Diamond mining: deposits in Russia and other countries

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

The diamonds owe their appearance to the upper mantle of the Earth, inside which they originate at more than 100 km depth. This process, which lasts for centuries, is facilitated by two factors - ultra-high temperature and tremendous pressure, leading to the transformation of graphite into precious crystals. In the future, diamonds are in the bowels of the planet for huge time intervals, estimated in hundreds of thousands, millions and even billions of years, and then are carried to the surface during volcanic explosions.

The latter result in kimberlite and lamproite pipes, capable of boasting a high content of the described precious mineral. Experts note that the former account for about 90% of the explored indigenous diamond reserves, and the latter - about 10%.

Today, the main type of natural diamond accumulations is root, represented by the pipes 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 marked the beginning of a large-scale diamond rush. As for kimberlite, it is a bluish-gray igneous rock that acts as a transporter for the mineral in question.

The second series of igneous rocks containing diamonds are lamproites. Of these, the described mineral has been mined since the second half of the 1970s, which is associated with the discovery of the famous Argyle pipe in Western Australia. Such rocks differ from kimberlites by the increased concentration of titanium, phosphorus, potassium and some other elements. About 95% of the 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 bedrock igneous rocks by atmospheric precipitation, streams and wind. There are also impact deposits that owe their appearance to fallen meteorites.

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

• exploration work aimed at discovering a deposit;
• implementation of preparatory measures, involving the arrangement of a living area for specialists and the delivery of the necessary equipment;
• creation of a mine for quarrying diamond by means of a gentle blast;
• commencement of work to extract the precious mineral from igneous rocks.

Primary diamond mining involves crushing the ore into relatively large fragments (5-15 cm) with subsequent separation into valuable and associated rocks. The secondary extraction process does the following:

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

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

According to statistics, about 70% of mined crystals have gem value. The rest of the diamonds are used for the manufacture of wear-resistant parts for processing tools, as well as components for medical devices and watches.

From time immemorial until the second half of the 19th century, India was the largest supplier of diamonds 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 production 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 the island of Kalimantan.

Special attention should be paid to three companies engaged in the extraction of the precious mineral in question 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 transnational corporation from South Africa (almost 6 billion USD in 2017), while the Russian company takes 1st place in terms of the total number of mined crystals (nearly 40 million ct over the same period).

Despite the fact that Alrosa's activities are primarily associated with Russia, it owns 32.8% of the shares of Angola's mining company Catoca Ltd., which is 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 above-mentioned republic.

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

Later, more than 250 crystals were found on the territory of the Urals, primarily notable for their impressive beauty. And yet the main diamond treasury of Russia was discovered in Siberia, the enormous wealth of which will not be exhausted very soon.

The first to hypothesize about the diamond content of the region under consideration was the Russian naturalist Mikhail Lomonosov. His assumption was confirmed in 1897 thanks to a find weighing 0.67 ct, reclaimed on the Melnichnaya River near the Siberian town of Yeniseisk. Further searches for the precious mineral, initiated after the Great Patriotic War, were crowned with success in 1949: it was then that the first Yakut diamond was found at an alluvial deposit near Sokolinaya Kosa.

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

Today, most of Siberia's diamond deposits are concentrated in Yakutia. The precious mineral is mined by a company with a state-owned stake in Alrosa (Almazy Rossii - Sakha), which controls 99% of the Russian market. In 1992, she became the legal successor of the Yakutalmaz trust, which existed for 35 years. Its headquarters are located in the city of Mirny, the center of the diamond industry in Russia, practically 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, can boast of significant diamond reserves. The accumulations of the precious mineral located on its territory are distinguished by their antiquity (from 400 to 600 million years) and represent both placers and intact kimberlite pipes preserved under the layers of surface rocks.

The Lomonosov deposit located in the Primorsky district of the region deserves special attention, the depth of which reaches 600 m. It combines 6 kimberlite pipes, from which diamonds of excellent quality are mined, and the value of its proven reserves is 12 billion dollars.

Talking about diamond mining, I would like to list a few additional facts of interest to most fans of these precious crystals.

• One of the most famous kimberlite pipes in Russia is Yubileinaya.Diamonds have been mined there since 1986, and the depth of development 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 diamond quarries operating in the Russian Federation, Udachny is the largest. The dimensions of its surface 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 there.

• The third field worthy of attention is Mir, the total reserves of which 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 placing an object in it, the dimensions of which are comparable to the Ostankino TV 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. The largest of the impacts, it is the result of a giant meteorite hitting graphite rocks. Information about him, declassified several years ago, has become a real find for researchers interested in "alien diamonds".

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

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

Taking into account the level of production at the 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. Thus, do not expect a decrease in the cost of the mineral in question in the foreseeable future.

More information about diamond mining in Russia can be found in the video below.