Diamonds are found in widely separated parts of the globe. In the
United States they have been found in Arkansas, where the work of
testing the deposits is now going on steadily and quietly. The
general geology and petrography of the area and the weathering of
the peridotite are described in a paper read before the American
Institute of Mining Engineers by Messrs. Kunz and Washington. In
tests made with a diamond drill the peridotite was proved to
depths of 200 feet. The green and yellow grounds underlying the
layer of black, sticky soil are found to extend down 40 feet in
places, and are estimated to average 20 feet in depth over the
area. The outcrop of the peridotite is estimated to cover about
40 acres, and may be larger. Some 540 diamonds have been found,
with an aggregate of 200 carats. The largest stone weighs about
6·5 carats, though the average size compares favourably with the
general run of most of the South African mines. There is a large
proportion of white stones, many of which are free from flaws and
are very brilliant. The genuineness of the occurrence of diamonds
in their matrix is again proved, one stone having been found
imbedded in the green ground at a depth of 15 feet. This peridotite
has the form of a volcanic pipe, and therefore its outcrop is
limited to one place.
In California authentic finds of diamonds are recorded in Butte
County, especially at Cherokee, above Orville. These diamonds,
however, have come from alluvial deposits and have been found
generally in washing for gold. As yet no authenticated discovery of
diamond in its original matrix in California is recorded.
In Brazil the diamond industry has been increasing of late years,
and the old mines in the Diamantina country are being worked by
American capital and by the American methods which have proved so
successful at De Beers. It is estimated that the annual value of
the diamonds exported from Brazil amounts to over £800,000, but
it is impossible to arrive at accurate figures owing to the large
quantities smuggled out of the country to avoid payment of the
export tax.
British Guiana produces a small quantity of diamonds, mostly,
however, of small size. Between January and September, 1907, 1564
carats were exported.
Indian diamonds chiefly come from the states of Panna, Charkhari,
and Ajaigarh. In 1905 India exported 3059 carats, valued at £5160.
CAPE COLONY
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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