riaz ahmed
islamabad - The occurrence of Gold in Pakistan is well known but Diamond has not been found here. In Pakistan, Gold is found associated with Copper deposits of Balochistan and Waziristan. Saindak and Riko Diq Copper deposits are well known which contain small amounts of Gold, Silver and other useful minerals. However, ores containing commercial quantities of Gold have so far eluded us despite the presence of pieces of Gold found in beds in bends of streams coming out of Glaciers in northern areas of Pakistan and Gold particles and small pieces which are being panned from a river near Gilgit and other places. Historically, a substantial quantity of this Gold was sent to the Greeks as tax after Alexander the Great came to know about this wealth. There are a few academic level studies carried out so far to track down the source of this Gold but no serious attempt has been made to explore and exploit this treasure.
Pakistan has widespread Precambrian basement rocks as outcrops as well as buried under Alluvium and thin sediments over a large area. These basement rocks contain useful minerals and could also contain Gold as is the case in other countries like Egypt.
Possibilities of Diamond occurrence also exists in the south-eastern part of Pakistan. The world famous Koh-i Noor Diamond was extracted from a volcanic dike at Golkunda near Hyderabad, India. There was a widespread volcanic activity at the end of Cretaceous/early Palaeocene time which formed the Deccan Plateau. The volcanic material thus deposited is known as the Deccan Trap. Basaltic rocks are found in early Palaeocene section in Badin oil and gas wells and represent the Deccan Trap episode.
Due to plate interaction, a regional slope was established dipping north-westward in Tertiary time. As a consequence, drainage was created towards Pakistan. Some of this lost drainage may have transported some Diamonds towards Pakistan side removed from the Deccan Plateau. Detailed research is needed to find some substance to this geological picture drawn by geologists.
There is a comical story of a high-level deceit about diamonds. Near Kalabagh, Mari Indus and few other places in Potwar beautiful crystals of Quartz are found in marl.
Their source are volcanic rocks called Khewrite.These are of about an inch or less in length and are found in lemon, rust, white, grey and smoke colours. They can be used directly in jewellery without cutting and polishing. These Quartz crystals are known as Mari diamonds. One local ruler of this area asked back for control of his area in exchange for a bag of diamonds to the then Greek Commander who had taken over this area. The deal was struck and Mari Diamonds were accepted by the Greek Commander in return for this territory.
The famous Koh-i Noor Diamond started its turbulent journey from Golkunda during the Mughal era, rolled into many hands and finally reached the United Kingdom and is now studded in a crown of the Queen. During its journey, it remained for some time with a Muslim clerk who used it as a paperweight after assuming that it was made of glass and not knowing its worth. Another interesting mineral that is found in the northern areas of Pakistan is known as pyrite.
The well-known saying “All that glitters is not gold” plays an imperative role in the history of pyrite, as in Gold Rush era, word spread that people got rich by finding gold in mines and rivers, and as a result of these rumours, thousands of people thronged the US in order to seek fortune. However, since most of the gold diggers were not mining experts or at least familiar with gold, they were deceived by fraudsters, posing the mineral that is known as pyrite as gold. They charged large sums for the “findings”, and so this mineral was known at that time as the “fool’s gold”.
–The writer is a senior geologist.