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Herald Reporter
The Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) has dismissed reports of new diamond deposits in Chiredzi that saw hundreds of illegal diamond miners descending on the small town searching for gems.
Hundreds of illegal miners swarmed Chiredzi following reports that some panners had discovered diamonds in the area. The “treasure hunters” are now wreaking havoc on the environment.
Last week, ZCDC, which has the mandate from the State to exploit the minerals, despatched a team of geologists to Chiredzi to investigate claims of diamond resources. The team has since concluded that the miners were mistakenly taking quartz for diamonds. In an interview recently, ZCDC chief executive Dr Morris Mpofu confirmed the findings.
“ZCDC, being a mandated diamond mining company in Zimbabwe, sent a team of geologists to investigate whether they are real diamonds and to assess the potential of the geology of the area to host diamonds,” said Dr Mpofu.
“The stones are not diamonds, but quartz ranging from clear, milky quartz with iron stains to smoky quartz. The quartz averaged 10mm in size; the dolerite on the surface has a honeycomb structure with quartz growth inside.
“The geological formation of the area is not kimberlitic, but amygdaloidal basalt or dolerite, which do not host diamonds.”
Online Reporter