Diamond mining: deposits in Russia and other countries

One of the most valuable minerals that mankind is mining is diamond, which is of paramount importance both in jewelry and in various industries. Despite its enormous cost, it is widely distributed around the world: its deposits can be found in Russia and Canada, South Africa and Australia, Indonesia and many other countries. Noteworthy are the features of diamond mining, determined by the origin of the precious crystals and the specifics of their location.

Diamonds owe their appearance to the upper mantle of the Earth, inside of which they originate at more than 100 km depth. This process, which has been going on for centuries, is facilitated by two factors - superhigh temperature and enormous pressure, which lead to the conversion of graphite into precious crystals. In the future, diamonds are in the bowels of the planet for huge time spans, amounting to hundreds of thousands, millions and even billions of years, and after that they are brought to the surface during volcanic explosions.

The result of the latter are kimberlite and lamproite tubes, which can boast a high content of the described precious mineral. Experts note that the former account for about 90% of the explored primary diamond reserves, while the latter account for about 10%.

Today, the main type of natural accumulations of diamonds is the primary, represented by the tubes mentioned above. The most common variety of the latter - kimberlite - is named after the South African city of Kimberley.

It was there that in 1871 a crystal weighing 85 ct was discovered, which laid the foundation for a large-scale diamond fever. As for kimberlite, it is a magmatic rock of bluish-gray color, acting as a conveyor of the mineral in question.

The second series of igneous rocks, in which diamonds are present, are lamproites. Of these, the described mineral has been mined since the second half of the 1970s, due to the discovery of the famous Argyll pipe in Western Australia. Such rocks differ from kimberlites in an increased concentration of titanium, phosphorus, potassium, and some other elements. About 95% of diamonds obtained from lamproites are used for technical purposes, and only 5% are used in jewelry.

In addition to those described above, there are deposits represented by placer fields. They arise as a result of prolonged destruction of igneous igneous rocks by atmospheric precipitation, streams and wind. There are also impressive deposits, due to their appearance of fallen meteorites.

Practice shows that in most cases, diamond mining is carried out in the following order:

• geological exploration, the purpose of which is the discovery of the field;
• implementation of preparatory measures, involving the arrangement of a residential area for specialists and the delivery of necessary equipment;
• creation of a mine for quarrying diamond through a gentle explosion;
• the beginning of work to extract a precious mineral from igneous rocks.

Primary diamond mining involves crushing ore into relatively large fragments (5-15 cm), followed by separation into valuable and related rocks. During the secondary extraction process, the following actions are performed:

• further fragmentation of fragments;
• screening;
• sorting the breed into 4 groups.

The final stage is the sending of the processed raw materials to the center, whose specialists conduct an extremely thorough inspection of the crystals and their final sorting by grade, size and weight. After that, diamonds become goods ready for sale at leading trading floors.

According to statistics About 70% of the extracted crystals have jewelry value. The remaining diamonds are used for the manufacture of wear-resistant parts of processing tools, as well as components of medical devices and watches.

From time immemorial until the second half of the 19th century, India was the largest diamond supplier in the world. The accumulations of the mineral in question, explored on its territory, are primarily associated with the Deccan Plateau, the deposits of which became the birthplace of the vast majority of legendary diamonds.

Currently, the main volume of diamond mining is provided by 9 states located in 4 parts of the world:

• in Africa - Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Angola and Congo;
• in Eurasia, the Russian Federation;
• in North America, Canada;
• Australia.

In addition, deposits in Indonesia are considered very promising, most of which are located in the southern part of Kalimantan Island.

Special attention should be paid to the three companies involved in the extraction of the considered precious mineral and controlling about 70% of the world market. These are:

• De Beers (South Africa);

• Alrosa (RF);

• Rio Tinto Group (Australia / UK).

In value terms, the leader is a multinational corporation from South Africa (almost 6 billion USD for 2017), while the Russian company takes 1st place in the total number of crystals extracted (nearly 40 million ct over the same period).

