World diamond mining. Rating of countries by diamond mining in the world according to experts. Diamonds are for married people only

How are diamonds mined?

Diamond is pure carbon as well as graphite, their chemical formula is C, and in terms of hardness they are opposite minerals. On the Mohs scale (hardness parameters), graphite has an initial position marked 1, and diamond has a final position marked 10. That is, diamond is the hardest mineral of all.

How do diamonds appear?

In order for graphite to turn into diamond, exposure to enormous temperatures and pressure is necessary. This is over 1100 degrees and over 35 kilobars. Such extreme conditions are created only deep in the bowels of the planet during volcanic eruptions.

The eruption is accompanied by the formation of kimberlite pipes, it is through them that it brings diamond crystals to the surface or closer to the upper layers of the earth's crust, where people find or mine them. Therefore, geologists first look for a kimberlite pipe, only then they assume the presence of placers or internal occurrence of precious stones in this area.

Application of diamonds

On Earth, diamond is considered the hardest natural crystal, this is due to the strength and density of its crystal lattice. This property has served as a special demand for diamonds, they are used in jewelry and industrial production, especially in the creation of high-tech tools and devices. The diamonds obtained by cutting are the most valuable jewels, large stones are given names, their owners own a fortune that is not subject to devaluation.

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Among the most famous stones are Cullian (3 thousand carats), Excelsior (995.2 carats), Star of Sierra Leone (969.8 carats). But these are African and Australian stones; such giants were not mined on European territory. In the Astrakhan region, the largest diamond in Europe was recently found - 181.86 carats.

Difficulties of diamond mining

Diamond crystals are found in kimberlite rock, there are very few of them, in order to extract from 1 to 5-6 carats one has to process a tone of stone conglomerates. But this is not the only difficulty in extracting the precious mineral, it is not easy to find and it is difficult to develop the deposit. In addition, placers and mines dry up quickly, so the infrastructure needs to be built in new places.

diamond mining

The most common method of diamond mining is quarrying. They are dug up, pits are drilled, explosives are placed in them and blown up, exposing kimberlite pipes. The rock is transported for processing to beneficiation enterprises. The depth of quarries can be significant, up to half a kilometer or more, there are even one and a half kilometer quarry developments, but few diamonds are already found in such deep quarries, so they are closed.

The mining and metallurgical sector of Kazakhstan insists on changing the draft of a new environmental code, which tightens the requirements for both investors and domestic companies.

This is not the first time business has expressed claims to the draft new environmental code (it is being developed by the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan). In February 2019, the code was supposed to be submitted to the Parliament, and in December last year, the Vice Minister of Energy Sabit Nurlybai stated that the main principle of the new legislation will be the “polluter pays” principle. This principle concentrated constant environmental control to a narrow circle of nature users - about 200 companies that produce the lion's share of pollution, 70-80% of all emissions into the environment.

Narrow circle of blame

Almost all representatives of the mining and metallurgical sector automatically fell into a narrow circle of "pollutants". It is not surprising that it was the Republican Association of Mining and Metallurgical Enterprises (AGMPK) that was the first to sound the alarm. The main novelty of the new eco-code concerns the mandatory requirement to introduce the best available technologies at polluting enterprises that reduce harmful emissions and energy intensity of production. For all this, the developers of the code allotted a period of five to seven years. Ignoring the demand should have led to the shutdown of the enterprise.

Limiting the range of controlled pollutants to only those enterprises that give the largest total "exhaust" in the republic is unlikely to help achieve the desired environmental protection goals - this was the opinion of the then director of the department of ecology and industrial safety of the AGMPC Talgat Temirkhanov. He explained his position with examples: in Nur-Sultan (Astana at that time) and in Almaty, metallurgical giants do not smoke, but smog in these Kazakh megacities is a serious problem for local authorities.

Therefore, representatives of the mining and metallurgical complex received a proposal: as part of the work on the code, to simulate all possible scenarios for the development of the situation associated with the expansion or contraction of production capacities and with the growth of vehicles and the residential sector of the country.

Misunderstandings have also arisen about the costs of implementing best available technologies to improve environmental performance. Business became interested: why, in this case, it should continue to pay environmental payments to local budgets at the same time.

Only the deadline has changed

As a result, the draft environmental code required more significant revision than expected, and was not submitted to parliament in February. In the government, whose conclusion precedes the parliamentary assessment, the code will be submitted only in September. However, as the executive director of AGMPK stated at the metallurgical forum Minex-2019 Nikolai Radostovets, the process of improving the eco-code should be suspended altogether for the time being. “Now an environmental code is being developed, it is being developed in a hurry,” Radostovets said. – There it is not at all clear how we should go further, and the code may come into force at the end of the year, since it is written in certain design decisions. Maybe we should slow down the cultivation process altogether? See how the Subsoil Code will work, look at world practice. The version of the environmental code that we are now seeing raises more questions than answers,” he added.

The main points on which subsoil users had questions to the project developers have not changed. The new Ecocode stipulates the obligation of polluters to develop programs for the introduction of the best available technologies and within 10 years (in the original version, we recall, a period of five to seven years was considered) to put these programs into practice. Moreover, as Talgat Temirkhanov explained at the Minex-2019 forum, without fulfilling this requirement, enterprises will not be able to obtain integrated environmental permits, that is, they will not be able to carry out their activities. It turns out that in the most contested norm of the future code by the metallurgical business, only the deadline for the possible closure of the enterprise has changed so far.

