Title: Mineral Resources of Bangladesh

Submitted By
Sl. Name ID No.
No.
1. Ziaul Haque Rifat 182 1657 043
2. Sheikh Mohammad Labib 182 1345 642
3. Mohammad Imtiaz Faisal 182 1812 642
4. Jannatun Nayem 182 1896 642
5. Md. Fouad Hasan 132 0158 030

Course Title: Introduction to Bangladesh Geography

Course Code: ENV203/ GEO205
Section: 13
Semester: Fall 2018

Submitted to
Dr. M. Nazrul Islam
Professor, Environmental Science and Management
North South University

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25th November, 2018

M. Nazrul Islam,
Professor
Environmental Science and Management,
North South University,
Dhaka-1229
Course: ENV203/ GEO205 (Sec: 13)

Subject: Submitting the Assignment on “Mineral Resources of Bangladesh”

Dear Sir,
It gives us immense pleasure to inform you that we have successfully completed our report
which you authorized us to undertake as a part of our ENV203/ GEO205 Course. We have tried
our level best to fulfill the requirement of this report by engaging ourselves seriously and giving
our best effort to prepare this report. Working hard for this report makes us able to understand
the geographical importance and mineral resources of Bangladesh which we think will be very
useful in our professional life and also for the personal life.

Under this circumstance, we would be greatly happy if you kindly accept the assignment of our
hard work and appreciate us for the future purposes.

Therefore, we would like to provide you additional information if you have any enquires after
reading the report.

Thanking You,
Md. Fouad Hasan
Ziaul Haque Rifat
Sheikh Mohammad Labib
Mohammad Imtiaz Faisal
Jannatun Nayem

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Summary
Bangladesh is a small country in south-east Asia, which is surrounded by India,
Myanmar and the Bay of Bengal and has a total area of 143,998 km2. Bangladesh
has a subtropical monsoon climate characterized by wide seasonal variations in
rainfall, high temperatures and humidity. We have discussed about the climate, the
river networks and overall geographical locations of Bangladesh. The
physiography of Bangladesh is characterized by two distinctive features: a broad
deltaic plain subject to frequent flooding, and a small hilly region crossed by
swiftly rivers. Bangladesh is a developing country with vast quantities of natural
resources that play a vital role in economic growth and diversification. Because of
its geography Bangladesh is adorned with different types of natural resources. The
natural resources are either renewable or non-renewable. Bangladesh’s major non-
renewable natural resources which are further described in this report are: Natural
Gas, Petroleum, Coal, Hard Rock, Limestone, Peat, Glass Sand and White Clay,
and also we tried to show the locations of those mineral resources in the
Bangladesh map.

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Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 5
Geographical Location of Bangladesh .......................................................................................................... 5
Climate: ..................................................................................................................................................... 7
Mineral Resources: ....................................................................................................................................... 8
Natural gas ................................................................................................................................................ 9
Petroleum ................................................................................................................................................ 13
Coal ......................................................................................................................................................... 14
Hard Rock ............................................................................................................................................... 16
Limestone................................................................................................................................................ 19
PEAT ...................................................................................................................................................... 19
Glass Sand............................................................................................................................................... 21
White Clay .............................................................................................................................................. 23
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................. 24
Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................... 25

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Introduction
Bangladesh is located in the tropics in South Asia and has a total area of 147,570 sq. km, which
is situated between 20.340° and 26.380° north latitude and between 88.01° and 92.41° east
longitude. It’s actually India locked country, it shares its borders with India on the east, west and
north and Myanmar (Burma) on the southeast corner. On the south, 66,400 kms of coastline
merge into the Bay of Bengal. Bangladesh is a part of the Bengal basin. The land of Bangladesh
is flat, with some up-lands in the northeast and the southeast. The great plain lies almost at sea
level along the southern part of the country and raises gradually towards the north. Land
elevation in the plain varies from 1 to 90 meters above the mean sea level. The maximum
elevation is 1230 m at Keocradang Hill district.

On the basis of its physical characteristics, Bangladesh has seven Physiographic divisions of
Tertiary Hills, Pleistocene Terraces, Piedmont Alluvial Plains, Coastal Plain, Tidal Plain, Deltaic
Plain and Flood Plain.

For the geographical location Bangladesh has lots of natural resources in its land. Natural
resources are most important for the development of socio economic condition and to build a
country. There are many countries which are directly depends on natural resources. Bangladesh
is a developing country. Area of Bangladesh is small and we have also some natural resources
like forest resources, major rivers, large sea & mineral resources. Mineral resources are
Petroleum and Natural gas, Coal, Limestone, Hard Rock, Metallic minerals, Peat, Construction
sand, Glass sand, Gravel, White Clay & Beach sand. Some are renewable and some are non‐
renewable.

