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Large reserves of diamonds. About diamond mining in the world

The global diamond market is represented by mining and trading in rough diamonds. The bulk of the world's diamond production is concentrated in 9 countries, whose share of the global production in physical terms is ~99%. The world's largest producers of natural diamonds are Russia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Botswana, which together provide over 60% of the world's diamond production.

Leading countries of the world diamond mining. 2016: 134.1 million carats

World diamond production 2011-2016 (thousand carats)

Source: Kimberley Process

In value terms, the market leaders account for about 96% of the world's diamond production. The leading position in terms of the cost of extracted raw materials belongs to Russia, Botswana and Canada, the total production of which is over 60% of the global one.

The world's leading diamond mining countries by value. 2016: $12,401 million

Source: Kimberley Process

World diamond production 2011-16 - million dollars

Source: Kimberley Process

Russia ranks first in the world in terms of volume and value of mined diamonds. The ALROSA Group mines 93% of the total diamond production in the Russian Federation in physical terms, and is the leader in the global diamond mining industry. In the main diamond-producing countries, mining is carried out by large mining companies, with the exception of Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the development of diamond deposits is carried out by small companies, as well as miners. The table presents the geographic characteristics of the activities of the main diamond mining companies, including the countries in which the companies carry out exploration work (GE).

Source: company reports

Global diamond mining by leading companies in 2016, million carats

* - source: company reports, Kimberley Process

Production volumes at the main diamond deposits of the world in 2016 (thousand carats)

Source: Kimberley Process, company reports; * - Ekati is developed by open pit and underground methods; ** - production, incl. quarry completion

The bulk of the world's diamond production is concentrated in large primary deposits, which provide about 60% of the world's diamond production. The rest of the production is concentrated in alluvial deposits, the main of which are in the DRC (Mbuji-Mayi) and Zimbabwe (Marange).

Diamonds mined at deposits are divided into two categories according to their quality characteristics: jewelry and technical. The first category is used in the production of diamond jewelry, the second category is used for industrial purposes (production of drills, saws and abrasive powders). Gem-quality rough diamonds are sorted by size, color, quality and shape before being sold, and then sold to buyers in accordance with the marketing policy adopted by the rough diamond manufacturing company. Depending on the quality of the mined rough, the current state of the market, and the adopted marketing policy, companies use different approaches to sell diamonds: websites, tenders, auctions, one-time and long-term contracts.
The world's largest trading centers, in which the bulk of the trade in natural rough diamonds is concentrated, are: India, Belgium, the United Arab Emirates, the USA, Hong Kong and Israel. After being sold from the mines, natural rough diamonds are sent to cutting plants, where they are cut and polished into diamonds, which are then used to make jewelry.

The development of diamond deposits can support the economy of any state. Recently, experts predict an increase in demand for this product, which in the near future will exceed supply by two to three times.

Diamond mining in the world

Diamonds crystallize in geologically stable areas of our Planet, at a depth of 100 to 200 kilometers. In such places, the temperature rises to 1100-1300C, and the pressure is from 35 to 50 kilobars. It is under such difficult conditions that carbon turns from graphite into a completely different modification - diamond. This stone has a solid structure, consisting of a cube densely packed with atoms. Having lain for several billion years in such conditions, diamonds fall to the surface of the earth with the help of kimberlite magma during the explosion of volcanoes. In this case, primary diamond deposits are formed - kimberlite pipes.
The first such tube was found on the territory of the South African region, in the province of Kimberley. For this reason, the pipes are called kimberlite, and the rock containing precious diamonds is called kimberlite. Today, thousands of kimberlite pipes have been registered all over the world, but only a couple of dozen of them become industrial facilities where it is expedient and cost-effective to mine diamonds.
Today, diamond ore is obtained from two types of underground storerooms: primary (in kimberlite and lamproite pipes), as well as secondary - in the form of placers. The history of diamonds begins in India, where they were discovered before our era in the form of placers and developed over many centuries. The most famous mines of Golconda gave the world almost all the famous diamonds from ancient times, for example, Kohinoor, Shah, Orlov and others.

Countries by diamond mining

Regarding the main diamond deposits, it is worth noting that the largest diamond mining areas are located in Africa, Russia, Australia, as well as in the Canadian provinces. According to the Kimberley Process, the Russian Federation is the leader in terms of the number of gemstones mined.

about 40 million carats are mined in Russia. In financial terms, Russia produced $4.5 billion worth of diamonds two years ago
in second place is Botswana, where approximately 25 million carats are mined. In financial terms - 3.64 billion dollars
in third place is Canada, which produces 12 million carats worth almost $2 billion
in fourth place is Angola, producing about 8.8 million carats. The total value of diamonds received two years ago reached - 1.32 billion dollars
in fifth place is the Republic of South Africa, which produces 7.4 million carats. In monetary terms, this volume is estimated at $1.22 billion.

