Hanamkonda: The milky white quartz vein (fracture in the rock) shaped like a cobra on the Siddhi Bhairava Gutta at Padmakshi temple has become a place of worship by the locals in Hanamkonda district.
Historian Rathnakar Reddy who had discovered the vein said it is formed hydrothermally and dates back to 250 crore years. “Water and silica are the main components of hydrothermal formations. When these hot fluids flow through rock fractures and solidify they for the quartz veins,” he explained.
“Fluid pressure is what fractures rocks and once the silicon fills the void and precipitates due to water it will result in the formation of quartz veins, he said.
“Fluids carry various compounds from pluton with them, but they will also dissolve minerals from the rocks they percolate and mobilise metals. In certain conditions, if any metallic element like gold is available in magma, then it is likely to be deposited in the vein and that granite rock costs more in the market,” Rathankar said.
“This is the reason why the government and local authorities need to protect such quartz veins formed on granite rocks for educational and tourism purposes,” he appealed.
