After 10 years, Geological Survey of India is on Kimberlite exploration

Anantapur: The Geological Survey of India (GSI)'s centre at Vajrakarur in the district has set in motion the exploration of Kimberlite after a gap of 10 years. Senior geologist Bhaskar Rao and a team from Uravakonda collected 300 tonnes of Kimberlite Clan Rock (KCR) metal from Kadapa district.

Investigation for secondary diamonds in the Pennar river basin between Jammalama-dugu and Chennur in Kadapa district was only field season approved during the 12th plan period of GSI's presence in Andhra Pradesh. Official sources said that the feasibility of available diamond deposits in the metal would be found only after detailed investigation.

Further, three points were also approved for investigation programmes at field trials in Telangana, two locations each from Karnataka and Chhattisgarh, and one point in Jharkhand for 2015-16.

The Panna diamond mine is the only one in the country that is operational. The Vajrakarur unit was stopped over a decade ago following the poor potentiality of diamond sources in the KCR in Anantapur district. Australian and south Asian experts have been carrying out investigations at Vajrakarur since few years.

The GSI, whose office is attached to the Ministry of Mines, has been conducting explorations of KCR, which is the source of diamonds for all parts of the country.

Investigation for secondary diamonds in the Munneru-Paleru river basin area in Khammam and Krishna districts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh borders, and search for Kimberlite/ Lamproite in Kolhapur and Srirangapur blocks in the Mahbubnagar area of Telangana were going on during the plan period.

Further, regional surveys to locate Kimberlite in Kudligi block and Molakaluru block in Bellary and in Chitradurga districts, Karnataka were also on.