Diamond mining in Russia

According to historians, the first diamonds were discovered in Russia in the 18th century. Today, the country ranks first in the ranking of the world's largest suppliers of diamonds. The most extensive deposits of diamond ore are located in snowy Siberia, and more precisely in Yakutia.
At the end of the Second World War, the search for precious stones resumed, and several expeditionary geological groups went to Siberia at once. In 1949, the first diamond was discovered on the territory of Yakutia, and six years later, geologists found the largest primary deposit of the most valuable mineral in the entire Union - a pipe called "Mir".
The city of Mirny, or as it is also called the “diamond capital of Russia”, was formed in the west of Yakutia. It was formed in the taiga in 1955. At first it was a simple tent settlement of workers, but after 4 years it turned into the most important industrial center of our state. Today, approximately 35 thousand people live in Mirny, of which almost 80% are involved in the diamond mining industry.
An open deposit of diamond ore is located very close to the settlement. This quarry is one of the largest in the world. The depth of the quarry is 525 m; the Ostankino television tower could easily fit into it. Since the 50s of the last century, it has grown so much that the serpentine road located on its inner slope is almost 8 kilometers long.
The world leadership in the extraction of diamonds in carats was taken by the Russian company ALROSA. According to the information for 2015, it is known that the enterprises of the ALROSA Group mined approximately 37 million carats of diamonds. The enterprise produces 97% of all diamonds in our country, as well as almost 30% of the world's deposits. It is noteworthy that 95% of the total volume (by price) are stones of high gem quality. Most of the deposits are unique places that have no analogues anywhere in the world, both in terms of production volume and in terms of the characteristics of the stones obtained. Due to such indicators, ALROSA is a reliable supplier of certified diamonds for most of the largest domestic and foreign jewelry companies.
The unusually hard structure of diamond allows it to be used not only in jewelry, but also in industry. For example, this gem is used in the manufacture of knives, drills, cutters and similar products. Diamond powder, which is a waste in the processing of natural diamond, or even produced artificially, is used as an abrasive to create cutting and grinding discs, circles.

Distribution of impurities in diamond

	External and internal crystal morphology	Impurity distribution
	Octahedron zoned rhombic dodecahedron Cuboctahedron	Zonal, internal zones of a rectangular configuration Zonal, internal zones of a rounded configuration Zonal-sectrial Zonal
	Octahedron zoned rhombic dodecahedron	Zonal
	Cuboctahedron zonal sectorial	Zonal-sectoral Zonal (with a tendency to increase in the center)
Manganese	Octahedron zoned	Uniform Zonal
	Octahedron zoned	Uniform inside the volume, increase in concentration in the surface layer Zonal
	rhombic dodecahedron Cuboctahedron	As an accumulation on the surface of the crystal Silicate film on the surface, not structurally bound to the crystal silicate film on the surface

10th grade- topic "Mining industry"
7th grade- when studying the structure of the lithosphere and minerals
8th-9th grade- in the study of minerals and mining industry of the Russian Federation; especially in the topic "Far East"
7th-10th grades- general level, for a festive lesson before
international women's day

Top ten countries in the world
mining of gem diamonds

Fifteen first countries of the world
mining of gem diamonds,
2000, thousand carats *

1. Botswana 19,368
2. Australia 11,992
3. Russia 11,600
4. South Africa 4,300
5. Angola 3,914
6. Congo (Kinshasa) 3,500
7. Canada 2,558
8. Namibia 1,520
9. Brazil 1,000
10. Sierra Leone 450
11. CAR 346
12. Tanzania 301
13. Guinea 278
14. China 230
15. Ivory Coast 210

Top ten countries in the world for the production of artificial diamonds,
2000 (estimate), million carats*

1. US 248
2. Russia 80
3. Ireland 60
4. Japan 33
5. Belarus 25
6. Sweden 20
7. China 16.8
8. Ukraine 8
9. France 3
10. Greece 0.75

* Carat is a unit of mass used in jewelry. 1 diamond carat = 200 mg.

Tasks

1. A basic level of. Remember the top five countries for the extraction of gem diamonds.
Good level. What famous diamond-bearing regions have you ever heard of? Try to roughly label these areas on a map.
creative level. Analyze the features of the placement of the leading diamond mining countries. What continent are most of them located on? Using maps of the structure of the earth's crust, establish to which tectonic zones diamond deposits gravitate.

2. A basic level of. Can it be argued that without exception, all countries that produce a lot of gem diamonds are among the rich?
Good level. In which countries do you think the contrasts between production volumes and the poverty of the majority of the population are most striking? Why do you think the standard of living is low in such countries as Angola, Congo (Kinshasa), Sierra Leone?
creative level. Try to determine which developed countries can "help" poor developing states in diamond mining (this mining industry is rightly considered one of the most capital-intensive)? Who do you think gets most of the profits?

3. A basic level of. Are the lists of countries leading in diamond mining and in the production of artificial diamonds similar? Which countries appear on both lists?
Good level. Plot on the contour map (above) in bars (on the same scale as for gem diamonds) the production volumes of artificial diamonds for the ten largest manufacturers.
creative level. What do you think, which of the following factors determines the location of the production of artificial diamonds more: the need for diamonds, the availability of an industrial base for the production and cutting of natural diamonds, a large population, remoteness from the places where natural diamonds are mined?

4 (festive ).A basic level of. Knowing the population of the Earth and the fact that the total number of men on the planet is approximately equal to the number of women, find out how many carats of natural gem diamonds are mined annually for every thousand inhabitants of our planet.
Good level. Do the same task by calculating how many diamonds are mined annually per thousand female souls in each of the countries in the top ten.
creative level. Determine how much natural gem diamonds need to be mined in our country in order to present each Russian woman with a diamond of at least one carat annually (assuming that diamonds will not be exported abroad).

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. Jeremiah 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 large 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 Nyurbinskaya pipes, Botuobinskaya and Maiskaya. 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 Here, diamond mining began at the Tortiya deposit.The yield of gem-quality raw materials in placers was 60%, and about 33% in a diamond pipe on the Bu River, discovered in 1962. 130 km to the north. east of it is the Seguela deposit, represented by kimberlite dikes.
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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Canteen:

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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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