Shivamogga: In a recent report released by the Geological Survey of India, third largest gold deposit in Karnataka has been found in an area stretching over 600 square kilometers. The identified area is between Shikaripura in Shivamogga and Honnali of Davanagere.

The Remote Sensing and Aero-Geophysical survey team of GSI were camping in the area for a week and found that this is next largest deposit in Karnataka after Kolar Gold Fields and Hutti in Raichur District. An aerial survey of the deposits was conducted by the team and a quality assessment will be done.

The aerial survey was done by placing a remote sensing device underneath a helicopter flying at an altitude of 90 meters. The device scans the surface of the earth into a depth of 500 meters below surface level. A detailed study on the gold deposits in the area is currently being conducted using electro-magnetic, magnetic and radio magnetic devices.

The team of experts from GSI divided the 600 square kilometer area into 200 meter strips. As per the report from GSI, 20 of these strips were surveyed per day.

A survey was conducted by Mines and Geology department of Karnataka in the area a few years back and a report on the same was submitted to the Government. The state government then requested the GSI to conduct a survey in the same area based on the report.

According to GSI, three different types of surveys conducted till date have confirmed the existence of gold deposits and the experts will mark the exact spots and estimate the available amount of ore. The state government will receive a report from GSI based on the surveys before September 2017 after a complete roundup of data is done.