HYDERABAD: For those betting on the presence of kimberlite pipes, a potential source of diamonds, in Mahbubnagar district, here is bitter-sweet news.
Union minister for mines and steel Narendra Singh Tomar told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that 21 kimberlite pipes, which are the host rocks for diamonds, were found in Mahabubnagar district but the potentiality of these pipes was yet to be ascertained.
The Union minister said this in response to T Devender Goud who wanted to know if it was true that the Centre of Exploration Geophysics at Osmania University in Hyderabad identified 21 new potential diamond zones in Mahbubnagar district of Telangana.
The minister said, “Based on the ae romagnetic and radiometric studies and interpretation of satellite data, the Centre of Exploration Geophysics, OU has identified 21 numbers of kimberlite pipes in Mahbubnagar district. These identified kimberlite pipes are located at Narayanpet, Maddur and Kotakonda, among other areas and are deep-seated and covered by thick soil/regolith.”
The minister also informed the House about the Geological Survey of India’s exploration in Mahbubnagar district. According to him, 45 kimberlite intrusions were found in Maddur, Narayanpet, Kotakonda, Chagapuram and Siddanapalli areas of the district.
“Diamond potentiality studies of the discovered kimberlites by GSI were done by bulk sampling, geochemistry and mineral physics and the studies proved that the kimberlite intrusions discovered in Mahbubnagar district so far are non-diamondiferous. However, further efforts to discover the diamondiferous kimberlites in the area is going on,” Tomar added.
Kimberlite pipes are rich source of diamonds and areas surrounding Narayanpet have been of interest to geophysicists for more than three decades. Though conflicting claims have been emerging on the presence of diamonds in Mahbubnagar, geophysicists have been taking up the exploration studies.