Geographical Location of Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a low-lying, riverine country located in South Asia with a largely marshy jungle
coastline of 710 km (441 mi) on the northern littoral of the Bay of Bengal. Formed by a delta
plain at the convergence of the Ganges-Padma, Brahmaputra-Jamuna, and Meghna Rivers and
their branches, Bangladesh’s alluvial soil is highly fertile, but helpless to flood and drought. Hills
rise above the plain only in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in the far southeast and the Sylhet division
in the northeast. Including the Tropic of Cancer, Bangladesh has a tropical monsoon climate
characterized by heavy seasonal rainfall, high temperatures, and high humidity. Natural disasters,

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such as floods, tornadoes, and tidal bores affect the country yearly. Bangladesh also is affected
by major cyclones, on average 16 times a decade. Due to cyclones Bangladesh faces lots of
problem regarding its people it’s livelihoods and also cyclone affect our natural resources.

The physical geography of Bangladesh is varied and has an area characterized by two distinctive
features: a broad deltaic plain subject to frequent flooding, and a small hilly region crossed by
swiftly flowing rivers. The country has an area of 147,570 square kilometers and extends 820
kilometers north to south and 600 kilometers east to west. Bangladesh is bordered on the west,
north, and east by a 4,095-kilometer land frontier with India and, in the southeast, by a short land
and water frontier (193 km) with Burma (Myanmar). On the south is a highly irregular deltaic
coastline of about 580 kilometers, fissured by many rivers and streams flowing into the Bay of
Bengal. The territorial waters of Bangladesh extend 12 nautical miles (22 km), and the exclusive
economic zone of the country is 200 nautical miles (370 km).

Figure: Different type of Soil(Left) & Major Rivers(Right) In Bangladesh

Roughly 80% of the landmass is made up of fertile alluvial lowland called the Bangladesh Plain.
The plain is part of the larger Plain of Bengal, which is sometimes called the Lower Gangetic
Plain. Although altitudes up to 105 meters above sea level occur in the northern part of the plain,

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most elevations are less than 10 meters above sea level; elevations decrease in the coastal south,
where the terrain is generally at sea level. With such low elevations and numerous rivers,
water—and concomitant flooding—is a predominant physical feature. About 10,000 square
kilometers of the total area of Bangladesh is covered with water, and larger areas are routinely
flooded during the monsoon season.

Climate:

According to wide seasonal variations in rainfall, high temperatures, and high humidity
Bangladesh has a tropical monsoon climate characterized. There are three seasons which are
generally recognized: a hot, muggy summer from March to June; a hot, humid and rainy
monsoon season from June to November; and a warm-hot, dry winter from December to
February. Generally the maximum temperatures of summer become in range between 38 and
41 °C (100.4 and 105.8 °F). April is considered as the hottest month in the most of the part of the
country and here coolest month is known as January.

In the winter winds blow from the north and northwest, blowing gently at 1 to 3 kilometers per
hour (0.6 to 1.9 mph) in northern and central areas and 3 to 6 kilometers per hour (1.9 to 3.7
mph) near the coast. From March to May, there have violent thunderstorms and it generates
winds of up to 60 kilometers per hour (37.3 mph). During the early summer and late monsoon
season there have intense storms. Then southerly winds blow more than160 kilometers per hour
(99.4 mph), which creates heavy waves as high as 6 meters (19.7 ft in Bay of Bengal). As a
result coastal areas survive with disastrous flooding.

Because of heavy rainfall almost every year Bangladesh has to face flood. Western region of the
country called Rajshahi is considered a dry region, where the annual rainfall is about 1,600 mm
(63.0 in), most of the other part of the country deal with where the annual rainfall is about
1,600 mm (63.0 in).

The most common natural climate in Bangladesh are such as floods, tropical cyclones, tornadoes,
and tidal bores etc. These climates cause huge loss of life and wealth’s. In the year between 1947
and 1988, 13 severe cyclones hit Bangladesh, and there was enormous loss of life and property.

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In May 1985, Bangladesh experienced a huge damage for attacking of a severe cyclonic storm,
southeastern and southern were swept away, more than 11,000 persons were killed, damaging
more than 94,000 houses, killing some 135,000 head of livestock, and damaging nearly 400
kilometers (248.5 mi) of critically needed embankments.

About the annual monsoon flooding which is responsible for loss of human life, damage to
property and communication systems, and there was a shortage of drinking water, which leads to
the spread of disease. As an example we can talk about 1988’s flood. In 1988 country’s two-
thirds of 64 districts experienced extensive flood damage in the wake of unusually heavy rains
that flooded the river systems. Millions of people become homeless and suffer from portable
drinking water. More than 600 people were killed by a tornado in April 1989.