“The introduction of such a norm is a significant risk for the MMC, in our opinion. We would like to propose to provide for a voluntary procedure for the transition to a comprehensive environmental permit,” Temirkhanov said. He also suggested taking into account the fact that some of the MMC enterprises were put into operation in the middle of the last century, so they need a special approach. “If an enterprise has chosen the vector of introduction of the best available technologies, but ten years are not enough for its implementation, then there should be a mechanism that will allow such enterprises, by agreement with the authorized body, to extend the program to improve environmental efficiency for a period of no more than 20 years,” Temirkhanov specified.

Business versus government "visits"

Another norm against which the metallurgical business protests is the initiative to introduce a mechanism for “visiting” the environmental inspection of the largest polluting enterprises. A similar form of control is laid down in the Entrepreneurial Code - according to the observations of entrepreneurs, it is not always accompanied by good reasons and is often appointed on the basis of instructions from a particular state body or official. The developers justify the application of the norm by the need to obtain operational information about the fulfillment by users of their obligations. Users of natural resources fear that this norm will turn them into dairy cows.

“We believe that this carries with it great corruption risks and constant distraction from the main operational activities of enterprise specialists,” say representatives of the AGMPC.

And finally, the draft of the future code does not yet solve the issue of double or even triple environmental financial burden on the industry's enterprises. Currently, MMC representatives pay twice: in addition to environmental payments for emissions, they bear the burden of implementing environmental protection measures. And with the introduction of the practice of obtaining integrated environmental permits, they will have to fork out for the implementation of the best available technologies. Moreover, according to European standards, which will lead to an increase in the cost of the process. We would like to legally agree on the position regarding the use of these environmental payments by the enterprises themselves when introducing BAT,” Temirkhanov said. - The legislator provides that Kazakhstan will develop standards based on European BREFs (industry reference books of the best available technologies. - Kursiv). But they are quite strict, and the limits on the standards in them are very tight. And at the first approximation, it becomes obvious that the MMC enterprises of Kazakhstan are not yet ready to switch to European standards at once, as this will require huge financial investments, and most of the enterprises will not be able to meet these requirements.” According to Temirkhanov, Kazakhstan should follow in the footsteps of Russia, where they developed their own national BAT standards with one suspensive condition: since the adoption of these national standards, they are revised every 10 years in the direction of tightening and convergence with European counterparts.

MIIR should become an arbitrator

It is obvious that in the four months since the first public clash of points of view between the developers of the new eco-code and the MMC, the parties have not come to an understanding on issues of principle for themselves. In this situation, they need an intermediary capable of taking into account the interests of both the state and business. This could well be the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development, which, on the one hand, is obliged to observe state interests, on the other hand, the development of the mining and metallurgical complex is within the orbit of the powers and responsibilities of this department. And during the Minex forum, the vice minister of this structure Timur Toktabaev made an indirect application for this intermediary role: “Now Kazakhstan continues to develop an environmental code, it should help in ensuring the country's transition to international standards. At the same time, we understand that now there is a struggle for investments in the world, so we need to find a golden mean that will suit the state and the investor,” Toktabayev said.

Everyone decided that this find had no industrial significance. They returned to exploration much later, in the middle of the 20th century. Given this fact, it is hard to imagine that all three of the largest diamond deposits in the world are currently located in Russia. Who else is lucky? We understand further, in our TOP of the largest diamond deposits in the world.

The jubilee quarry in Yakutia is the leader in terms of the total supply of precious stones - 153 million carats. Operation here began in 1986, and by now the depth of development has reached 320 meters. In forecasts - further deepening up to 720 meters.

The Udachny diamond quarry is also located in Yakutia. It is just nothing inferior to the Jubilee - 152 million carats. The deposit was found in 1955, so the open work was completed in 2015, however, underground mining is expected to continue for several decades. At the time of closing, the depth of the quarry was 640 meters - a world record!

At the moment, Mir is already closed: in 2001, open work was completed, and since 2009, diamonds have been mined here underground. The mine still presents surprises - in 2012, the “President” diamond weighing 79.9 carats was found here, which, however, is 4.3 times smaller than the “XXVI Congress of the CPSU” diamond found in 1980. The total reserves of the World are estimated at 141 million carats.

Argyle is one of the rarest and "bad" diamond deposits in the world at the same time. How can it be? Yes, simple. Most of the diamonds that are mined here are of technical quality. But sometimes... Oh, sometimes the rarest pink diamonds are found in Argyle. Each of these finds is a reason for a separate auction, because 9 out of 10 pink diamonds in the world come from Argyle. The total reserves of the deposit are estimated at 140 million carats.

Up to 130 million carats is the total value of Katoka in Angola. And since the field is quite young (works here began in 1993), most of these reserves are promising, that is, they still have to be raised. It is believed that over the next 30 years the mine will deepen to 600 meters (now - 200) and then the development will stop.

