There have been reports and historical references, said Parvez Ahmed Malik, Director Geology and Mining, of people mining alluvial gold from the Indus bed. “After winter ends, we have decided to send a team of geologists to Ladakh to explore the feasibility of gold mining in the area,” he said, adding, “If people have been able to get gold by crude methods, why can’t we get the same using scientific methodology.” The process of identifying gold-bearing-zones is done by collecting rock chip samples from favourable locales. If the rocks are not exposed, geochemical methods like stream sediment sampling, soil sampling is adopted.

India has a long history of gold mining, dating back to 2000 years. After Independence, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has carried out explorations in different parts of the country. In addition to the GSI, the State Directorates of Geology and Mining have also contributed to gold exploration.

Ancient tales talk about “giant ants” that used to dig up gold and about people who mined them in the Ladakh Himalayas in the Upper Indus Valley. Experts pointed out that “giant ants”, first described by Greek historian Herodotus in the 5th century BC, are infact big Himalayan marmots. Marmots are said to throw up gold-bearing-soil while digging burrows. Ladakhis claimed that for generations, people who lived along the banks of Indus, collected the earth as it contained much gold particles.

“I have heard stories of people extracting gold from the Indus sands from my grandparents,” said Sonam Dawa, President, Ladakh Buddhist Association.