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Khund,
4 miles below the mouth of the lb river and a few miles above
Sambalpur. According to V. Ball the stones were only to be found in the
bed of the Mahanadi itself. Some stones were obtained between 1804 and
1918. Twenty stones were obtained of which the largest weighed 672
grains.
Third group of occurrences
Central India Agency.—In
this area the diamond-bearing localities occupy a tract 60 miles long
by 10 miles wide with the Vindhyan conglomerates near Panna as the
centre. The diamond mining industry still persists in this area on a
small scale, both in Vindhyan conglomerate and in alluvium. Diamond is
found in the following states: Panna, Char-khari, Bijawar, Ajaigarh,
Kothi, Pathar, Kachar, Baramunda and Chobepur. The following scale
gives the position of the diamond-bearing strata with reference to the
Vindhyan formations:—
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Near Panna, there is a band of conglomerate between the Upper Kaimur sandstone and Panna shales locally known as 'Mudda', the
diamond-bearing stratum. It is about 2 ft. in thickness, and is not a
continuous bed. Further east, near Itwa the diamond-bearing
conglomerate does not rest directly on the Kaimur sandstone, but is
separated from it by a 20-25 ft. bed of shale and limesotne. Another
diamond conglomerate occurs above the Rewa sandstone and below the
Bhander series.
The
diamonds and the pebbles of the conglomerate are derived from older
rocks, and the origin of the gem is still unknown. The pebbles in the
conglomerate consist of jasper and vein quartz. The stones are found
embedded in the conglomerates and also from the neighbouring
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