Consider the following statements : 1. Natural gas occurs in the Gondwana beds. 2. Mica occurs in abundance in Kodarma. 3. Dharwars are famous for petroleum. Which of the statements given above is / are correct?

The correct answer is B, because only statement 2 is correct.

• Statement 1 is wrong. Gondwana beds are rich in coal, and their coal seams can yield coal bed methane. Conventional natural gas, however, is found mainly in Tertiary sedimentary basins such as Assam-Arakan, Cambay (Gujarat) and the Mumbai High offshore area. Gondwana is the wrong answer for conventional gas.
• Statement 2 is correct. Koderma in Jharkhand is India's best-known mica belt, and the district has long been the centre of mica mining and processing.
• Statement 3 is wrong. The Dharwar rocks are Archaean metamorphic rocks. They are known for gold (Kolar), iron ore, manganese and other metallic minerals, not for petroleum. Petroleum comes from sedimentary basins.

The core concept is the geological association of minerals and fuels with rock systems. This links directly to the Mains theme of mineral distribution and the policy of critical minerals, including the mica mining issues of Jharkhand.

Trap: Aspirants often connect Gondwana with natural gas because of coal bed methane. Keep conventional gas (Tertiary basins) separate from Gondwana coal.