The permit allows Rio Tinto to prospect in 8,350 square kilometers (3,224 square miles) over three areas in the Nalgonda region

ACC Rio Tinto Exploration Co., a unit of the world’s third-largest mining company, has secured a reconnaissance permit to explore diamonds, gold, copper and zinc in Andhra Pradesh, according to reports.

The permit allows Rio Tinto to prospect in 8,350 square kilometers (3,224 square miles) over three areas in the Nalgonda region, the Ministry of Mines said in a statement on its Web site today.

A reconnaissance permit is granted for preliminary mineral prospecting using regional, aerial, geophysical or geochemical surveys and geological mapping, according to the Ministry of Mines.