About 102 million carats come from Venice, one of De Beers' largest mines. She alone brings the company 10% of the annual diamond production. Reserves are located in 12 kimberlite pipes, which will be developed for another 20 years.

The development of this deposit is carried out by a subsidiary of NK Lukoil - Arkhangelskgeoldobycha, but in the near future the quarry will change its owner. It will be Otkritie Holding, which will pay 1.45 billion US dollars for 100% of the company's shares. It should be noted that the deposit itself is estimated at 98 million carats, and the annual production of diamonds in the near future is 1 million carats.

About 88.3 million carats are in Jwaneng, but it is this mine that is considered the “richest” in the world, taking into account the amount of diamonds that are mined here. For example, in 2011, 10.641 million carats were mined here, and after all, development is already underway at a depth of 350 meters!

Orapa is one of the oldest diamond quarries in the world; mining began here in 1971. Its reserves are estimated at 85.7 million carats. Even now, this quarry remains one of the most productive in the world, but the record volumes of production of precious stones are behind us: in 2006, 17.3 million carats were produced here, then production began to fall.

The Botoubinskaya diamond pipe is located in Yakutia. Industrial development began in 2012, and is now only gaining momentum. For the first time, Botoubinsky diamonds entered the market in 2015. It is expected that the total reserves of the pipe will amount to 70.9 million carats, the life of the deposit is estimated at 40 years from the start of development.

Place of Birth. Diamonds are extremely rare in nature, tk. are formed under conditions of high pressures at depths of up to 200 km at temperatures above 1200°C. Their absolute age is from 16 million to 1.7 billion years. According to the conditions of their formation, deposits can be primary - primary, and secondary - alluvial. At first, diamonds were mined mainly from modern and fossil placers, which in the crust, BP. give up to 85% of raw materials.

Then, primary deposits were identified, represented by intrusive kimberlite pipes, dikes of lamproites, alkaline basaltoids, and metamorphogenic eclogites. Kimberlite pipes are of the greatest practical importance. However, only half of the 1000 known pipes contain diamonds, and only 50 of them reach industrial grade. The diameter of the largest pipes exceeds 1.5 km. Findings of diamonds are known in meteorites, as well as in impactites - rocks that have undergone impact metamorphism during the fall of large meteorites. In this case, the diamonds are mostly small, but sometimes they are in significant quantities. In Russia, on the coast of the Kara Sea on the coast of Baydaratskaya Bay, such rocks were found in the Kars astroblem 60 km in diameter. Impactites here contain diamond crystals up to 2 mm from 1 to 50 ct./t.

In total, about 500 tons of diamonds have been mined in the world, incl. 1/3 over the past 25 years (E.M. Spiridonov, 2000). Gem-quality diamonds are mined in deposits in 29 countries of the world. However, the main ones are Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Russia, Angola, Congo, Australia and Canada. In the late 1980s In terms of application in technology, diamonds have lost the competition to hard alloys and synthetic composite materials. Since then, about 99% of diamonds have been predominantly used as gemstones.
In Russia, the first finds of diamonds were made in the 17th century. on the river Sev. Dvina. And it was in this region, 120 km north of Arkhangelsk and 60 km from the coast of the White Sea, that a diamond pipe was discovered in 1980. As a result of subsequent work, the Belomorian kimberlite subprovince was discovered, continuing in a northwestern direction to the Kola Peninsula.

In the Arkhangelsk region. its productive part is represented by the Zim-neberezhny kimberlite district, in which 5 kimberlite fields and 67 pipes aged 375,320 million years have been discovered. Here, at the Lomonosov deposit, in 2005 the development of the Arkhangelsk pipe began, with an average diamond content in the rock of 0.6–4 ct/t, with an output of up to 50% of gemstones. It is dominated by colorless and with a weak shade, high and medium degree of transparency individuals. Among the colored polyhedra are gray crystals, brown and smoky brown, often yellow. In addition, there are rare crystals of green, pink-lilac and orange color, and of those mined during this period, the largest diamond is 48.25 ct. In 2006, the operation of the tube them. Karpinsky-I. Also very promising is the Verkhotina deposit with a pipe im. Mushroom containing higher quality diamonds.

The entire northern part of the Russian platform, including the Arkhangelsk and Vologda regions, as well as the Republic of Komi, where three kimberlite diatremes were found and the Ichetyu primary deposit with a low diamond content was developed. On the Kola Peninsula, the Terskoberezhny kimberlite district is distinguished, covering the south. part of the peninsula from Turye cape in the west, to the river. Ponoi is in the east. Within this district, the Ermakovskoe kimberlite field, with two diamond-bearing kimberlite pipes, and two predicted fields, Makeevskoe and Pyalitskoe, were identified. In addition, diamond-bearing kimberlites were found in the central part of the Kola Peninsula (White Tundra area), and earlier diamond finds were recorded near the border with Norway in placers of the river. Groove.

