organization, said in a post in The Conversation August 10. But if this impact happened, hundreds of millions of years of erosions would have erased most of the visible features of the event. Still, scientists can look for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/asteroid-struck-perfect-angle-to-doom-dinosaurs-study-2020-5">telltale signs</a> left behind, with a little patience, Glickson said.Five years of ground surveys around the area of Deniquilin have uncovered "radial faults," circular fractures that radiate from a central structure, Glickson and his colleague Tony Yeates said in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0040195122002487?via%3Dihub">a peer-reviewed paper</a> published last year.These are accompanied by "small magnetic anomalies" around the center point. These were likely caused by molten rock oozing into the peaks and troughs left behind by the impact. Glickson said this so-called Deniliquin structure "spans up to 520 kilometers in diameter" or about 300 miles.That would be an impact bigger than any other documented on Earth. That includes the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-worlds-deepest-gold-mine-is-in-south-africa-2016-12?">Vredefort impact</a> structure in South Africa, which is thought to have been between 100 and 200 miles wide, and the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chicxulub-asteroid-impact-triggered-underwater-volcanic-eruptions-2018-2">Chicxulub impact</a>, about 90 miles across, which scientists believed triggered the mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs. To confirm the finding, the scientists will aim to get physical evidence from the site itself. "For proof of impact, we'll need to collect physical evidence of shock, which can only come from drilling deep into the structure," said Glickson in the post. <h2>The asteroid may have caused one of Earth's mass extinctions</h2>Before the scientists can drill into the site, it will be difficult to know when exactly this asteroid would have hit.Glickson believes the impact happened when Australia was still part of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ancient-continents-crystals-plate-tectonics-2017-1">Gondwana,</a> a supercontinent that broke off from Pangea and later turned into South America, Africa, Arabia, Madagascar, India, Australia, and Antarctica.That would mean it would be at least 180 million years old, probably more. "Specifically, I think it may have triggered what's called the Hirnantian glaciation stage, which lasted between 445.2 and 443.8 million years ago," Glickson said in the post. This <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/signs-of-6th-mass-extinction-2019-3">mass extinction event</a> was caused by an ice age that wiped out <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0012825209001652">85% of the planet's species</a>, 350 million years before the dinosaurs were wiped out, Glickson said. But the impact could be even older. Glickson said he could see it date back up to 514 million years.

A mystery 300-mile wide formation lurking beneath Australia may be the largest asteroid impact crater on Earth

The terrifying <keyword id="146947" type="General" weightage="70" keywordseo="lightning" source="Orion">lightning</keyword> and thunder phenomenon that <keyword id="6355192" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="lucknow" source="Orion">Lucknow</keyword> witnessed in the wee hours of September 11 is the kind never seen before. Although lightning with thunderstorms are not unusual, the residents of Lucknow faced a harrowing night because of high frequency. The Met officials said there was lightning for 11 and half hours intermittently from 7.40 p.m. to 7.10 a.m. However, the India Meteorological Department (<keyword id="6366970" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="imd" source="Orion">IMD</keyword>) does not have data on the number of lightning strikes between these hours and any previous records. Atul Kumar Singh, a senior scientist at IMD Lucknow, said that movement of cloud mass is comparatively slower during monsoon. "Cyclonic circulations over north-west Madhya Pradesh and the monsoon trough was slightly to the south of its normal position due to which there was abundant moisture supply from Bay of Bengal over the state of Uttar Pradesh in the lower troposphere. "At the same time there was an active western disturbance in the middle troposphere which was interacting with low level easterly due to this synoptic setting up this kind of rainfall activities in Uttar Pradesh," he explained. Noted environmentalist Prof Venkatesh Dutta from the Department of Environmental Science at the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, said: "Lightning occurred owing to the fact of intense heating of the Earth's surface and atmosphere. Such type of extreme weather events undoubtedly reflects the impacts of rising atmospheric temperature and climate change. August was the hottest-ever recorded in Lucknow and Uttar Pradesh, and the heat intensified cloud activities." Virendra Singh Yadav, a retired deputy director of the Geological Survey of India, said: "Lucknow and adjoining areas may also experience an increase in the severity and frequency of these incidents in future. Hence, there is a need for prevention, preparedness and to invest in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) which will save lives, livestock, property and infrastructure. It is a wakeup call to us by nature. "Lightning is of three types. The first is thundercloud or intra-cloud lightning. The second is cloud-to-cloud or Inter-cloud lightning and third is cloud-to-ground lightning (CG). The third type of lightning takes a toll on lives and property, and therefore, is of more concern to us. However, inter-cloud and intra-cloud lightning are also dangerous as they may hit aircrafts. "Its peak power and total energy are very high, with the peak power discharge in the order of a 100 million watts per metre of the channel and the peak channel temperature approaching 30,000 degrees Celsius. Peak currents in a lightning discharge range up to hundreds of kilo amperes (kA) with its typical value being 40 kA." Another scientist said: "Owing to global warming, we are observing the increasing number of hot days in a year which, when combined with rain, leads to occurrence of more intense thunderstorms and lightning of greater intensity."

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