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 in this area precious stones.

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 best friends of girls are diamonds, which, as you know, are obtained by processing. Carefully cut with traditional and modern methods, these gemstones have the dazzling brilliance that makes them so valuable. But first, diamond deposits need to be developed and the raw material itself must be obtained.

Diamond processing and mining bring considerable income to those who do it. But this case brings with it considerable difficulties. Few people think how many difficult steps a diamond nugget goes through before it hits the counter of a jewelry store: mining by open and underground methods, sorting, washing, cutting ... Not to mention how much time and chemical reactions it takes for a diamond deposit to form at all in the bowels of the earth. For those who are interested, we will tell you where diamonds are mined, and in particular, we will describe the main deposit and how diamonds are mined in Russia.

Diamond deposits and their occurrence in nature

Diamond, the hardest mineral both on our planet and in the entire Universe (at least in the studied part of it), consists of carbon. Like its close relative - graphite, which, on the contrary, has a high degree of softness. The thing is that their crystal lattices differ greatly in density. All diamond deposits, with the exception of meteorites, were once graphite.

The transformation of the softest stone into the hardest on our planet occurs at very high temperatures (from 1100 ° C) and enormous pressure (35 kilobars and above) deep underground (from 100 kilometers). It is under such conditions that the densification of the crystal lattice occurs and diamonds are formed, which subsequently develop into entire deposits.

Of course, stone is not mined at such a depth - it is too hard to get. Methods for mining diamonds do not involve penetrating hundreds of kilometers deep into the planet, but searching for those places where they themselves come out closer to the surface, and mining them. Have you already wondered where and how diamonds are mined? Then read on.

Where diamonds are found and how they are mined

As a result of magma eruptions deep underground, diamond deposits are pushed to the surface of the earth's crust and are located in kimberlite pipes. Their material - the mineral kimberlite - is named after the town of Kimberley in South Africa, where this phenomenon was first discovered. In this breed are precious crystals which then become diamonds.

The largest diamond deposits were found in Canada, the already mentioned South Africa, and this stone was also found in Botswana, Namibia and Angola. In Australia, the rarest is mined. But the largest volumes (more than 38 million carats in 2014) are mined in Russia.

Russian Federation is a recognized world leader in the diamond industry. For comparison, in Botswana, which is in second place, 25 million carats were mined in 2014 (). At the same time, 99% of all diamonds mined in the Russian Federation are Yakut.

But kimberlite pipes that have come out as close to the surface as possible are not so easily accessible. Their usual depth is 1.5 kilometers. Therefore, they are difficult to detect, and many means are required to extract the rock containing crystals to the surface. This partly explains the high cost of diamonds - working with diamond deposits requires a huge amount of financial, labor and time resources .

It takes one or more well-timed explosions to expose kimberlite rock and begin to extract minerals from it. Quarries are formed up to 600 m deep, from where the so-called open works. Closed, or underground, mining operations go to mines, which are located much deeper.

The mine is not an underground cave shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow. A similar image is more likely from an adventure novel or a Hollywood movie. In fact, in underground mining, future diamonds are among other breeds that still need to be washed, sorted and X-rayed beforehand. Under their influence, the crystals begin to glow.

But this is not the only way to extract them from ore:

• Fat installations is the most primitive method. The rock, together with water, falls on a flat surface, where a fatty layer is also applied. Crystals stick to it, and the rest of the rock is carried away by water.
• Use of suspensions is a much more convenient method. After processing the rock with a high-density liquid, the waste material sinks, and the precious stones float.

There is also an easier way of mining - from placers. Placers are much less common and are formed when kimberlite rock in the mountains is destroyed by weather conditions - rains, hail, snow - and crystals, along with rubble and sand, roll down to the foot. Then they lie literally on the surface. Therefore, stories about beaches covered with diamonds are also true, although such deposits dry up very quickly. Since ancient times, diamonds have been obtained in this way - they simply sifted crushed stone and sand by hand, choosing jewelry from there.

Application

Diamonds that are obtained from kimberlite pipes or placers are sent not only to the table to the jeweler, contrary to popular belief. Half of them, for some reason not suitable for cutting, find a technical one. After all, this mineral is in great demand not only because of its charming appearance, but also because of the unique physical properties.

As already mentioned, this is the hardest stone in the universe. Therefore, it is needed in construction and industry.

It makes excellent tools for cutting other materials. Even diamond chips, applied to a file or a grinding machine disc, significantly increases their reliability and functionality. If you need to carefully cut or pierce any hard material, then it is better not to find a diamond in such a case. It is even used to drill wells in other rocks.

To reduce the cost of tools that use technical diamonds, several methods have been invented for their synthesis from carbon. Synthetic counterparts practically do not differ in quality from real ones, while not much time and effort is spent on obtaining them.

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 model all possible options 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 part of the MMC enterprises was put into operation in the middle of the last century, so they need 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 fact that these environmental payments are used 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.