In neighboring Finland, more than 20 kimberlite pipes are also known, 15 of which are diamond-bearing.
In Yuzh. Karelia, diamond-bearing kimberlites of the Kimozero occurrence were discovered on the Zao-Nezhsky Peninsula, near the village. Great Lip. According to the results of their testing, 111 diamond crystals were found with a size of up to 2 mm. Diamond-bearing lamproites were discovered in the Kostomuksha region, and diamond-bearing potassium rocks, Ladogalites, were discovered at the Kaivomyaki manifestation in the Lahdenpokh region. In addition, diamond-bearing conglomerates with pyrope were found and tested in the Kalevalsky district at the Ozhiyarvinsky occurrence. In the Medvezhyegorsk district, a diamond-bearing karst formation was found, and in six districts of Yuzh. Karelia has glacial halos of diamond scattering. Further south, on the Russian platform, in sedimentary deposits, diamonds were found in the Luga region, in the Novgorod region. - on the river. Mete, and in the Tver region. - in the district of Ostashkov In the Belgorod, Lipetsk and Voronezh regions. single finds of diamonds in sedimentary strata are also known. On Wed. Urals in 1829, the first diamonds were found in the placers of the Krestovozdvizhensky mine near the station. Warm Mountain. In 1936, from the North to the South. In the Urals, 300 diamond finds were recorded in 18 locations.
The largest diamond weighed about 3 ct. In 1937-39 on Wed. In the Urals, the first placers with diamonds were discovered at the Kus'e-Aleksandrovsky deposit along pp. Koive, as well as on the river. I see. In 1945, poor placers were discovered in the middle reaches of the river. Chusovoy. Industrial mining of diamonds in the North. Ural began in 1955 from placers on the river. Vishera, where the yield of jewelry raw materials reached 80%, and the average cost of Ural diamonds is several times higher than the cost of Yakut diamonds. In the Perm Territory in 2007, exploration work began at two alluvial diamond deposits in the Krasnovishersky district on the Chugara and Vochuk rivers. Along with this, there are prospects for prospecting for primary deposits in the Berezovsky and Gornozavodsky districts.

In Siberia, the first diamond was found in 1897 on the Yenisei Ridge in the gold-bearing placer of the river. Mill, bass. R. Bol. Pete. The next year, in the same district, a diamond was found at the Olginsky mine at the Turning key, and in 1937, another diamond with a size of 0.5 mm was found there. However, specialized prospecting for diamonds in Siberia was started only in 1946-1947. In 1948, diamonds were discovered on the river. Mal. Erema in bass. R. Stony Tunguska. In 1949, they were found in placers in the middle reaches of the river. Vilyui, in 1950 - on the river. Markha, and in 1953 - on the river. Mal. Botuobia. In 1954 in Siberia on the river. Daldyn opened the first diamond pipe Zarnitsa.

The following year, two more largest pipes, Mir and Udachnaya, were found, in 1960, the Aikhal pipe, in 1969, International, and in 1975, the largest Yubileynaya, very promising Na-kyn diamond field with the Nyurbinskaya, Botuobinskaya, and Maiskaya pipes. In 2007, the Verkhnee-Munskoye deposit was discovered in the area of the Internatsionalnaya pipe, consisting of three closely spaced kimberlite pipes. Total in Yakutia to present. temp. More than 200 kimberlite pipes have been discovered on an area of 1.5 million km2 between the Lena and Anabar rivers. The largest pipes (from 500 m in diameter and more) include the Zarnitsa, Mir and Udachnaya, Aikhal, and Yubileinaya pipes. In the north of Yakutia, in bass, pp. Anabar and Olenyok discovered 63 kimberlite bodies and the Mayat placer diamond deposit. Rich ross-pi diamonds were found on pp. Ebelyakh, Molodo, Motorchuna and Anabar.

According to the sampling of these deposits, they are characterized by a large number of colored diamonds and a high content of jewelry raw materials. In the south of Yakutia, in the Aldan region, in 1951, diamonds were found in the gold-bearing placer of the river. Gikonda and in Kyle's lamproite tube. In just 50 years, about 1000 kimberlite bodies have been discovered in Yakutia in 22 kimberlite fields. Of these, 150 pipes with diamonds, but only 20 are profitable for mining. Of the mined diamonds, 60-70% is raw materials of technical quality. In the Krasnoyarsk Territory, diamond pipes can be found in Evenkia. In the Amur region diamonds in the late 1980s found in placers in the middle course of the river. Zeya, and in 1991 they were found downstream, near the mouth of the river. Selemdzha. According to the composition of impurity elements, they are close to Yakut diamonds. In Primorsky Krai, diamonds were found in a placer near the village. Vostretsovo (former Karatun), near Novopokrovka, and in 1993 - near Lesozavodsk.

According to data for 1995 (V.I. Vagoanov), 34 deposits in Yakutia account for 83.3% of the balance diamond reserves of all reserves in Russia; in 6 deposits - 16.6%; to the Perm Territory 0.1%. Russia accounts for a quarter of the world diamond market; in 2006, 38.361 million carats were mined. by $2.575 billion, cf. price per car. amounted to 67.11 dollars. In 2005, Russia exported 38 million carats. diamonds and took the highest position, followed by the DR Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa), Australia and Botswana. In value terms, the first place belongs to Botswana (25%) of world exports, the second belongs to Russia (22%). This is followed by Canada (12%), South Africa (11%) and Angola (9%). The global volume of diamond exports in 2005 is estimated at $11.5 billion (176.5 million carats).
The predicted resources of diamonds in the deposits of Russia account for more than 50% of the world's resources. The Russian Diamond Exchange became a member of the World Federation of Diamond Exchanges.