Mineral Resources:

Geologically, Bangladesh holds a greater portion of the BENGAL BASIN and the country is
encircled by Tertiary folded sedimentary rocks (12%) in the north, north eastern and eastern
parts; uplifted Pleistocene residuum (8%) in the north western, mid northern and eastern parts;
and Holocene deposits (80%) consisting of unconsolidated SAND, SILT and CLAY. For different
geological environment, Bangladesh’s important mineral deposits of are Natural Gasand
petroleum, Coal, Limestone, Hard-rock, Gravel, Boulder, Glass Sand, Construction sand, White
Clay, Brick Clay, Peat and beach sand heavy minerals. There are two types of energy resources
renewable and nonrenewable. Here, we are going to emphasize on nonrenewable energy
resources because those are so important for our daily life.

Non-renewable Energy is the energy sources which are not renewable. Non-renewable Energy
have finite amounts (they took millions of years to form, and will run out one day) Energy. Non-
renewable energy comes from sources that will run out or will not be replenished in our
lifetimes-or event in many, many lifetimes. Their reserves diminish and the resources are
exhausted in course of time as they are used. And so the sources are considered limited and not
usable for an unlimited period of time. Fossil fuels fall in this category. Non-renewable energy
sources are very vital for any country’s point of view. Because of it plays a significant role in
development of a country. Modern urbanization, industrialization, transportation and

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communication systems are the achievements of worldwide sustainable mineral resource
development and their proper utilization in various sectors. Richness in natural resource is the
key indicator of socio-economic infrastructure for any country all over the world. To explore and
exploit mineral resources and to utilize those resources properly in the development activities of
the nation depend on the technology and manpower.

Non-renewable Energy consumption (percentage of total) in Bangladesh was last measured at

71.53 in 2011, according to the World Bank. Fossil fuel comprises coal, oil, petroleum, and
natural gas products.

Figure: Consumption of Natural gas usages in 2011

In Bangladesh we used mostly Coal, Natural gas and oil and there is other non-renewable energy
which is Hard Rock, Lime Stone, Glass Sand, Beach Sand, White Clay, metallic mineral & peat.
Some of these are described below.

Natural gas
Natural gas is the most important indigenous source of energy in Bangladesh that has been
continuously produced and consumed in significant quantities since 1970. It is largely available
in the eastern part of the country extending from greater Sylhet down to greater Comilla,
Noakhali and Chittagong. It has also been discovered offshore in the Bay of Bengal.

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Natural gas found in Bangladesh is very pure, with about 95-99% methane and almost no
sulphur. The average compositions of natural gas are: 97.33% methane, 1.72% ethane, 0.35%
propane and 0.19% higher hydrocarbons.

A total of 22 natural gasfields have been discovered in Bangladesh by the year 2001. Out of
these 22 fields, two are offshore in the Bay of Bengal and the rest are located in the eastern
onshore areas. The discovered gasfields are at Sylhet, Chhatak, Titas, Rashidpur, Kailastila,
Habiganj, Bakhrabad, Semutang, Kutubdia, Begumganj, Kamta, Feni, Beanibazar, Fenchuganj,
Jalalabad, Narsingdi, Meghna, Shahbazpur, Saldanadi, Sangu, Bibiyana and Maulvi Bazar.

The total amount of gas in these fields is about 26 Tcf, of which about 16 Tcf is recoverable. A
total amount of about 3.9 Tcf of gas has been produced leaving a reserve of about 12.1 Tcf by
the year 2000. Bangladesh reserves of natural gas were at level of 7.3 Tcf in 2017.

Picture: Gas field in Bangladesh

Results of different analyses of gases from Bangladesh fields indicate that natural gas is mostly
derived from terrestrial organic matter and were generated within the 'oil window'. The source
rocks of the gas are considered to be the Oligocene (24 to 36 million years before present) shale
belonging to the Barail Group stratigraphic unit. The gas is supposed to have migrated medium
to long distances from Oligocene shale source rocks to Miocene sandstone reservoir rocks via
fault conduits.