Diamonds are cut diamonds - valuable stones, the extraction of which can support the economy of any country. This is especially worth emphasizing against the background of experts' forecasts that in the long and medium term, the demand for this product will exceed supply by almost several times. The only pity is that not every state can afford to "show off" the deposits of this gem.

Industrial diamond deposits today are mostly associated with kimberlite and lamproite pipes, which are confined directly to ancient cratons.

As for the main deposits of the presented type, they are known in Africa, Russia, Australia, and Canada.

According to the materials of the Kimberley Process, in 2008 world diamond production in its value terms amounted to 12.732 billion (which means that it increased by as much as 6.7% compared to the previous year).

In this article, we will talk about the "five" countries that can boast of the widest opportunities for diamond mining. It should be said right away that in world practice, diamond mining is measured not in quantitative terms (kilograms, tons), but in value terms.

Fifth place. Angola. $1.2 billion

The economy of Angola today is based on the production and export of oil. It is this sector that accounts for 85% of the entire country. Due to its economy, the economy of this country is the fastest growing among all the states located in Africa somewhat south of the Sahara. By the way, in 2008, the GDP growth of this state was as much as 15%, while the countries of Black Africa at that time showed only 5% growth. In 2008, per capita GNP amounted to $5020. The reported figure is actually the highest achievement for the represented region of the world.

Fourth place. South African Republic (South Africa). $1.3 billion

South Africa today has the status of the most developed on the African continent and at the same time the only country that does not belong to the third world. As of 2009, the GDP of this country amounted to $505 billion (which is 26th in the world). At the same time, in 2009 GDP growth was noted at the level of 5%, and in 2008 the figure was 3%. So far, the country has not been able to enter the number, even despite the fact that the state market is expanding incredibly actively. According to such an indicator as purchasing power parity, the country ranks 78th in the world (IMF data), 65th (according to the World Bank) and 85th according to the CIA. The country boasts a huge stock of various natural resources, including diamonds.

Third place. Canada - $1.4 billion

Canada has won the honorary title of one of the richest countries in the world. The state also has a high per capita income, and at the same time it can still boast of membership in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (it is also abbreviated as the OECD), the G8. Canada is one of the ten most traded countries in the world. As of 2008, the GNP totaled 1,510 billion, while the per capita share was $47,066. At the same time, GDP reaches an indicator of 1303 billion rubles.

Second place. Russian Federation - $2 billion

Kimberlite pipe "Mir", Yakutia, Russia

The economy still continues to maintain its dependence on the prices of all energy resources. Many experts are sure that Russia is having a hard time with the "Dutch disease", that is, the strong dependence of the economy directly on the export of several types of raw materials. For 1999-2008, GDP growth amounted to 93.8%, industrial growth stopped at 79.1%. Russian economy today it ranks seventh in the world in terms of its GDP based on PPP (according to 2009 data).

Russia is the owner of truly the world's largest proven reserves of natural gas. The country is rich in iron ore, nickel, tin, gold, diamonds, platinum, lead, zinc. Many of the presented resources are located in Siberia. The state's GDP reaches 1.884 trillion in the country, with a per capita of $13,236.

First place. Botswana, a republic that produces diamonds of $2.9 billion, boasts the largest diamond production.

The represented state is located on the territory of South Africa. The country borders on South Africa in the south (the fourth place in diamond mining in the presented list), in the west and north its neighbor is Namibia, in the northeast it borders on Zambia. Geographically, more than 70% of the entire territory of this country is occupied by a desert called the Kalahari.

Diamond mining has become the basis and foundation of the entire economy. In 2000, it accounted for 33% of GDP, as well as 45% of budget revenues and as much as 75% of the country's export share. The country is one of the most famous, leading diamond producers in the world. She also ranks first not only in our list, but also in the world in terms of the value of all mined diamonds. The country has the largest diamond quarry called Jwaneng. The extraction of precious stones in the country began in 1971. Then a cooperation contract was signed with De Beers. As of 2006, the total production of precious stones in the country amounted to 34,293 thousand carats. Botswana is a state that also produces coal, copper-nickel ores, and soda. There are also rich reserves of platinum, gold and silver. The gross national product is 10,991 million dollars (as of 2007), 5840 dollars. The revenue side of the budget in 2005-2006 is 21,697,300,000 pools. The main share of exports in the state falls on countries such as the United States and Western Europe. With neighbors, exports are rather poorly established, mainly in the food industry.

Mankind learned about diamonds seven thousand years ago. The first diamonds were discovered in India in the form of placers. It was there that the largest diamonds in the history of mankind were discovered. For the possession of these stones, people often paid with blood and life. Every large diamond known in the world has its own bloody history.

At the end of the 19th century, when the Indian diamond mines were already depleted, they discovered loose diamonds in the Great Namib Desert in southern Africa. It is said that Negroes hired to search for diamonds groped for them in the sand, completely naked with find jars tied around their necks. When workers were released from the mine, a thorough search was carried out, but even with such a strict approach to accounting for diamonds, jewelry still managed to be carried in wounds specially inflicted for this purpose. It was in this way that the largest Shah diamond was removed from the mine.


