Abstract:
Sri Lanka has been known as 'Ratnadeepa', which translates to 'Island of
gems' because of the precious natural gemstones found in its gravelly soil. Even
though the gem industry in Sri Lanka extends back to ancient times, studies on
patterns of gemstone occurrences were rare. However, identification of potential
gem bearing lands can provide guidelines in mining and land valuation. This study
was carried out to identify the potential lands for gemstone mining in Kuru Ganga
catchment, Ratnapura, based on patterns of gemstone occurrences and mining cost
using integrated geo-spatial technologies. Fieldwork was conducted to collect
gravel samples from riverbanks and gem mines. The samples were subjected to
microscopic analysis to trace potential gemstones. The results obtained were
combined with the data gathered from gem mines and mapped on a GIS platform
to identify the occurrence patterns. Mining cost at each sampling location was
estimated based on depth to the gem bearing gravel layer, "illamaSubsequently,
potential lands for feasible gemstone mining were delineated through a knowledgedriven
weighted analysis. The results depict that the South Western region of the
Kuru Ganga catchment encompasses the highest feasibility of gem mining while
North Eastern region of the catchment has the least feasibility of gemstone mining
based on mining cost and values of potential gem varieties in the area.
Citation:
Jaliya, R.G.C., Thotahewa, A.H.T.T.B., Palihakkara, C.R., Siriwardena, P.R.R., Premasiri, H.M.R., Dharmaratne, P.G.R., Chaminda, S.P., & Senanayake, I.P. (2015). Delineation of potential sites for gemstone mining in Kura Ganga catchment, Ratnapura: a GIS approach. In P.V.A. Hemalal (Ed.), Proceedings of the 9th Annual ERE Research Conference on Earth Resources Management (pp. 46-51). Department of Earth Resources Engineering, University of Moratuwa.
