Most of us are aware that the state of Tamil Nadu is pioneer in exporting granite as early as 1976.
The maiden venture started at South Arcot, Kunnam Village where many premium black granite quarries were opened and it was heaven for Japanese buyers who flocked that area for purchasing granite blocks for japan for putting it in use for monuments and tomb stones.
This location had the nearest proximity to the state of Pondicherry. It is pertinent to mention that companies like Poddar Granites who were one of the pioneers in that area followed by Gem Granites, Enterprising Enterprises, Pallava Granites and many other companies like Vijaya Granites, Premier Granites and trading companies like kunnam granites, Katti-Ma, Global Trading companies are worth mentioning here.
The granite quarry industry reigned glory there in that area which was one of the most back ward areas in the state of Tamil Nadu which evolved into a most developed rural area in the state of Tamil Nadu. Most of the development attributed to only Granite quarrying and exports. Kunnam – Mailam Belt Kunnam –Mailam belt covers an area of about 15 km2 from Semangalam in southeast to Chendur in northwest, here emerge a pair of parallel dykes over a length of about 12.5km.
Futher southeast of Semangalam sedimentaries overlie the dykes and in the northwest part, after Chendur the dyke belt abruptly ends in the vicinity of Tondi – Varahanadi Rivers. It is significant to note that Tondi River and Varahanadi further west act as barriers for further continuation of this belt. The rivers probably occupy the NNW-SSE fault planes by which the northwestern continuity of the dyke belt is severed and there exists a vast alluvial plain to a distance of about 32km in its trend. The inference of faults along Tondi River – Varahanadi is further strengthened by the field observation at Mailam, wherein there is a minor quartzite ridge trending N-S and at the southern end the Kunnam Mailam dyke swerves around the ridge and takes a trend its WNW-ESE.
Quartzite is intensely sheared with profuse development of garnet. The two parallel dykes which emerge from the western side of Semangalam are disposed about 0.5km apart and in between Figure 3. Dyke swarm map of Villupuram District 124 International Journal of Current Research, Vol. 4, Issue, 05, pp.123-127, May, 2012 occupied by charnockite and run to a distance of about 10km, after which they merge and run as a single body to a further distance 5km.
At the point of merger there is perceptible variation in the trend from WNW-ESE to E-W before it swerves back to its original trend. It is also to be noted that the quartzite ridge, mentioned earlier, lies just north of the site of the merging of the dyke bodies.
Several thousands of cubic meteres were exported and the state of Tamil Nadu was holding Numero uno position in export of Black Granites in the entire country only from south Arcot district quarries especially Kunnam Black which was proclaimed as the worlds best black granite in the granite map of the world.
Let us thank all the pioneers of our Industry, buyers and the quarry workers for their sincere attribution for this glory.
