Gallery

[ The Earth Science India is always looking for high-quality images related to Earth Sciences of India- photographs, cartoons, posters etc. for its Gallery. The primary objective is to provide these images for the benefit of teachers, Earth Science community, and the public for non- commercial use. Please send the hard copies, scanned images (.jpg files) or digital copies along with the descriptions, name & Email address of the photographer - H.E.]

July, 2010

P.Rameshchandra Phani, Manager (Geology), RM&M Ltd.,Hospet (E-mail: prcphani@rediffmail.com) is providing field setup of two of five kimberlite pipes discovered by GSI at Chigicherla (CC), called as ‘Chigicherla cluster’, Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh for guidance to field geologists.

	Google Earth Image showing location of CC 4 & 5 Kimberlite pipes, Gollapalle village. The red outline indicates the tentative outline of surface signature of the pipe.
CC4	CC4: Located at about 17 Km SSE of Anantapur town and 1.2Km west of Gollapalle village. Geographic coordinates are 14^o30’56.1”N 77^o37’17.0^”E. This is a circular body with outcrop dimensions of 100x100m and hosted by basement granitoids. The rock comprises a hard melanocratic, greenish-black serpentine/serpentinized olivine, though a weathered, carbonated, clay rich variety is also widespread (Fig.2). Reaction rims in olivine macrocrysts are also common and the rock contains fresh olivine abundantly (Fig.3). The outcrop shows typical pitted texture formed due to removal of olivine macrocrysts (Fig.4). The pipe is diamondiferous.
	Subtle kimberlite outcrop of CC-4 pipe amidst granitoids country.
	Olivine macrocrysts showing Corona Texture in CC-4 Pipe.
	Characteristic pitted texture in CC-4 kimberlite pipe.
CC5	CC5: Located at about 17 Km SSE of Anantapur and 0.6Km NE of Gollapalle and located close to the Bangalore highway (No. 7) and easily accessible by road. Geographic coordinates are 14^o31’3.4”N 77^o38’10.0^”E. This is a narrow pear or oval-shaped body of dimensions 220mx70m, with an ENE-WSW trend emplaced into basement granitoids rocks. The pipe occurs in the pediment region of the granitoids hill in the vicinity, in the form of denudation boulders. Crustal xenoliths (granitoids) and visibly identifiable euhedral to subhedral ilmenite grains (0.2 to 2 Cm) are common in the outcrop. This pipe characteristically comprises abundant rounded to subrounded kimberlite autoliths. It is diamondiferous.
	Field disposition of CC5 Kimberlite pipe amidst granitoids country.
	CC5 Kimberlite boulder close to NH7.
	Typical autolithic texture in CC5 Kimberlite pipe.