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 Table: Total reserves and other related data of the gas fields in Bangladesh

Gas Year of Gas initially in Initial Reserves Cumulative Number Gas reservoir Reservoir age
field discovery place (proven+ (proven + probable) gas produced, of gas depth range and lithology
probable) billion billion cu ft March 2000 zones (m)
cu ft
Sylhet 1955 444 266 165 2 1212-1308 Mio-Pliocene
Sandstone
Chattak 1959 447 268 26 6 564-1657 Mio-Pliocene
Sandstone
Rashidpur 1960 2242 1309 172 2 1387-2706 Mio-Pliocene
Sandstone
Titas 1962 4134 2100 1693 10 2616-3124 Mio-Pliocene
Sandstone
Kailashtila 1962 3657 2529 207 3 2281-2990 Mio-Pliocene
Sandstone
Habiganj 1963 3669 1895 765 2 1397-3014 Mio-Pliocene
Sandstone
Bakhrabad 1969 1432 867 577 4 1826-2144 Mio-Pliocene
Sandstone
Semutang 1969 164 98 0 2 980-1279 Mio-Pliocene
Sandstone
Begumganj 1977 25 15 0 1 2996 Miocene
Sandstone
Kutubdia 1977 780 468 0 1 2650 Miocene
Sandstone
Beanibazar 1981 243 167 4 2 3230-3451 Mio-Pliocene
Sandstone
Feni 1981 178 125 39 2 1756-2760 Mio-Pliocene
Sandstone
Kamta 1982 33 23 21 1 2994 Miocene
Sandstone
Fenchuganj 1988 350 210 0 NA NA Mio-Pliocene
Sandstone
Jalalabad 1989 1195 836 29 3 2503-2708 Mio-Pliocene
Sandstone
Narsinghdi 1990 194 126 25 2 2907-3157 Mio-Pliocene
Sandstone
Meghna 1990 159 104 18 6 2293-3017 Mio-Pliocene
Sandstone
Shahbazpur 1995 514 333 0 NA NA Mio-Pliocene
Sandstone
Sangu 1996 1031 848 58 6+ NA Mio-Pliocene
Sandstone
Saldanadi 1996 200 140 11 NA NA Mio-Pliocene
Sandstone
Moulvibazar 1997 500 400 0 NA NA Mio-Pliocene
Sandstone
Bibiyana 1998 3150 2400 0 7+ NA Mio-Pliocene
Sandstone
Total 24,745 15,527 3,810

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Descriptions of some major gas fields in Bangladesh are given below in brief:
1. The Sylhet gas field: It is located about 20 km northeast of Sylhet town. It was discovered in
1955. Seven wells were drilled in it, Sylhet-7 is the only well where oil was discovered. Crude
oil was produced from Sylhet-7 well till 1992 at a rate of less than 100 to 300 bbl per day.
2.The Chhatak gas field: It was discovered in January 1959 in Sunamganj district. Production
in the field was suspeneded since 1985 because of excessive water flow.
3.The Titas gas field: It is one of the largest gas fields in Bangladesh. It is located in
Brahmanbaria district and was discovered in 1962. A total of 14 wells were drilled till 2000. The
field has 4.13 Tcf of gas GIIP of which 2.1 Tcf is recoverable reserve.
4. The Rashidpur gas field: It was discovered in 1960 in Maulvi Bazar district. Four wells have
been drilled in this field. This gasfield has been productive since 1983. It has a GIIP of 2.24 Tcf
of which 1.30 Tcf is recoverable.
5. The Kailastila gas field: It is another large gas field in Bangladesh. It is located in Sylhet
district, was discovered in 1962. It has GIIP of 3.65 Tcf with a recoverable reserve of 2.52 Tcf.
Kailashtila has been producing gas since 1983.

Figure: Natural Gas Fields in Bangladesh

6. The Habiganj gas field: It is another large field discovered in 1963. It is known for excellent
quality reservoirs. 10 wells have been drilled in this field till now.
7. The Bakhrabad gas field: It is located in Comilla district, was discovered in 1969. It started
production in 1984 and reached its peak of 190 Mcf per day in 1993. Since then there has been a
quick decline of production rate in the field.
8. The Semutang gas field: It is located in Khagrachhari district, was discovered in 1969. It is
the only field in the Chittagong hill tracts. This field is not in production.

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9. The Kutubdia gas field: It was discovered in Bay of Bengal in 1976, is about 92 km
southwest of Chittagong Port. No plan has yet been drawn in this offshore field for small size.
10. The Begumganj gas field: It is located in Noakhali district, was discovered in 1977. Two
wells were drilled, one was found dry.
11. The Kamta gas field: It is located in Gazipur district and was discovered by Petrobangla in
1981. Production in this small field was suspended in 1991 because of excessive water flow.
12. The Feni gas field: It is located in Feni district and discovered by Petrobangla in 1981. It is a
small field. After about five years of operation, production in the field was suspended in 1998.
13. The Beanibazar gas field: It is in Sylhet district and was discovered by Petrobangla in 1981.
It is now producing from 2 wells.
14. The Fenchuganj gasfield: It was discovered by Petrobangla in 1988. It has the deepest well
in Bangladesh (total depth 4,977m). The field is not under production now.
15. The Jalalabad gas field: It was discovered in 1989 by Scimitar Oil Company in Sylhet
district. Unocal is now producing from the field.