In Ukraine, a kimberlite pipe was found in the Donets region. All in. In Kazakhstan, small diamonds were discovered in 1968 in eclogites of the Kokchetav metamorphic complex. In Mongolia, on the ridge. Khangai, known di-atrema Shavaryn Tsaram with diamond and gem-quality pyrope. India was the first country where more than 3 thousand years BC. diamonds were mined from the placers of Golconda. Among them were found unique in size: "Great Mogul", "Koh-i-Nor", "Pitt" or "Regent", "Orlov", as well as all brightly colored diamonds (Appendix 1). At the beginning of the XVII century. the development of diamond placers continued in bass. R. Ganges and south of Hyderabad.

Similar placers have long been known in pieces. Andhra Pradesh in doli-us pp. Godavari, Penner and Krishna, in the Eluru region, and in pc. Orissa - in bass, the Mahanadi and Brahmani rivers. By the end of the XVII century. these placers were worked out. In 1937, in pcs. Madhya Pradesh, in the Panna district, the first kimberlite pipe was discovered. Later, here, at the Majgaon deposit, 7 more kimberlite pipes were discovered. The output of gem diamonds at this deposit reached 40%. In recent years, diamond pipes have been found in pcs. Uttar Pradesh and in the south of the country. In Indonesia on about. Kali-mantan (former Borneo) diamonds were mined as early as the 6th century. AD from placers in the west. parts of the island - in the valley of the river. Lan-dak; in the center, parts - at Purukchau, and in the east - at Samarinda. Mostly small diamonds are found here, but a unique "Raja Mattan" or "Mattan" weighing 367 carats was also found. In the XX century. in the south of the island, 40 km north of Martapur, a kimberlite pipe was discovered.
In China, the first diamonds were found in the 1940s. in prov. Shan-tung in placers pp. Ilo and Shuhe, as well as in prov. Hunan and Guizhou. Only 25 years later, in Prov. Shandong revealed primary deposits - 10 kimberlite pipes and 12 diamond-bearing dikes, incl. Chang-ling tube, size 100x50 m, with up to 20% yield of jewelry raw materials. The largest of the diamonds mined here "Chang-ling" had a mass of 158.79 carats. On the NE in prov. Liaoning, on the Liaodong Peninsula in the region of Luishun and Dalian, there are 124 kimberlite pipes with a rich content of diamonds, incl. diamond pipe Binhai with a size of 240x60 m. In the south of the country, pipes were found in the prov. Hunan; and in the east - in prov. Hubei and Jiangsu, where a 52.7 carat diamond was found.

In Brazil, diamonds were discovered in 1723, when their alluvial deposits in India and Indonesia were practically mined out. This allowed Brazil to become the next leader in diamond mining. The content of jewelry raw materials from the mined mass of diamonds here was about 50%. First, placers were developed, as well as ancient conglomerates and micaceous phyllites with diamonds. Later, kimberlite pipes were discovered. Diamonds have been found in 11 states, incl. the largest deposits in pcs. Roraima, Mato Grosso, Piauí, Minas Gerais. In the latter, diamond deposits are developed north of Belo Horizonte - in the district of Diamantina and Itabira, as well as in placers of the river. Jekininigna. In pcs. Goias diamonds are found in placers pp. Claro and Tillones. In pcs. Mato Grosso diamond placers were developed on the river. Paraguay, then in this state and pcs. Bahia, found kimberlite pipes. In pcs. Piaui and Parana diamond deposits were discovered in 1950. The following unique diamonds were found in Brazil: "President Vargas", "Goias", "Darsu Vargas", "President Dutra" (Appendix 1); as well as the largest carbonado diamonds - "Sergiu" weighing 3167 carats, and "Donkey's head" weighing 2000 carats, found near Diamantina.

Yuzh became the next leader in the world in diamond mining. Africa. The beginning of its diamond history dates back to 1867, when on the river. Orange, the first dew-rashes were discovered and the first diamond weighing 21.5 carats was found. Soon at the village Kimberley discovered the first diamond pipe with a diamond-bearing rock, called. kimberlite. Later, such pipes were called kimberlite pipes. In Yuzh. Africa, in the Kimberley region, in present. temp. four large diamond pipes are being developed: De Beers, Wesselton, Bultfontein and Dutoitspan and a significant number of smaller ones. From a ton of kimberlite ore, an average of 62.6 g of diamonds is extracted, incl. jewelry no more than 25-30%. The largest diamond weighing 7500 carats was found here. (1.6 kg), and of the largest: "Cullinan", "Eccelsior", "Jonker", "Jubilee", "Dutoitspan" and others (Appendix 1).

