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Mica - Coggle Diagram
Mica
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History
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The exploitation of mineral resources through surface and underground mining has caused wide ranging environmental problems
Vast areas of rich forests and agricultural lands belonging to the indigenous people have been laid waste because of haphazard mining
They are systematically and methodically being dispossessed of the ownership of their means of production, of products of their labour and of the very means of human existence
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The large-scale capitalist exploitation of the wealth of Jharkhand requires a vast army of cheap casual labour. The indigenous people who are reduced to destitution are forced to accept this role
Forest Conservation Act 1980 - banned mica mines in the region's forest and created a vacuum for illicit and unregulated mines
Industry (law, etc)
"India alone contributes more than 60% of global mica production, even those more than 70% of its mica mines depend on marginal workforce without legal protection"
(Moitra et al, 2018)
According to this UN database, the top sheet mica exporters by value in 2016 were India (US$7.6 million), Madagascar (US$3.1million), Brazil, China and Sri Lanka
Terms including 'industrial' and 'industrial grade mica' obscure the reality and often used by the industry to describe mica that is mined or processed using heavy equipment - However in non-western countries especially in those countries where sheet mica is mined, there is not clear distinction between industrial and artisanal mining
Indian has vast resources and deposits of sheet mica. Therefore, practically all of the country's scrap mica is derived from its sheet mica production
Illegal mining is associated with various socio-economic problems such as child labour,, poor health and safety conditions, limited education and health facilities, trafficking and security issues
India sheet mica earns more by weight than sheet mica from Madagascar. This might explain why the export of sheet mica from Madagascar is increasing, as it appears to be 3.5 times cheaper than Indian sheet mica
Undervalued and underreported commodity. Virtually no literature or analysis on the global mica market
Child labour
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Mining children often lack access to schools, or are forced to drop out of school due to mining-related circumstances
Unstable work opportunities impacts to life security for migrant children which leads to an increase in child labour
Children in mining areas are more vulnerable to hunger and food insecurity, resulting in malnutrition
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Countries with weak governance often lack the resources to address child labour and children's rights violations
UNICEF child labour statistics (2016) indicate that 23% of all Malagasy children are engaged in child labour
A national survey published in 2012 indicated that 81% of child workers between ages of 5 and 17 were engaged in hazardous work. This is equivalent to 1.7 million children
Characteristics
Natural mica is a silicate mineral that occurs in igneous rock formed by magma or lava; sedimentary rock that is built up in layers; and metamorphic rock transformed by other types of rock
There are 37 different types of natural mica. However, only muscovite and phlogopite have any real commercial value and are used by industries
Muscovite, which is light coloured and can contain small amounts of coloured impurities or iron oxides, is by far the most frequently mined type of mica
Muscovite has better electrical properties (it is able to withstand high voltages and insulate with low power loss) than phlogopite, and the pearlescent pigments used for cosmetics are generally composed of muscovite mica
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Ground mica is the collective term for mica flakes and mica powder. Scrap mica is crushed and ground into either mica flakes or mica powder
Mica's reflective and refractive properties make it an important ingredient in blush, eyeshadow, body and hair glitter, nail polish and facial foundation
Job insecurity
Sheet miners are paid low wages, are not protected and easily exploited
Most mining is illegal, which (adult) workers without the legal means to earn a livelihood
COVID-19
The pandemic have driven more people to rely on mica mining as a source of labour (Srivastava, 2021).