16. The Narsingdi and Meghna gas field: Both fields are located in the Meghna floodplain
area. Both the fields have been under production since 1996 and 1997 respectively.

17. The Sangu gas field: It was discovered by Cairn Energy in 1996. It is the only offshore field
which is in production. It is located about 50-km southwest of Chittagong city.

18. The Bibiyana gas field: It is located in Habiganj district. It is a very large field discovered
by Unocal. It has a GIIP of about 5 Tcf with a recoverable reserve of 2.4 Tcf.

19. The Maulvi Bazar gas field: It is located in Maulvi Bazar district near Sreemangal. It is
known for the Magurchhara blow-out accident in its first well drilled by Occidental/Unocal.

Petroleum

Petroleum resource in Bangladesh is very low. Haripur Oilfield is the only oilfield so far
discovered in Bangladesh. It is located in Sylhet district about 20 km northeast of Sylhet town,
beside the Sylhet Jaintia road. It is a small oilfield, which produced only for about seven years
before production was suspended.

The field has a trending fold structure with a length of 13 km and a width of 3 km. The
stratigraphic units encountered in the oilfield are, from bottom upward: (i) Boka Bil Formation
(ii) Tipam Formation (iii) Girujan Clay Formation and (iv) Dupitila Formation. The lowest unit,
the Boka Bil Formation, consists of alternating sand and shale beds. The sandstone beds of the
Boka Bil unit are designated from top downward as- 'A' sand, 'B' sand, 'C' sand, 'D' sand and' 'E'
sand. In the Haripur-1 well only the 'E' sand is oil bearing while the other Boka Bil sands above
are gas bearing. The oil bearing sand is about 13 meter thick and occurs at depths between 2020-
2033 meters below the surface.

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The Haripur oil is dark brown, waxy and paraffinic type. It is medium density oil with an API
gravity of 29o. The oil contains very low amount of sulfur (0.3%). On refining the Haripur oil
produced 18% petrol, 17% kerosene, 35% gas oil and 30% lubricant and residue.

Petrobangla had determined the Haripur oil reserve by volumetric method and estimated the
stock tank oil originally in place (STOOIP) to be about 10 million barrels. Oil productions from
Haripur oilfield started in January 1987. The well ceased to produce oil since July 1994.

Production was suspended because of decline of oil flow and excessive water output. Until the
suspension of operation in 1994 the cumulative production of oil from the Haripur oilfield was
about 0.56 million barrel. During the time Haripur oilfield was in production, the average
demand of oil in Bangladesh was about 37,000 barrel a day. It thus appears that Haripur field
could not supply any significant share of the national oil need.

Coal
Most people know coal as a fossil fuel which is used to produce around 40 percent of the world's
electricity. It is a flammable black or brown sedimentary rock, and is made mostly of organic
carbon. However, there are actually two main types of coal: ‘thermal’ coal, which is mostly used
for power generation, and ‘metallurgical’ coal, which is mostly used for steel production.

Picture: Coal

Thermal coal is more abundant, has lower carbon content and is higher in moisture than
metallurgical coal and also generating power, coal is also commonly used in cement business
and as a component of thousands of other products. Both types of coal are formed in a similar
manner; from decomposed vegetation that was compressed beneath layers of sand, sediment and
rock at high temperatures over millions of years. It’s typically found as layers (coal beds) or
veins (coal seams) and in Australia, coal is mined above and below the ground.

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 Map: Indicating Coal mine in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh Coal first discovered in the country by Geological Survey of Pakistan (GPS) in
1959 was at great depth GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF BANGLADESH (GSB) continued its
efforts for exploration that resulted in the discovery of 4 coal field. Till date five major
gondwana coalfields have been discovered. All the discovered fields lie in the north-western part
of the country. Details of the coalfields and quality of the coal are shown below. Table coal
fields and coal quality:

Coal field Depth Thic- Area Reserve Fixed Volatile Ash Sulphur Calorific
(m) kness (sq km) (m ton) carbon matter content content value
(m) (%) (%) (%) (%) content
(%)

Jamalganj 640-1158 64 11.06 1053 47 (av) 38 (av) 22 (av) 0.62 (av) 11000
(av)