Diamonds are also mined in coastal-marine placers from Cape Town to the mouth of the river. Orange-howl at Alexander Bay. In neighboring Namibia, diamond placers have been mined since 1907. Here, the largest deposit is considered to be in the Lüderitz region. Later, south of Mariental, the Gibeon and Berseba kimberlite pipes were discovered with high-quality gem diamonds. In Lesotho, in 1955, the Kao pipe was discovered, and in 1967, the Letseng-la-Terae pipe, where unique-sized diamonds "Hope of Lesotho" weighing 603 carats, "Lesotho-Brown" 601.25 carats were found. and "Nameless" 527 ct. In the same years, the first diamonds were found in Botswana, and in 1967 diamond pipes were discovered there: Orapa, Letl-hakane and Javaneng. Of these, the Orapa pipe with a size of 1670x1210 m is one of the largest in the world. In addition to it, more than 30 more kimberlite pipes are known, and development is being carried out by the world's largest diamond mine, Javaneng, and at the Tswapong deposit. Moreover, Botswana leads in terms of the number of gem diamonds; more than 34 million carats are mined there, which is over 20% of world production. In Yuzh. Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) at the beginning of the 20th century. diamond placers were discovered in the Gweru region.
Since 1973, the Dokol deposit has been developed in Swaziland. In 1912, the Colossus diamond pipe with a size of 900x500 m and the Wessels kimberlite sill were discovered, and later 29 more kimberlite bodies, incl. rich pipe River Reach. In Tanzania (until 1964 Tanganyika), diamond placers were discovered in 1913 in the north of the country near Mabuki, and their development began in 1925. Later, 400 kimberlite pipes were discovered there, incl. south of the lake The Mabuki deposit in Victoria and the Mwadi diamond pipe in the Shinyanga region with a size of 1525x1068 m. In Central Africa, the largest diamond deposits are located in the Congo (Kinshasa). The first diamonds in placers were found there in 1903, and in 1946 primary deposits were also discovered. In prov. Kasai since 1916, diamond-bearing placers are known along the river. Kasai and its tributaries Luembe, Chikapa, Luashi-mo, but their development began only during the Second World War. The first group included the Kasai, Lubudi and Bachamba deposits, in the Chikapa region, and to the northwest, two more placer deposits near Kikvita and Bandundu.

Another group of deposits is Bakvangi, to the east. from the first, is near Mbu-ji-Mayi. Along with placers, kimberlite pipes of Mbuzhi-Mayi, Tishikasa and Tishuba were discovered there, and to the crust. temp. 15 more tubes. Here there are black diamonds saturated with magnetite inclusions. In the Republic Congo (Brazzaville) diamonds discovered in 1931 in the top. R. Likvala at the Betu deposit, in the Makua region. In neighboring Gabo, diamonds were mined from placers of the river. Ngunye at the Makongonio deposit. In the Central African Republic placers of diamonds were discovered in 1914. They began to be developed since 1931 in the west - near Berbérati, and in the east - in the region of Bria. The output of gem diamonds here is about 40%. In Angola, in the NE of the country on the border with the Congo, since 1916, diamonds have been mined from placers in the basin of the river. Kasai - deposits of Andrada, Lukapa, Lushila, Maludi, etc. Later, primary deposits were discovered here - more than 600 diamond pipes and dikes, incl. the largest are Katoka, Kamafuka and Kamazambo with a high content of gem-quality diamonds. The volume of production in Angola in 2005 reached 1.5 billion dollars per year.

From the countries of the West. Africa in Guinea, the first diamonds were discovered in the south of the country in 1932, and three years later, the development of diamond placers for pp. Moa and Mako-na, where a unique 885 carat diamond was mined. In 1952, primary kimberlites were discovered here, and in the late 1970s. placers in the valleys pp. Baule and Diani with the yield of gem diamonds up to 93%. In the 1980s near Kisidugu, the Gbinko deposit and placers of the Are-dor deposit were discovered.
In Ghana, near Aquatia, in 1919, rich placers of diamonds were found in the valley of the river. Birim and in the lower reaches of the river. Bonsa, near the coast of the Gulf of Guinea. The output of gem-quality diamonds in these placers is about 25%, and colored varieties are often found.
Kimberlite pipes were discovered in Ghana in 1943, and in Mali in 1956. In Côte d'Ivoire (former Ivory Coast) in 1929, diamond-bearing placers were discovered on the Maraue River. In 1947, diamond mining began at the Tortiya deposit. 60%, and about 33% in a diamond pipe on the Bu River discovered in 1962. The Seguela deposit, represented by kimberlite dikes, is located 130 km northeast of it.
In Liberia, the first diamonds were found in 1911, but their development began only in 1930. In the west of the country, in the upper reaches of pp. Lofa and Mano, in 1957, diamond pipes and a kimberlite dike were discovered. In Sierra Leone, diamond placers have been mined since 1932 according to pp. Seva, Bafi, Bagbe, etc. In the south of the country, a kimberlite "Dike Tongo" 10 km long was discovered, and in the east, in the env. Engema, Koindu district, promising for diamonds, was discovered. Here in 1945 the "Victory Diamond" weighing 770 carats was found, in 1972 one of the largest diamonds "The Star of Sierra Leone" 968.89 carats was found, and in 2002 a diamond weighing 1000 carats was found. In 2006, 12 leading African states created the Association of Diamond Mining Countries, which account for 75% of the world's diamond production. In total, Africa produces 1.9 billion carats per year to the amount of $158 billion. De Beers diamond production in 2006 reached 51.13 million carats.

