Telangana: Potential diamond zones found in Mahbubnagar

In bittersweet news, there are 21 kimberlite pipes, which are the host rocks for diamonds, found in Mahabubnagar district of Telangana.

Union minister for mines and steel Narendra Singh Tomar told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that “21 kimberlite pipes were found at Narayanpet, Maddur in Mahabubnagar district but the potentiality of these pipes was yet to be ascertained”.

Replying to a question by TDP member T Devender Goud, the Minister for Mines Narender Singh Tomar said in Rajya Sabha that the aeromagnetic and radiometric studies and interpretation of satellite data, the Centre of Exploration Geophysics, Osmania University, has identified these pipes.

Minister also informed the House about the Geological Survey of India’s exploration has identified a total number of 45 kimberlite intrusions around Maddur, Narayanpet, Kotakonda, Chagapuram and Siddanapalli areas in Mahabubnagar district.

Diamond potentiality studies of the discovered kimberlites by GSI have been done by bulk sampling, geochemistry, and mineral physics. These studies proved that the kimberlite intrusions discovered in the district so far are non-diamondiferous. However, further efforts to discover the diamondiferous kimberlites in the area are going on.

Kimberlite pipes are rich source of diamonds and areas surrounding Narayanpet have been of interest to geophysicists for more than three decades.