Barapukuria 129-506 51 5.25 300 45.5- 2.28- 11.79- 0.43-1.33 10547-

54.7 3.60 23.71 12529

Khalaspir 257-483 50 12.56 143 32.0- 2.93- 7.6- 0.24-3.15 7388-

80.8 30.47 50.51 13880

Dighipara 328-407 61 ND ND 51.3- 25.29- 2.64- 0.51-1.02 10200-

65.6 38.23 20.05 14775

Phulbari 151 --- --- 386 --- --- --- --- ---

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In order of discovery year these are Jamalganj (1962), Barapukuria (1985), Khalashpir(1989),
Dighipara(1995) and Phulbari (1998). It is more than hundred' and seventy years since geologists
forecasted good possibility of discovering large coal deposit beneath the alluvial plain of North
Bengal. The hopes of the geologists were vindicated when in course of searching for oil in 1959
SVOC drilled a hole in Kuchma X-1 in Bogra district, where Gondwana coal was encountered at
a depth of 2381m from surface. Consequently in 1961 under the UN-Pak Mineral Survey Project
the Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP) carried out detailed geological, geophysical and drilling
operations in the districts of Bogra and Rajshahi and found coal resources of about 1,050 million
tons in Jamalganj. Barapukuriua coalfield was discovered in 1985 by' GSB in Dinajpur district.
Coal layers are encountered at a shallow depth of about 18-500 meter. In 1989 GSB discovered
another coalfield at khalashpir in Rangpur district where coal layers are encountered at depths of
about 257-450 meter below surface. In 1995 another major coalfield was discovered by GSB at
Dighipara where coal was encountered at adepth of about 250 meter below the surface. An USA-
Australian coal mining company BHP discovered a major coalfield named Phulbari in 1997.
Here coal was encountered at depth of 130-260 meter below surface. The total coal reserve in the
five discovered fields in the country is about 2000 million tons.

Hard Rock
Hard Rock is a type of rock that is igneous and metamorphic. Igneous rocks like granite are
formed from the magma in the Earth’s mantle. Metamorphic, or ‘changed’ rocks, are formed
when other rocks have been subjected to heat or pressure. Granite and marbles are examples of
Hard Rocks.

Figure: Granite & Marble

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The Hard Rock Mines In Bangladesh are:

 Maddhapara In Dinajpur District: Large reserves of granodiorite, quartzdiorite and gneiss of

the Pre-Cambrian has been found at a depth of 128m in Maddhapara in the Dinajpur District.
Pegmatite, pyrite, chalcopyrite and siderite have also been found in the neighberhood of
grandiorite, quartzdiorite and geiss.
 Ranipukur and Pirganj: Hard rock deposits have also been discovered in Ranipukur and
Pirganj in Rangpur District at 171 m and 256 m under the ground.
 Bogra, Joypurhat – Jamalgonj, and Kansat of Rajshahi district also has Hard Rock deposits at
depths of 2,150 m, 600m, 667m and 615m respectively

There are also some surface deposits of construction materials such as boulders, gravels, etc
which are found in:

 Tetulia-Panchagarh in Dinajpur District.

 Kaptai-Alikadam-Ukhia-Teknaf-St.Matrin’s Islan in greater Chittagong district and some
other places in greater Sylhet district.

Figure: Boulder & Gravel

 The Hard Rocks of Bangladesh can be categoraized as:

 Maddhapara Subsurface Hard Rock
 Bholaganj-Jaflong Hard Rock Concretions.
 Tetulia-Patgram-Panchagarh Hard Rock Concretions.
 Chittagong-Chittagong Hill Tracts Sedimentary Concretions.
Some Information on Maddhapara Hard Rock Mine:

Photo: Maddhapara Hard Rock Mine

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1. Depth of rock 124 meter from the surface.

Reserve in the mine area of 1.0 km × 1.2 km =1.2 km2 is

2. Reserve & mine area
174 million tons.

3. Annual Production 1.65 million tons.

Project analysisbased on 41 years (including development

4. Life of the mine period) but mine operation life may be extended for more
than 70 years.

5. Method of mine Room & Pillar/ Sub-Level Drift Stopping Method.

Two Vertical shafts (The length of the skip shaft is 380m &
Mode of Entry
6. cage shaft 330 m. Inner dia of both shafts is 5.0 m. and
(Length & dia. of shafts)
distance between two shafts is 85 m).

Total Local FE
Investment cost
7. 1024998.31 33110.06 69388.25
(TK. In lakh)
($ 197.889 m.) ($ 57.086 m.) ($ 140.803 m.)

8. Estimated production cost TK. 702 / ton ($12.095 / ton)

(a) After completion of the Project

Annual payment to Govt. Total -5552.50
Exchequer (TK. In lakh)

(b) annual foreign exchange saving TK. 13879.00 lakh ($ 23.925m)

 It is situated in Parbatipur in Dinajpur District.

 It started operations in 1975.
 It is a subsidiary company of Petrobangla.

