Mica
Mica is a mineral name given to a group of minerals that are physically and chemically similar. They are all silicate minerals, known as sheet silicates because they form in distinct layers.
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Micas are fairly light and relatively soft, and the sheets and flakes of mica are flexible.
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Mica is heat-resistant and does not conduct electricity thus finding wide application in electronics and electrical industry mainly as an insulator.
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It is used in toothpaste and cosmetics because of its glittery appearance.
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India is one of the foremost suppliers of mica to the world and the two states in eastern India, Jharkhand and Bihar, account for roughly 25% of the global production of mica.
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In Jharkhand, high quality mica is obtained in a belt extending over a distance of about 150 km, in length and about 22 km, in width in lower Hazaribagh plateau.
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In Andhra Pradesh, Nellore district produces the best quality mica.
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In Rajasthan, mica belt extends for about 320 km from Jaipur to Bhilwara and around Udaipur.
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Mica deposits also occur in Mysore and Hasan districts of Karnataka, Coimbatore, Tiruchirapalli, Madurai and Kanniya kumari in Tamil Nadu, Alleppey in Kerala, Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, Purulia and Bankura in West Bengal.