GADAG: Not just gold, Kappatagudda hillock range in Gadag could hold diamond deposits too, say geologists who recently visited Lakkundi and the gold caves in Gadag. They pointed out that the Gadag schist belt is one of the famous Precambrian schist belts in South India, which also runs through Kolar.
News of the Lakkundi treasure discovery last month has drawn geologists from across Karnataka, with many visiting the golden cave areas in Kanvi Hosur area. Some of them said the Kappatagudda area is unique and the Precambrian schist belts in South India are known to have diamond deposits. Though early studies in Gadag were devoted to gold deposits, recent surveys have shown there may be diamonds, iron and manganese ore. Senior citizens of Kappatagudda claim that diamond mining was going on till 1960, but this was stopped and they don’t know the reason behind it.
Chandrakant K, a geologist from Koppal, said, “The Precambrian era is the earliest age of early life. During this era, continents were formed and modern atmosphere developed, while early life evolved.
Soft-bodied creatures like worms and jellyfish lived in the oceans, but the land remained barren. Several rocks we see at the gold caves look like ancient metamorphic rocks and a survey should be done on this. The Geological Survey of India should conduct a check for diamonds and other valuable metals.”
Nag Bhushan, Senior Director, Mines and Geology department, said, “This place dates back more than 6 million years. Rock formations, under-earth chemical reactions and many unknown processes have
taken place. There may be diamonds and many unknown metals in those places. I don’t have any idea of a diamond survey but there was a gold survey done in Koppal.”
A villager from Hosur, near Gadag, said, “We have heard from our father and uncles that there were gold and diamond mines in our villages. There was diamond mining till 1960 and it stopped afterwards. The British government might have taken all the gold and diamonds from here.”