RAS question
Silver in Rajasthan is primarily found as a byproduct of which mining?
Correct answer: (B) Zinc-lead mining at Zawar.
In Rajasthan, silver is primarily obtained as a byproduct of zinc-lead mining at Zawar and Rampura Agucha.
Explanation
Silver in Rajasthan is not treated here as a standalone mining product; it is tied to the zinc-lead mining chain. Zawar in Udaipur and Rampura Agucha in Bhilwara are the relevant mines. The Indian Bureau of Mines explains the mineral logic: silver generally occurs with lead, zinc and other sulphide ores, and is recovered as a byproduct from lead and zinc concentrates. It also records Rajasthan-linked recovery at Hindustan Zinc's Chanderiya lead-zinc smelters. That is why the RAS answer is zinc-lead mining at Zawar, not copper, gold or iron mining.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Copper mining at Khetri may yield some silver, but the main Rajasthan association is with lead-zinc concentrates, not copper mining.
- (C) Gold mining is not the relevant Rajasthan route here; silver is linked to zinc-lead mining at Zawar and Rampura Agucha, not to a major gold-mining base.
- (D) Iron mining has no significant silver linkage here, while the Indian Bureau of Mines links silver recovery to lead and zinc concentrates.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan mineral geography, especially the association between non-ferrous ores and byproduct recovery. It recurs in RAS because Rajasthan's lead-zinc-silver belt is a standard map-and-industry linkage, not just a list of minerals.