Despite the fact that Alros’s activities are primarily connected with Russia, it owns a 32.8% stake in Angola’s mining company Katoka Ltd., one of the leaders in African diamond mining. This cooperation has been successfully conducted for 17 years after reaching the necessary agreements with the leadership of the republic mentioned above.

On the territory of the Russian Empire, the first diamond was found almost 2 centuries ago - in 1829. A precious mineral, whose mass was 0.5 ct, was discovered by a bonded peasant Popov, who was washing gold at a mine in the Perm province.

Subsequently, more than 250 crystals were found in the Urals, primarily notable for their impressive beauty. Nevertheless, the main diamond treasury of Russia was discovered in Siberia, the enormous wealth of which will be exhausted very soon.

The first to hypothesize the diamond content of the region under consideration was Russian naturalist Mikhail Lomonosov. His assumption was confirmed in 1897 thanks to a find weighing 0.67 ct, washed up on the Melnichnaya River near the Siberian town of Yeniseysk. Further searches for the precious mineral, initiated after World War II, were successful in 1949: it was then that the first Yakut diamond was found at the placer deposit near Sokolina Spit.

This was followed by Mir and Udachnaya, which are still functioning safely.

Today, most of the diamond deposits in Siberia are concentrated in Yakutia. A company with a state-owned stake in Alrosa (Diamonds of Russia - Sakha), which controls 99% of the Russian market, is engaged in the extraction of the precious mineral. In 1992, she became the successor of the Yakutalmaz Trust, which lasted 35 years. Its headquarters is located in Mirny, the center of the diamond industry in Russia, almost the entire population of which is engaged in the extraction and processing of precious minerals.

In addition to Yakutia, the heart of the Russian North - the Arkhangelsk Region - boasts significant diamond reserves. The accumulations of the precious mineral located on its territory are distinguished by their antiquity (from 400 to 600 Ma) and are both placers and untouched kimberlite pipes preserved under layers of surface rocks.

Of particular interest is the Lomonosovskoye deposit located in the Primorsky district of the region, the depth of which reaches 600 m. It combines 6 kimberlite pipes from which diamonds of excellent quality are mined, and the cost of its proven reserves is $ 12 billion.

Speaking about diamond mining, I would like to list A few additional facts of interest to most admirers of these precious crystals.

• One of the most famous kimberlite pipes in Russia is Yubileinaya.It has been mining diamonds since 1986, and the depth of mining today exceeds 320 m. Its total reserves are 153 million ct, and the largest crystal found in the rock extracted from the pipe weighs 235.2 ct.

• Among all the diamond quarries operating in the Russian Federation, Udachny is the largest. Its surface dimensions are 2000x1600 m, the depth reaches 640 m, and the total reserves exceed 150 million ct. Many famous crystals stored in the Diamond Fund of Russia were mined in it.

• The third field that deserves attention is Mir, whose total reserves are estimated at 141 million ct. The length of the serpentine road stretching along its slope exceeds 8 km, and the depth of the quarry allows you to place an object in it, the dimensions of which are comparable to the Ostankino television tower.

• A special place in the list of natural accumulations of diamonds is occupied by the Popigayskoye deposit, located on the border of Yakutia and the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Being the largest of the impacts, it is the result of a giant meteorite entering graphite rocks. Information about him, declassified several years ago, became a real find for researchers interested in “alien diamonds”.

• One of the most noteworthy deposits of the described mineral, located outside of Russia, is the Australian Argyle, mentioned earlier. Collectors appreciate it for the rarest pink diamonds of interest to leading world jewelers.

• Among all natural accumulations of diamonds located in Africa, Katoka is considered especially promising (total reserves are estimated at 130 million ct). The result of its development, which they plan to conduct for another 30 years, should be a mine with a 600-meter depth.

Given the level of production at existing deposits and the degree of their development, as well as the likelihood of opening new mines, industry analysts believe that demand for diamonds will exceed supply in both the medium and long term. In this way, you should not expect a decrease in the cost of the mineral in question in the foreseeable future.

You can learn more about diamond mining in Russia from the video below.