It should also be noted an unusual type of diamond deposits in carbonatites on about. Fuerteventura in the Canaries, Atlantic Ocean. In Australia, in New South Wales, the first finds of diamonds in placers to the northwest of Sydney date back to 1851, and in 1867 they were found to the west. from Sydney in the Mooji district. Here, on the Eastern Plateau and the Kujegong area, a wide development of diamond-bearing placers was revealed. In Zap. Australia, in prov. In Kimberley, the first primary diamond deposits were discovered in 1979. In 10 years, more than 30 diamond pipes were already known here. Diamond-bearing rocks in Australia are represented by lamproites, which are different from kimberlites. Their age is 20-40 Ma, they are poor in CO2 and Mg, but anomalously enriched in K and F. In Australia, kimberlites are sometimes associated with them, but the latter do not contain diamonds. In prov. Vost. Kimberley, the largest deposits associated with pipes of lamp-roites are Argyle with reserves of about 500 million carats. Up to 40 million carats are extracted annually at this deposit. al-mazov. 90% of all pink and red diamonds are mined here. They are mostly small, on average about 0.5 carats, the largest of them weighed 34 carats. In prov. Zap. Kimberley is developing the Ellendale-Fitzroy deposit, where gem-quality diamonds account for 60 to 90% of the total production. In the Northern Territory of Australia, by 1987, prospects for diamond potential were also revealed and 37 diamond pipes were discovered. This country in 2000 ranked second in the world in diamond mining, but they are worse in quality than in South Africa and Russia.
In present temp. Canada is beginning to become one of the leading countries in the production of diamonds, ranking sixth in the world. The first 80 diamonds were found here in 1870-1899. The first large diamond weighing 33 ct. discovered in 1920. The first kimberlite dike was discovered in Prov. Ontario in 1946. In recent years, in zap. and sowing prov. Canada has discovered more than 400 diamondiferous kimberlite pipes. Most of them are located in the Northwest Territories, in the prov. Saskatchewan - 74, in prov. Ontario - 45, they are also known in Prov. Albert. Among them, kimberlite pipes of a relatively small size prevail, and a significant part of the deposits is represented by kimberlite dikes. Of the most promising deposits in the Northwest Territories are Eka-ti, Daivik, Lac de Grae, Snap Lake, Kennedy Lake and Jericow. In 1999, the development of the first deposit began here, in 2002 the Divik deposit was put into operation, and in 2007 the Snap Lake deposit. Canada is the 4th largest diamond miner in the world. In the USA, the first finds of diamonds were made in 1876 in pieces. Wisconsin. In California, Virginia and North. Carolina, single diamonds were encountered during the development of gold placers. In Arkansas, diamonds were discovered in the Murfreesboro region, approx. Pike. In 1924, the largest diamond in the USA was found here - "Uncle Sam" weighing 40.22 carats, from which a diamond of 12.42 carats was cut. Part of this area is the Nat. Park "Diamond Kra-ter". In total, more than 700 diamonds were found in it. The last major find in 1975 was a 16.37 carat diamond. In Arizona, diamonds up to 0.5 mm were found in a meteorite from Diablo Canyon. However, no commercial diamond deposits have yet been discovered in the USA. In Venezuela, placer diamonds were found in 1885, and their development began in 1931 in bass. R. Caroni, piece. Bolivar.
The output of gem diamonds in placers is 35%. In 1942, the largest diamond "Liberator" was mined, weighing 154.15 carats. To present temp. kimberlite pipes of San-ta-Elena and Ikabaru were found here. In addition, alluvial deposits of diamonds are known: San Pedro - in the valley of the river. Ventuari, and Gua-nyamo - in the bass. R. Orinoco. East from Venezuela - in Guyana since 1890 placers of diamonds are known to the top. R. Ma-zarouni. Later, alluvial diamond deposits were discovered: Makapa, Tumureng and Ekereku; Kuyuvini - at the head of the river. Essequibo, and up. R. Potore. In Ecuador and Bolivia, diamond deposits were discovered in 1960.

Synonyms. Adamant \ Bahia-diamond, low-grade diamond from pcs. Bahia, Brazil | Haleston-board, from English. "hailstone" hailstone, in size and edge - fine-grained diamond | Jaeger, high quality bluish white | Jargon, low quality, yellow | Stone: - smoky, by color; - oil, with a color defect; -river, from placers | Tiffanite, steel grey, low quality, ref. by "Tiffany", USA | Framezit, in honor of the scientist P.R. Frames.

www.minsoc.ru Bukanov V.V. Colored Stones: Encyclopedia

At the beginning of the last century, in 1905, the largest diamond in the world was found in Africa. Its weight was 3106.75 carats or 621 grams. The crystal was named after the owner of the Cullinan mine and was presented to the English king Edward VII for his birthday.

There were cracks in the diamond and it was impossible to make one giant diamond out of it. In order to properly split the stone, they called on the best cutter in Europe, who could grind a tiny area on the surface of the stone, look inside and determine the location of a single blow.

The master studied the Cullinan for several months, and then made a barely noticeable scratch. Then, in the presence of famous jewelers, he put a chisel to the scratch, struck a blow and ... lost consciousness. Despite the excitement, the blow turned out to be accurate: the stone "opened" into ten pieces, one of which later became the largest diamond in the world. Only in the 90s was another gemstone obtained, surpassing it by 15 carats.

