The name of the most precious stone on Earth in ancient Greek means “indestructible mineral”. And, indeed, diamonds are metastable, and most importantly, it is the hardest mineral. The high cost of these stones is due to two factors. First of all, this is its rarity, and in second place is the difficulty of mining. We will go in search of this beautiful stone and present the largest diamond deposits in the world.
1
Aihal. Russia
The Aikhal field, located in Yakutia, was discovered during an exploration expedition in the very beginning of the 60s. It consists of several quarries, the largest of which is the Yubileiny quarry.
The depth of the quarry, where work began in 1986, is 320 m, and in the future it is planned to go deeper in search of precious minerals to the mark of 740 m, and perhaps this is not the limit.
Today it is the largest diamond deposit in the world, along with the giant Mir pipe. The total amount of diamond reserves is estimated at 153,000,000 carats.
2
Kimberlite pipe "Successful". Russia
The northernmost diamond deposit, located just 20 km from the Arctic Circle, began to be exploited in 1982. But they discovered it much earlier, in 1955. It is located 61 km. northeast of Aikhal.
In 2015, mining by the usual open pit method was discontinued here, and at Udachny, diamond mining began underground. At the time of the closure of the quarry, its depth was 640 m. This is a record for depth among all quarries in the world.
After conducting research, Russian geologists estimate the field’s reserves at 152 million carats, which makes it one of the most promising for further development.
3
Kimberlite pipe "Mir". Russia
A kimberlite pipe called “Mir” was discovered in 1955, according to the forecast map of the famous Soviet geologist Natalya Kind. After 2 years, diamond mining began here, continuing until 2001.
In 2009, once again confirming the prospect of production, Mira began underground mining of a valuable mineral, whose total reserves are estimated at 142 million carats.
Mine brings surprises. So, Mir became famous all over the planet in 2012, when a huge diamond nugget was discovered in its bowels, the weight of which is 79.9 carats. He was given the name "President."
4
Argyle. Australia
One of the most unique diamond deposits on the planet was discovered on the Australian continent in 1976. The fact is that this is the only lamproite pipe in the world in the depths of which industrial production of diamonds has been established.
The operation of the mine began in 1983, but in modern conditions, the owners systematically reduce production, believing that the mine’s precious stones are depleted. Meanwhile, experts note that up to a depth of 300 m, diamond reserves are still enough to continue development.
Until 2013, mining was conducted in an open way, but upon reaching a certain depth, they switched to underground work.
5
Katoka. Angola
A rather young field, the work on which began in 1993, is estimated by the volume of diamond reserves at 130 million carats. Mines are quite promising, but require large financial investments to increase production.
Developments in Katok allowed Angola to take third place in Africa in terms of the volume of diamonds mined, and most importantly, to outline the main ways for the development of the industry.
Today, the quarry has reached a level of 300 m, and in the future it is planned to drop to 600 m, after which it will switch to a closed mining method.
6
Kimberly South Africa
South Africa is one of the world leaders in diamond mining, and the group of deposits in the Kimberley area is one of the largest in the world. For example, the reserves of the Venice mine of the De Birs corporation are estimated at 102 million carats.
In the photo: The kimberlite pipe "Big Hole", is a landmark of the city of Kimberley, South Africa
The first deposits were discovered here in 1871, and the total area of South African deposits is 196 thousand m². It is interesting that it was at this place that the name of the rock containing diamonds was given the name.
Diamonds are extracted from 12 kimberlite pipes in an open and closed way, and reserves of valuable terrestrial mineral will last for tens of years.
7
Field named after V. Grib. Russia
The Arkhangelsk field, named after a Russian geologist, was discovered in 1996. Production began in 2014, and total reserves are estimated at 70.5 million carats.
After the discovery of the deposit, work was not carried out for a long time due to legal troubles with the registration of the owner, and in 2008, an Israeli citizen wanted to deceive the mine in his name.
Annual diamond production is 1 million cards, and this is one of the most promising mines in the European part of Russia.
8
Jwaneng. Botswana
A quarry is located in the south of Botswana, the diamond reserves of which are estimated at 88.9 million. Today it is the richest deposit, if we take into account the total amount of diamonds mined in the bowels of the mine.
Three kimberlite pipes of the deposit are mined open-pit, and an average of 12 million carats of diamonds are mined annually from the earth. According to the owners of the mine, holding this level of production, the reserves of the deposit will last for several tens of years.
About 1,200 workers are employed, and they live in the city of Jwaneng, which is relatively closed to outsiders.
