Blue ground

In reconnaissance for diamond mining, blue ground refers to a layer of nonoxidized kimberlite. Kimberlites are a class of mineral most commonly associated with diamond mining. Before the advent of modern geophysical probes, the ideal way to find a kimberlite pipe, a prime location for finding diamonds, was to search for "yellow ground", a layer of oxidized kimberlite which, perhaps not surprisingly, is a deep tawny yellow. "Blue ground" was regarded with scorn during the South African diamond rushes, and one of the central characters in the initial diamond rush, Barney Barnato, made his fortune by purchasing digs in which the "blue ground" was all that was remaining.