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.
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