Diamonds are diamonds already cut and processed in a special way, which will be able to put the economy of any, the most backward country on its feet. That is why the so-called diamond rush covered all continents and countries of the world.

Diamonds are the most amazing stones that have unique properties and, among other things, they are very rare in nature. Diamond mining is an extremely labor-intensive process, which, moreover, will require considerable capital investments, especially at first.

Diamonds are formed at a distance 400 km from the earth's surface in the earth's mantle, at high temperature and great pressure. The magma erupting from the crater of the volcano delivers diamonds to the surface of the earth, thus, kimberlite pipes appear. Placers are already secondary deposits of diamonds, they are formed during soil erosion, mainly in the channels of reservoirs, at the bottom of coastal sea and river areas.

Approximately from 1 ton of rock, no more than 1 carat of diamonds can be isolated. But that is not all. The main thing is to find mines containing kimberlite or lamproite pipes. It happens that more than a dozen years pass from the moment a diamond mine is discovered to its launch. We present you the rating of diamond-producing countries:

6. Australia

Until recently, Australia was one of the leaders in diamond mining. But at present, its reserves have been greatly depleted, now diamond mining is carried out there mainly near the city of Kimberley in the Argyle mine. It was here that not so long ago, very rare pink crystals were discovered, which have very high price and sold only through auctions. But scientists have calculated that the diamond reserves at this mine will be completely depleted by 2018.

5. South Africa

South Africa is the most developed country on the African continent, the undisputed leader in terms of the number of mineral deposits, including diamonds. The only country in Africa that does not belong to the third world countries. The constant growth of GDP marks the incredible activity of the country's foreign market. South Africa ranks fifth in diamond production per year ( 7.4 million carats — $1.22 billion)

4. Angola

Angola is the fourth largest diamond miner in the world. The main deposit is Fukauma. The main economy of Angola is based on the extraction and sale of oil. It is thanks to the export of oil that the country's economy is developing very quickly among all the countries of Africa located south of the Sahara.

Since diamond production is calculated not in mass (kg), but in their value. The value is determined by the size and purity of the stones. That Angola produces 8.7 million carats of diamonds per 1.32 billion dollars.

3. Canada

Canada is considered to be one of the richest countries in the world. Canada is a recognized leader in the number of exports and imports. The main diamond deposit is Ekati. Canada takes an honorable third place in our ranking (12 million carats - 2 billion dollars)

2. Botswana

by the most big amount Botswana, a country located in the south of the African continent, can boast of diamond mines. It borders South Africa, Namibia and Zambia. More than 70% of this country is occupied by the Kalahari Desert, the so-called "green desert".

The country is one of the recognized leaders in terms of production and value of all diamonds. The industrial extraction of these stones in the country began in 1971. In addition, Botswana has the richest deposits of gold, silver and platinum. The main share of the state's export products falls on the United States and Western Europe. In a year the country produces 24.6 million carats worth $3.64 billion

1. Russia

Russia is one of the world's largest owners of almost all types of minerals. The country has rich deposits of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, coal, oil and natural gas. Many of the presented natural resources are located in Siberia, including the richest kimberlite pipes.

For a very long time, Russia was not considered a diamond mining country, although at the end of the 19th century small placers of diamonds were discovered in the Urals. But the vast territorial expanses of our country did not let the hope of discovering new deposits fade away, and, according to scientists, it was in Yakutia. The largest deposits diamonds are located in the Republic of Sakha, Arkhangelsk and Perm regions. In 2007-2008, Russia occupied a leading position in the ranking of diamond mining. Today, the Russian Federation has the first place in the world in terms of diamond mining ( 38.3 million carats, worth $3.73 billion)

Diamond industry in recent history

Since 1980, the world industrial production of diamonds has increased by 3-4 times, but, nevertheless, diamonds are still considered to be an extremely scarce natural resource. Over the past 25 years, more than 12 thousand kimberlite deposits have been discovered in the world. But at the same time, only 1% of these deposits contain enough diamonds to make their mining economically profitable.

Naturally, this is due to the fact that no one sifts tons of rock through a sieve, dreaming of finding one small diamond. Today, diamond mining is a labor-intensive process. requiring both huge investments and high technical skills. The dimensions of industrial diamond mines are so large that they can be seen from space.

The most widely diamond deposits are presented on the African continent. In some politically unstable countries in West and Central Africa, the military junta has taken diamond mining under its strict control. Using funds from the sale of jewelry to invest in military operations in the country. Stones from these countries, most often smuggled, are called "blood diamonds" or "stones of grief and war."

Therefore, in 2002, the UN forces initiated the so-called Kimberlite Process, which was supposed to stop the smuggling of diamonds from the zones of military conflicts and the use of the proceeds for the further continuation of the war. But still, this problem could not be completely solved, because in African countries, their state of customs control, smuggling flourishes and the export of diamonds continues. Among other things, diamonds are also supplied by countries that are not in a state of direct hostilities, and these diamonds are considered “clean”, but are also used to escalate military conflict.