Sparkling stones found in Nagaland could be quartz, say geologists

The sparkling stones that triggered a ‘diamond’ rush in Nagaland’s Mon district in the last few days could be quartz, a preliminary finding by a team of geologists has revealed.

A farmer in the district’s Wanching village on November 25 stumbled upon a crystalline stone while digging a patch. It set off a digging frenzy as people from the village and beyond tried to lay their hands on what they thought were diamonds.

The team from the State’s Geology and Mining Department reached the village, about 350 km from State capital Kohima, on Friday night and started their study on Saturday.

“They were expected to arrive a few days later, but advanced their visit. According to their preliminary study, the stones the villagers found are quartz,” Mon’s Deputy Commissioner Thavaseelan K. told The Hindu.

“The team is taking samples for further analysis to be certain about their findings,” he added.

Mr. Thavaseelan did not rule out the possibility of a large deposit of the crystals beneath Wanching and adjoining areas. “Almost everyone has a stone,” he said.

Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silicon and oxygen atoms. Some of the varieties are semi-precious stones.