A government team that went to Nawalparasi, Nepal to explore a coal mine has instead found the third and possibly the largest iron ore deposit in Nepal. The Department of Mines & Geology had initiated the exploration hoping to find coal deposits, given the past geological finding. However, its exploration team struck an iron ore deposit in the Pokhari and Durlung villages. A senior Department of Mines & Geology official said that the deposit is 20m thick and covers a 2sq/km area. The quality of the ore and economic viability of extracting iron from it are yet to be ascertained. Preliminary tests of the samples, nonetheless, have indicated that the ore could be of the best quality found so far in the country.
