Rockhounding in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Home › Rockhounding in India › Andaman and Nicobar Islands Quick answer Andaman and Nicobar Islands currently has 54 sourced map records in this explorer. Andaman & Nicobar is geologically outstanding but legally and environmentally sensitive. Source-backed interests include chromite-rich black sands and ophiolite at Panchawati, Betapur and Rutland; limestone across Middle Andaman and Ritchie’s Archipelago; small gold/base-metal, coal and nickel occurrences; Baratang mud-volcano and limestone-cave geology; Barren/Narcondam volcanism; and offshore polymetallic nodule/crust exploration near Great Nicobar. None of these records is presented as general public collecting permission.
54 mapped localities
0 permission required
18 status not confirmed
36 viewing/protected
Materials documented in Andaman and Nicobar Islands Limestone 17 Calcite 16 Nickel 11 Chromium 9 Cobalt 9 Bioclastic carbonate 8 Basalt 7 Volcanic rock 7 Chromite 6 Pyrite 6 Chalcopyrite 6 Chromian spinel 5 Sandstone 4 PGE 4
Why Andaman & Nicobar matters for ophiolite, chromite, limestone and active-arc geology GSI describes the islands as an accretionary/subduction-zone ridge containing pre-ophiolitic metamorphic rocks, Cretaceous ophiolite, pelagic chert/jasper, younger sandstone-limestone-shale successions and the Barren/Narcondam volcanic arc. Detailed geological literature adds named chromite/PGE, limestone, sulphide, coal and nickel localities, while current Ministry of Mines material adds offshore polymetallic nodule/crust exploration off Great Nicobar. The same territory also has extensive protected forests and wildlife areas and quarrying is lease-regulated, so geology evidence is separated from access permission.
Geological Survey of India — Geology and Mineral Resources of Andaman & Nicobar Islands ↗
Mapped locality guides Sippighat Chertified Pre-ophiolite Limestone Blocks Crystalline calcite, Chert, Quartz, Opaque oxides Collecting status not confirmed Burma Dera Tugapur Limestone Body Limestone, Calcite, Algal-foraminiferal carbonate Reference / viewing only Tugapur Rest Camp Limestone Body Limestone, Calcite, Palaeogene reef carbonate Reference / viewing only Buddha Nala Limestone Body Limestone, Calcite, Palaeogene carbonate Reference / viewing only Melville Point — Long Formation Limestone Limestone, Calcite, Calcareous mudstone, Bioclastic carbonate Collecting status not confirmed Jetty Point — Long Island Limestone Section Limestone, Calcareous mudstone, Silty mudstone, Calcite Collecting status not confirmed Northern Long Island Limestone Drilling Area Cement-grade limestone, Calcite, Argillaceous limestone Reference / viewing only Swaraj Dweep (Havelock) Meetha Nala Limestone Section Limestone, Calcite, Bioclastic carbonate Collecting status not confirmed Guitar Island PWD Nala Limestone Section Limestone, Calcite, Bioclastic carbonate Reference / viewing only Guitar Island High-CaO Limestone Context Limestone, Calcite, Calcareous sediment Reference / viewing only Interview Island Limestone Resource Limestone, Calcite, Bioclastic carbonate Reference / viewing only Henry Lawrence Island Limestone Context Limestone, Calcite, Bioclastic carbonate Reference / viewing only John Lawrence Island Limestone Context Limestone, Calcite, Bioclastic carbonate Reference / viewing only South Button Island Limestone Context Limestone, Calcite, Bioclastic carbonate Reference / viewing only Oyster Island Limestone Context Limestone, Calcite, Bioclastic carbonate Reference / viewing only Panchawati Chromite Pods and Black-sand Concentration Chromite, Chromian spinel, Harzburgite, Serpentinite Reference / viewing only Betapur