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Turning over a curry leaf

M. Somasekhar

HYDERABAD, Aug. 15

MINERAL prospectors in North Kanara have long believed that plants like `Karipatta', whose leaves (curry leaves) are used to flavour many South Indian dishes, can be good indicators for the presence of deposits of minerals, especially manganese.

Now geologists from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) have used this traditional knowledge and zoomed in on a workable deposit of manganese in North Kanara district of Karnataka.

An estimated reserve of 76.975 million tonnes, with 25.655 million tonnes or just over 30 per cent of manganese, was delineated in the district after extensive surveys using the Karipatta plant as a geo-botanical guide.

Interestingly, Karipatta not only exhibits versatility in its application in food preparation but also as a geo-botanical indicator of minerals. A Karipatta plant with dark coloured leaves is likely to indicate manganese ore deposits, while a plant with light-green leaves can show the presence of iron ore deposits.

Presenting these interesting observations, Dr H. Kariyanna of GSI's Bangalore division lamented that despite their potential utility, geo-botanical indicators as well as bio-geochemical factors remain neglected in mineral exploration .

Dr Kariyanna, who was participating at a meeting of the Indian Society of Applied Geochemists at the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), said the people of North Kanara associate several plants, locally called Nama, Kundal and Jamka, with the presence of mineral deposits.

The North Kanara belt in the Karnataka craton, according to geologists, is bestowed with manganese, iron, copper and traces of magnetite and nickel. (A craton is the stable portion of a continent that has not undergone deformation for a prolonged period of time.) Mining activity is on already, with the minerals being used for domestic consumption as well as export.

There are still large tracts of virgin land containing concealed ore deposits which need to be prospected and mined for economic benefit, geologists say.

Researchers at Sri Venkateswara University (Tirupati) have also done considerable work in establishing scientific links between certain species of plants and termites and the presence of water and mineral deposits.