GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 259, 28 July 1932, Page 8

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

India’s Ore Deposits VIEWS OF EXPERT Surprise was expressed by Dr. J. A. Dunn, of the Indian Geological Survey, who arrived by the Niagara, when he was informed that there was no seismograph in Auckland, says the ‘.‘Star.” Dr. Dunn has made a special study of earthquakes and volcanoes and while in New Zealand will visit Napier and the thermal regions of the North Island.

“There is plenty of opportunity for the study of seismology in New Zealand,” he said. “Your earthquakes are due largely to earth faulting, but how much is attributable to volcanic activity it is difficult to gauge.” Referring to his visit to Australia, Dr. Dunn said that as far as the geological survey was concerned, little attention was paid to the scientific side. Geologists in Australia were really prospectors, practically all their time being occupied with mining. The complait of geologists wherever he went was that they had no time to devote to the scientific branches, but had their nose to the grindstone from morning to night. Dr. Dunn spoke of the huge iron ore deposits in India, which had only been worked in recent times. The ore was all found in the archaic rocks and the minimum deposit of iron ore was 2,000,000,000 tons—sufficient for the needs of the British Empire for centuries. Up to a few years ago most of the steel rails and other steel requirements of India were imported from England. India had coal deposits which would last for hundreds of years, and these had been worked since the beginning of last century.

Precious metals were worked out to a large extent, and gold and diamonds were still being mined to some extent, especially in South India, where there was still a lot of gold. Russia, with her Five Year Plan, had to some extent supplanted India as far as the supply of manganese was concerned.