Coast Chromite-rich Black Sand Chromite, Chromian spinel, Black sand, Ophiolitic detritus Reference / viewing only Chain Nala Rutland Chromite Placer Chromite, Chromian spinel, PGE, Black sand Reference / viewing only Mitha Nala Rutland Chromite Placer Chromite, Chromian spinel, Black sand, PGE Reference / viewing only Rutland Ophiolite Chromitite Pods and Dunite Bands Chromite, Dunite, Harzburgite, Lherzolite Reference / viewing only Beadonabad Gossan Gold–Base-metal Prospect Gold, Pyrite, Chalcopyrite, Gossan Reference / viewing only Corbyn’s Cove Pyrite–Chalcopyrite Volcanic Belt Pyrite, Chalcopyrite, Basalt, Volcanic rock Collecting status not confirmed Brookshabad Sulphide and Basalt Context Pyrite, Chalcopyrite, Basalt, Building stone Reference / viewing only Rangachang Pyrite–Chalcopyrite Occurrence Pyrite, Chalcopyrite, Volcanic rock Collecting status not confirmed Kodiaghat Pyrite–Chalcopyrite Occurrence Pyrite, Chalcopyrite, Volcanic rock Collecting status not confirmed Chidiyatapu Volcanic and Sulphide Geology Basalt, Andesite, Pyrite, Chalcopyrite Reference / viewing only Burmanallah Ophiolitic Rock Context Basalt, Ultramafic rock, Chromium, Nickel Collecting status not confirmed Guptapara Ophiolitic Rock Context Ultramafic rock, Basalt, Chromium, Nickel Collecting status not confirmed Manjery Ophiolitic Rock Context Ultramafic rock, Basalt, Chromium, Nickel Collecting status not confirmed Danros Point Andaman Flysch Coal Seams Bituminous coal, Sandstone, Andaman Flysch Collecting status not confirmed Lipa Black Shale Coal Pockets Coal, Black shale, Carbonaceous shale Collecting status not confirmed Badmashpahar Serpentinized Ultramafic Quarry Context Serpentinized ultramafic rock, Building stone, Road metal Reference / viewing only Hut Bay 2026 Quarry-plan Area Stone aggregate, Quarry rock, Building stone Reference / viewing only Barren Island Active Volcano — Sulphur, Ash and Basalt Elemental sulphur, Volcanic ash, Basalt, Scoria Reference / viewing only Narcondam Volcanic Island Geology Andesite, Volcanic rock, Pyroclastic rock Reference / viewing only Baratang Mud Volcano Mud breccia, Clay, Argillite fragments, Limestone fragments Reference / viewing only Baratang Limestone Cave Calcite Formations Limestone, Calcite, Stalactites, Stalagmites Reference / viewing only Saddle Peak National Park Geological Context Ophiolitic rock, Sedimentary rock, Quartzite, Sandstone Reference / viewing only Car Nicobar Neogene Carbonate–Foraminiferal Geology Limestone, Calcareous sediment, Foraminiferal carbonate Collecting status not confirmed West Sewell Ridge PMNC Block 1 — Off Great Nicobar Polymetallic nodules, Polymetallic crusts, Nickel, Cobalt Reference / viewing only West Sewell Ridge PMNC Block 2 — Off Great Nicobar Polymetallic nodules, Polymetallic crusts, Nickel, Cobalt Reference / viewing only West Sewell Ridge PMNC Block 3 — Off Great Nicobar Polymetallic nodules, Polymetallic crusts, Nickel, Cobalt Reference / viewing only Access and collecting rules Andaman & Nicobar has exceptional subduction-zone geology: ophiolite, chromite/PGE, nickel-bearing ultramafics, sulphides, limestone, active/recent volcanism and offshore polymetallic mineralization. Much of the territory is reserved/protected forest, sanctuary, national park, tribal-reserve or regulated quarry/mineral land, so this release keeps every record non-navigable and makes no collecting-ready claim.
Andaman & Nicobar Administration — Andaman and Nicobar Islands Minor Minerals Rules, 2012 ↗
Dataset last reviewed: September 8, 2026. Coordinates are reference points; some mineral databases warn that locality coordinates may be generalized.
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