Chromite Deposits of Pakistan: A Short Review

Abstract

Chromite is an important source for the manufacturing of stainless steel, nichrome, paint, and chemicals industries and has wide industrial utilization. In Pakistan, the chromite deposits are mostly associated with the ophiolitic sequence resulting as an outpouring of molten material in the fractured zones of the Indian plate and the Neo-Tethys Ocean through the Cretaceous era. The discovery and documentation of chromite in Pakistan is traveling back to 1960s, but unfortunately, most of the reports are lacking authentication in reserve estimation and grading. If the modern and proper geophysical and geochemical analysis is performed to the reported area, then there are more bright chances of acquiring the more authenticate reservoir estimation, its distribution in the prospect zone and chemical composition per metric ton. The current article is an effort towards making a composite record of all the published/unpublished reports and articles regarding the chromite discovery, estimation, and extraction in Pakistan.