9
Orapa. Botswana
One of the oldest diamond deposits on our planet is located near the town of Orapa, and the extraction of precious stones here began in the late 60s.
The reserves of the Botswana field are estimated at 85.5 million carats, and today it is considered one of the most productive in the world. For example, in 2006, 17.3 million carats were recovered to the surface.
At the present stage, production began to decline, but the country's authorities launched new projects to attract investment to expand production.
10
Field named after M. Lomonosov. Russia
Diamond in Russia is mined not only in Yakutia. So, the largest deposit in the European part of the Russian Federation, located near the village of Pomorie of the Arkhangelsk region, was discovered in 1980.
The first exploration work was carried out in 1994, but integrated mining began in 2005. The name of the famous Russian scientist is a complex of six kimberlite pipes.
It is famous for the fact that in the summer of 2009 a diamond weighing 30.6 cards was discovered here, the largest diamond found in Europe today.
11
Botuobinskaya. Russia
A kimberlite pipe containing, according to various estimates, diamond reserves equal to 80 million carats, is included in the large Nakynskoye deposit, located in Yakutia.
This is the youngest mine in the vast expanses of Russia, diamond mining operations on which began in 2012, and the first precious minerals from Botuobinskaya appeared on the market in 2015.
After the commencement of work, more than 300 tons of ore are extracted annually from the bowels of the earth, and a large placer diamond deposit is located not far from the pipe.
12
Minas Gerais. Brazil
This Brazilian state is famous for the extraction of the most valuable minerals, including diamonds. The deposits are unique in that, some of them are located on mountain plateaus, others in the river valleys.
The largest diamond deposit is located at an altitude of 1,200 m on the ridge of Serra do Espinhasu. It was here that high-quality diamonds were discovered, among which there were also champions in size.
Many experts note that Brazil is one of the most promising areas for starting exploration in order to search for new large diamond deposits.
13
Panna Mines. India
For many centuries, India remained the sole supplier of diamonds until its deposits were discovered in Brazil and southern Africa.
In the photo: Illegal diamond miner is looking for a precious breed
Mines in the Panna region of Madhya Pradesh stretch for 240 km, and it was here that the most famous diamonds of the world were discovered, having a mysterious, and sometimes filled with tragic events, story
Over time, India lost its leadership in diamond mining, but many geologists note the prospect of mining, as many deposits are at shallow depths.
14
State Park Diamond Crater. USA
We will complete the journey in the unique Crater of Diamonds State Park, where every tourist, having found a diamond, can keep it for himself no matter how much the stone is graded on.
Located in Arkansas, an amazing crater, it is 37 acres (≈15 hectares) of plowed land on which tourists are looking for diamonds. The first diamond in the open spaces of an alluvial deposit was found in 1906, but only after the Second World War did a mass pilgrimage of jewelry seekers begin.
Entrance to the territory is paid, so the state has a good profit, because not everyone succeeds in discovering the treasured diamond.
Interesting facts about diamond deposits and diamonds ...
Many precious stories are associated with these precious stones, and their extraction is filled with interesting facts.
- The first diamond deposits were discovered on the shores of the Indus and Ganges, and 4,500 thousand years ago in the territory of modern China, diamonds were used to sharpen battle axes.
- It is noteworthy that most of the diamonds mined are used not for the production of jewelry, but for industrial purposes.
- The expression "sky in diamonds" contains a more real meaning, since in 2004 a whole diamond planet was discovered, and many meteorites contain deposits of diamonds.
- Continuing the space theme, we note that a meteorite containing diamonds was discovered in Antarctica, so that Antarctica can now be considered the continent where these gems are found.
- 99% of all diamonds mined in the vastness of Russia come from deposits in Yakutia.
- Romantic and creative inhabitants of Ancient Greece associated diamonds with transparent tears of the gods, and Greek philosophers claimed that they were fragments of stars falling to Earth.
- 80% of all diamonds on earth are used for drilling, cutting, grinding and polishing various surfaces.
- The Mir quarry is so large that the air currents forming above it can absorb a helicopter into the bowels of the mine.
Not so long ago on the pages of our site TheBiggest.ru we published an article about the Ten largest diamonds in the world, which was of great interest to users. That is why we decided to continue the theme of these amazing gems. We hope that we have succeeded.
As you can see, the largest diamond deposits are located on the territory of Russia, and it also leads in the volume of extraction of this gem. Diamond mining in modern conditions is a rather labor-consuming and energy-intensive process, which requires huge financial investments and the use of the latest technology. We note in conclusion that diamond mines are so large that they are even visible from space.
Article author: Valery Skiba