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Limestone

Limestone a sedimentary rock consisting chiefly of calcium carbonate, primarily in the form of the
mineral calcite and with or without magnesium carbonate. In Bangladesh there are surface and sub-surface
deposits of limestone. The surface to near surface deposits are at saint-martin island of Cox's Bazar district and
Bhangerghat-Lalghat-Takerghat of Sunamganj district. The subsurface deposit is present at Joypurhat of
Joypurhat district. The limestone at the St Martin's Island is Late Pleistocene and the other limestone is of
Eocene age.

Picture: Limestone

In Bangladesh the limestone deposit was first discovered at St Martin’s Island in 1957. Later,
Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP) surveyed the area in 1958 and found 1.8 million ton of
shelly and coralline limestone in an area of 0.60 sq km. However, these limestones are not of
good quality. In the years between 1951 and 1957 small pieces of limestone were found at
Takerghat area of Sunamganj district. In the 1960s GSB discovered another limestone deposit in
Joypurhat at a depth of about 515‐541m below the surface with a total reserve of 100 million ton.

PEAT
Peat is a compact brownish deposit of partially decomposed vegetable matter saturated with
water. It is found in uplands and bogs in temperate and cold regions and used as a fuel (when
dried) and as a fertilizer.

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 Figure: Peat

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF PAKISTAN (GSP) and GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF

BANGLADESH (GSB) have had significant contribution in finding various peat deposits in
different parts of Bangladesh.The Peat deposits of Bangladesh are:

 Baghia Chanda Beel: Discovered by the GSP in 1953 which is located in Madaripur district. It
has an extent of 518 sq km. The average thickness of Peat later is 2m. The Reserve (Dry Peat)
is 125 million ton
 Kola Mouza: Discovered in 1961, located in Khulna , has an extent of 39 sq km. The average
thickness of Peat later is 2m. The Reserve (Dry Peat) is 8 million ton.
 Moulvi Bazar: Discovered in 1953, has an extent of 9.6 sq km and an adjoining area of peat
reserve of 5.9 sq km. The thickness of Peat later is 1.60 m and 1.30 m. The Reserve (Dry Peat)
of the combined area is 2.86 million ton.
 Chalan Beel: Discovered by the GSB, has an extent of 13.8 sq km. The average thickness of
the peat is 3m. The Reserve (Dry Peat) is 6.21 million ton.
 Pagla: Discovered in 1954, located in Sunamganj, has an extent of 11 sq m. The thickness of
the peat is 0.13 to 2.6 m. The Reserve (Dry Peat) is 1.80 million tons.

Figure: Commercial important zone for Peat

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 Charkai: Also discovered in 1954, located in Sunamganj, has an extent of 11.60 sq km. The
thickness of the peat is 0.50m to 0.67m. The Reserve (Dry Peat) is 1.2 million tons.
 Katenga-Mukundpur: Located in Brahmanbaria, has a Reserve (Dry Peat) of 0.75 million ton.
 Hakaluki Lake: Located in Sylhet and Moulvi Bazar, has an extent of 100 sq km. The Reserve
(Dry Peat) is 200 million tons. It is the largest deposit of Peat deposit in Bangladesh.
The use of Peat has not been commercialized yet and is mainly used in domestic cooking, in
brick and lime industries and in small scale thermal power generating plants.

Glass Sand
A special type of sand is used to make glass because of its high silica content, low content of iron
oxide, chromium, cobalt and other elements. This special type of sand contains about 88% to
99% of silica with a few percentages of iron, titanium, cobalt and other materials. In Bangladesh
glass sands are found in Balijuri of Sherpur district, Shajibazar and Teliapara of Habiganj
district, Chuaddagram upazila of Comilla district and Dakshin Zangal of Hathazari upazila in
Chittagong district. Here glass sand is identified in recent piedmont alluvium. Sub-surface glass
sands were found in Maddhypara, Barapukuria and Dighipara of Dinajpur district and Khalaspir
of Rangpur district.

Figure: Glass Sand

Glass sands were first discovered in 1960 at Balijuri Mouza of Sreebardi upazila in Sherpur
district by the Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP).GSP conducted survey at Nayapara area of
Habiganj district in 1970-1971.The glass sands are deposited in 30 lenses of .15 to 2.13m thick.

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The reserve is 0.64 million ton in an area of 0.596 square kilometers. Later the detail work was
completed by the Geological Survey of Bangladesh (GSB).

The glass sand at Batisha of Chauddagram was first discovered by the National Mining
Institution in 1968. GSP conducted detail survey in the area in 1968-1970. It continued by GSB
between 1972 and 1974. The sands are deposited in lenses of 0.25m to 1.70m thick. The reserves
of total 34 lenses are 0.285 million ton in an area of 0.234 sq km.

