Kudremukh Range

About Kudremukh Range:

• Location: It is located in the Western Ghats in the Chikmagalur district of Karnataka.
• These broad hills overlook the Arabian Sea and are connected by deep valleys and sharp cliffs.
• It is also known as the Horse Face Range (the literal meaning of Kudremukh in Kannada is horse-faced).
• It got its name from its main peak, Kudremukh Peak (1892 metres), which has a marked similarity to the face of a horse.
• Kudremukh National Park, the second largest wildlife protected area in the Western Ghats, is located in these ranges.
• It is believed that Kudremukh served as a landmark for sailors on the western coast for over 2000 years.

Key Facts about Kudremukh National Park:

• Location: It is spread across 600.57 sq km. in the Chikkamagaluru and Dakshina Kannada districts of Karnataka.
• Vegetation: Dense forest cover primarily consists of semi-evergreen and evergreen trees.
• Flora:

1. Rare flora on the edge of extinction, such as the Nilambur Cobra Lily and the South Indian Jewel Orchid, can be found here.
2. In addition, there are many trees, including eucalyptus, acacia, silk oaks, casuarinas, and others.

• Fauna:

1. It houses a variety of wildlife such as the leopard, Malabar giant squirrel, sloth bear, gaur, sambar, jackal, mongoose, tiger, wild dog, common langur etc.
2. It is home to a variety of birds, such as the Malabar trogon, Malabar whistling thrush, and the imperial pigeon.

 About Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited (KIOCL):

• KIOCL Limited (Formerly known as Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited) is a flagship Company under the Ministry of Steel, Govt. of India
• It was formed on 2 April 1976 for the mining and beneficiation of low-grade iron ore at Kudremukh, Karnataka, India.
• It has over four decades of experience in operating Iron Ore Mining, Beneficiation and Iron–Oxide Pelletisation in the Country.

Q1) What is Iron–Oxide Pelletisation?

Pelletizing is a process which involves mixing of very finely ground particles of iron ore fines having a size which is less than 200 mesh (0.074 mm) with additives like bentonite and then shaping them into near oval/spherical balls having size in the range of 8 mm to 16 mm in diameter by a pelletizer and hardening the balls by firing with a fuel.

Source: 20 years after ‘violation’, KIOCL seeks clearance to submerge 700-acre forest

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