What term was used for the soft, diamond-bearing material near the surface of a diamond field?

What term was used for the soft, diamond-bearing material near the surface of a diamond field?

• A. White ground.
• B. Blue soil.
• C. Yellowground.
• D. Red soil.

Answer: (C)

Think of the ground on a diamond field described by color because miners used color and feel to quickly communicate what kind of material they’re dealing with. The soft, near-surface layer that carries diamonds is called yellow ground. Its yellowish hue comes from the mix of gravel, sand, and clays in that upper layer, and because it’s loose and easy to dig, it can be worked with simple tools to recover stones before you reach the harder layers below. This makes yellow ground the term that specifically denotes the soft, diamond-bearing material right at the surface. The other color terms refer to different layers with different textures and hardness, so they don’t match the described near-surface, easy-to-dig characteristics as precisely.

Think of the ground on a diamond field described by color because miners used color and feel to quickly communicate what kind of material they’re dealing with. The soft, near-surface layer that carries diamonds is called yellow ground. Its yellowish hue comes from the mix of gravel, sand, and clays in that upper layer, and because it’s loose and easy to dig, it can be worked with simple tools to recover stones before you reach the harder layers below. This makes yellow ground the term that specifically denotes the soft, diamond-bearing material right at the surface. The other color terms refer to different layers with different textures and hardness, so they don’t match the described near-surface, easy-to-dig characteristics as precisely.