Diamond was First Discovered in INDIA

PATNA: Do you know that diamond was first discovered in India and the country remained the

only producer of this precious mineral till the 17th century and the dominant  producer till the 

18th century.

This was revealed by Geological Survey of India's retired director P K Sinha while delivering a popular lecture on "Earth sciences in India through the ages" at Patna University (PU) geology auditorium here on Monday. Several foreign merchants used to visit this country in those days in search of diamond and other precious stones, he said.

Sinha further stated that the East India Company set its foot on India with an eye on its rich mineral resources. In the initial phase, the company used to ask British military officers to collect samples of minerals and rocks wherever they moved in India. The samples collected by them were sent to England for their identification by geologists as there were no geologists in India at that time. The establishment of Geological Survey of India in 1851 was also aimed at exploring the mineral wealth of the country. Geology teaching was introduced at Presidency College, Kolkata, in 1892.

He said rocks and minerals have always influenced the shape of human civilization as human beings have been using these materials for meeting the necessities of their life and comfort right since prehistoric days. He traced the discovery and development of various mineral resources, including atomic minerals, fossil fuels, groundwater and geothermal energy, in the country.

Sinha said the age of the earth has been estimated to be 4,600 million years but the oldest rocks available on the earth have been dated as 3,800 million year old. He termed the intervening period as "missing million" as there is no record of terrestrial rocks of this period.

At the outset, PU geology department head V S Dube introduced the speaker. Patna Science College principal Arun Kumar Sinha welcomed the guests. B.Sc. geology honours topper of PU, Kriti Chandra was awarded A P Jain Raj Kumari scholarship on the occasion. PU geology teacher A K Gupta proposed the vote of thanks.

SOURCE :TOI