The glass sands are also found at subsurface of Lalghat-Lamakata at Tahirpur upazila of
Sunamganj district at a depth of 23.78m to 72.95m below the surface in 1991. The sands are
present in two layers of 1.22 to 1.83m the subsurface deposit of glass sand at Maddhyapara was
discovered in 1974 at the depth of 128m below the surface. It is present on the top of the Pre-
Cambrian basement complex. The glass sand with clay layer is 5.2 to 16m thick and the average
of sand layer is 4m thick. The reserves covering an area of 1.0 sq km are 17.25 million ton. The
glass sand at Barapukuria was discovered in 1985 at a depth of 118m to 180m below the surface
while drilling for coal in the basin. The average thickness of the sand is 21.90m and the reserves
in an area of one square kilometre are 90 million ton. Besides these, subsurface deposits of glass
sand were also found at Dighipara basin in 1994.

Figure: Commercial important area for Glass Sand

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The glass sand at Chauddagram-Nayapara-Datteswar area is used in the Osmania Glass Sheet
Factory at Chittagong. Since coal is being extracted from the Barapukuria Coalfield through
underground mining method the glass sand deposit remains unexploited in this project.

White Clay
White Clay is high quality clay which is composed of kaolin clay mineral and used mainly in the
ceramic industry. In our country it is used widely as household wares.

Figure: White Clay

In Bangladesh we find white clay in Bijoypur and Gopalpur area of netrakona district, Nalitabari
of Sherpur district, Haidgaon of Chittagong district and Baitul Izzat of Satkania thana,
Chittagong district. Besides there are subsurface deposits of white clay in Maddhapara,
Barapukuria, Dighipara of Dinajpur district and Patnitala of Naogaon district. The exposed white
clay is not good in quality. It is mostly used in the ceramic factories of Bangladesh after mixing
it with high quality imported clay.

The Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP) first found white clay at Bhedikura of Durgapur Thana
in the Mymensingh district in 1957. Geological mapping in that area was furnished in 1957-
1958.In 1964-1965 GSP drilled 13 holes in the area to determine the thickness and reserves. In
1972, 1982 and 1983 the Geological Survey of Bangladesh (GSB) investigated the whole area.
The extent of white clay in layers and lenses was found at Bhedikura to Maipara in the west and
Fundakura to Gopalpur in the east. The reserve is 2.47 million ton in a 3.84 sq km. This is known
as Bijoypur white clay. The white clay at Bhuranga area in Sherpur district was discovered in
1990 by the GSB.

GSB discovered scattered lenses of white clay at Haidgaon area in Chittagong district in 1976. In
this area the deposit is 0.0019 million tons only. The deposits found at Baitul-Izzat area of
Satkannia upazila are 0.0025 million tons. These clays are low-grade clay.

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The subsurface deposits of white clay was first discovered at Patnitala of Naogaon district in
1965 at the depth ranging from 340m to 350m while drilling for economic minerals in the area
by GSB. The white clay at Maddhypara area was found by GSB in 1974 at a depth ranging from
128m to 156m while drilling for hard rock.This clay was found on the top of the Precambrian
hard rock. The white clay at Barapukuria of Dinajpur district was discovered by the GSB in 1985
while drilling coal in the area. The white clay is found at the top of the Permin Gondwana
formation. In 1994 white clay was discovered at Dighipara area of Dinajpur district in 1994
while drilling for coal.

Conclusion
Although there is a misconception about Bangladesh being poor in natural resources, but if we have a
closer look this is not the case. Bangladesh has a huge reserve of natural gas, oil, coal, hard rock,
limestone, white clay, glass sand and mineral sand. Currently Bangladesh prioritizes in extraction of
natural gas which contributes to more than 90 % of the country’s energy needs of which Bangladesh has a
total reserve of 21.35 trillion cubic feet (TCF) and 12.43 TCF, respectively. Huge reserves of hard rock
(granodiorite, quartz diorite, gneiss) and coal has been discovered in the northwest part of the country
which will be crucial in meeting the country’s ever expanding construction materials and energy needs for
the population. The total coal reserves are estimated to be 1753 million tons(MT),which is valued at more
than US $110 billion in the current market and Bangladesh expects to extract coal on a commercial basis
most of which will be used in power generation. The hard rock reserves are estimated to be 115 million
tons, which is valued at US $3 billion. If Bangladesh manages to fully extract its minerals it will be able
to alleviate the country’s poverty through industrialization.

For a developing country like Bangladesh, the major drawback is its expanding population and most the
population is uneducated which makes the existing minerals insufficient to meet the demands of its
population. So, to overcome this problem more mineral resources should be discovered both in land and
the ocean which would be important for achieving the goal of a sustainable future.

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