Lateritic bauxite are the products of intense subareal weathering of rocks. It is characterised by a particular enrichment of aluminium-hydroxide minerals such as gibbsite, boehmite and diaspore. Based on geological occurrences, bauxite is classified as lateritic, karstic, tikhvin type and about 86% deposits of the world are lateritic bauxite deposits. They typically are in stable areas of plateaux, where they had sufficient geological time to form and were protected from erosion. India is endowed about 3896 million tons of bauxite resources and Maharashtra state constitutes about 5 % of the total assets. The medium to high grade lateritic bauxite occurrences are located in western Maharashtra which spread up in two distinct belts, viz. high level and low-level coastal areas. The coastal bauxite deposits in Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts are located at altitude varying between 50 to 350 m above mean sea level (msl), while high level bauxite deposits of Kolhapur, Satara and Sangli districts occur on the plateaus with an elevation 900 to 1300 m above msl. Most of the laterite of the western Maharashtra overlies the Deccan Trap basalt, except in some part of coastal areas, it either caps the Kaladgi sandstone or overlie the Dharwar pebble beds. The lateritic bauxite deposits of the western Maharashtra have been studied with reference to its geology, chemico-mineralogy and petrological characteristics. Field studies indicate the following successive stages developed during in-situ weathering: Deccan trap basalt (parent rock) → weathered basalt → saprolite/lithomargic clay → bauxite → duricrust (ferruginous, aluminous laterites). The geological, physical and chemico-mineralogical characteristics of the bauxite and laterite located in two belts is distinguished from one another. For the present study, two bauxite deposits namely Ringewadi and Velas located in Kolhapur (high-level) and Raigad (coastal) district of western Maharashtra respectively have been selected. The representative samples of bauxite, laterite, saprolite, parent rock have been collected. In present paper, comparative study has been done and the geological, geomorphological, geochemical, mineralogical, petrographic and physical characteristics of low level (coastal) and high-level lateritic bauxite deposits are highlighted.

Lateritic bauxite are the products of intense sub-aerial weathering of rocks. It is characterized by a particular enrichment of aluminium-hydroxide minerals such as gibbsite, boehmite and diaspore. Bauxite ore is the result of weathering of various parent rocks such as khondalite, Deccan trap basalt, granite gneiss, charnockite, etc. The two types of lateritic bauxite deposits are located in India viz high level and low level (coastal), situated in the regions namely Eastern ghat, Western ghat, central India, Gujarat, and in union territory Jammu. There are distinct geological variations in the mode of occurrence and ore body configuration. The geological, chemico-mineralogical and petrological characteristics are varying in deposits from region to region. The Eastern ghat and west coast bauxite is dominant in gibbsite minerals however, the central Indian bauxite is mixed gibbsitic boehmite and at places diasporic in nature. For the present study, representative samples of bauxite have been collected from Indian deposits. The samples were characterized for chemical composition, mineralogy and petrography. The bond work index tests have been performed on bauxite samples by standard procedure. The bond work index of ore indicates how much energy is required to grind the ore and it is a very significant property from a plant point of view. The laboratory results show that the eastern ghat bauxite is soft (BWI-10 kwh/mt) as compared to Central Indian bauxite (16 kwh/mt). The studies indicate that the base rock/parent rock, geological formation, mineralogy, etc. play an important role in the hardness of bauxite. In the present paper, details of the Bond work index of various bauxite are specified and factors responsible for the hardness of the ore is being highlighted.

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Background: This study investigates variables of age; openness to experiences, agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion and neuroticism explained by McCrae and Costa in Big Five theory; and its correlation with loneliness. Methods: Through method of convenience sampling, 15 participants were chosen between age group of 19 to 25 years and 15 participants in the age group 40 to 50 years. Big Five Inventory (John, O.P., Srivastava, S.; 1999) and Revised UCLA Loneliness scale, 3

The study area lies in the Northeastern part of the Gavilgrah fault vicinity, which is one of the essential tectonic elements of the Son-Narmada-Tapti lineament, trending ENE-WSE direction. In this study field, data and satellite data observation are used for drainage characteristics of Wan river sub-basins. The course of Wan River is mostly controlled by the Gavilgrah fault and associated tectonic elements. The Wan River, which crosses the North’s fault, exhibits two river terraces that rise and continue downstream, where the river flows on the down-thrown block. The drainage characteristics of the study area were investigated by using the LISS- III satellite data. The study of neotectonism is based on field evidence and drainage pattern. The nature of the drainage pattern in the study area shows dendritic, rectangular, and parallel together and shows evidence of neotectonic activity in the study area. The longitudinal river profile, the shape of the basin, gradient fluctuations, and valley incision, and their result also indicate neotectonic activities in the study area.