This is a beautiful story about a beautiful stone. But, as you know, behind beauty there are things much more prosaic. Today I propose to find out how diamonds are mined in our time. Let's go down to the "Internationalnaya" pipe shaft, from where two buckets of diamonds are lifted daily...

Before starting a story about mining, I propose to understand how diamonds are formed and where the hole in the ground is:

Diamonds are born in underground channels formed on the site of former volcanoes. These formations are called kimberlite pipes, they look like carrots in the ground. They contain special rocks (kimberlites) in which diamonds are formed. The volcanoes that started the formation of the pipes are so ancient that the level of the earth at that time was much higher:

"Christmas trees" above the pipes, this is not the Siberian taiga, but models of small mines, with the help of which the sizes of the pipes are determined:

Diamonds are mined by open and mine methods. In the first case, a huge quarry is being dripped. On the layout, if you look closely, there are yellow dots. These are huge Belazs that bring the rock to the surface. Sooner or later, when the quarry reaches a certain size, open-pit mining becomes costly and then they move on to the mine. In this case, mines are dug around the ore body like a spiral staircase:

Ore bodies may look different. Somewhere there is one trunk, and somewhere there are several:

The pipe was searched for in 1955 in strict secrecy. Having discovered it, geologists sent the famous telegram to Moscow, which gave the name to the deposit:

This is what Mirny looked like in the early years - just a tent camp. Two streets can be traced: Moskovskaya, which was built by Muscovites, and Leningradskaya, which was built by residents of the Northern capital. In 1956, the commercial operation of the pipe began. Open pit mining on it was completed in 2001, and a huge funnel has become a bright landmark of the city. Today, a quarry with a depth of 525 meters and a width of 1200 meters is visible even from space:

Leningradskaya street in the early years:

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Geologists lived, albeit in tents, but very well equipped:

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I went down the shaft of the International pipe. mine model. Areas that have already been worked out are shaded in yellow, those that are to be worked out in green. They mine it like this: at the right level, they break through several tunnels in the ore body at regular intervals, as if poking a sausage with a fork. Then concrete is poured into the voids so that the rock does not collapse. Then the operation is repeated again:

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Before you go down into the mine, you need to listen to the safety precautions. Show instruction video:

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Examples of miner's equipment. Everyone has a “rescuer” hanging around their neck, if a collapse or some kind of emergency happens, the “rescuer” is able to supply oxygen for six hours of breathing. It is forbidden to shoot and move away from it further than three meters:

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"Rescuers" are issued in a lamp. They immediately monitor how many people went down into the mine and how many went up. Together with the rescuer, they give out a flashlight and a helmet:

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All according to strict lists:

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The flashlight works on one charge for about a day:

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While they lie on the rack, the batteries are charged:

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"Waiting room" before the descent. The elevator goes up and down several times a day according to the schedule, and the whole shift gathers in the hall to go down together:

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Access to the elevator shaft. The door is airtight, like on a submarine:

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We descend to a depth of about a kilometer:

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The descent took about five minutes - I didn’t spot it for sure:

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One of the "horizons" that leads to the mine. The wall says -560 meters, meaning below sea level. Since Mirny itself stands at an altitude of 400 meters, it turns out that we went down almost a kilometer (960 meters) underground:

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Elevator control panel:

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Then the shift enters the level and goes through the tunnel:

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We pass under the cilia like suitcases in the baggage compartment of the airport:

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At a depth of a kilometer underground, a minibus runs:

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Similar to Hammer

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Driver:

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Pass it on for the ride!

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In five minutes we reach the mine. Under the roof of the tunnel is a ventilation pipe. Breathe easily and freely:

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Near the mine, from the minibus stop, branches to the mine go up and down:

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We rise a little higher, where development is currently taking place:

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Here. This is kimberlite:

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A little later I photographed kimberlite in the museum:

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Red blotches are pyrope, a faithful companion of diamonds:

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The kimberlite body is "gnawed" by a special combine:

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Sharoshka and its trace in the breed:

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Then it goes up:

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A bulldozer stands behind the harvester and picks up ore:

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Mercedes motor:

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The ore is loaded into wagons and brought to the surface. From there it is transported to the mining and processing plant:

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Place of equipment repair. This is all also underground and at the same level:

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At the exit from the mine it is necessary to wash the boots:

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Guys waiting for the "elevator":

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I asked: what if you find a diamond in a mine? The guys said that it was almost impossible to see a diamond in the rock (no one remembered such cases). In addition, this is a criminal offense and no one will dare to go for it:

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Having risen to the surface, the workers go to the lamp room, hand over flashlights, rescuers and change clothes:

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Dining room:

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What happens next? The ore is crushed, separating the rock from the diamonds (multi-level and complex technology), after which the gems are sorted by size and color:

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Valuable case with sorted diamonds:

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Well, the Diamond Heart of Russia. According to the Assay Office under the Ministry of Finance, about 38 million carats were mined in Russia last year, of which 35.3 million carats of rough diamonds were exported. The largest exporters of Russian diamonds are Belgium and India:

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