Gold Deposits in Sonbhadra

Why in News :- The Geological Survey of India has rejected the UP government's Department of Geology and Mining claims of discovering about 3,000 tonnes of gold deposits in Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadra district, saying the actual estimated reserve stands at 160 kg.

Gold: Facts

• According to the World Gold Council, India has gold reserves of more than 600 tonnes, the 10th largest in the world.
• U.S has the highest gold reserves with 8,133.5 tonnes of total gold reserves, followed by Germany with 3,366.8 tonnes and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) with a holding of 2,451.8 tonnes
• The weight of gold is measured in troy ounces (1 troy ounce = 31.1034768 grams), however its purity is measured in ‘carats’. 24 carat is pure gold with no other metals.

About Sonbhadra :-

• Sonbhadra is the second largest district (area-wise) of Uttar Pradesh after Lakhimpur Kheri.
• It is the only district in the country which shares borders with four states.
• Madhya Pradesh to the west, Chhattisgarh to the south, Jharkhand to the south-east and Bihar to the east.
• Sonbhadra district is an industrial zone and has lots of minerals like bauxite, limestone, coal, gold etc.
• It is drained by tributaries of the Ganges including the Belan and Karmanasha rivers. Son river flows through the district from west to east. Rihand river rises to the south in the highlands of Surguja district of Chhattisgarh and flows north to join the Son in the centre of Sonbhadra.
• The Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar (also known as Rihand Dam) is a reservoir on the Rihand, lies partly in the district and partly in Madhya Pradesh.
• Kaimoor Wildlife Sanctuary lies mostly within Sonbhadra, reaching generally east and west along the Kaimur Range, and extending to the Son river at its eastern end.
• Sonbhadra is known for its several Cave painting sites found in the Vindhya region. The Lakhania caves are located in the Kaimur ranges and are known for their beautiful ageless rock paintings. These historic paintings are about 4000 years old. Khodwa Pahar or Ghoramangar is another well-known ancient cave painting site.