While Odisha has vast reservoirs of mineral wealth, gold reserves have now been detected in three districts of the State, informed Steel and Mines Minister Prafulla Mallik on Monday. Replying to a query by Dhenkanal MLA Sudhir Kumar Samal in the State Assembly, Mallik said presence of gold has been detected in Deogarh, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts following surveys by the Directorate of Mines and Geology and the Geological Survey of India (GSI).
In Mayurbhanj district, Jashipur, Saraguda, Ruansi, Idelkucha, Badampahar and Suleipat (Dhusura Hill) were found to have reserves of gold. In the Idellucha-Maredihi-Badampahar area, the survey found 0.1-2.6 gram of gold per 1 tonne of auriferous lode (rocks containing the metal). In Suleipat, the Mines and Geology Directorate detected 0.1 – 0.8 gram of gold per 1 tonne of rock spread across 2.3 km in conglomerate horizon of Dhusura Hill in 1970-71.
Similarly, in Deogarh district’s Adas, 1,685 kg of gold was detected in copper ore. Along with gold, 6.67 million tonne copper, 0.638 million tonne silver and 0.10 million tonne nickel were found in the area.
In Keonjhar district, areas like Gopur, Gajipur, Kusakala, Adal and Saleikana, Dimirimundaand Karadanga of Telkoi were found to be in possession of the precious metal reserves. Between 1977 and 1983, geologists found 1 gram of gold per tonne in two quartz veins in Telkoi tehsil. In Gopur, a 60-metre-long and 1-metre-wide quartz vein contained 2.5-10 gram of gold per tonne.
