Which term describes the near-surface diamond-bearing material in a field?

Which term describes the near-surface diamond-bearing material in a field?

• A. Topsoil
• B. Overburden
• C. Alluvial deposit
• D. Yellowground

Answer: (D)

Yellow ground is the weathered, near-surface diamond-bearing layer that sits above the bedrock in many diamond fields. Its yellow-brown color comes from oxidation of minerals and clay-rich material in the zone just below the surface. This layer is distinct from topsoil, which is mainly the organic surface layer, and from overburden, which is the general cover you strip away to reach the ore body. It’s also different from alluvial deposits, which are sediments transported and deposited by water. In many fields, diamonds have been eroded from their primary source and concentrate in this near-surface zone, making yellow ground the term used for that diamond-bearing material right at the surface.

Yellow ground is the weathered, near-surface diamond-bearing layer that sits above the bedrock in many diamond fields. Its yellow-brown color comes from oxidation of minerals and clay-rich material in the zone just below the surface. This layer is distinct from topsoil, which is mainly the organic surface layer, and from overburden, which is the general cover you strip away to reach the ore body. It’s also different from alluvial deposits, which are sediments transported and deposited by water. In many fields, diamonds have been eroded from their primary source and concentrate in this near-surface zone, making yellow ground the term used for that diamond-bearing material right at the surface.